THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Garden

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Garden Restaurant Review:

Floral wallpaper, lace curtains and soft green carpet; English prints and soft lights---and unobtrusive music that runs from Aznevour to Sinatra---all convey the air of an exclusive private club. And it’s Kathleen Mulhern’s private club, where she has provided her own attitude of discreet luxury to loyal customers since 1973 with the aid of a coolly professional staff. When the Philadelphia Orchestra is in town, concerts aren’t complete without a meal here, but, lingering over a lazy supper in the starlit garden of this fine old brownstone, is the thing for summer. There’s nothing nouvelle or fusion about Mulhern’s approach to food. She simply believes in presenting the best that her purveyors have to offer, prepared lovingly. So, here you will find a perfect selection of briny oysters on a plateau imported from France, or the most silken smoked Scotch salmon. A tarragon-scented, golden roast chicken with frites; the best steaks, (available in three sizes) chops, and lobsters; and Dover sole, are a few of the items that must pass Mulhern’s discerning eye. A surprise is that the fettuccine with wild mushrooms, the tortellini with white truffle mousse, and the spinach gnocchi with a Gorgonzola sauce are as good, or better, than at most of the Italian restaurants in town. The Garden’s wine list features dependable wines from dependable shippers at prices that are dependable too, for a place of this caliber. If you look carefully, you can find a Burgundy from Faiveley or a Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay by the glass, or a bottle of a second growth Bordeaux that will still fit your budget. Profiteroles for dessert are almost a given, but there are fudge cakes and chocolate lace cookies, and intense sorbets, as well. A glass of Sauternes that you’ve just discovered, will only intensify the mood of, as we said, discreet luxury.