Verbena BYOB

Philadelphia

Everyone loves seeing a wunderkind chef rocket to the top, said Craig LaBan in

The Philadelphia Inquirer. Some talents, though, bounce around for years, soaking up wisdom, before stepping up to a featured role. So it has gone for Scott Morozin, a formerly nearly anonymous sous chef now overseeing a great little 36-seat BYOB in Kennett Square. Whatever the reason he’s previously been a background player, “the man can cook.” Order the chicken and what arrives is an upright cylinder of juicy breast meat wrapped in a sheet of bronzed skin, stuffed with mushrooms, and perched atop slow-cooked leeks with truffled cheese. And the rest of the locally sourced bird is put to good use, too, with the leg meat cured in a spicy brine and then ground for a “beguiling” Bolognese sauce. Morozin sometimes overdoes a dish, as sous chefs sometimes do, but “his successes easily outweigh the missteps.” His servers should learn not to sell his achievements as hard as they do; “the quality is evident on the plate.” 120 E. State St.,

(484) 732-7932