Blending the old with the new
Chadds Ford Tavern offers historic charm with high-quality food and drink.
landmark restaurant in October 2017, made some major improvements and updates to the building, created a new five-star menu and opened six months later, on April 6, 2018, to rave reviews. Countless enthusiastic locals swarmed the place on opening night, Ferro said, after their long anticipation of new life at the Tavern became a reality. Previously, Tommy Drane owned the pub-style restaurant for almost half of a century. A painting of Drane still hangs near the Tavern’s entranceway.
“This Tavern is in a great location with an incredibly rich history,” Ferro said recently, while fondly sharing some beloved stories of former owner Drane. “And it has a lot of charm and character. I wanted to carry on Tommy Drane’s legacy, keeping a lot of the old, but combining it with some modern updates to make it more of an upscale, modern tavern.”
Ferro said that he worked hard to preserve the history of the Tavern. Drane made the Tavern a gathering spot for local artists and, according to archived news reports, many famous clients frequented there, including the Wyeths and George Weymouth, as well as a host of well-known musicians and sports figures. An old-time sign posted on the front door reads “Through these doors have walked some of the most talented people in the world.”
The ambiance is warm and inviting, a touch of history and a touch of gourmet. Ferro, as executive head chef, designed the menu, along with head chef Chris Bennett. In total, the restaurant has five chefs on board, and offers lunch and dinner, along with accommodations for mid-sized private parties. Ferro’s sister, Jillian Maher, who also has a varied background in the food industry, is general manager. Happy Hour happens between 5 and 6 p.m., seven days a week, with half-price beer, wine, whiskey and cocktails, buck-a-shuck oysters and clams and $5 and $10 bar snacks.
The Tavern’s standard menu offers daily specials, along with entrees like Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb, Faroe Island Salmon, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Bacon Filet Mignon and Ultimate Seafood Scampi. Appetizers are also a culinary dream, with options like Asian Ahi Tuna, Tavern Wing Sampler, Antipasto Board, Braised Brisket Flatbread, Prime Rib Egg Roll, Lobster Mac and Cheese, Crisp Pork Belly and Short Rib
Fries. The restaurant also offers an extensive raw bar with everything from clams and mussels to oysters and lobster. There’s also a children’s menu with kidfriendly choices, so the entire family can enjoy dining there.
Diners should save room for dessert, because that too is an unforgettable treat. Among dessert options on a recent visit were Coconut Cream Panna Ricotta Caramel Apple Doughnuts, Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee, and Ferro’s own signature Caramel or Chunky Monkey Bread Pudding, which could be paired with specialty dessert cocktails such as Tavern Irish Coffee, Death By Chocolate featuring Godiva Chocolate Liqueur or a Royal Espresso Martini.
“I’m known for my bread pudding,” Chef Ferro said with a wink and a humble smile.
The drink menu is extensive at Chadds Ford Tavern. Ferro built one new bar and renovated the other, each possessing its own flair. He removed the brass nameplates on the former booths in the Tavern and placed them on one of the bar’s counters, pouring ten gallons of epoxy on top. Customers enjoy coming into the Tavern, he said, and discovering a grandparent or other relative or friend among the name plates that he preserved.
“I tried to combine the past, the present and the future and to make Chadds Ford Tavern appeal to everyone,” the personable chef/owner said. “I want customers to come in more than once a week. I want them to feel comfortable and at home here.”
The bar offers all kinds of premium spirits, from blended scotch, single malt scotch, Irish, North American, Rye and others. The Tavern offers an exclusive Tasting Room Spirits List, as well as an extensive wine list by glass or bottle and specialty cocktails like a Pineapple Martini, Kentucky Mule, Wildberry Mojito, Limoncello Collins and Berries and Bubbles. Additionally, the Tavern has a wide array of beer available, with eight draught beers and 25 bottles, with a strong hold on craft beer options.
The Chadds Ford Tavern offers a Sunday Brunch, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a la carte menu options that include Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes, Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Omelet, Chicken and Waffles, Stuffed French Toast, Crab Cake Benedict and much more, along with pairings of Bloody Mary, Mimosa, Tavern Coffee and Peach Bellini.
