If the short ribs you order have been cooking for three days, it’s normally a red flag. But at this cozy Montco BYO, it’s par for the course, because Rosalie is all about cooking sous vide. If you’re unfamiliar, sous vide involves placing meats in vacuum-sealed pouches and bathing them in a low-temp water bath for hours (or days) on end. In Rosalie’s case, sous vide lends itself to one sublime short rib and one very cool dining experience, in which four courses cost $55 to $65. The operation is limited to one fixed entrée per week, so you might get bluefish or lamb. Insider tip: The set menu makes wine selection a bit easier; call ahead for suggestions
You can't rush perfection! That's the credo for petite Restaurant Rosalie, a 6-month old enchanting BYO bistro reminiscent of a cafe in Provence with its floral yellow wallpaper, abundant white woodwork and open-aired doors. Nestled in the corner of a small shopping center near Skippack, this charming gem seats only 16 fortunate patrons, whether at the elegant linen-covered tables inside, or outdoors on the brick patio.
Restaurant Rosalie is the creation of Chef Gregory Ott. It's named for his mother and capably hostessed by his fiancée, Kellie Boyce. The duo has extensive experience both serving and cooking. Greg is a graduate of Philadelphia's Restaurant School and worked at various venues in Manhattan including the Warner Center's Mandarin Oriental before coming to rest near their native Souderton. The complete story is available through subscription at 215-968-0321.
All,
I’m about to jump on the bandwagon of the emails below…
I took the advice of the friends below and went to Restaurant Rosalie last night. Everything below is true. It’s a BYOB haven. I know that many of you are in the W&S business and that you dine at some of your accounts, but we all need to get away from time to time. Kelly and Greg, a young couple that plan on being married within the next year, opened up this small, quaint restaurant in 6 days. They buy everything fresh each day and they buy based on the reservations that they have that evening. They take one reservation every half hour so that the Chef (Greg) can pay attention to every detail for that party. As stated below, it’s a $55 prefix that changes on a weekly basis. This week the Amuse Bouche was a tender, slightly spiced perfectly prepared Shrimp followed by a cream of Carrot Soup with crème fraiche and strawberry puree. The main course was a poached Mahi Mahi served over basmati rice with a touch of fruit salsa and avocado coulis. A Crème Brulée, fresh berries, and a chocolate fondue dessert followed a beautiful field green salad. The evening was relaxed and quiet with a sense of a warm home. As Bob says below, “I’d like to see them make it!”
Restaurant Rosalie (named after Greg’s mother) is a quick 30 minute drive from the City and a well-worth-the-ride destination spot for those foodies that pride themselves in quality.
Please take the time to experience this newcomer and forward this along to others.
They are located on Skippack Pike in the small hamlet of Cedars. You can call them at 610 584 1680.
Best Regards.
A.F.
Northeast Regional Manager
Louis Latour Inc
8739 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128
tel: 215 483 0735 (office) 215 806 1037 (Cell)
fax: 215 483 7113
www.LouisLatour.com
I’m always looking for better restaurants in the area so, here is a strong recommendation, Restaurant Rosalie. It’s in the old site of Allison’s original restaurant in Cedars. The chef, Greg Ott, use to work for me. He’s got serious credentials. the co-owner, Kelly, is his fiancé’. They are very competent. It’s BYOB, top shelf food. If it wasn’t over the top and a huge value, I wouldn’t ever send something like this out. Eighteen settings, one seating. It’s $55 price fixed with a new menu each week. I took two friends there this week and they flipped out, sending the message below to all their friends that really like food… I am doing the same. Give them a shot. I’d like to see them make it. Ya’ gotta root for folks just starting out in this economy.
Hope this finds you well and my message not rude.
B.C.
President | Bob & Ron's World Wide Stereo | Home Entertainment Source |
104 E. Vine St. Hatfield Pa 19440 | 215-368-5506 ext 106 | fax: 215-261-6054 | bcole@wwstereo.com
This intimate 18-seat restaurant is owned and operated by Gregg Ott and his fiancé’ Kelly. It’ss housed in the original Alison’s space on Route 73 (Skippack Pike); call them for directions or check their website.
Karen and I dined at his cozy little gem last evening as guests of Bob and Karen Cole. We enjoyed a unique and extremely wine friendly experience; it’s nothing less than awesome. The chef employs Sous-Vide Cooking Technique, my first experience with this and it was a great one. Five delicate, small but adequate, well designed courses (Dr. Phil, you need to have a bit to eat before you arrive, or bring someone whose plates you can finish). See the website for weekly specifics.
