Entering Mélange on Sycamore, guests are met with the smooth sounds of jazz, setting the tone for an elegant dining experience. White tablecloth tables, refined ambiance and decadent dishes will delight the palate.
Renowned Chef Joe Brown will open the new spot in Newtown this fall.
“It’s a rebirth of two restaurants that I had in South Jersey that was a mix of Louisiana and Italian,” Chef Brown told What Now Philadelphia.
He continued, “My partner who owns the property here, we’ve always stayed in touch. He loved my restaurants. He reached out to me, asked me to come and look at the location. I had no idea what he wanted to do. He said he wanted to recreate Mélange. I was contemplating retiring after 47 years of being in this industry, but I said, ‘OK.’”
Chef Brown brings extensive experience to the table, having owned the spot in South Jersey for 18 years and worked as both a corporate chef and a private chef for a bishop. He now steps into the role of executive chef and general manager at Mélange on Sycamore.
“The menu is really nothing like Newtown has ever seen. We have classic Italian–Northern Italian, Southern Italian–fresh pasta, fresh seafood and homemade dessert. We have a traditional sweet potato cheesecake. It’s out of this world and going into fall is perfect timing. We have cajun and Creole. We have a lot of French influences, a lot of traditional New Orleans jambalaya, etouffee, gumbos,” he said.
One standout dish Chef Brown is especially excited to debut is his signature crabmeat cheesecake, featured as an appetizer at dinner and an entree at lunch.
“It’s Creole cream cheese, jumbo lump crab meat. It’ll have a pecan crust, and it’s with mushrooms, onions and jumbo lump crab meat cream sauce. It’s decadent, it’s rich, but you’ll enjoy it,” he said.
The food will be complemented by a carefully curated, ever-growing wine list featuring 32 bottles.
The ambiance is described as a mix of New York, Philadelphia and New Orleans in Newtown.
“The room is taupe and it has black and grey overtones–black seats, carpet all the way through even around the bar. There’s a beautiful bar that we’ve totally redone with black granite,” he said. “We have a mural that was custom made that drapes the main dining room, the bar area and the bathrooms. It’s an abstract jazz scene of musicians playing on New Orleans streets.”
Chef Brown said he plans to debut Mélange on Sycamore at the end of November.
“What makes me happy is people enjoying my food. I have a great kitchen staff, so I am excited to see people get my food again. They’re all waiting to get the doors open so they can come in and support,” he said.
Visit the restaurant’s website and follow Chef Brown on Facebook for updates on the grand opening.
