By Frank Quattrone
Who would believe that a Boiler Room could be the most cheerful place in town? Well, if the town is the borough of Dublin, PA, and The Boiler Room, the relatively new restaurant at 123 North Main Street, is your destination for dinner, we’re talking about happy times.
The renovated building housing this sparkling addition to the region’s dining scene was once home to the powerhouse H. Daroff & Sons garment factory, the hundred-year-old producer of the classic Botany 500 men’s fashion line—and the restaurant was once the center’s heat and energy hub. Originally opened three years ago as a small-bites partner with Crossing Vineyards, it has blossomed (since its rechristening last summer) into Dublin’s first full-service fine-dining haven.
Bustling on a frigid midwinter night, The Boiler Room found General Manager Samantha Krauss all smiles as she assisted her staff serving tables buzzing with lively chatter. “Guests have been actually seeking a restaurant they can come to for special occasions, or just for a good meal, and word of mouth has been simply great.”
Not hard to see why. Samantha and her husband, Benjamin, one of three co-owners of The Boiler Room, have been in the business for twenty years, from the time they met working in a Fort Lauderdale restaurant to a series of upscale restaurants they’ve managed from Florida to here.
Better yet—they’ve brought on to helm their kitchen one of the most inspired, and affable, chefs in the business: Vincent Minissale. A first-generation Italian whose family emigrated from Sicily, Chef Vincent has been a committed foodie since he was eight years old, enjoying family foodfests and learning from the best. He says with a laugh that “every meal back then was a culinary event.” When he was sixteen, he began working for his father as a pizza man at Tony’s Pizza & Pasta in Plymouth Meeting.
Later he attended Philadelphia’s Restaurant School, manned the kitchens of Georges Perrier and Stephen Starr restaurants, and interned at Earl’s New American in Peddler’s Village, absorbing lessons from great chefs and mentors, experimenting, melding his classical French training with his Italian background and eclectic tastes, creating menus already drawing raves from happy guests.
The night of our visit, my wife Eve, impressed by all the chef’s offerings, trusted the restaurant’s delightful general manager to order three appetizers to serve as her whole meal. Samantha hit the bullseye. Eve enjoyed the Lamb Chop Lollipops, grilled Australian lamb graced with tzatziki sauce in a pomegranate reduction. But she was even more impressed by the Portobello Fries, tempura battered sliced portobellos, served in a roasted garlic gochujang aioli, and the intriguingly named 6 Hot Dates, wrapped in prosciutto, stuffed with Boursin in a truffle honey drizzle.
The successful blending of Greek, French, Japanese, Korean, French, and Italian elements in these three appetizers proved to be a taste sensation.
For my appetizer, I enjoyed what Samantha called Chef Vinny’s favorite dish on the menu—Seared Foie Gras, served with toasted brioche in a crème fraiche, with thin slices of Granny Smith apples in a Luxardo cherry gastrique. However, the chef told me, “I have no favorite dish. They’re all my favorites. They wouldn’t be on the menu if they didn’t pass my love test. My mantra to my staff is to always bring a little love to what they’re doing, because it goes a long way to creating a great menu.”
The Miso Glazed Halibut I ordered for my entrée, served over a hearty bed of sushi rice, ringed with shiitake mushrooms and snap peas in a soy lemongrass beurre Blanc, surely passed the love test for me.
My meal was enhanced with another special touch from the general manager, who also curates the restaurant’s wine list and creates its seasonal craft cocktails. While Eve had a Bloody Mary, I took a lucky leap with Samantha’s Cucumber Gimlet, a surprisingly refreshing mix of Hendrick's Gin, with traces of muddled cucumber, simple syrup, and lime, and came away impressed with her impeccable taste. A veteran bartender since her twenties, Samantha says she only uses fresh juices in her cocktails rather than grenadine, “which really makes the difference in a great cocktail.”
The Boiler Room also offers special five-course wine dinners every two months, like the recent exploration of the robust reds and elegant whites of Italy’s Piedmont region on March 11. Call for information and reservations for future events.
Fine desserts are made for the restaurant by Kara Wible of Sprig Bakery, also located in the sprawling complex housing The Boiler Room. We enjoyed sharing the Apple Ginger Galette, served warm with vanilla ice cream and topped with caramel sauce, and the New York Style Cheesecake, with its graham cracker crust and raspberry coulis.
Quickly becoming a community center, The Boiler Room also presents live music every Wednesday evening, starting at 6 p.m. A real find for committed foodies!
The Boiler Room is located at 123 North Main Street, Dublin, PA; 215-249-9419; www.theboilerroompa.com. Open Tuesda –Thursday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Monday. Happy Hour: Tuesday–Saturday, 3 to 6 p.m. Reservations recommended, especially weekends. Walk-ins welcome when possible.