Bolete

Firm royal trumpet stems bring a meaty mushroom crunch to the house-smoked pork chop with greens (served with garlic scapes and white beans in summer; crispy grits and smoked corn puree this fall). There also were mushrooms galore (both chanterelles and porcini foam) in the pedestal ringing Bolete's eye-catching duck egg, which gets lightly poached whole before it's panko-crusted and deep-fried. But it was the subtle addition of periwinkles, the sea snails with an almost mushroomlike chew, that added a surprising brininess to the dish.

If Chizmar has a weakness, it's a tendency to overdo his plates with too many ingredients – like the seafood-studded saffron sauce that was a fishy distraction from the ricotta-stuffed squash blossom; or the overly chewy wheatberries that took away from the summer duck with maitakes and currants.

Meanwhile, in the dining room, where we had extraordinarily gracious service the first visit, our second meal was only slightly dimmed by slow pacing between courses from a distracted waiter. Both servers gave excellent advice, though, on Bolete's smart wine list, which brought unexpected gems from New Zealand (a polished-but-earthy pinot from Three Deans) and California (a gutsy, chocolatey, fruity "ancient vines" mourvedre from Cline.)

Bolete will no doubt have a new challenge in replacing its pastry chef, who recently departed for California after serving me such delights as a cherry shake filled with tapioca "bubbles," an awesomely rich butterscotch pudding with toasted pecans, and a chocolate cupcake ribboned with chocolate and frangelico butter cream.

But Bolete's most striking dessert, a warm tart of Scholl's honey crisp apples, layered with cheddar and crispy nuggets of brown sugar-candied bacon, is a savory chef's sweetest dream. And Chizmar is confident his spelunking cooks can adapt.

Next Sunday, restaurant critic Craig LaBan reviews Girasole. Contact him at 215-854-2682 or claban@phillynews.com.