Sovana Bistro in Kennett Square

First came the incredulous look -- and then just flat-out surprise.

"You've never been to Sovana Bistro?"

Uh, um, no.

"I can't believe it. You're kidding, right?"

Uh, um, no.

Was that a Cheshire-cat grin spreading across the face of a pal who just one-upped me in the dining out department?

Uh, um, yes.

OK, so Sovana Bistro isn't a culinary secret that I haven't been privy to, but somehow the Kennett Square, Pa., restaurant, which opened in 1998, had not yet made it into my tasting rotation. (I know, I know.) It's a coulda, woulda, shoulda mistake -- and a colossal one, I admit -- that has since been corrected.

Foodies have long raved about chef/owner Nicholas Farrell's dishes and seasonal menus. It's no hype. There's so much here to love that I'm not sure where to start. (You know you are having a great dinner when you start talking about what to order during the next visit -- oh, the wild boar Bolognese! or maybe Dr. Joe's Buddhist duck! -- while still eating the first meal.)

The kitchen's devotion to sustainable agriculture and local foods isn't bluster. Order one of the blackboard specials -- asparagus salad with crimini mushrooms served with an over-easy, yolk-drippy fried egg ($14) -- and you soon realize that using farm-fresh eggs, just picked asparagus and Kennett area 'shrooms really does make a difference between a good dish and a great one.

A smooth potato soup seasoned with Parmesan ($8) celebrates the pure, clean essence of the humble spud with few flourishes. The fried prosciutto at the bottom of the bowl gives it texture and a crunchy, slightly salty note that's better than what the saltshaker can deliver.

Sovana is planted in the outskirts of downtown Kennett, about 10 miles from Hockessin, in a nicer-than-average strip shopping center. The restaurant has a sparse, modern look with sleek banquettes and tables, a very cool concrete bar top and decorative chain mail over the entrance to le toilette that's très chic.

Our table wasn't ready when we arrived, but after a quick five-minute wait, we were shown to one on the patio. (One slight quibble: We hadn't requested nor were we asked if wanted outdoor seating. Maybe we looked like alfresco diners? Anyway, it was a beautiful night and a thoroughly enjoyable spot, though as darkness fell two candle votives were needed to light the table.)

The wine list has a good many admirable selections -- Grüner Veltliner, Albarino, Cabernet Franc, Rosso Toscano -- but you can bring your own. Corkage fee: $5 per bottle.

If you have a few companions, start with the antipasto ($18), a very good sharing platter with five tapas-size selections. The creamy goat cheese and caramelized onion flan is a perfect dip for the grissini or the pencil-thin, crunchy breadsticks and the mushroom and truffle grilled cheese is an earthy, grown-up version of this familiar childhood comfort food. The fried smelts were nicely crisp and served with a punchy, anchovy aioli that was so good, it didn't deserve to be hidden underneath the fish. The chef's nods to spring included tender fiddlehead ferns served with a pile of thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma and crunchy fava bean crostini with shaved pecorino.

While enjoying our wine, the kitchen brought out an amuse-bouche on nifty twisted spoons of perfectly ripe, fresh strawberries, drizzled with aged balsamic, snowy shavings of ricotta salata and fresh basil. It was the perfect mouthful to take us to the next course.

Sovana offers some of the best service I have had in some time, and our server did a terrific job of describing and suggesting dishes. He was on target with most everything, though one detour I wish I didn't take was his suggestion of Lancaster County pork "Milanese" ($24). The pork is part of Ferrell's "100-mile" menu which includes foods sourced 100 miles from the restaurant. The breaded pork was dry and scorched on the bottom and the addition of local baby greens with wild scallion vinaigrette didn't add much of a wow factor.

A better choice was the Eastern Shore softshell crab ($15) with garlicky beets, carrot purée and citrus brown butter. The shellfish was so sweet, we were pining for a second crab.

The most expensive entree on the menu is grass-fed beef ($33) with Lancaster potato gratin, sunchoke purée and toasted sprout petals. Be warned that it's not dish for big appetites. While our guy at the table liked the taste -- the potato gratin in particular is a creamy dream -- he just wanted a hunkier and more generous piece of this flavorful meat rather than the ladies-that-lunch portion that was plated. (The ladies at the table did agreed that portion could have more brawny.)

Sovana's signature dish has long been its pizza and it doesn't disappoint. The thin, crispy crust on prosciutto di Parma pizza topped with creamy goat cheese, roasted peppers and a layer of fresh arugula ($15) transported me back to a lovely fall afternoon spent lingering at a sidewalk cafe near Rome's Piazza Navona. Italians would run to the kitchen and kiss the chef after being served this pizza.

To end the meal, we selected the ambitious Coach Farm goat cheesecake ($8). Don't be afraid about the description -- that is indeed a beet compote on top and its sweet flavor marries beautifully with the tangy goat cheese -- everything about this combination is so right from the walnut cookie crust to the poppy seed anglaise.

More visits are in my future and I'm finally glad that it's now my turn to say: "You've never been to Sovana Bistro?"

Add a comment