Wayne, PA - Autograph Brasserie, is the newest addition to the Fearless Restaurants collection joining Moshulu, White Dog Cafe, Daddy O, Plantation, and Tuckers Tavern. This restaurant is only a short drive from the city at the Eagle Village Shops in Wayne, PA.
News, Events and Specials:
October 11, 2017, Autograph Brasserie will collaborate with diptyque for a home fragrance and food-pairing event. For diptyque, creating fragrances is an art and art is a journey. The dinner will explore diptyque perfumery through a mingling of the senses. Autograph’s Executive Chef Ralph Fernandez will translate three iconic eau de perfumes into three courses, though before indulging in the cuisine guests will discover the fragrances, their raw materials, and smell the magic of translating the natural world into a bottle of perfume.
Autograph Brasserie’s partnership with diptyque extends beyond this event as Autograph Brasserie, along with all of the restaurants in the Fearless Restaurant group; they have adopted the diptyque collection as the signature scent of the restaurant portfolio. The fragrance of Baies (pronounced bay), or berries in English, greets all guests who enter each of the restaurants – a rich mingling of Bulgarian Rose and blackcurrent leaves, inspired by the garden of a friend of the three founders of diptyque.
Executive Chef Ralph Fernandez worked closely with diptyque to create the pairings, which includes dyptique’s Philoskyos scent of Fig Leaves, Fig Wood, Fig Sap, Black Pepper to be paired with
Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese Toast with Black Mission Fig Jam, Barrel Aged Black Pepper Balsamic and Fall Herbs; diptyque’ s L’Ombre dans L’Eau a scent of Bulgarian Rose, Blackcurrant Buds, Petit Grain and Blackcurrant Leaves will be paired with Black Currant Honey Glazed Duck Breast and Autumn Spiced Root Vegetables, Red Jewel Sweet Potatoes, Cassis Huckleberry Duck Jus. And, diptyque’s Eau Duelle which has note of Bourbon Vanilla, Pink Peppercorn, Cypriol and Calamus will be paired with Vanilla Creme Brulee with Barrel Aged Bourbon Maple Berries, Pink Peppercorn Shortbread.
Autograph Brasserie opened in May 2016. The restaurant is named after people who have left their signature on American pop culture. There are countless signed photographs framed and on display in the restaurant. Chef Ralph Fernandez has created a menu drawing on the culinary signatures of France, Italy, and Spain. Autograph Brasserie is a modern brasserie that serves brunch, lunch and dinner using the best ingredients available. Autograph Brasserie serves the finest steaks from ranches throughout the Midwest, fresh seafood and hand-made pastas complemented with an impressive wine and specialty cocktail list.
The restaurant is divided into two sides on the main floor; to the left is the lounge area, and to the right are The Boulevard, the Club Room and the Sycamore Room. We had the pleasure of dining in the Sycamore Room complete with a faux tree springing out of the floor and bronze butterflies adorning its trunk. While this room has a very feminine vibe, the other two dining rooms may appeal to more masculine sensibilities with their dim lighting and large booths and chairs.
Autograph Brasserie’s lounge area is the perfect setting for music. The walls are adorned with over 350 of autographed album covers and a custom statement chandelier from Portugal made of brass musical instruments hangs over the expansive bar in the center of the room. A large fireplace adds to the relaxed atmosphere. Outdoor dining is also available in season. Private dining is also available for social or business gatherings.
“What is great about Autograph is you can come and dine in the Club Room or Sycamore Room or at the bar which is more causal and it is all the same menu. Our menu offers everything from Half Pound Prime Steak Burger to a 14oz Dry Aged Angus Ribeye. Autograph is that neighborhood restaurant perfect for a working lunch, happy hour, or a night out with friends. We also offer a great weekend brunch,” said Autograph Brasserie/Fearless Restaurants owner Marty Grims.
