Leaning toward luxury in Bryn Mawr.

I call it “The Louis Vuitton Effect.” It is the distinctly modern phenomenon whereby everyone has the opportunity to experience some semblance of luxury, whether real or imitation. It’s impossible to walk down the street or sit in a restaurant without seeing ostentatious displays of designer monograms everywhere—from those ubiquitous LV bags to Rolex Submariners (both real and knock-off) on everyone from CEOs to high school kids. It seems as if everything these days has been “luxurified.”

This, of course, has trickled down to restaurants. The physical space Blush occupies seems to be built on the most standard assumptions of modern-day luxury dining: a sexy juxtaposition of reds, dark browns, and golds, flattering lighting, a dramatically-lit bar. It’s all there, the sexy trappings of 21st century sophistication.

Even the menu echoes the multi-cultural tendencies of the day, with dishes as disparate as vegetable spring rolls, seafood jambalaya, and a trio of Kobe beef burgers. Indeed, the menu is a veritable United Nations of ingredients and preparations.

Some of them succeeded and some did not. But chef-owner Nicholas Farina cannot be faulted for a lack of effort.

Among the more successful dishes was the duck quesadilla appetizer ($10), a beautifully presented plate of duck confit, jalapeños, sweet corn, black beans, guacamole, pepper jack cheese, red peppers and pico de gallo. Even with all those bold flavors, each ingredient somehow held its own while maintaining a balance with everything else.

The Maryland crab cakes ($27) worked well, too. And while they were certainly tasty themselves—especially the saffron aioli with which they were drizzled—it was the sides that stole the show. The crawfish macaroni and cheese was a nice change from the more common lobster-studded version (oh, how spoiled we are these days!), and the sautéed collard greens were not only a cleverly bitter counterpoint in terms of flavor, but also a symbolic opposite to that gourmet pasta. Luxury and comfort food, both on the same plate, harmonizing beautifully. Cue the music.

But then there were other preparations that didn’t sing quite as nicely. The lobster cigar appetizer ($12), for example, suffered from too many ingredients. Crisp spring-roll pastry was filled with a mixture of lobster, scallions, and mascarpone cheese, set upon a mango chutney and anointed with a tarragon beurre blanc. Unfortunately, not one of the flavors was bold enough to take the lead in this dish, and, as a result, they all seemed a bit muddled. The tarragon beurre blanc was, I think, the culprit—an unnecessarily rich addition to a dish that didn’t need any help in that department.

The ancho-crusted rib eye ($31) was better. While it didn’t suffer from a lack of ingredients, they all were of a single culinary kind, and therefore worked in the context of the dish as a whole. The soffrito, the avocado rice, the chipotle demi-glace—they contributed flavor components that were necessary to the dish’s ultimate success. Plus, at 14 ounces, the steak made a great sandwich the next day.

As far as desserts went, the marjolaine ($8 and made by Au Petit Delice in Wayne) was nice. This seven-layer hazelnut-almond torte with a kirsch butter cream filling and chocolate mousse was mild, flavorful and surprisingly light. But it was the Blushwich ($8) that was our favorite. Homemade vanilla gelato sandwiched between two warm chocolate brownies can only be described as lusty, and unabashedly so.

Blush has the potential to become a major Main Line destination. If a few of those kinks are worked out of the menu, the food could be a real draw. And while the service was a bit sloppy at times, it was earnest and friendly, which is something that cannot be taught.

I’d like to revisit Blush later this year to see how it progresses. I have the feeling that it’ll be exactly where it should be by then: a Main Line luxury that everyone can appreciate. I’ll report back in a few months.

Blush is located at 24 North Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010 and can be contacted by telephone at (610) 527-7700 or visited online at www.dineatblush.com.