Cresheim Cottage

Cresheim serves an unconventional shrimp and crab cake, a tall crisp square of minced seafood dominated by shrimp. It's flavorful, especially with the Israeli couscous salad, but it is not a crab lover's cake. Barbecue fans, likewise, should avoid the ribs altogether, as they're baked so long, the meat just flopped right off the bone.

I liked Robb's instinct to give the duck an exotic twist, with a floral rooibos tea marinade and a black rice risotto studded with sweet papaya. But the bird was so terribly overcooked I could barely chew it (I'd asked for it medium), and the manager kindly took it off the bill.

This was hardly the finale I anticipated when I left that first lunch, happily sated by the good flavors of thoughtful cooking and the promise of a classic space revived. The new Cresheim Cottage clearly still has that potential if only its kitchen were more careful. That kind of progress would go a long way toward sowing a hopeful word of mouth.

In a review of Snackbar in the March 4 Image section, Angie Wolfe was incorrectly described as the former pastry chef at Marigold Kitchen. She was a sous-chef. Julia Kovacs was Marigold's pastry chef.

Contact restaurant critic Craig LaBan at 215-854-2682 or claban@phillynews.com.

Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/craiglaban.