We began our evening with some signature cocktails and a Foie Gras Amuse Bouche. We had to try the Pom & Circumstance made with Faber Citrus Vodka, Cointreau, Pama, lime, and pomegranate, as well as the Granny Wallbanger with Faber Vodka, Galliano, green apple, agave, lemon, and soda.
One of the things we love most about Autograph is that the menu offers a variety of small plates, as well as full sized entrees. Some evenings you might be craving a big steak, while others you’d prefer to mix and match you plates to suite your palette. We selected the Oysters on the Half Shell with a seasonal selection of raw oysters served with black pepper mignonette and cocktail sauce. We can never resist a some octopus, so we ordered the Charred Spanish Octopus with Calabrian Chili Oil, preserved lemon, parsley, smoked pimenton aioli, and crispy potatoes. We also sampled one of the newer Fall menu additions which is the Laura Chenel Goat Cheese Toast topped with butternut squash, honey crisp apple , and aged balsamic. And the Gemelli homemade pasta was absolutely one of our favorites served with grilled shrimp, oven roasted tomatoes, petite herbs, english peas, wild mushrooms, and a sherry lobster emulsion.
For the main course, Autograph provides exquisite dishes from both land and sea. The White Crescent Farms Duck Breast was cooked perfectly and plated like fine art with butternut squash, anjou pear, mustard greens, and huckleberries. You cannot go wrong ordering the Maryland Crab Cake over chorizo, fennel, fingerling potatoes, and seasoned with saffron. And since the restaurant has prime meat sourced for their steaks we had the 8 oz. Center Cut Filet Mignon from Omaha, Nebraska. This tender steak includes one side dish, we chose the Grilled Asparagus with lemon, shallots, and E.V.O.O. Other options for sides include: Wild Mushroom Risotto, Hand Cut Fries, Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Sunchokes, Mac N Cheese, Roasted Root Vegetables, Creamed Spinach, Charred Cauliflower or Brussels Sprouts.
And we could not end this perfect evening without dessert! The Warm Valrhona Chocolate Peanut Butter Fondant Cake was absolutely insane, oozing with molten peanut butter and chocolate with a side of Tahitian vanilla ice cream, and English Devonshire Cream. We also loved the Autograph Signature Sundae served in a mason jar piled up with Dulce De Leche ice cream, chocolate and blondie brownies, peanut butter cookie, gelato, milk chocolate pretzel bark, candied peanuts, and topped with Crème Chantilly.
Stop by every Wednesday for Girl’s Night Out in the lounge with $6 Bellinis and Cosmos. Happy hour is offered at the bar, Monday through Friday from 4- 6 pm with $8 small plates. And Autograph Brasserie has now added music with DJ J Strong every Friday and Saturday night beginning at 8pm. DJ J Strong of Radnor just finished a 2 1/2 year DJ residency at a restaurant in the Twin Cities (MN)
“I will start with soft dinner music in the beginning, then spike the energy level with Motown, Funk, Disco, Classic 80’s and some recent (Billboard) Hot 100 hits for the remainder of the night,” DJ J Strong explained. “My goal is to have guests enjoying the sounds from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, with good company over food and drinks, as they reminisce about the good old days. Whether guests choose to remain in their seats singing along or get up and dance, it’s whatever they feel like doing at that moment. “
“Many of our guests asked if we were going to offer music and we decided with the cooler weather coming and people wanting to gather someplace with friends for dinner and drinks, that music would be the perfect addition,” said owner Marty Grims.
DJ J Strong said he is a fan of all music, “My mother and father provided me with a very heavy influence of Motown, Funk, Classic Rock and Disco. I consider myself an 80’s baby, so I grew favoring R&B, Rap/Hip Hop and all 80’s music from Whitney Houston to Bon Jovi to Michael Jackson. I am a fan of all music genres, but I am also a closet Country Music fan”, he admits. “I specialize in beatmatching and blending songs together, to maintain that high energy level only music can provide.”
