Trattoria Rosa Bianca

By Frank Quattrone

Now that the pandemic has begun to fade into the rear-view, people long-shuttered are venturing out again to their favorite haunts, including our local restaurants. Some have suffered badly over the past year, while others, somehow, have more than held their own. One of the latter is Yardley’s quietly elegant, yet surprisingly cozy, Trattoria Rosa Bianca, an Italian BYOB that just might remind you of Grandmom’s house.

The walls of the spacious eatery are bedecked with outsized portraits of the owners’ families—from their great-grandparents to their adorable children (plus a photo of twentieth-century Italian Saint Padre Pio). The hand-crafted curtains, the original wooden floors, the eight-foot-high wooden coat rack, the simple Victorian furnishings all speak to the warmth and comfort of the Old World.

Owned and operated by Executive Chef Anthony Boccella and his gregarious wife and namesake Rosa Bianca, the restaurant is a fully restored nineteenth-century residence in a non-commercial neighborhood of lovely homes that conjure up the best impulses of small-town America.

Rosa Bianca, also the name of the co-owner’s great-grandmother, can be seen every day happily chatting up the host of regulars who haven’t stopped patronizing the restaurant over the past year. “Our neighbors,” she said, “have been so supportive. From a lively takeout business to a gradual return to indoor dining, they’ve allowed us to retain virtually our entire staff. And they line up to eat outdoors on our wrapround patio.”

So, why have their patrons been so loyal? Chef Anthony tells me, “They love the atmosphere. They love talking to Rosa. They love the servers, who know how many kids they have and always ask about them. It’s the food, the ambiance, a small upstairs room overlooking Main Street. They’ve kept us busy throughout Covid. We can’t thank them enough.”

But a restaurant is only as good as the cuisine that keeps them coming back. The chef admits that the menu is heavily infused with variations on recipes handed down from his grandmother and mother, who was born in Sicily, and his father, a Neapolitan. Always hungry, he recalls hanging onto his mother’s apron, trying to learn the secrets behind her great cooking and, later in life, attempting to re-create what and how she cooked. “One of our most popular dishes,” he says, “is our Polpette, or meatballs appetizer. We make it with pork and veal in a pomodoro sauce with some pecorino. Try as I might, I can’t get it to taste as good as my grandmother’s. Still, our guests love it.”

But unlike many neighborhood Italian restaurants, you won’t find items like Spaghetti & Meatballs, Veal Parmigiana, or Chicken Cacciatore on the menu. Chef Anthony prefers to expand on the flavors he recalls from childhood and enjoys introducing “something not necessarily traditional or entirely expected.” A classic example is his home-made Gnocchi di Ricotta, drizzled with balsamic and topped with blueberries and sweet gorgonzola! Another popular dish is the Pappardelle alla Bolognese, long, wide pasta laced with braised pork and veal ragu, with hints of carrots in a tomato sauce topped with pecorino.

As we began our meal, Marvin Rivera, our genial server whose easy smile flashed through his mask, brought us some homemade focaccia with a black-olive puree olive oil dipping sauce. For our appetizers, Eve chose the Antipasti Misti, a generous plate of cured Italian meats and cheeses, with huge red and green olives and marinated vegetables. I chose the Polpe, another hearty portion of tender grilled octopus, served with crispy potatoes, crunchy ceci (or garbanzo beans), and baby arugula. Flavorful but not over-seasoned, as I’ve experienced in other restaurants.

The chef said his culinary philosophy is simple. “Start with great ingredients. Don’t mess around with them. A little salt here. A little lemon there. Leave it alone. Let the natural flavors speak for themselves.” Although it can be time-consuming, the chef goes out to his favorite farms and vendors every day and hand-picks the meats, fish, and produce. “Our oils and flours and some pastas are delivered. But I prefer a little more control, not just what might be delivered.”

Our entrées were a perfect example of this personal touch. Eve adored her rare-to- medium-rare Bistecca Tagliata, tender petit steak, roasted in garlic butter and served over asparagus spears and a tangy goat cheese risotto cake. But my personal favorite was the marvelously inventive Cous Cous alla Trapanese, a generous bowl of saffron-inflected tender scallops, mussels, and clams with flavorful pearl-sized Israeli couscous. The chef said it’s a play on Sicilian-style seafood stew, infused with an “herby springtime almond pesto.”

We barely had room for the rich Flourless Chocolate Torte, but it too was a delicious reminder that Trattoria Rosa Bianca is well worth repeated visits. But next time, we come with friends!

Trattoria Rosa Bianca is located at 94 South Main Street, Yardley, PA 19067; 267-392-5738; www.rosabiancatrattoria.com. Open Monday–Friday, 2–9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., with Brunch, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday & Tuesday evenings: $22.00 for a three-course Chef Tasting Menu. BYOB. Available for on- and off-site catering.