163 replies to this topic

[percyn]

There is thread on retaurants in Chester County, so why not one for Montgomery County?

[percyn]

Went to this place that Just Opened last week

Jasmin Asian House
130 W Main St
Collegeville, PA 19426
(Trappe Shopping Center)
(BYO)

Their menu consists of Sushi, Chinese and some Thai dishes. Unfortunately, I did not see any Sichuan dishes on there.

Ordered some Sushi rolls which were quite delicious, but in our hunger, we forgot to take a picture!!

Next, we ordered the Dim Sum Sampler - Shrimp, Vegetable and Pork. They were tasty, though a bit overdone and the new bamboo steamer seem to impact of smoke like flavor to everything in the steamer.


Since this was the first time in a newly opened restaurant, I stuck to the classics and ordered a Shrimp Pad Thai. Hiding underneath the crunchy bean sprouts were 6 generously sized shrimp. Rice noodles were perfectly cooked and not too mushy.


Wifey ordered a Oriental Grill - Steak, shrimp and scallops in a Teriyaki sauce. Good, though too much sauce for me.


Skip the Thai ice tea - it tasted like they added regular milk to regular Lipton iced tea.

There were quite a few service snafus - lack of knowledge of the menu, writing down incomplete order, unfamiliar with computerized ordering system, a long wait for the food, wrong orders going to tables, etc, but hopefully those are things that will be fixed soon. The chief hostess (owner?) seemed to recognize and apologized multiple times, so I have some hope.

Edited by percyn, 01 September 2007 - 03:16 PM.

[parisucks]

There is thread on retaurants in Chester County, so why not one for Montgomery County?

Allison's at Blue Bell? Is it well regaurded for being genuinely good? Or is it just in an area with little competition? I've been there five or six times, and the results have ranged from mediocre (when Allison was traveling in asia and who knows who was expo-ing/chefin' it up) to pretty awesome (foie w/ a vinilla onion compote that i promptly stole for my restaurant and a perfectly cooked skate wing w/ tian of rice and avocado, simple and great).

El Serape- Overpriced, boring and overrated in my oppinion.

I'd love to see this thread pick up.

[etalanian]

Alison's is my husband's and my favorite restaurant - in or out of the city. She has such a wonderful palate. She's especially good at combining unusual flavors with excellent results.

My husband took French clients out to Nectar this week. They loved it. (For what that's worth.) Mike liked it, too.

We used to be big fans of Palace of Asia, but the last couple of times we bought take-out there we were really disappointed.

For a surprising hole-in-the-wall neighborhood place my whole family likes Flannery's Grove Deli on Willow Grove Ave in Wyndmoor. He roasts his own turkey and beef, uses good rolls for cheesesteaks, and makes terrific sandwiches.

And of course, there's Bluefin in Plymouth Meeting/Norristown. Great sushi.

But what else? Surely I'm forgetting someplace.

Eileen

[mrbigjas]

sometimes we stop by tortillas on york road in willow grove. which, you know, looks like a cheezball tex-mex place from the menu, but i've seen the mexican ladies making the tortillas in the back, and the tacos are the real deal. order carnitas tacos, go to the salsa bar and heat them up, and you're good to go.

ok i know that isn't the kind of fancy place we usually discuss on here. but still.

[alwang]

I like Allison: the food is solid, and Allison herself is really friendly. When I'm near Lansdale, there's a hole-in-the-wall chinese place called Chong's Dumpling House that's great for dumplings, noodle soups, buns, etc. Probably my favorite Chinese place in the area.

Chong's Dumpling House
13 W Main St, Lansdale, PA
(215) 855-4812

[Lisa1349]

I'm a new fan of Capone's on Germantown Pike. I had driven by for years and from the outside got the impression it was a red check tablecloth Ital-American joint. Boy was I wrong. Awesome bar with terrific beer selection, and great beer to go in a building in the back. The food: straight up bar food done well. Homemade tortilla chips with chili and for the nachos, double dipped buffalo wings and good cheesesteaks. Inexpensive food too, if they raised the price of everything by a dollar no one would notice. Now I live around the corner and will be there often.

Thanks for the thoughtful thread, Percy!

