Craig LaBan finds the tapas at Conshohocken’s Isabella to be a “pleasant surprise.”

The chicken entree (which I’d normally ignore) was a plump and juicy breast marinated in chile and oregano, then fanned over saffron couscous scented with cuminy tomato vinaigrette. A beautifully fresh fillet of red snapper came crisped inside a crust of crushed shoelace potatoes alongside a zippy piquillo pepper vinaigrette. Salad eaters will find satisfaction in the oil-blanched tuna atop microgreens with capers in a revamped Nicoise. Even the seafood fettuccine, which wasn’t much for presentation, rose to the occasion with a generous helping of scallops, calamari, and shrimp tangled in fresh ribbons and lightly buttered bright tomato glaze – a fair bargain for $16 on a reasonable menu that cracks $20 only a few times.

Two Bells – Very Good

Isabella [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Isabella [Official Site]