For all of you wine geeks receiving this, since the restaurant is only 3 weeks old, they are still getting their act together with regard to glassware (what they have is relatively acceptable) so I do suggest bringing along your own glassware if you’re bringing special bottles (why bring anything else).
We had the menu shown currently on the website (just one pre-fixe choice for dinner that changes weekly) which matched perfectly with a bottles of 1990 Piper Heidsieck, 1979 Chateau Latour, and 1991 Tokaji (5 puntons)
Dinner is reservations only, Weds thru Sat.; they are open for lunch Tuesday thru Saturday, simple lite menu shown on their website; http://www.restaurantrosalie.com/
Best regards,
B.M.
Restaurant Rosalie: A Review
Wow! That is all we could say when we left this quaint replacement for the space formerly occupied by Cafe at Cedars. Greg, chef and proprietor and Kelly, his lovely fiancee, have brought a true gem to our community.
Three of us made a spontaneous decision to have lunch today at Rosalie, named after Greg's mother. We were greeted warmly and seated by Kelly. After giving us the particulars of the du jour offerings, we were committed. The soup, a creamy sweet pea, finished with a tomato fondue, crème fraîche, and tiny pea pod was served at the perfect temperature and tasted amazing.
The quiche, caramelized onion, tomato concassé and asparagus was prepared with a puff pastry crust and served with 2 side salads. Field greens with their house made buttermilk dressing and couscous with lemon zest, mint and finely diced red bell pepper.
The entrée salad was field greens with poached chicken breast, orange segments and julianned red bell pepper and the buttermilk dressing. The salad also came with a side of the couscous. I can not eat bell peppers so my salad came with perfectly roasted vegetables. Zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms.
Everything was as fresh as I have seen. Greg stopped by to inquire about our satisfaction. We were thrilled with our dishes! Their focus is on fresh local ingredients and a real dining experience. They are spot on. Their menu is limited and changes almost daily. When we first looked at the menu, we were wondering why there were so few choices. We definitely understand now.
We passed on dessert. I do not drink coffee, but my friends both had coffee and I must tell you, the fragrance was divine. When Kelly brought our check, we were presented with their house made chocolate truffle. I don't even have a word for how blown away we were!
We were disheartened to see so many empty spaces in this small center. Restaurant Rosalie needs and absolutely deserves the support of our community. It is a BYOB and offers two prix fixe options for dinner. We will be regulars and I ask all the Hounds around to give them an opportunity to be as successful as they deserve to be!
We had a really nice dinner at Restaurant Rosalie on Saturday night. It was our first visit, so we only tried the 3-course offering. We enjoyed it so much that we will be going back next weekend for the 4-course meal.
The aesthetics:
It is a really cute place that can seat up to 18 people. The tables are well spaced. There were nice linens on the tables and good quality stemware. Music was playing softly in the background. The couple that runs the restaurant is warm and friendly. Kellie is working the front while Greg does the cooking. Serving techniques were excellent; all of our plates were held by a linen napkin when carried and placed on the table.
The food:
I started with the roasted tomato soup and my wife had the salad. The soup was warm, flavorful and had a nice consistency and good mouth feel. My wife liked the dressing on her salad of field greens and enjoyed the salad (but thought that it would have been even better with a bit of goat cheese). The only thing that we found unusual is that bread and butter was not served (not that we needed it). We both had the Cornish game hen which was juicy from the Sous-Vide process and then nicely crisped on the outside from a final pan searing. The hen was served on top of a vegetable risotto along with cubes of roasted red beets, cubes of roasted carrots, and roasted pearl onions. The risotto was perfectly cooked with a nice “bite” to the rice (the risotto was a little too salty for my taste, but I tend not to salt my food). Dessert was crème brulee served with a chocolate biscotti and berries. The crème brulee had a nice smooth, thick texture and was very good. After paying the check, we were presented with a plate of chocolate truffles. They were small, soft and flavorful and provided a nice finish to an excellent meal.
In summary:
Intimate space, pleasant atmosphere, polished service, and very good food with prices appropriate for a BYOB of this size and quality.
S.G.
Rosalie revisited…
We had another excellent meal at Restaurant Rosalie on Saturday night. This time we tried the full four-course offering and left full and happy. We really like this place. The food is well prepared and nicely seasoned, it has an intimate atmosphere, and Greg and Kellie pay attention to the details (warm soup bowls, warm plates, nice stemware, linens, explaining the ingredients in each dish, etc.).
