It was my good fortune to attend the 8th Annual Chefs of the Burbs event sponsored by the Rotary Club of Blue Bell. It was a charity fund raiser to benefit the Wissahickon Valley Boys and Girls Club, along with other organizations that benefit area youth. So in the name of culinary research I made my way around the Grand Ballroom of the PineCrest Country Club and sampled the "hearty appetizers and small plates" prepared by local restaurants. And with nearly 2 dozen samples to choose from it was a daunting task. But I was up for the challenge.
The Hotel Fiesole in Skippack was serving some amazing butternut squash soup that seemed like a good place to start. That coupled well with the cheese sampling offered by Trader Joe's in Montgomeryville. Benihana of Plymouth Meeting tantalized the palate with some sushi and the Joseph Ambler Inn was also in a seafood mood with shrimp tostadas.
The appetizers eventually gave way to some larger portions and the Iron Hill Brewery complied with a combination pork and beef nacho while L'Angolo Blue served up a tasty roasted veggie pasta. Harvest Seasonal Grill provided some chili with a curious zip. But for me the stars of the show were the braised chicken from 19 Bella and the mini lobster roll from the Blue Bell Inn. And coming in not far behind were the delicious skewers served up by Arpeggio.
And with barely any room for dessert I forced myself over to the table of delights presented tastefully by Iced by Betsy.
It was a great night for the Rotary sponsored organizations, for the participating restaurants and for the contributors. It was a win, win, win!
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