FACES & PLACES
LOCAL COLOR
MARCH - APRIL 2010

Copper Leaf Grill
Get Sauced by the New Kid on the Chopping Block

By Susan Sandor

It was Black Friday and the only thing we could figure was that everyone must be out shopping rather than thinking about dinner. Not us. Dining is always a major priority with much thought and preparation whether we’re planning to eat in or out. We arrived at Copper Leaf Grill in Buckingham Green on Route 202 in Holicong, Pennsylvania on time for our 7:30 reservation. The place was empty except for a table of two who were just signing their credit card slip. The bistro, formerly Just Eat, had been purchased in September 2009 by Dominic Vigilante, a disciple of the previous owner, Marc Brown Gold.

We decided to get up close and personal and took seats at the cooking bar where we would have a clear view of all that’s going on in the kitchen and where you can share your wine with the chef if you’re feeling generous or gratuitous. On this night chef Vigilante looked like he could use someone to talk to besides his waiter and we thought a taste of our Meursault might do him good.

We were first served a wonderful parchment envelope of crusty bread with herbed, fruity olive oil for dipping, which we chose to use judiciously since the bread easily stands alone. It was followed by a fresh, crisp, red leaf lettuce salad with thinly sliced green apple and Gorgonzola cheese drizzled with spicy vinaigrette.

Next came blue point oysters from Maine, shucked before our eyes, plump and briny with a small pail of mignonette sauce. I ordered whole grilled Branzino (European sea bass) and chef Vigilante graciously asked if I would prefer it filleted. I accepted his offer. It was served atop a mound of garlic-mashed potatoes surrounded by sautéed carrots and zucchini. My husband ordered the short ribs, meat falling off the bone and oh so flavorful, also positioned on a mound of potatoes in a vertical stance.

The servings were hearty, service attentive. The sparkling water we ordered was served with lemon slices and the waiter poured our wine, an unusual gesture for a BYOB. Double cappuccinos are a house specialty. And the dreamy, creamy homemade cinnamon ice cream made us feel like we ordered a healthy dessert since cinnamon is touted to lower cholesterol.

Fast forward to January when we dined at the Copper Leaf Grill with friends on a weekday evening with the house half full. “Aah, he’s developing a following,” I thought. Word must be spreading about the quality of cooking at this tiny Bucks County bistro.

Chef Vigilante is 25 years young, ambitious, innovative, and to the benefit of all foodies, loves to cook sauces. Seventeen sauces are on his current menu, ranging from a beurre blanc to velouté, a red wine reduction to béarnaise. “Nearly anything you cook can be enhanced by a well made sauce so I am pleased to offer something that is rather passionate to me that sets the food apart from the rest,” said Dominic.

Dominic says his life revolved around cooking from as far back as he can remember. Sacrosanct Sunday dinners at his Italian paternal grandmother’s house and huge omnipresent pots of tomato sauce his German/Irish mother cooked and kept in the frig.

Three years at the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology was proving ground for Dominic. He was chosen to participate in a regional cooking competition at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, given $20 in cash and a half hour to shop for ingredients, one hour to prep the food, and some time to plate and present his creation for judging. “I consider this experience a crucial part of my training and wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Dominic.

Although being a locavore may not be 100% attainable in our climate year round, Dominic buys local whenever he can from purveyors close to home—None Such Farms for pork products, Crossroads Bake Shop for breads, Blue Moon Acres for salad greens, Griggstown Quail Farm for chicken and game birds, and fish from the Jersey shore.

Have you ever heard of a beer pairing? Neither have I, but Dominic is presenting this odd idea – a three course dinner on Wednesdays for $30 - in addition to the regular menu. The three-ounce beer tastings are on-the-house together with knowledge presented by expert home brewer Matt Flood. Of course, if beer is not your favorite beverage, you are invited to bring your own wine and spirits.

Writer, philosopher Joseph Campbell said, “Let go of the life you have planned and embrace the plan life has for you.” Dominic lives by those words,  so seeing the restaurant filled to capacity on a Friday night in March made me think that life at Copper Leaf Grill is a superb plan in motion for him at this early time in his career as restaurateur. 

Copper Leaf Grill serves lunch Tuesday through Saturday and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Visit www.thecopperleafgrill.com or call 215-794-1818 for reservations.