Charm and Romance: The Windsor Inn at Shillington

January 28, 2015

12:24 PM

The Windsor Inn’s got the charm of history, a warm hearth, and a romantic menu reflecting how chef-owner Gina’s food fancy takes flight. This establishment, located on Lancaster Avenue with parking out back, offers a magical tour of sauces and flavors that encompass home-country Italy and modern American favorites. In the background, Etta James sings At Last and with each sip and bite, a diner might well be thinking, “Yes, at last. Finally, elegant dining in a comfortable ambiance, where every dish is obviously regarded as a private kingdom of unique flavor.”

With its closeness to John Updike’s childhood home, it’s no surprise to discover that the novelist came here as a boy — not to eat but to visit his family doctor. (In the fireplace room, there are plenty of photographs of old Shillington for history buffs to enjoy. One can easily imagine Updike stepping on the floorboards.) But back to fine dining today.

Fresh Everything

What’s evident immediately is that everything is fresh. Everything. There’s great care and love in each dish, right down to the very greens and the delicately thin-cut radishes in the tossed salad. Chef Gina is a green thumb and a longtime fan of organic vegetables, routinely stocking the kitchen with top notch fruits, vegetables and herbs; the ghost peppers she uses come from her own garden. Meats, desserts, homemade pasta — all fresh and most locally sourced; seafood and imported cheeses are a few items that might have traveled any distance.

For the Fresh Tangerine Martini, the bartender hand-muddles an entire half of a tangerine, making this drink a delightfully refreshing cocktail with no added sugars or sweeteners whatsoever. Look for creative drinks with fruits in season, as well as craft beers and all manner of beverages at the Inn’s stately bar.

Small-plate specials change daily in enticing array. For $15, diners can select three of these dishes as their dinner. The Antipasto rules, as does the Pesto Pasta: tubes and spirals of perfectly al dente pasta arrive plated with the tantalizing aroma of basil wafting upwards, with Gina’s own fresh basil, olive oil, cheese and plentiful chewy pine nuts. The Roasted Acorn Squash is a pure cacophony of taste sensations and textures, as the hearty squash is combined with browned, buttery walnuts in a zippy cumin-bourbon sauce that warms all the way to your toes. It’s like a dessert, a pie without a crust.

Award-winning Chili, Creative Soups and Bread Dipping

Recently, Gina’s Meateater’s Chili won “Most Unique” at the VF Outlet 2014’s Chili Cookoff. Its saucy magic will have you tasting and re-tasting to try to figure out the exotic spicing, and its heat is seriously bent on exploding all the beefy, bacony treasures that meld with tomatoes, black beans and small red kidney beans. Another concoction: Ghost White Chili made with homegrown peppers.

The soups range from a heavenly homemade Pumpkin and Crab to Seafood Chowder or Chicken and Artichoke.

Warm, toasted bread is presented with a marvelously herbed dipping oil, enhanced by the eloquent tones of sundried tomatoes in balsamic vinegar. You’ll want to bottle the sauce and take it home for tomorrow, but gastronomic memories will have to hold you (until the Windsor decides to develop and market this winner).

The Inn’s also got three more big winners in their homemade salad dressings, which all feature a delicately understated flavor appeal. The creamy garlic dill dressing is light and cream-based, not overly garlicky, just dill-y enough; the balsamic delivers Italian focus; and the citrus poppy seed lifts the senses warmly, though the sauce itself is salad-cold. These dressings exist with a singular purpose: to enhance the natural crunch, sweetness, or pungent bite in parchment-thin slices of fresh veggies tossed in mixed leaves.

Entrees that Say “Be Mine”

Fish fans will adore the way the sumptuous salmon fillet is baked with an insanely addictive, browned and bubbly parmesan crust. The secret to that seductive taste? “Could be the horseradish and mustard mixed into the topping,” smiles Chef Gina. “I can tell my secrets,” she nods, confidently. For a garden touch, fine-ground basil in olive oil adorns the platter. Also on the plate: garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli, pan-seared cauliflower and heirloom brassica.

Although absolutely every single dish has delectable merits, if you hear the words “Filet D’Angelo” on the lips of your server, start nodding. This hard-to-find dish is pure old country Italy, a lush rustic drama served in a bowl: filet beef tips, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms and pappardelle (long, flat, homemade pasta) in a tantalizing tomato marsala sauce.

Leave space for Windsor-made ice cream next to warmed Apple Crostata, or a baked Sticky Bun dripping with cinnamon sauce. Two impressively sweet endings.

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