Paul Wesley
Heirloom Restaurant
Heirloom: It’s something treasured, handed down lovingly from generation to generation. It’s also the perfect name for the intimate, unadorned restaurant located next door to Quinoa, a lively Mexican eatery, both within view of Doylestown’s arthouse County Theater. Chef-owner Tim Pervisi and his wife Aly opened their culinary treasure chest during the summer of 2020, when Covid restrictions allowed only takeout and delivery service. But soon enough, word got out, and patrons began lining up around the block to get in.
Now we know why. On two consecutive days in July, Eve and I enjoyed two of the best meals we’ve had in years. The first was a dinner one sweltering Saturday evening as a veritable procession of smiling locals were walking their children, dogs, and bicycles along State Street outside the front window. The next was a terrific brunch the following morning that confirmed our experience the night before.
If we were surprised, it’s only because Heirloom, five days a week, is essentially a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant. Dinner is served only on Fridays and Saturdays. When I asked Chef Tim why he chose this approach, he said, “The parking lot of a really good lunch restaurant tells the story. BMWs, minivans, pickup trucks, bicycles—it’s a place for everyone. I wanted Heirloom to apply the drive and allure, the high standards of fine-dining restaurants to the breakfast-and-lunch experience.”
Done! And with amazing panache. Mackenzie Dolley, our warmly attentive server, explained that the dinner menu, changing roughly every two weeks, features three appetizers, three small plates, and three large plates. Mackenzie said it was hard to make a recommendation since everything on the menu is exceptional. Point well taken. So for starters, Eve and I shared the Watermelon and Cucumber Salad, sprinkled with scallions and black sesame seeds in a basil Greek yogurt vinaigrette. I don’t normally enjoy cucumbers, but this dish was so fresh and refreshing that it could easily have served as dessert!
Our small plate was a generous bowl of tenderly Steamed Mussels, balanced nicely in a zesty chopped chorizo and charred tomato broth surrounding three charred Blue Moon Acres organic shoshito peppers adding a breath of fire to the broth. Sop it up with Italian bread from Nord’s legendary bakery and you have a treat you’ll never forget.
Then came our large plates. Wow! Eve reveled in her Roasted Red Fish, served with a Panzanella salad, Nord sourdough croutons, onion, Blue Moon Acres organic basil and Lancaster County cherry tomatoes, dashed with Sicilian olive oil and aged balsamic basil pesto. But I, having been weaned on my Italian grandmother’s homemade pasta, can happily report that the chef’s homemade Tagliatelle, those long, flat ribbons similar to fettuccine, would not have disappointed my dear nonna. Laden with roasted shrimp, first-of-the-summer Lancaster tomatoes, garlic, and Blue Moon Acres organic basil in a white wine Sicilian olive oil sauce, it was a flavor sensation I’d gladly order again.
Finally, the chef’s homemade beignet, served with Nutella maple syrup, was a worthy challenge to one of New Orleans’ favorite desserts.
But with Eve’s daughter Barbara joining us for Sunday breakfast/brunch, we discovered why Chef Tim celebrates the day’s earlier meals. Having trained with some of the country’s best chefs, he’s learned how to put on the plate what he calls the “craft of fine food, food that talks to you. Pay best respect to the ingredients and I guarantee you’ll have a good time!” An understatement!
Server Gracie Heim, whose super-sweet smile never quits, made some recommendations from the all-day menu that show the commitment of Heirloom’s exceptional staff to Chef Tim’s stripped-down, food-first dining experience. She first brought us the modestly named (Nord) Bread & Spread, a long wedge of Blue Moon Acres organic eggplant topped with an heirloom tomato and tahini. I had the Cast Iron Pancake, a high-rise ricotta-based pancake cooked in a cast iron skillet, served with warm Tybuk Farm maple syrup and tangy raspberries.
Fortunately, we share, because Eve ordered the unique Heirloom Benedict, slow-roasted beef brisket (avocado or house-cured lox can be substituted) topping a roasted garlic arancini (a Sicilian rice cake) with easy-over eggs, lemon-thyme hollandaise, seasonal greens, and pickled red onion seasoned with a chive vinaigrette. Simply great! But Barbara’s Crab Cake San Gennaro was our favorite. It’s the chef’s San Gennaro Hash—Italian sausage and peppers, sweet potato, San Marzano tomato, charred long hot pepper, and two eggs easy over on grilled Nord sourdough bread, served with all-crabmeat crab cake, coleslaw, and a dash of lemon and olive oil.
Inspired by the Culinary Institute of America in Dutchess County, New York, where he was born (and where he trained for a time), and by working side by side with an array of great chefs in Manhattan, Oregon, and in our area (including the Philadelphia Cricket Club and Huntingdon Valley Country Club), Heirloom’s Tim Pervisi has developed into a world-class chef. He’s transformed his passion for the brash counterculture and creativity of the culinary superstars he’s worked with into a passion for the fine foods he serves, without the fuss, at Doylestown’s unmistakable treasure trove. Can’t wait to go back.
Heirloom Restaurant is located at 54 East State Street, Doylestown, PA 18901; 267-880-6610; www.heirloomdoylestown.com. Open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and for dinner Friday and Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday. BYOB. Menus change seasonally, based on availability of locally sourced ingredients. Reservations recommended.