A miraculous transformation in Bensalem

Great cooking, many food lovers would argue, is all about transformation—the conversion of raw ingredients into something altogether more flavorful, more appealing to both the eyes and the taste buds. That’s where the magic of dining happens, the alchemy that transforms the merely pleasant into something more memorable, more intensely visceral.

This is something that all restaurant-goers hope for when they go out for a meal. Yet rarely, if ever, do they approach such transcendence. Recently I experienced exactly that, though not in a way I could have predicted.

Toscana 52, a relatively new and attractive Italian restaurant in Bensalem—all ochres and faux painting and stucco-looking walls—was hatched, Venus-like, from the grindingly depressing shell of a former Bob Evans.

So there it is—the embodiment of transmogrification, born right here in Bucks from the husk of a low-level restaurant chain.

As for the food, it’s obviously appealing to the neighborhood as a whole. During a recent visit it seemed as if every resident of the area had decided to show up for dinner, and it’s not hard to see why.

Toscana 52 provides the kind of dining experience that manages to appeal to both casual diners who want nothing more than a quick bite and a glass of something numbing, to more serious guests whose goals are guided by gluttony and taste in equal measure.

Crimini mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat and homemade Italian sausage ($7.99) sang with the subtle scent of fennel and the perfume of the melted ricotta salata, Asiago and mascarpone cheese they had been baked with.

Gently sweet grappa lent an unexpected sense of exoticism to the restaurant’s riff on buffalo shrimp ($9.99). Moreover, to my complete surprise, the accompanying cup of gorgonzola dressing worked. While I’m generally not a fan of dairy with seafood, this combination succeeded, allowing the tangy-sweet sauce to attain a surprising level of clarity.

Of course, none of this would have been possible had the shrimp itself been overcooked, as is too often the case. Nevertheless, like nearly everything else at Toscana 52, they were prepared with evident care and attention to detail, snapping with just a touch of tooth pressure.

Well-rendered seafood, and a clever sense of whimsy, also lifted homemade linguine with clams ($16.99). The pasta, uniquely rich and hearty, was boiled perfectly; the garlic white wine sauce, colored gently blush-toned by the pomodorini sauce, was the slightest bit spicy; the plump, briny-sweet little neck clams nearly burst from their shells.

Then there were the clam and shrimp balls, one of those inventions that, upon tasting them for the first time, make you wonder why you’d never experienced them before. Composed of chopped clams and shrimp rolled in herbed breadcrumbs, their presence cast the idea of “clam” into a whole new light and, by the nature of their inclusion in the dish, rendered the single ones in their shells somehow more straightforward and exciting.

The “Ultimate Kobe experience ($12.99),” a somewhat ostentatiously named, yet undeniably tender Wagyu hamburger, was an exceptionally good sandwich. Like so many of the region’s most notable burgers, this one was served on a sweet, eggy homemade brioche bun and accompanied by caramelized onions, fresh greens, and smartly, a homemade tomato relish. What set this one apart was the inclusion of gorgonzola, Asiago, mozzarella and parmesan both in the ground beef itself and atop it like an oozing crown.

Not everything was stellar, of course. The chocolate mousse ($6.49), sweet and unabashedly rich, was on the chalky side. (A better bet is the savory strawberry zabaglione at the same price.) And the list of wines by the glass could use some serious work, there’s no shortage of choices, just exciting ones at reasonable prices. My $8.95 glass of Carpineto Dogajolo, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon from Tuscany, is a wine I stock in my personal cellar for less than $12 a bottle.

Toscana 52 is exactly the kind of spot that Bensalem needs, and the local dining scene is certainly richer for it. Turning a Bob Evans into the kind of restaurant that locals can’t seem to get enough of? If that’s not alchemy then I don’t know what is.

Toscana 52 is located at 4603 Street Road in Bensalem, and can be reached by phone at (215) 942-7770.