Alison two

There is a lot to like about "Alison two," the ambitious sequel and sister restaurant to Alison Barshak's first suburban hit, Alison at Blue Bell.

For one thing, it's a handsome space, with cobalt-blue and maize-yellow walls, lots of dark wood and vintage wrought-iron accents, comfy booths and cozy nooks. In all, it's a classy rehab of an old Mexican cantina beside the Fort Washington SEPTA station, an upscale dining option for a neighborhood that has too few, and a more sophisticated venue than the bare-bones little Blue Bell bistro that was the BYO launching pad for Barshak's comeback to the Philly scene.

As for the food at "two," well, the potato chips in the bar are fantastic. They're freshly fried and so crisp and salty, I could eat an entire meal's worth of the little spuds. In fact, that might not be a terrible plan, because our predinner drinks and nibbles at the splendid bar were among the brightest moments of our meals here. Apart from a few highlights, they ranged from adequate to amateurish, and came at steep prices that would make even a trust-fund baby blush.

There was the whole branzino that, despite its gorgeous presentation and ginger-lemongrass stuffing, was too bland and boring to merit $34. There was a brackish and thin lobster bisque. There was a mushy beet salad over "goat cheese Bavarian" that had the gelatinous bounce of cream cheese. There was a grilled Wagyu skirt steak that drew exotic goodness from a gingery tomato "chili" sauce but was so unpleasantly tough, it was more "Chew-n-Chew" than dreamy Wagyu. Not quite what I'd hoped for at $28.

Alison two, in general, is not quite what I'd hoped for from Barshak, who's had more ups and downs in her career than a ride at Wildwood. Over the course of that roller coaster, though, from her splashy rise at Striped Bass, to the flop of Venus and the Cowboy, to her bright resurgence in Blue Bell, long one of my favorite suburban BYOBs, I've grown to appreciate her culinary aesthetic - a knack for pairing great ingredients with focused, inventive dishes inspired by her international travels.

But Barshak isn't cooking here, having ceded the kitchen to another chef for the broader responsibilities of managing the big Alison expansion picture. (Blue Bell, which now has a liquor license, has been closed for renovations but is scheduled to reopen soon.) And it's too obvious in the lack of finesse and consistency here that this otherwise appealing menu is missing a steady hand.