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Montgomery County Restaurants


percyn

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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.

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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.

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

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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 (log)
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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.

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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

Eileen Talanian

HowThe Cookie Crumbles.com

HomemadeGourmetMarshmallows.com

As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists. ~Joan Gussow

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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.

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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

---

al wang

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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!

Lisa K

Lavender Sky

"No one wants black olives, sliced 2 years ago, on a sandwich, you savages!" - Jim Norton, referring to the Subway chain.

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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 (log)
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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

"The perfect lover is one who turns into pizza at 4am."

Charles Pierce

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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.

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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.

I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer...

Homer Simpson

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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.

Lisa K

Lavender Sky

"No one wants black olives, sliced 2 years ago, on a sandwich, you savages!" - Jim Norton, referring to the Subway chain.

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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 (log)

I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer...

Homer Simpson

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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.

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

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

**************************************************

Ah, it's been way too long since I did a butt. - Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"

--------------------

One summers evening drunk to hell, I sat there nearly lifeless…Warren

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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.

Christopher D. Holst aka "cdh"

Learn to brew beer with my eGCI course

Chris Holst, Attorney-at-Lunch

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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!

"The perfect lover is one who turns into pizza at 4am."

Charles Pierce

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  • 2 weeks later...

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 :angry: They are not open for lunch on weekends. :hmmm:

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 :sad: but they had macroni and potato salad. I also got a cup of maryland crab soup. Everything was under $5 !!

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gallery_21049_162_37199.jpg

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.

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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.

Lisa K

Lavender Sky

"No one wants black olives, sliced 2 years ago, on a sandwich, you savages!" - Jim Norton, referring to the Subway chain.

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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...) ;-)

<a href='http://retroroadmap.com' target='_blank'>Retro Roadmap - All the Retro, Vintage and Cool Old places worth visiting!</a>

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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  :angry: They are not open for lunch on weekends.  :hmmm:

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  :sad:  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 (log)
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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.

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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....

"Fat is money." (Per a cracklings maker shown on Dirty Jobs.)
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