Once seated, Kellie asked us if we wanted a Kir cocktail. It consisted of a nice dry Chardonnay with a splash of cassis liquor. The amuse bouche was Greg’s take on a vegetable samosa, which was subtlety spiced and delicious and the lemony crème fraiche accompanying it was superb. Next up was the Pozole soup which was very good. It was not spicy to taste but left a nice hint of spice on your tongue at the finish. I don’t recall the specific ingredients in the soup, but would gladly eat it again. The main entrée was a duck breast which had been seared, then cooked sous-vide and then seared again. It was served sliced and rare atop a delicious parsnip puree. I have rarely had parsnips and if everyone made them as good as Greg, I would gladly eat them again. They had a wonderful creamy texture with a bit of sweetness. The duck was also served with carrots, baby bok choy and a butter poached onion. All were excellent. Everything was fresh and flavorful and not overly seasoned. The flavor of the ingredients themselves showed through. The entrée was followed by a field greens salad with a tasty vinaigrette. Dessert was a Mascarpone Cream Pavlova. It was delicious. The meringue crust was crisp and was a nice contrast to the cream. The pavlova was surrounded by a chocolate sauce with spots of strawberry puree. The chocolate/strawberry flavors complemented (and did not overpower) the pavlova. Once again, two soft chocolate truffles accompanied the check.
We asked Kellie about not serving bread and she said that their intent is for you to progress through the courses without filling up on the extra carbs. She was right on the money, as we were pleasantly full at the end of the meal.
We enjoyed this meal even more than last week’s Cornish hen. Greg is a skilled chef and obviously puts a lot of thought into his flavors and ingredients. It is not an inexpensive meal, but is still a good value. It is a nicely paced dining experience (we were there for two-and-a-half hours and never felt a lull and certainly never felt rushed). Highly recommended and if you are thinking about trying Restaurant Rosalie, please go now and support this lovely couple while they are starting out. For a restaurant that has been open for less than two months, there do not appear to be any kinks that need to be ironed out.
S.G.
Dear Kellie and Greg,
We all had a wonderful time at the restaurant last Saturday. Our neighbors were raving about the food, about the restaurant and you! I received many compliments for having found you, so even I was basking in your glory :). Many of us are also looking forward to warmer weather so we can have lunch or dinner al fresco, that's going to be so nice. So you hang in there ok.
We have more friends so you will see us again one of these days. Maarten is in Vegas for business and was griping on the phone as he had a dinner meeting in Morton's steakhouse (he does NOT like steakhouses), a far cry from what he really likes. When I am thinking again about our evening I see him and some of our neighbors going behind the bar, barging into the kitchen to compliment Greg, you know, I say it again, it's like having dinner with very good friends at Rosalie's, you two keep that up, it is truly wonderful.
Hug,
S. P.
Thank you for a delightful evening last Saturday evening Gregg and Kelly.
N.Z.
Great food and excellent service. The main course was a real stand-out: a duck breast done to perfection served with a parsnip puree that was so delicious that I wanted to lick my plate! I love the concept of the chef focusing on one set of dishes for the meal and delivering them really, really well. The chef came out of the kitchen and talked with everyone, which is an experience you don't often get at larger restaurants. Highly recommended.
E.R.
I would like to add to the praise for Restaurant Rosalie. We dined there last night for the first time, and we were very impressed. First, the chef and his fiancee are very nice. We really enjoyed talking to them, particulary Greg's description of the sous vide process. The place is charming. As mentioned earlier, very nice glassware too. The classical music was enjoyable and just loud enough. The meal was delicious. We had the three course version. I had the salad: organic greens with cranberries and sunflower seeds with a cassis/burgundy vinagrette (hope I got that right). My fiance had the white onion soup, which I tasted. Boh delicious. The entree was an herb-crusted cod over carmelized leeks, accompanied by chanterelle mushrooms and white beans. Wonderful. Dessert was vanilla creme brulee, fruit and biscotti. The creme brulee was one of the best I've tasted and the presentation was very cute. They make a great cappuccino. We can't wait to return. Unfortunately, there was only one other couple there last night. This has to change. This is a real gem and the word needs to get out in order for them to be as successful as they deserve. There just aren't enough great restaurants in the suburbs. BTW, didn't miss the bread at all.
M.L.
Last night we had one of the best meals we've ever had. The short ribs were incredible. They were perfectly cooked, tender and flavorful. Greg has a gift for combining ingredients and flavors. The short ribs were served on a creamy chive polenta along with pearl onions, a delicious medley of bell pepper slices, a shitake mushroom, and half of a bulb of roasted garlic (great on the provided crustini and on the beef). The real surprise was the preserved lemon. I had never thought to pair citrus and beef, but eating a small piece of the lemon along with a bite of short rib provided a contrast that made all of the flavors pop.