[percyn]

Here is my list of restaurants which I have either visited or have been recommended to me by trusted sources:

American:
Black Lab
Funky lil Kitchen - http://www.funkylilkitchen.com
Columbia Bar & Grille - http://www.columbiabarandgrille.com

Brew Pub:
Da Vincci
Iron Hill Brewery

Cheese:
Ramondo's Cheese Shop in Phoenixville - http://www.acheeseshop.com

Chinese:
Jasmine Asian House
China Jade

Diner:
Collegeville Diner

French (influence):
Majolica, technically in Chester County - http://www.majolicarestaurant.com
Birchrunville Store Cafe, also in Chester County

Hoagies:
Ace of Steaks in Trappe

Indian:
Desi Village - http://www.desi-village.com

Mexican:
Tortugas - http://www.tortugasmv.com
Los Mariachis in Phoenixville

Pizza:
Roccos
Bravos

Seafood:
Legal Seafoods in KOP mall - http://www.legalseafoods.com

Sushi:
Hanna in Wayne
Bonjung - http://www.bonjungsushi.com

ETA: While I have not been to Alison in Blue Bell, I have eaten her cooking and plan to visit the place. Are there any other must-visit places I should add to my list?

Edited by percyn, 02 September 2007 - 11:47 AM.

[SaxChik]

Here is my list of restaurants which I have either visited or have been recommended to me by trusted sources:

Pizza:
Roccos
Bravos

Sushi:
Hanna in Wayne
Bonjung  - http://www.bonjungsushi.com

i have two to add ...

oaks deli on egypt road (right off 422 at the oaks exit) makes AMAZING pizza. i highly recommend their cheesesteak hoagie pizza. bring your appetite!

Oaks Italian Deli
1601 Egypt Rd
Phoenixville, PA 19460
(610) 666-0280

the next is kabuki, japanese in KOP. it's on 202 (the southbound side) right before the dekalb pike split going north on 202. they have the freshest fish in the area, IMHO. the food can take a while, but it's worth the wait.

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
180 E Dekalb Pike
King Of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 878-9203

[jelly]

I used to love Ravenna but it's gone now. I'm not hearing great things about its replacement, Zacharia's. I've heard it's overpriced. Anyone here have an opinion?

[percyn]

Did a quick google search and found this posted a review. Seems like it is owned by ex-owners of Twin Bays in Phoenixville, where I have had decent but not mind-blowing meals.

Personally, I would give them some time to work out the kinks, given that the restaurant only opened on Aug 21st.

[Tim Dolan]

Below is my quick $.02 in parentheses about the places I have been to during my lunch break or right after work. I would also like to throw in the Italian Market (not positive where it's located) for their killer hoagies.

Here is my list of restaurants which I have either visited or have been recommended to me by trusted sources:

American:
Black Lab (Awesome!)
Columbia Bar & Grille - http://www.columbiabarandgrille.com (Awesome!)

Brew Pub:
Da Vincci (Above average)
Iron Hill Brewery (Good beer, average burger)

Chinese:
China Jade (Fairly standard, but all u can eat lunch buffet for like, $5.50. Crazy.)

Pizza:
Roccos (Awesome stuffed cheesesteak pizza, which I have at least once a week)

Out of sheer convenience, I'm at Rocco's and China Jade more often than the others. If I have a little extra time on my hands and want much better food I try to get to the Black Lab and Columbia. Da Vinci's and Iron Hill are ok, and Da Vinci's has a really cool stained-glass skylight over the bar, but with the other two so close and IMO better, they are difficult to get to.

[parisucks]

What do you guys think of Cravings Cafe? New place better or worse than the old?

[Lisa1349]

I like Rocco's too. Their Rocco's Supreme hoagie is loaded with prosciutto and cappicolo, and is huge, and is only $5.69. Their stuffed meat lovers pizza can feed 10 people and their marinara sauce is decent. I get eggplant parm there often because Mr. 1349 doesn't like eggplant so I don't make it at home very often.

Where is China Jade?

Minado in Swede square on Germantown has a wonderful buffet.

Charlie's Pizza in the same shopping center has THE BEST PIZZA IN ALL OF MONTCO. Hands down, no debate necessary. The red top, with cheese on bottom and lines of sauce on top is killer and tastes like Brooklyn to me.

