For 12 years, Fond, the elegant and contemporary French BYOB, welcomed those looking for a gastronomic out of body experience in Center City Philadelphia.
The pandemic helped put a stop to that as chefs Lee Styer and Jessie Prawlucki-Styer were reluctantly forced to close up shop in 2021.
The taste buds are about to get very happy as Fond will return Oct. 16 in the heart of Delaware County. The new Fond will officially take over the space at 21 N. Providence Road in Wallingford currently occupied by La Cannelle Cafe.
“We’ve been looking for something around here the last couple years,” said Lee Styer, considered one of the country’s top chefs. “We moved to Media about three years ago. We finally found something and want to kind of bring back the original Fond.”
It’s been a labor of love and a bit of nostalgia.
“That was kind of like our first baby before we had kids,” Styer said. “You know, me and my wife did almost everything at the place. We did everything from scratch. She did all the baking and pastry. We have three kids now. We are trying to get back to a more simpler place with just good, classic food.”
The 40-seat Fond will have a constantly evolving seasonal lunch and dinner menu, which sources heavily from the Styers’ own small-in-scale farm, located adjacent to their home down the road in Media.
“Being close to home is really nice now that we have kids,” Styer said. “I can pop up to the house, see the kids for a little bit and come back. You can’t do that if you’re gone the whole day in the city.
Fond’s debut lunch menu spans an assortment of soups, salads, sandwiches, sweets and egg dishes.
Look for a Smoked Salmon Scramble (goat cheese, scallions, toast); Omelet du Jour; French Onion Soup (gruyere, sourdough croutons); Roasted Mushroom Soup (truffle, sourdough croutons); Crispy Short Rib (truffle parmesan aioli, brioche bun, aged cheddar, arugula); Lamb Kofta (couscous, charred tomatoes, feta, golden raisins, almonds); and Corned Beef Reuben (marble rye, sauerkraut, Russian dressing).
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As for dinner offerings, a host of classics from Fond’s decadelong repertoire will make an appearance on the new menu.
Expect favorites like the signature Chicken Liver Mousse (pickled red onions, grilled sourdough); Crispy Short Rib Rillettes (truffle parmesan aioli, grilled sourdough); Tuna Crudo (Thai red curry, kaffir lime coconut broth, avocado, cilantro); Seared Foie Gras (caramelized onion date jam, apples, French toast); Escargot (chartreuse, garlic, hazelnut butter, toasted brioche); Salmon (butternut squash risotto, sherry vinegar reduction); Gnocchi (truffle roasted mushrooms, hazelnuts, arugula); and Beef Burgundy (parsnip purée, grilled broccoli rabe, gremolata).
In addition to a hyper-seasonal lunch and dinner spread, Fond promises a daily selection of freshly-baked breads and pastries as well as a rotating menu of desserts courtesy of Prawlucki-Styer.
“There’s opportunity in the parking lot and outdoor space for like during the pandemic when we couldn’t seat inside the restaurant, we set up a grill outside,” Styer said. “We got a little grill and we make homemade sausages and sandwiches. So, there’s some potential for that to do a cool thing like that. Something, not a festival, but a Sunday event or something. Plus, it’s a great neighborhood.”
Fond will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with lunch followed by dinner service. Reservations will be made available via Resy in the coming weeks.
