Dear Friend:

If you’ve been getting this newsletter for awhile, you know that I often start out telling you about my most recent trip. Construction on Alison two, the new restaurant opening this spring in Ft. Washington, has been keeping me so busy that I’ve been staying close to home.

Everyone is asking me about Alison two. When will it open? How is the construction coming? We answer all of those questions (and more) on our blog. The blog is as easy to use as a website – but changes weekly and reads more like a personal journal. We talk about the design process and how we chose everything from plates to chairs and there are lots of pictures. If you want answers to all of your questions, check it out.

For me, it’s hard to be homebound for so long. I feel the need to leave the country and explore other cuisines. I love everything about traveling, including the airplane ride. I especially love traveling by foreign airlines – they have great movies, more legroom and understand that peanuts aren’t a satisfying meal. The best part is that you are truly “out of touch” with the world - no email, no phone. I hope that I can squeeze in a short trip before the next newsletter.

Philly Beer Week Dinner on March 10 -- Tom Pittakas, our manager and resident beer geek, is planning a very special dinner. He has invited Yards Brewmaster Tom Kehoe to join us on Monday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m for a four course dinner, paired with Yards beers. Beers are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and pair beautifully with our food. Highlights of the dinner include: Grilled Mushroom and Asparagus Salad, Goat Cheese Croquette, Blood Orange and Toasted Coriander Vinaigrette Paired with Yards Saison; and Molasses Cured Berkshire Pork, Date & Foie Gras Stuffing Paired with Yards General Washington Tavern Porter. There’s even a beer paired with dessert. Our pastry chef, Amelia Dietrich, was at Dock Street for many years and is well-versed in pairing desserts with beers. The dinner, including beer pairings, costs $65 per person plus tax and gratuity. No BYOB for beer dinner. Reservations needed. Call 215/641-2660.

Marshmallow & Wine Reception on April 6 -- The cold winds and icicles outside have us longing for a roaring fire inside. And what goes better with a fire, than marshmallows! We’re thrilled to help author Eileen Talanian and photographer Courtney Grant Winston launch their newly-published Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats . The beautiful, 4-color cookbook includes recipes for everything from classic S’Mores to Blood Orange, Rosemary Zinfandel Fluff with Goat Cheese. If you’d like a taste (and why wouldn’t you!), join us for our Marshmallow & Wine Pairing Reception & Book Launch on April 6. We’ll be serving Shrimp Salad with Mango and Curried Marshmallows; Grilled Pineapple and Bacon with Ancho Marshmallows; Porter with Molasses Marshmallows; Chocolate Covered Raspberry Marshmallow Pops and other surprising combinations. Every guest receives a signed copy of the book. Tickets needed. For tickets, call 215/641-2660. Want to learn more about these delicious treats? Listen to Eileen Talanian’s podcast on KYW-AM. Scroll down and look for marshmallow photo and link on far left.

Hershey – I just got back from a Chocolate-Covered February event at Hershey Lodge. My new favorite products are cacao nibs and boxes of tasting chocolates from Scharffen Berger. I’ll be using the cacao nibs everywhere I can. I’ve been eating them by the handful and thinking of making a coffee and cacao nib crust for lamb chops. Mmmmmm. We already use chocolate in the Chicken Quesadillas and while I was in Hershey, I used chocolate (instead of honey) in the Brussels Sprouts vinaigrette too. Don’t be surprised if you see more chocolate in our savory dishes. The recipes we developed for the event in Hershey, and some of our signature dishes, will be on their website soon. It’s really a beautiful and informative website and it keeps Chocolate-Covered February going year-round.

James Beard Awards --  I got an email from a customer late one afternoon last week. He told me to go to foobooz. The blog had just announced the chefs named to the James Beard Foundation's potential list of annual award nominees as Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic. Whoa! I was surprised and humbled to be named to the list. I don’t know if I’ll make the final cut of 5 nominees but it is always nice to be recognized by your peers. Of course, what’s really important to me is that you like what we do.

World Grits Festival  -- It is snowing outside, but I’m already thinking about my annual trek to the World Grits Festival in St. George, South Carolina. For me, that means a stop at one of my favorite restaurants, Karen and Ben Barker’s, Magnolia Grill in Durham, North Carolina, on the way down and packing suitcases full of freshly-ground grits to bring home. For you, that means goodies in the restaurant, like Steamed Clams with Garlic, Tomato, Truffled Grit Croutons & Artichoke Aioli. There’s no telling what we’ll be inspired to do this year. And the beginning of grits season marks the start of outdoor dining season. Hauling out the patio furniture sure beats shoveling!

Beer List – For the last two weeks, we’ve been serving beers from Weyerbacher Brewery. It’s been fun to get to know the small-batch beers from this Easton-based brewery and compare them to the beers from other small breweries we’ve featured – including Ommegang, Anchor and Yards. Every few weeks, we’ll feature small-batch beers from a different brewery. If you want to be notified each time we highlight a new brewery, send an email to alisonatbluebell@mindspring.com and put “beer lover” in the subject line. Then you can come in and have a taste!

Wine List - The Chehalem Pinot Grigio from Oregon has been extremely popular. If you’d like to try it, don’t wait too long. Like our menu, the wine list changes frequently. We want to make sure we always have the perfect wine to go with what we’re serving. We’re also stocking lots of splits (half bottles). The 3-glass bottles allow you to try a new wine without making a big commitment or have both a bottle of red and white wine with your dinner.

In Season  -- The local shad season has just opened. Wild striped bass and monkfish are beautiful right now and tilefish and cobia are running. Lots of pompano are coming out of Florida and as soon as we can get some, we’ll add whole pompano to the menu. In a month, west coast halibut will be plentiful too.

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Stay Warm,

Alison