Longwood Gardens’ restaurant 1906 has bloomed as one of the suburbs’ best restaurants

The tulip beds had just exploded into spring bloom in time for our most recent visit to Longwood Gardens. The magic carpet of purple, pink and scarlet flower cups that extended beside a pathway the length of two football fields was so vibrant against the pale blue Chester County sky, you could probably spot it from space — along with the hoards of tourists that jostled among the colorful rows for the perfect horticultural selfie.

It was one of the most striking displays of petal power I’ve witnessed, albeit just a fraction of the floral wonders cultivated within Longwood’s 1,100 acres in Kennett Square. The project that most interested me was the recently redesigned Ornamental Kitchen Garden, in large part because I’d just gotten to eat some of its treasures at 1906, the elegant, sun-filled new dining room overlooking Longwood’s dancing fountains.

A roulade of finely shaved celery root grown in the garden was grilled yakitori style, basted with the soy-darkened shine of ponzu sauce infused with the zest of kumquats and rare Oro Blanco white grapefruits grown in the garden’s conservatory, a dish that elegantly bridged winter and spring. Tender green fava beans and flowers rested between its sheer root vegetable folds.

The artfully piped ribbons of whipped butter dotted with Delaware sea salt that arrive to each table alongside warm bread is speckled with a botanical confetti of dehydrated marigolds and bachelor’s buttons. Even the cocktails here are brimming with garden spirit, a jam of tart rhubarb fizzing cheerfully alongside strawberries in our glasses of the seasonal “Bree’s” spritz.

The fact that vegetables grow at Longwood is not news. The Ornamental Kitchen Garden has existed here to some extent since 1927, two decades after Pierre S. du Pont bought the first 202 acres of an historic arboretum, then set his Gilded Age fortune to building the conservatories, Flower Walk and Italian “water garden” whose 600 jets make the elaborate fountains dance.

What’s notable is that Longwood has invested in the construction of a spectacular new dining room beneath the main conservatory with vaulted ceilings and picture windows overlooking the water show and manicured garden. Most importantly, they’ve found executive chef George Murkowicz, who has the vision to orchestrate a menu that does justice to both the setting and the 350 different crops that rotate annually through head gardener Alex Correia’s half-acre parcel inside the larger Idea Garden.

It took me over a year to make my way to this new incarnation of 1906, a reflection of my skepticism that any restaurant attached to such a mega-tourist draw could be anything more than an overpriced amenity. Longwood is an hour’s drive west of Center City, and already a pricey proposition before you even make it to the restaurant, at $35 to $38 per adult to enter the gardens depending on the day — unless, of course, you become a member.

After two memorable meals, an annual membership for two ($195) might be worth it for easy access to what is now clearly one of the best all-around restaurants I’ve experienced in the Philadelphia suburbs, impressively polished from the first crumb of herb-dusted warm brioche to the grand finale of a chocolate mousse disguised as a mushroom.

This edition of 1906, named for the year of Longwood’s founding and previously located in a smaller space elsewhere on the property, was built to handle the crowds. The daylight-drenched space holds 242 seats between the lounge, bar and dining room, arrayed on cushy patina green banquettes between potted palms beneath a vaulted ceiling lined with basket-weave paneling designed to absorb sound.

It’s certainly a splurge, with diners averaging $80 a person for the reserved two- and three-course prix-fixe menu options. Walk-in visitors to the a la carte lounge can average half of that. But with over 400 guests a day coming for a weekday meal, and upwards of 700 on weekends when the all-day menu hours extend to 8 p.m., the experience is clearly resonating with Longwood’s faithful.

I took one bite of the delicate agnolotti dumplings filled with sweet peas and ricotta over an orange-infused brown butter scattered with lump crab and flower petals, and immediately understood. This kitchen is up to the task.

Murkowicz, 33, originally from Arizona, was recruited to Longwood by Restaurant Associates, which operates 1906, and he brings a wide-ranging modern American approach, blending international techniques with an artful touch that always places the Gardens’ seasonality at the forefront.

An early January menu was still glowing with luxurious holiday warmth in dishes like the herb-encrusted venison loin over a farro risotto, or a puff pastry-wrapped Wellington lined with spinach crêpes stuffed with Kennett Square mushrooms and Taleggio cheese, set over a puddle of sherried porcini cream.

Seared dayboat scallops and pyramid-shaped Rangoon dumplings stuffed with braised oxtail over an earthy sunchoke puree made for an inventive surf-and-turf. Delicate canneloni came stuffed with luscious lobster. A wedge of Melissa Savoy cabbage harvested from the winter garden, meanwhile, was braised in local Keepwell Vinegar soy then draped with chanterelles mushrooms over a silky puree of sourdough bread sauce enriched with bacon, shallots and Dijon mustard.

