The heart of Downingtown’s downtown, such as it is, centers on a quaint stretch of Lancaster Avenue that has been crying out for renewal for years now. Nearly 10 years ago Fioravanti Continental Cuisine arrived, offering western Main Line foodies a reprieve from Chili’s and Old Country Buffet. But since then, there’s been little progress in the dining department—unless you count a sprawling new Cracker Barrel.

So there was a definite buzz last May when chef Nick DiFonzo’s now 2-year-old Jasper Restaurant—a romantic B.Y.O.B. with a daring, French-inspired New American menu—rated a “very good” two-bells from the Inquirer’s paid palate, Craig Laban.

The only problem was, DiFonzo wasn’t around to celebrate. The day before the review was released, he was admitted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital with a brain aneurysm. Jasper, the restaurant DiFonzo had created on his own with a kitchen he ran nearly single-handedly, closed for three months while DiFonzo recovered.

It reopened in late summer with two more fulltime chefs, bringing the restaurant’s total staff to a whopping eight.

“Before, I was doing most of the cooking myself. I was putting in 15-hour days five or six days a week, and it was getting to be too much,” admits DiFonzo, a Restaurant School-trained chef and a veteran of Taquet, Rose Tree Inn and Passerelle, among others.

But now, he says, the new arrangement in the kitchen actually allows him to take on even more complicated menu items. They make all the pasta—gnocchi and pappardelle—in-house, and change up the menu regularly, depending not only on what’s in season at the local farms like Pete’s in West Chester, but also on what DiFonzo spots at the produce terminal in Philadelphia. “I go to the market in Philly to pick up all my produce myself. I can see what’s coming in that’s fresh, and I can buy something just because the quality looks good,” he says. He purchases meats from Wells and seafood a few times a week from Samuels and Son.

“I use a lot of French techniques,” DiFonzo explains, “but the ingredients are all-American. I think American ingredients are the best in the world.”

So far, this philosophy seems to be working: Jasper’s mostly repeat clientele come from as far as Philadelphia and Harrisburg. (They tend to take the train into the nearby Downingtown station, quaffing a few glasses from their wine bottles en route.) Offerings like a five-course, $40 prix fixe menu available Wednesdays and Thursdays have helped make Jasper a budding dining destination.

We stopped by on a recent Thursday evening and found ourselves in a renovated Victorian residence; DiFonzo converted and decorated the cozy space on his own. One thing he barely changed, though, was the residential kitchen—after 18 years in sprawling commercial kitchens, he has learned to prefer a simple, compact cooking space.

The overall atmosphere was that of visiting a Victorian country parlor. And gracious touches such as complimentary amuse-bouche and house salads—old-fashioned gestures that, in these a la carte days, seem downright generous—made us feel like welcome guests. That, even though we were shown to what in a half-empty restaurant struck us as the worst table in the house, adjacent to the back exit and just steps from the wide-open kitchen door. (It did, however, provide the opportunity to watch as each party of departing diners stopped to peer into the kitchen, say hello and thank the chef.)

The surprisingly expansive menu ranged from the decadent, like an appetizer-size Kobe burger Rossini with foie gras, white truffle oil and crostini, to the inventive, like an anise-scented filet of lamb with porcini flan and red swiss chard sautéed in demi-glace. French influences and the occasional Asian accent are evident throughout, but mostly, as we soon discovered, DiFonzo’s menu is about maximizing bold flavors.

Our crisply efficient waitress took our order, then brought us our amuse-bouche, a spicy, briny cucumber soup served chilled in an espresso cup. As our appetizers arrived, so did the evening’s single disappointment: dinner rolls that are the one item DiFonzo and his crew don’t make on the premises. (We could tell.)

From then on, however, there were few complaints.

The jumbo lump crab cakes—true lump crab meat without an ounce of filler—were perfectly complimented by a subtle Asian-influenced sauce that sang with red curry and caramelized sriracha, alongside “capellini” of julienne cucumber, carrots and red bell peppers. And a duxelle of wild mushrooms offered a rich, velvety texture and intense flavor, wrapped in narrow rolls of delicate chive crepe and served with a bright, sweet, roasted red pepper coulis and savory fried leeks.

The complimentary house salad, which came next, was no desultory effort either. Dark green asparagus tips were arranged around rosy cherry tomatoes, crisp baby spinach and piles of cucumber sliced into thin ribbons, all lightly dressed in a sauce redolent with fresh cardamom.

Our entrees proved just as eye-opening. A generous portion of sushi-grade ahi tuna came grilled, but still perfectly red in the center—pleasantly rarer than the advertised medium rare. The tuna was served over a risotto pistou pungent with fresh basil, Parmesan and garlic and so creamy the rice had practically dissolved.

A Sicilian-style stemperata—a sautee, dominated by green olives and golden raisins that burst on the tongue, that was simultaneously briny, spicy, sweet and fruity—was a bold counterpoint to the rich risotto.

The pan-roasted, free-range duck breast was an equally adept meal: The crisp exterior was glazed a deep crimson and the meat was rich and juicy, imbued with a succulent burgundy wine marinade. It was plated with a braised rabbit ragout—a hearty stew that could have been a meal in itself, with carrots and slow-cooked, tender meat that fell apart under the fork—and a thick, comforting rosemary, sun-dried tomato and Parmesan bread pudding.

Desserts, also crafted on premises, kept pace, with offerings ranging from a classic crème brûlée to crepes filled with mocha crème, to a take on strawberry shortcake, served in a martini glass, that has become something of a signature dish. We sampled the brandied peach tart: the season’s last peaches were cut into thick wedges, infused with a hint of brandy and tucked into a light, flaky pastry crust. The dessert was sweet but not syrupy, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The kitchen had run out of mocha crepes, so we tried the chocolate molten lava cake—enough to satisfy any chocoholic with hot, rich, gooey fudge inside moist chocolate cake, served with dots of tangy raspberry coulis.

Although DiFonzo has put together an entirely new kitchen staff within just the past few months, it’s apparent that this cooking machine is already running seamlessly. “We’re a really close-knit family here,” DiFonzo muses. And it’s the type of family we’re glad we have the chance to visit for dinner.

Jasper: 78 W. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, 610-269-7776, jasperdowningtown.com. Wed.-Sat., 5:30-9:30 p.m.

1. [...] all about it in Main Line Magazine. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Comeback Kid: Jasper in Downingtown”, url: [...]

   Posted by Comeback Kid: Jasper in Downingtown - WC Dish | November 11, 2008, 11:46 am

2. I love this place!!

   Posted by Gerri | December 4, 2008, 12:48 pm