The James Beard Foundation | Rising Stars of American Cuisine
Venus and the Cowboy , Philadelphia
Alison Barshak
Wednesday, January 27, 1999
Link to Web Site

In Philadelphia, they're singing songs of love about Alison Barshak. When Barshak left the stoves at Striped Bass, Philadelphia foodies were crushed. Where would they go for the intensely flavored, inventive fare that this accomplished chef was famous for? Where else would they find the internationally inspired, regionally infused cuisine that had won her love letters in Bon Appétit and Esquire? Last September, Barshak finally responded to the adoration of lovelorn Philly palates with her brand-new restaurant, two years in the making. Venus and the Cowboy is a culinary labor of love, and the chef/owner's passion for her work comes through in every delicious bite of what she calls "mesti-soul" food, a cuisine that is permeated with the textures and flavors of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Americas.

A local girl who made good, this talented chef has been cooking in top kitchens in and around Philadelphia for more than 15 years. As a youngster, Barshak was often found toiling behind her Suzy Homemaker oven (the kind where a light bulb serves as the heat source), but she didn't hit the big time until her stint at Striped Bass, where she worked magic with a menu devoted entirely to seafood. On her watch, Esquire declared Striped Bass the "Best New Restaurant of the Year" in 1994, and Barshak soon found herself featured in reviews in major publications across the country. When she left Striped Bass, Barshak knew it was time for a kitchen of her own. At Venus and the Cowboy, she's turning out highly contem-porary fare grounded in the American cultural heritage, both of the indigenous and of the immigrant sort. Reviewing the restaurant just weeks after its opening, Maxine Keyser wrote in City Paper that "the forward-thinking excitement is palpable." She found "the stunning tuna carpaccio deliciously suave and rosy and perfect." She loved the turkey albondigas, "like the best turkey chili you've ever had." Josh Heald and Sharon Male of Thirty-Fourth Street were equally wowed by Barshak's "eclectic and visually enticing" food: they gave the restaurant four out of five stars. "Can Alison Barshak continue to blaze her planetary trail across the heavens?" asked Keyser. We at the Beard House-with stars in our eyes-see a long and lovely ride ahead for this culinary cowgirl and her seductively fabulous fare.
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Turkish Crab and Cheese Cigars

Warm Chicken Mole Salad on Rustic Toast

Roasted-Fig Pancakes with Sheep's Milk Yogurt and Serrano Ham

Farinata with Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Peppers

Spanish Potato Tortilla with Smoked Salmon

Seafood-Stuffed Grape Leaves with Salsa Verde

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Assorted Breads, Olives, Spanish Cheeses, and Romesco Sauce

Tuna Tartare with Lemon, Sofrito, and Panisse Crouton

Moroccan-Spiced Lamb with Vegetable Tortino

Fennel-Scented Persian Lime Pie with Three-Citrus Hard Sauce

Assorted Sweet Tastes

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