An appreciation for mushrooms is required year-round in Kennett Square, which touts itself as the mushroom capital of the world.Murkowicz delivers one of the more elegant mushroom bisques you’ll encounter, the pureed mushroom brew lightly creamed with coconut milk, poured tableside over a bowl of crispy shallots piled with sauteed shiitakes and creminis. There’s also a Forager’s Tea made from steeped mushrooms that’s among the most popular of 1906’s thoughtful non-alcoholic beverage options.

Murkowicz saves the real fireworks for the seasonal bursts of color, texture and lightness that bloomed on his menu in spring. Ricotta-stuffed pillows of gnocchi come tossed in a vivid green puree of stinging nettles scattered with dimpled morel mushrooms and a froth of Manchego cheese. A gorgeous lamb loin with turnip puree was streaked with alternating pink and green stripes of minty gremolata and tangy-sweet rhubarb gel. Red meat aficionados will also feel well served by an excellent pepper-crusted flat-iron steak fanned over a classic brandied au poivre sauce beside a deconstructed new potato salad, with half-moons of garlicky roasted potatoes laid atop a swoosh of aioli with pickled onion rounds, flower blossoms and herbs.

Murkowicz’s creative touch shows an admirably modern lightness with his reimagination of risotto, cooking snappy sunflower seeds instead of rice inside a veggie broth turned emerald green with ramps and butter. The added crunch of puffed black lentils and the richness of a poached egg poised at its center make for a substantial vegetarian entree.

If this chef has a weakness, it is a tendency to over embellish his plates. I would have liked the ocean trout entree if it hadn’t been nearly submerged in a thick fog of potato foam that, aside from mucking up the pretty plate, also obscured that my fillet had been poorly deboned. The toothpick-sized rib I pulled out of my teeth was surprising only because it was a rare flaw for a place that is so impressively polished in every other way, from the outgoing service, to dining room details like the wood tables hewn locally from catabla trees fallen on the property. This restaurant also boasts one of the region’s most inventive pastry kitchens, led by Cecilia Gaudioso.

Mycologists might take pause to note the restaurant’s signature dessert, the Caramelia, is the spitting image of a poisonous amanita muscaria mushroom. But crack this confection’s shiny crimson bell cap, and you’ll discover a sweet fluff of chocolate mousse inside, with espresso caramel at the center and a chocolate cake stem that towers over a “soil” made of espresso-chocolate crumbles scattered with intricately detailed edible chocolate rocks.

As impressive as that faux mushroom is, I enjoyed some of the other desserts just as much, like the mocha semifreddo with chocolate crispies and passion fruit mousse cradled inside a white chocolate shell molded into the shape of a cacao pod. The cherry blossom cheesecake was also a spectacular ode to the season, a ruby chocolate cheese custard layered over an almond crust paired with tempered chocolate sheets made to look like cherry blossoms, toasted almonds, a chocolate twig and a refreshing matcha gelato.

I spooned through its colorful layers and marveled at the beautiful contrasts of well-wrought textures and vivid flavors in harmony on the plate. Then I looked up through the arching picture windows of 1906 to see its natural counterpart outdoors, the manicured topiaries and gardens in full bloom, the endless throngs of picture-taking crowds awaiting the next big fountain show.

It seems almost impossible for a restaurant to become a draw in its own right against that legendary backdrop. But 1906 has done just that.

1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square, Pa., 19348, 610-388-5290; longwoodgardens.org

Full menu served Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, until 8 p.m.

Two course prix-fixe, $65; Three courses, $80. Lounge menu entrees, $22-$36.

Wheelchair accessible.

About 80% of menu is either gluten-free or can be modified.

Menu Highlights January: the “wedge”; caramelized Savoy cabage; mushrom bisque; lobster canneloni; scallopls and oxtail rangoons; mushroom Wellington; venison loin with farro risotto. April: Agnolotti with peas and crab; celery root “yakitori”; sunflower seed “risotto”; Colorado lamb; steak au poivre. Desserts: Caramelia; mocha semifreddo; cherry blossom cheesecake.

Drinks The cocktail list features creative drinks driven by the seasons and Longwood’s gardens, from the 24 Karat (a carrot margarita sweetened with local honey) to the ever-rotating “Bree’s” spritz series (strawberry and rhubarb our visit) and a cherry blossom-infused Silk Sakura. There are solid takes on classics, and a well-rounded wine list of quality labels strong on celebratory sparklers, a couple local options from Wayvine, dessert wines and ports to linger. Effort is also taken for the non-alcoholic elixirs made with local herbs, including a Forager’s tea steeped with Kennett Square mushrooms.