More Than Words

Marigold Kitchen's Robert Halpern is not a mad scientist. He's a damn good chef.

by David Snyder

[ review ]

Mark Stehle CLOSE-UP MAGIC: The fact that this dish is called "Pork, Beans & Beer" should give you an idea of Marigold chef/owner Robert Halpern's fondness for culinary whimsy.

Opening a restaurant involves massive preparation — obtaining licenses, lining up vendors, hiring staff. But when Robert Halpern took over Marigold Kitchen from chef Erin O'Shea, he didn't realize one of his chief tasks would be agonizing over nouns.

"When we first wrote the menu, we said, 'Let's use any word but 'foam,'" says Halpern. Instead, the chef opted for what he hoped were less inflammatory descriptors. "Froth." "Bubble." "Air." That's because "foam," at least in Halpern's experience, "seemed to get everyone upset."

He was afraid the word would alienate potential customers, since for some folks, the term conjures up images of a mad scientist playing with a chem set, a perception that tends to frustrate chefs who employ modern cooking techniques. (For what it's worth, "foam" appears three times on the current menu.) "I'm not a scientist," Halpern says. "I wasn't even very good at science in grade school."

Halpern is a chef. And if you get past the semantics surrounding some of his methods, you'll find he's a damn good one. The Philly native draws from a decade of experience in a variety of familiar, down-to-earth cuisines and styles to craft his plates, from Southwest fare under Mark Miller and Nuno Mendes at Coyote Café in New Mexico to rustic eats at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. Halpern added some nouveau techniques to his repertoire through internships at spots like Alinea in Chicago and Binkley's in Arizona.

Halpern does not rely on forward-thinking cookery for every dish. On the contrary — some of his most impressive work features traditional flavors and ingredients. But that doesn't mean the chef doesn't keep some tricks in his toolbox to stay on top of the ever-changing culinary world. The main criticism of so-called "molecular gastronomy" is that flavor is glossed over in favor of flash. But what I like most about Halpern is that he understands the need to be judicious, incorporating these techniques effectively to enhance a dish's flavors.

Take the butternut squash bisque. There's a luxurious sweet and salty interplay in this rich soup — but for a quick twist, Halpern adds "banana bubbles," made by blending banana purée with soy lecithin, a stabilizer that allows a foam to retain its froth for a good 10 minutes. This is key: Delivering the strong banana flavor as such lightens the impact, creating a balance with the delicate squash.

Halpern also applies this technique to give a lift to traditional flavor combos. The kitchen aerates the mustard accompanying house-made boudin blanc through a foam canister, giving it a mousse-like consistency. The horseradish alongside house-cured gravlax gets the foamy treatment to mellow its intensity.

The kitchen is at its most whimsical when it manipulates shapes for eye-catching presentations. While the core of the Marigold's monkfish "piccata" is based on classic flavors of lemons, capers and olives, there are quotes around the word for a reason. Instead of pounding the protein flat, the kitchen glues (for lack of a better term) the ends together using Activa, a naturally occurring enzyme that binds proteins, and slices the monkfish on a bias. The presentation is lighthearted — and since it doesn't detract from the dish, why not let the kitchen have its fun? (This playful affinity is not always appealing — though tasty, the tube of spinach squirted alongside the seared squab resembled something less than appetizing.)

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Margiold's most visually stunning dish is the "Pork, Beans & Beer." Peer at it from above and it's like a bird's-eye view of an amusement park, where one might climb a prosciutto chip to reach the summit of a braised Berkshire pork loin slide, only to plummet into a cloud of Guinness foam while a crowd of Brussels sprouts and pearl onions watch from below. It's fun. But for me, deconstructing pork and beans to begin with makes little sense, as that dish's appeal is derived from slow-cooking and marrying tastes over time. The components of Halpern's version, while spot-on, are segregated; there's not enough commingling.

Still, I'm more than willing to grant Marigold its indulgences — after all, Halpern proves his mettle with his strong, vivid flavors. Despite that unsettling spinach side, I was blown away by the seared squab. Braised shiitakes delivered a welcomed bass note to the light but gamey bird, and Halpern took things even deeper by combining foie gras and chocolate for an insane ragout.

The kitchen fine-chops cauliflower to mimic rice in its generously portioned New World paella. Though it could use more heat, four individual stocks combined with the smokiness of Spanish chorizo made this dish a sure thing. Elsewhere, poaching Atlantic cod gently on low heat ensured that the fish was moist and tender.

The kitchen carries this level of finesse through to dessert. The creaminess of perfect crème brülée shifts unexpectedly into kicked-up cayenne heat after about 8 seconds. The basil tuile served with the dark chocolate torte was a refreshing way to work herbs into a sweet preparation.

But what truly elevates the dinner at Marigold are the transitional amuse bouches Halpern serves between dishes. Fried parsnips dusted with chocolate and powdered sugar are a sophisticated way to prime a palate, while bites like shaved iced salad, made from puréed lettuce greens and iced vinegar, a hibiscus lemon snow cone, are effective cleansers. Even if you're stuffed, the final amuse — piña colada daiquiri (coconut custard rum syrup and freeze dried pineapple) — might entice you to ask for the dessert list.

The gestures are small, but they make the experience that's engaging, interactive and singular. And as long as Halpern keeps doing that, he can fill his menu with whatever words he wants.

(david.snyder@citypaper.net)

Marigold Kitchen | 501 S. 45th St., 215-222-3699, marigoldkitchenbyob.com. Tue.-Thu. and Sun., 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-10:30 p.m.; closed Mon. Appetizers, $8-$16; entrées, $18-$28; tasting menu, $85. BYOB. Reservations recommended.