All of the other touches I’ve mentioned before were in place again last night. It was a lovely relaxing meal and it was a beautiful night to eat semi-alfresco (out table was inside next to the open doors to the patio.
Highly recommended!
S.G.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to Restaurant Rosalie on the recommendation of a couple who are now “Rosalie Regulars”. I was happy to try a new restaurant and expected it would be good. Much to our pleasure, Restaurant Rosalie was one of the most memorable dining experiences we’ve had anywhere in the world.
Upon entering Restaurant Rosalie, we were immediately taken by the cheerful, intimate setting. Then co-owner Kellie graciously greeted and seated us. With great enthusiasm, she explained the concept behind Restaurant Rosalie and the Sous-Vide cooking technique as she served us a glass of Kir. A little later, she served amuse bouche to prepare our palates for the totally unexpected culinary talents of Chef Greg.
The first course was Shiitake Egg Drop Soup. The broth was light, the shiitake mushrooms flavorful, and I actually saw Chef Greg drizzle the egg in the soup, resulting in freshness that was so unlike what I had come to expect of egg drop soup.
After friendly conversation with Kellie, it was time for the real magic of Chef Greg—the entrée of Halibut served with edamame puree, steamed rice cake, and papaya in a “yuzu” chili beurre blanc. It was heaven. I marveled at Chef Greg’s culinary combinations of flavors and hues that delighted the taste buds and captured the eye. Pure magic!
The salad was served after the entrée ala European style. It was fresh and refreshing topped with homemade buttermilk dressing, chives, and orange supremes.
More friendly conversation and then it was time for DESSERT!!!! Just when I thought the meal couldn’t get any better, the Classic French Fruit Tart was presented. The crust was flaky and buttery, the custard creamy yet light, and the fruit was field fresh and ripened to sweet perfection—certainly a delicious way to top off a flawless meal.
As my husband finished his latte that he said was wonderful, I remarked that dining at Restaurant Rosalie was like having dinner in a good friend’s home. And just like dining at the home of friends, you won’t be rushed out in an hour. To adequately enjoy the artistic talents of Chef Greg, you must set aside an evening. As the saying goes, “all good things come to those who wait.” Just don’t wait too long to experience Restaurant Rosalie.
Joanne Hughson
Founder
Idlebury Books
North Wales, PA
We had another excellent dinner at Restaurant Rosalie on Saturday night and were able to share the experience with another couple that we met through Chowhound. I'm also happy to report that the inside dining room was full. Greg Ott (the chef/owner) continues to impress us with his skills. Everything is well thought out, artistically presented, and delicious. The amuse bouche was a cornmeal crusted shrimp on top of Japanese noodles with a bit of spice. Next was mushroom soup garnished with truffle oil - the texture and flavor was superb. The entrée was fabulous - perfectly cooked filet on top of a crostini accompanied by asparagus, hollandaise as well as a sauce of a red wine reduction, mushrooms, a stuffed roasted tomato, and a thinly sliced potato gratin with goat cheese (I’m not sure I’ve got all of the details right - but hopefully you get the idea). Greg continues to surprise and please, the plate is full of flavors and textures and they all compliment each other. The entrée was followed by a salad of field greens with a mustard vinaigrette, pistachios and cranberries. Dessert was a crowd pleasure too…an elegantly smooth crème brulee served with a warm chocolate fondue, a chocolate biscotti and a perfectly sliced strawberry. We did as Kellie suggested and mixed the fondue with everything (it was great with the crème brulee). As I’ve written before, Restaurant Rosalie is our favorite restaurant. This is our 7th time dining there (yes, dining - expect to be there for at least 2 hours) and we will absolutely be going back.
S.G.
Finally had the opportunity to dine at Restaurant Rosalie on Friday night with friends, and everything was excellent. The aesthetics and setting was beautiful. We started the meal outside on the patio, however moved inside for dessert as the bugs started to get a little annoying.
The food was incredible - amuse bouche (seafood dumpling - but that really doesn't adequately describe it!), creme of crecy soup (carrot), poussin, salad, and dessert. Both the chef and lone server were so nice and accomodating. One of our party had a food allergy - scallops - and Greg quickly whipped up a different amuse bouche for her. The poussin was removed from the sous vide and pan seared and paired with an incredible creamy orzo. Both the salad and dessert were equally as delicious.
Overall, an excellent experience. Rosalie will be added into our favorite restaurant rotation! Unfortunatley, we thought it was a little slow for a Friday night, the 4 of us and only 2 other tables. Hope others give it a try. Can't wait to go back - especially for the veal NY strip (week of Sept 2-5).
C.E.
Bustard Road in Cedars, PA.
