Over the new booths are beautiful, colorful paintings created by local schoolchildren. (Photo by Len Lear)

by Len Lear

Up until March you could count the number of upscale BYOB restaurants in Lafayette Hill on no fingers, but that changed on March 2 with the opening of Dishez at 545 Germantown Pike in a strip mall just a few minutes from Chestnut Hill College.

“We have more fresh seafood than any other restaurant in the area,” insisted Flourtown area residents Peter Liccio, co-owner (with wife, Renee), who also owns the nearby Market of Lafayette Hill (for 15 years) and Knishes & Dishes, a Jewish-style deli two doors away (for seven years). “People love BYOBs, and there is really no direct competition for us within a radius of four or five miles.”

Peter, 52, who grew up in South Philadelphia, has been in the wholesale fish and produce distribution business for 25 years. “Since we have fresh fish available every day,” said Peter, “I had been thinking about doing a fresh fish-oriented restaurant for some time. We do a strong breakfast and lunch business at Knishes & Dishes, but I wanted a dinner place.”

As a result, Peter took over the property eight months ago at 545 Germantown Pike previously occupied by GiGi’s Consignment Shop and before that, Claire Dickson Boutique. After an extensive seven-month renovation, Dishez finally opened in early March, just in time for several snowstorms, which obviously made it hard to get off to a really strong start.

Dishez seats 88 diners in comfortable booths in one half of the restaurant and tables in the other half. There are even two plush sofas in the rear for people who may have to wait for a table. One feature mentioned by many diners posting comments on the internet is the stunning, colorful paintings on the walls.

The paintings were created by school kids in the area and are for sale. Proceeds from the sales go to a non-profit organization that buys art supplies and donates them to public schools, many of which no longer have official art classes due to cutbacks in funding.

There are plush sofas available for those waiting to be seated. (Photo by Len Lear)

The chef at Dishez is Mark Pirozzi, whose food is American with a strong French influence. Pirozzi was born in Italy but came with his family to Detroit at age 4 and then to the Philadelphia area when he was 12. “I wanted to be a chef since I began cooking with my grandmother at age 11. I started working in restaurants when I was 16,” said Mark, whose most recent cooking jobs were at Silverspoon, a highly regarded BYOB in Wayne, and a small Japanese restaurant at 19th and Callowhill Streets. (Mark has an identical twin, Dan, who is a line cook at Dishez.) Mark's fresh seafood-cenrtic menu includes: crispy salmon served with hollandaise, mushroom risotto and pickled cipollini onion ($23); olive oil and sage poached trout with Kennebec potato puree and roasted tomato ($19); pan-seared scallops with fingerling potatoes, roasted carrot and lemon aioli frisee salad ($28); striped bass with brown butter caper sauce, jasmine rice and grilled baby bok choy ($24), among others.

As of March 31 there were 16 reviews of Dishez on OpenTable.com. Of those, 11 gave it five stars; two gave it four stars; two gave it three stars, and one gave it two stars. Here is a typical comment on Open Table.com:

Bernadette, of Philadelphia, dined on March 18: “I had the pleasure to dine at this new BYOB restaurant recently and truly enjoyed the experience. The food was not only delicious, but the presentation was pleasing and the portions ample. Another plus was the design, warm and relaxing, (with) choices of booths with high backs for privacy or tables that are set far enough part that you are not crowded. A must try … ”

And Maureen Gallo, a co-worker at the Local who went to Dishez last week with her partner, commented, "It is a beautiful addition to the Lafayette Hill dining scene. Definitely superior to what’s already in Lafayette Hill. The seafood was done perfectly. I can't wait to return.”

The general manager at Dishez is David Mesuda, who helped open Paris Bistro in Chestnut Hill in January of 2014. Dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday, although Liccio said that lunch service will begin soon as well as the introduction of an oyster bar. Eventually they may seek a liquor license.

For more information, call 484-532-7052. There is no website now, although it will come later.