I did enjoy the Collegeville Diner, but as it was Palm Sunday it was very crowded after church the one time I was there. Favorite diner for me is Ray's, also on Germantown. The Big Joe's Country Scramble with a split biscuit, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, cheese and hashbrowns is fantabulous.

[Tim Dolan]

Where is China Jade?

It's in the same shopping center as Rocco's, kind of up in the corner next to Blockbuster. You could definitely miss it if you weren't looking. It's nothing spectacular but the lunch buffet is hard to beat, and it's better than Great Wall in the next shopping center over.

Edited by Tim Dolan, 07 September 2007 - 08:08 AM.

[Diann]

This is a great thread -- just when I was running out of new lunch places to try...

Other places I like that haven't been mentioned yet:

- Persian Grille, Lafayette Hill -- for their kebabs, their vegetarian Persian dishes (one with spinach and eggs and another with eggplant), their hummus and best of all, fantastic rice with a golden-brown crust
- Caspian Grille, also in Lafayette Hill
- Aman's (Indian buffet in E. Norriton)

And Percy, I would add Bluefin to your list of must try's if you haven't been yet. Good sushi -- I need to try some of their more traditional stuff but the Americanized basic stuff I've had (California rolls, unagi, spicy tuna, etc.) has been tasty. I second the mentions of Ray's and Rocco's, too, for diner food and margherita pizzas.

[handmc]

August Moon in Norristown just a couple of blocks down from the courthouse.

GREAT Korean Food. Sushi looks good but never tried it.

[cdh]

I wasn't impressed with August Moon's sushi when I tried it a few years back... Rice was a bit sweet, and the temperature of the fish was a bit too warm for my tastes.

I'll have to gather my thoughts and chime in properly on this thread.

[SaxChik]

August Moon in Norristown just a couple of blocks down from the courthouse.

GREAT Korean Food. Sushi looks good but never tried it.

their sushi is not bad. their wasabi shumai are great and pack quite the little punch!

[percyn]

OK, so after reading all the reviews of Bluefin, I decided to try it out....on a Sat for lunch....should have check the hours They are not open for lunch on weekends.

OK on my way back I see this run down place which has an old-time-rustic family vibe (no clue if that is really true or not), so I decided to drop in and check it out.

The place is called Specks Drive-in and there is a big sign saying "roasted chicken"...except by roasting they mean frying.

This place serves burgers, cheesesteaks, etc, but I was going to try the fried..(maybe I can fool my brain to not process the cholestrol)...yeah... "roasted" chicken and sides. No collard greens but they had macroni and potato salad. I also got a cup of maryland crab soup. Everything was under $5 !!





The soup was decent for the price. The chicken was better than expected. The skin was crispy and the meat plump and moist. Second only to Delilah's in Philly.

[Lisa1349]

A Googling revealed only some reviews on eVite of all places. I have driven by before, are they the place with the "Broasted Chicken" sign? I shall have to go!

3969 Ridge Pike
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 489-2110

P.S. I once called Bluefin on a Saturday afternoon for reservations for that evening and the kind man on the phone was restraining from laughing at me. Now I go early in the week. The chef there used to work at August Moon and they also serve wasabi shu mai that I'm addicted to. I also like the tuna martini.

[mod*betty]

Yes, Specks is the broasted chicken place, You can't miss the place as it's at the meeting of Germantown and Ridge Pike. I like to go there when the fried chicken/ roadside food urge strikes, which is more often than I'd like to admit. I also dig the lighting fixtures and the orange and yellow vibe in general.

I've got a photo of their sign on my flickr page:

Mod Betty's Flickr - Speck's

And pardon me if this is the wrong county to put it under, but can I please give a shout out to Zwahlen's Frozen Custard? I've got to stop going there, or buy more stretch pants!

Zwahlen's Ice Cream & Chocolate Co.
670 Shannondell Blvd.
Audubon, PA 19403
(Off Trooper Rd. behind the McDonald's)
610-635-0115
Not Open Sunday!

Oh great, I just HAD to look at the flavor of the day...(changes into stretch pants, grabs keys...) ;-)

[HD73]

OK, so after reading all the reviews of Bluefin, I decided to try it out....on a Sat for lunch....should have check the hours  They are not open for lunch on weekends. 