In addition, Chadds Ford Tavern hosts a variety of specialty days, like allyou-can-eat Alaskan Snow Crabs and $3 Coronas every Sunday and Monday, from 3-9 p.m.
Although it’s the food that will keep customers returning again and again, the ambiance and friendly staff add to the overall dining experience. Ferro has also instituted a full event schedule, with nightly entertainment that this fall includes Open Mic Blues Jam, Anthony Caserta in a Johnny Cash tribute, Brian McConnell’s Country Night, and more favorite performers and lots of local talent, depending on which night of the week. Entertainment is constantly updated on the Tavern’s Facebook page. Karaoke, dancing, DJs and more are in the Tavern’s near future.
“Whatever isn’t on the slate now, will be up and running very soon,” Ferro stated.
Ferro said that he did much of the decorating and renovations at the Tavern himself, because he knew exactly how he wanted the finished place to look. The booths were stripped, refurbished and reupholstered. The bars are new, although the previous bar top on the one was refinished and kept. The place is spotlessly clean and tastefully decorated. Ferro even strung brass stars individually on one of the walls in the dining room to create an Americana look.
With a quarter of a century of experience, Ferro is no novice to the food industry. The owner said the chef-bug bit him early on in life. At 13-years-old, he was glued to the TV screen watching Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network. At Upper Darby High School, he attended the Culinary Arts program at Delaware County Technical School. One of his favorite teachers there, Andrew Subashi, owned a small outside catering company and Ferro started working part-time for him. Through this experience, Ferro met restaurant extraordinaire Pat Burns and took a job at the food court in Burns’ Drexeline Supermarket in Drexel Hill. He soon worked his way up to manager of the food court at only 17 years old. He continued in the food business, working for Anthony Foster at Anthony’s restaurant in Drexel Hill for ten years, and learning techniques and fundamentals as a chef at the former Deck at Harbor Pointe in Essington and doing corporate catering at Feastivities on City Line Avenue and at West Chester University.
At West Chester, Ferro met his wife Kristen. Both are Upper Darby High School alums, only a few years apart. Kristen works side-by-side with Phil, in the kitchen and in the dining room, to keep customers happy and things running smoothly. The couple, married eight years, have two children, Giovanna, 3, and Vincent, 2.
After gaining a wealth of restaurant experience, Ferro took a leap of faith and ventured out on his own, opening two Havertown BYOBs, the Edgewood Café on Edgewood Rd., followed by Vida on Brookline Boulevard. When an opportunity came up to partner with hoteliers Chet and Raj Patel and open the Red Iron Pub and Crimson Lounge at the Days Inn on Baltimore Pike in Springfield, Ferro sold his two Havertown businesses and took another leap.
With almost immediate success at the Red Iron Pub, which they recently sold, the chef/owner again partnered with the Patels and purchased the Chadds Ford Tavern. The Patel brothers own several area hotels. Ferro will soon work with the Patels to open another new restaurant, TNT (Taco ‘N Tequila), in late fall on the Widener University Campus, attached to the Best Western, Chester, as well as an Italian restaurant on State Street in Media.
Pumped up by the positive feedback at the Chadds Ford Tavern all summer long, and already enjoying the crowds coming in to watch the Eagles games and celebrate fall, Ferro said that he looks forward to the holiday season. The restaurant is still accepting bookings for corporate and private holiday celebrations.
“We have no room fee for private parties,” Ferro added. “We are happy to accommodate groups of up to 30 people. We have the perfect festive atmosphere for company holiday parties.”
Ferro’s ideas for the newly opened Chadds Ford Tavern are only just beginning to blossom. He will soon hold pairing events in the Tavern’s Tasting Room, offering high-end spirits paired with high- end foods like Smoked Salmon Mousse, Lobster Roll, Oyster Shooters and Foie Gras Pate. The chef/owner also hopes to add outdoor dining by next spring.
“I’m in this business to make people happy,” Ferro exclaimed. “I use excellent products to create a menu that will surely please everyone. So far, our reviews have been excellent. I’m very proud of what we’re serving and of the outstanding staff here. There’s no greater compliment than when I see a customer leaving here with a smile.”