By Leslie Weinberg
Even though the summer season is winding down, diners will be able to experience fabulous summer dishes post Labor Day at Georges’ in Wayne. They will be serving up their summer menu through October 1st.
Georges’ rustic and cozy dining rooms invite families, parties of friends, and business diners to experience a casual gourmet lunch or elegant evening out. Head Chef Chris Siropaides (seen to the right) takes great pride in his seasonally-based menus. Each menu is meticulously crafted over the course of a few weeks.
Chris explains his menu-building inspirations, “Every chef has a repertoire of what they know is good and are comfortable making. You use the resources that are available – books, the internet, what other chefs do, what you have seen in the past, done in the past, what you have learned. So I think about bits of everything when I make a menu.”
Georges’ lunch menu will please any diner, whether they crave mussels, burgers, or crispy pizzas straight from their brick oven. Georges’ summer salad choices include their English Cucumber Salad, Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Salad dressed with an aged balsamic or their Poached Shrimp and Jumbo Crab Salad served with an orange poppy seed vinaigrette.
For the dinner entrees, Chef Chris starts with the finest meats and adds an element of global fusion to his dishes. Chris takes a traditional summer dish of pan seared Tilapia and lays it on a bed of Israeli cous-cous in a ginger-lemongrass sauce, topped with a sugar snap pea medley and served on a banana leaf. Each dish is presented as a hand sculpted piece of artwork.
The flavor combination of his Pan Seared Scallops with an onion confit puree, braised swiss chard, and carrot-marjoram emulsion, came together as a happy accident, wowing both the chefs and customers. Throughout August, Georges’ Restaurant will offer their butcher shop special. Your choice of their top quality NY Strip or Filet Mignon in a Bordelaise red wine sauce are two for the price of one (eat in only, Mon. – Thurs.).
When it comes to planning the menu, Chef Chris doesn’t intimidate diners with specialty dishes where they wouldn’t recognize a single ingredient. Chef Chris compliments fresh ingredients with unique flavors and sauces, to enhance gourmet comfort foods unlike anywhere else.
Chef Chris considers himself an everyday diner. “What I try to do is make the best mashed potatoes the customer has ever had…. I am trying to do things that people know about and make them think ‘wow I’ve never had them this good before’.”
The servers are well-prepped when it comes to the learning the ins and outs of Chef Chris’ summer menu. Chef Chris keeps an ear in the dining room in his effort to delight his customers and he bases the menu around their desires.
In addition to Georges’ collection of tantalizing dishes, Chef Chris features daily specials to enhance dining experiences. The summer specials do not stop at food, Georges’ created a variety of summer cocktails that will leave patrons as cool as a cucumber. Their summer infused drinks include Strawberry Basil Fresca with muddled strawberries and basil and Effenfusion, made with a cucumber infused Effen vodka. Other drinks highlight the best of summer’s bounty. Diners can enjoy a laid-back lunch or refined dinner in either their sun-kissed indoor courtyard or outdoor terrace with adjoined garden room.
After Chef Chris graduated from Central Montgomery Tech School’s culinary program, his teacher inspired him to attend the Culinary Institute of America. Attending this prestigious school early on taught Chris to refine his skills and lose his “bad habits.” After graduating, Chris worked for the Philadelphia Country Club and later joined Brasserie Perrier. Chris has worked alongside culinary legend, George Perrier, founder of Le-Bec-Fin, Georges’ and the Art of Bread.
Chef Chris is currently planning their fall and winter menus. In the meantime be sure to get the most out of summer by visiting Georges’ in the Eagle Village Shops at 503 West Lancaster Avenue in Wayne.