OK on my way back I see this run down place which has an old-time-rustic family vibe (no clue if that is really true or not), so I decided to drop in and check it out.

The place is called Specks Drive-in and there is a big sign saying "roasted chicken"...except by roasting they mean frying.

This place serves burgers, cheesesteaks, etc, but I was going to try the fried..(maybe I can fool my brain to not process the cholestrol)...yeah... "roasted" chicken and sides. No collard greens    but they had macroni and potato salad. I also got a cup of maryland crab soup. Everything was under $5 !!


The soup was decent for the price. The chicken was better than expected. The skin was crispy and the meat plump and moist. Second only to Delilah's in Philly.

They don't call it roasted chicken, they call it BROASTED chicken. I don't know what the hell that means, but it gives you a really nice texture (crispy skin but moist, juicy meat) without so much grease. I always loved their giant fries, which were really more like potatoes cut into quarters lengthwise.

I think the old-family vibe is authentic. My dad grew up in Collegeville where there is/was a Speck's location. I can remember getting food from there when I was little (20 years ago) and I think my dad's family was eating there long before that.

Edited by HD73, 20 September 2007 - 04:27 PM.

[davef]

They don't call it roasted chicken, they call it BROASTED chicken.  I don't know what the hell that means, but it gives you a really nice texture (crispy skin but moist, juicy meat) without so much grease.  I always loved their giant fries, which were really more like potatoes cut into quarters lengthwise.

a process of frying and pressure cooking at the same time.

[JanMcBaker]

They don't call it roasted chicken, they call it BROASTED chicken.  I don't know what the hell that means, but it gives you a really nice texture (crispy skin but moist, juicy meat) without so much grease.  I always loved their giant fries, which were really more like potatoes cut into quarters lengthwise.

a process of frying and pressure cooking at the same time.

For those so inclined to check it out further-- the official Broaster website. And after reading these posts about it, the word 'broasted' is looking really weird....

[percyn]

They don't call it roasted chicken, they call it BROASTED chicken.
...

My bad !! I guess I was really missing my almost weekly rotisserie chicken from Wegmans when I zoomed past this sign and misread it.

Oh well...good chicken though and I will have to try out the fries.

mod*betty, I was going to try Zwahlen's out tomorrow and you just sealed the deal.

[Mummer]

They don't call it roasted chicken, they call it BROASTED chicken.  I don't know what the hell that means, but it gives you a really nice texture (crispy skin but moist, juicy meat) without so much grease.  I always loved their giant fries, which were really more like potatoes cut into quarters lengthwise.

a process of frying and pressure cooking at the same time.

I worked for The Colonel one college summer (back in the '70s, fossil that I am) and that was our cooking method.

We dumped a tray of egg washed, floured (with the secret spices) chicken into a pot of heated grease. After it browned a few minutes, the pressure cooker top was put onto the pot and we noted with a marker the "done time" as indicated by the wall clock with two minute hands.

The KFC standard was to do two birds (9 pieces each) with each pot. The boss had us doing 21 pieces a batch. Back in the day the breast produced two "ribs" and a "keel," the best piece. I think they do 8 pieces per bird now, but I haven't eaten much chicken of any kind since that summer.

Once in a while, the pressure top wouldn't seal correctly and we'd have a foul batch of fowl, fried to death.

[percyn]

Charlie, do you remember how long it was cooked under pressure?

[Mummer]

Charlie, do you remember how long it was cooked under pressure?

I think the "remove" hand was 9 minutes ahead. My recollection is that we marked it when we reduced the heat and removed the pressure rocker rather than when the top was first sealed.

So the process was heat the grease to the fry temp, brown, top, reduce heat/remove the rocker when the pot steamed, pressure cook.

The finished pot was emptied onto the "dump table" where the chicken stayed on a grid and the grease was recycled.

The Colonel's "secret recipe" was a bag of seasoning that we added to a 25 pound bag of flour with some amount of salt. The ingredients of the seasoning bag said black pepper, white pepper, 9 additional spices.

[percyn]

So I made it to Zwahlen's Ice Cream & Chocolate Co. and got the flavor of the day - Turtle (caramel, pecans and chocolate chunks) based on a sample I was offered. WOW !! This place is really good...better than the creamery in Chester Springs


They have flavors that rotate almost every day