If a new year is supposed to be restorative, then a fresh dining experience in a refined yet relaxed and beautiful atmosphere ought to be first on anyone’s New Year’s resolutions list. Seasons Cafe in Flying Hills promises renewal of the body, mind and spirit with an interior décor lifted by large-scale, artistic nature images of all four seasons and a menu that is anything but boring. Commanding the kitchen and pulling out all the stops with finely honed, sensitively seasoned, perfectly prepared foods is Chef Joe Church and his crew. Here is a culinary artist who has landed in a lovely locale, that whimsically-named area called Flying Hills, just 10 minutes or so from center city Reading.
Joe Church is a congenial host, always anticipating contemporary diners’ needs and new interests — crafting elegant sushi, juicy steak, and oh-so-soft bisque soups — while keeping tried-and-true, longtime favorite dishes alive on his menu, such as his superb French Onion Soup, lightly fluffy Seasons Crab Cakes, and Baked Brie married to a homemade Michigan cherry and fig marmalade. Surf and turf, vegetarian, and even local gourmet spinoffs abound: you do not have to be from Berks County to fall madly in love with Grandma’s Pot Pie or the Pretzel-Encrusted Chicken entree.
Presentations Matter
Good chefs feel, in their heart of hearts, that their personal dedication to flavor is unmatched, that they’re bringing forth the best of ingredients for the best possible flavors and textures for other human beings to enjoy. Excellent chefs go the extra kilometer, letting their creations paint a lovely canvas. At Seasons Cafe, you will find an aesthetic sensibility akin to an ukiyo-e woodblock print, attuned to the winter, spring, summer and autumn. The details that count most are those that engage different senses; some are fairly straightforward, and others are somewhat complicated, just like diners.
Those orange mugs that come with Seasons’ warm beverages are a solid, warm, comforting presence on the table. Fresh, European-style, crusty French bread exudes a marvelous aroma on presentation.
When it’s offered on the menu, in season (of course), the Seafood-Filled Baked Jack B Little Pumpkin appetizer is complex and stunning. Practically a meal in itself, this is served in a miniature pumpkin with its lid set rakishly aslant; it is stuffed with sautéed bay scallops, Gulf shrimp and wild mushrooms in a beurre blanc sauce that also encircles the pumpkin — spilling out as if to complete a statement piece. The baby shrimp are whole, and the scallops and mushrooms in sizable chunks, for a succulent gustatory experience. And then there is the profound joy of scooping out and delighting in the sweet pumpkin flesh. Mmm.
Chef’s Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bisque is similarly complex, made with an onion and fish stock base, featuring lumps of crab throughout the creamy soup.
A must-try: Seasons’ Chicken Curry Salad combining free-range chicken with the lightest-ever raisin-curry dressing, baby lettuce leaves and fruits.
Try the Twins
Twin Four-Ounce Filet Mignons are a tour de force. Tall, just-tender, and full-bodied, the steak is royally treated with red wine demiglace sauce, then topped by melting Gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Divine.
Entrees generally include a vegetable of the day (in this case, lightly steamed and basil-y broccoli), potato and salad. Odd that a simple tossed salad can be so exquisite to view and eat! It’s a lively, leafy presentation on the diagonal, with pretty cherry tomatoes framing one end and cucumbers the other. Carrots provide a contrasting garnish atop the mixed lettuce leaf colors. House vinaigrette is quite good, but if bleu cheese tempts you every time, definitely obey that internal order because Seasons’ chunky bleu cheese dressing is light with a hint of zing.
From the Sea
From sushi-grade tuna to Norwegian salmon, Seasons Café has an obvious fondness for seafood. The Australian Sea Bass is gloriously tender and delicate, as a hint of lime and a tinge of coriander embrace it. It holds the taste of a pan-seared fish with the moist texture of braising contributed by the small dabs of tomato floating on top and the sauce drizzled lightly over.
The accompanying Parmesan-sprinkled French fries are golden and appealing, shaped like kayaks, and garnished with hibiscus blossoms and a stalk of thyme.
Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake
Thick and strong, and exhibiting a solidly moist texture and consistency that can only come from a generations-old recipe (made by a masterful pastry cook), the Coconut Cake is bite-for-bite fabulous. Do pair this sweet treat with Seasons’ superior, deep, rich coffee, to honor each forkful.
A close contender for best dessert is the Oreo Crust Chocolate Mousse Cake, with sprigs of mint nestled between huge blackberries…plus raspberry sauce and chocolate sauce drizzles! It’s simply “Wow.” Chocolate reaches new heights as the super-smooth mousse meets crunchy cookie crust.
Bows all around.
15 Village Center Dr., Reading
Reservations encouraged: call 610.401.0303
flyinghills.com/seasons.html & Facebook
Hours: Daily: 7am-2pm & 4:30-8pm
