Philadelphia's Under the Oak Cafe is expanding

After three years, a crippling recession, and an armed robbery, Under the Oak Cafe in East Oak Lane is more than enduring - it is expanding, with Saturday morning cooking classes, Friday night gourmet dinners, and a newly hired, French-trained chef.

The cafe, opened in 2008 by the husband-and-wife team of Robert and Kelly McShain Tyree, plus Kelly's brother, Devitt McShain, sits on an isolated street with almost no foot traffic.

"It was definitely a risk. People told us we were crazy to open here," says Kelly Tyree, who was raised in East Oak Lane and lives there still. "I later found out people were making bets as to how long we would last."

Two months after opening, she was at the register when she suddenly felt the chill of a gun at the side of her head. The intruder hog-tied her and her husband in the basement and, she says, would likely have shot them both if Robert Tyree hadn't "talked him down."

Then the recession hit - and it hit hard. Business slowed as neighbors lost their jobs.

"We talked about whether to cut our hours," Kelly Tyree said, "and we seriously discussed shutting down."

They decided to cut back on the cafe's hours, opening now for breakfast and lunch on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and for brunch on Sunday.

And at the same time, they opted to expand into an adjoining space in order to offer Saturday morning cooking classes and an exclusive chef's table dinner for a dozen people every Friday night.

Devitt McShain did the heavy work, breaking through a wall to connect the cafe with a space that housed a pharmacy in 1883 and a butcher shop in the 1950s. The original 12-foot butcher block and two walk-in freezers remained in place, along with a sign that reads, "For Those Who Want The Best." Why take that down?

Chef David Salvatore came on board to lead hands-on cooking classes on Saturdays and exclusive farm-to-table dinners.

Salvatore said he hoped to replicate the success of Talula's Table in Kennett Square, which offers an eight-course BYOB dinner for just one table of eight to twelve people.

One recent menu at Under the Oak featured potato-leek soup with braised fennel, poached quail egg, parsley coulis, and garlic chips; seared prawn salad with house-made duck prosciutto and foie gras vinaigrette; an intermezzo of Meyer lemon sorbet; braised short ribs from Painted Hills Farms with potato puree and black truffle sauce; and an assiette of chocolate with dark chocolate and almond praline marquise, flourless chocolate gâteau, and blood-orange granita. Everything was made in-house, even the lemon cream puffs that accompanied the coffee.

The first $68-per-person, BYOB dinner in December was a sellout that brought return customers. One foursome drove in from Jamison, Pa. Ron Zaberer and his wife, Jackie Guynn, said the food was on a par with offerings at some of their favorite Center City restaurants.

Until Salvatore arrived, Robert Tyree, an actor without chef's training, reigned in the kitchen. He gained a reputation for making savory quiches, raspberry cream scones with lemon curd, and an array of pies and cakes from his grandmother's recipes.

But the hours were exhausting, he said, and "We knew that if we were to expand, we'd have to bring on a real chef."

Salvatore is a New Jersey native and Culinary Institute of America graduate who worked in France - in the kitchen of André Daguin at the Hotel de France in Armagnac, and with Georges Blanc at La Mere Blanc in Vonnas - and locally at the once-prized, now defunct, Evermay on the Delaware.

His Saturday morning repertoire will change seasonally, but in the coming weeks classes are promised in Thai cooking and French bistro cuisine, plus a how-to for Valentine's Day.

The McShain-Tyree crew has kept true to its promise to the community, a bastion of grand Victorian homes that house artists and judges, university professors and architects, who volunteer as Tree Tenders, serve on the newly formed Oak Lane Community Action Association, and host an annual Oak Lane Day of Peace and Love.

"From the start, our vision was to do more than run a cafe," Kelly Tyree said. "We wanted to help preserve this neighborhood."

While launching the cafe, the trio spent 18 months restoring their 18-room Victorian home around the corner (no wonder they were exhausted), a project recently recognized by the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

For now, the breakfast and lunch business is holding its own, with loyal customers from the community and beyond. And the cafe does a healthy catering and wholesale business.

"As tough as it has been at times, we've had many moments of grace along the way and we feel blessed," she said.

Makes 6 servings

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1 pound raw medium-size shrimp, heads on if available

1 tablespoon canola, safflower, or grapeseed oil

7 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

2 stalks lemongrass

4 kaffir lime leaves, fresh, frozen, or dried

4 slices galangal

2-3 fresh red chilies, depending on how hot you want the soup

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1/2 pound small white button mushrooms, cut in half

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons cilantro leaves

4 scallions, both white and green, sliced

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1. Shell and devein the shrimp, saving the shells and heads, if available.

2. Heat the oil in a large sauce pot over high heat and add the shells and heads. Sauté, stirring, until they turn red. Add the water, salt, lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, chilies, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes until a rich aroma and flavor are developed. Strain the soup stock.

3. Return the stock to the pot and add the mushrooms and shrimp. Simmer for about 4-5 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked.

4. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, cilantro leaves, and scallions. Serve at once.

- From chef David Salvatore

Per serving: 139 calories, 18 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams sugar, 5 grams fat, 115 milligrams cholesterol, 969 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 4 servings

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4 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch lardons

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 medium Spanish onions, julienned

2 large leeks, julienned

1/2 cup dry white wine

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup crème fraiche

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 pound cold puff pastry, rolled out into an 8-inch diameter circle, 1/4-inch thick

4 ounces goat cheese

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

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1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you have a convection oven, turn the fan on.

2. Render bacon lardons in a large, high-sided sauté pan with olive oil until crisp - remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.

3. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until tender without letting them brown. Add the leeks and continue cooking until tender, seasoning as needed.

4. Transfer leek-onion mixture to a colander to drain the fat. Wipe out the pan.

5. Return the pan to a medium-high heat, add the wine and lemon zest, and boil to reduce by two-thirds.

6. Add the crème fraîche and thyme, bring to a simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened.

7. Add lemon juice, season to taste, and return the onions and leeks to the pot; stir to combine.

8. Lay the puff-pastry circle on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and prick it with a fork to prevent rising and promote even cooking. Spread the leek mixture over the top, leaving a 1/4-inch edge.

9. Bake the tart in the preheated 425-degree oven until lightly golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes.

10. Crumble the goat cheese over the top, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Per serving: 562 calories, 13 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams sugar, 41 grams fat, 62 milligrams cholesterol, 472 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

Makes 4 servings

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3/4 pound cavatelli

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram

12 ounces mixed wild mushrooms, such as cremini, chanterelle, porcini

1/4 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup baby arugula

2 teaspoons white truffle oil

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, or locatelli cheese (or to taste)

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1. Have a large pot of salted water coming to a boil on the stove for the cavatelli.

2. Clean the wild mushrooms, making sure they are free of dirt; dry on paper towels. Cut them into same-size pieces and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter sizzles. Add the garlic, shallots, and marjoram and sauté until their aromas are released, but do not allow to color. Raise the heat to high.

4. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until they are wilted, lightly browned, and getting tender.

5. Drop the cavatelli into the boiling water and cook until they float. Drain and set aside.

6. Add the Marsala to the pan with the mushrooms and reduce it by half. Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and reduce the heat to medium-high.

7. Add the cavatelli to the pan and stir over medium-high heat to coat the cavatelli. Turn off the heat.

8. Add the arugula, truffle oil, and grated cheese, toss well to combine, and season to taste with salt and a few grinds from the pepper mill. Serve at once.

Per serving: 547 calories, 16 grams protein, 68 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams sugar, 23 grams fat, 21 milligrams cholesterol, 209 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.