Chester County Restaurants

[Bluehensfan]

Has anyone been to the new Firehouse BBQ place (particularly Holly?) that recently opened up behind the WalMart in Kennett Square? Apparently they are a small company that also has a location in Elkton, MD. I was wondering if it's any good because a casual, more economic alternative to frequent visits to Talula's Table down the road would be appreciated.

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Made a quick stop at Firehouse BBQ for a small sample. Tried the ribs and the brisket, jalapeno cornbread, fried mac and cheese, and coleslaw.

The Ribs had a bold smokiness, but oddly didn't taste like much else, except for what came from an unpleasant sugary glaze. We figured one of the many sauces provided on the table might help, but all of those, even the ones marked spicy, were extremely sweet. And not spicy. And not that good. The meat was very tender, but pulled completely off the bone upon the first bite, and had receded pretty far up each bone, each a sure sign of being cooked too long. They were also pretty tiny, but as they're sold by the pound, I suppose that's OK.

The Brisket was moist and tender, but as with the ribs, just didn't taste like much. We got one nice slice, and one strange mass of shredded edges. To be fair, it is early days, and pretty much the whole staff seemed very young, so maybe they're just not quite in the groove yet, both with the cooking and the cutting.

Fried Mac and Cheese was quite tasty, 2-inch cubes of their regular mac and cheese, breaded and fried to order, resulting in a crispy crust and oozing, cheesey center. Coleslaw was OK. Cornbread was on the dry side, but had a pleasant-enough flavor.

So I can't say we were thrilled by the Firehouse, but it might be worth letting them settle-in a little before passing final judgement.

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You may want to stop back and try Firehouse soon. They have brought in a manager from their other location who has done a fabulous job to make sure everything is freshly prepared and done correctly, as that seemed to be a problem with the start-up crew they had working (many of whom have moved ovn it seems), since some menu items were sometimes not available or were sitting out a while. They also brought in a chef from another local restaurant of theirs to help out as well.

The last two visits we've made have been fabulous, especially the ribs with the Cattleman's smoky BBQ sauce, the sweet cornbread, the baked beans, and the pulled pork on Texas toast.

[percyn]

Friends of mine have just opened The Station Bistro in Kimberton, on Hares Hill Rd. I will not venture to shill for them in the least, except to say that co-owner Craig Miller is an expert at smoking meat, fowl and seafood, and I'll bet that those items will be the highlights of the menu.  And any Cajun specials he ever offers.  The man really knows his Cajun.  He and wife Nancy are very talented restaurant veterans.

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Looks interesting, will have to try it out soon, if Philadining has not already done so.

[mod*betty]

Thought some Chester Co. folks would be interested to know Le Creperie appears to have finally opened on the corner of Bridge and Gay in downtown Phoenixville. I have not been yet, as my dining partner is MIA, but driving past last night there appeared to be a handful of couples seated inside.

Went to Molly Mcguire's last night for all of 10 minutes to ensure that a pal of mine had enough of an audience for his gig last night. The place was packed which is a good sign for the town and it's nice that they have made the place non-smoking even though it is not required here in the 'burbs. Once I saw said pal had plenty of folks to play to I bowed out and headed home, but it appears that the place is a hit with a lot of folks.

There's a coming soon sign on the place that used to be Jesters, across from the Colonial, appears that it will be another pub called Tyler James'.

And finally, we had some very tasty pulled pork sandwiches from Tex's BBQ cart when it was parked at Barto's pools a few weeks back- thanks to whomever suggested we give it a try. We were there a bit late in the day so they were out of some things, but the pulled pork was moist and tasty, the bread soft enough to soak up the sauce. Cowboy beans were flavorful as well, and seemed to have a little bit of everything thrown in the pot with them. Was glad we took our food "to go" however when it came to eating our smoked baked potato- it was mighty good with the beans on top, and I don't know how I would've managed to eat a baked potato behind the wheel! Looks like they will be at the Limerick Firehouse next:

http://www.texsbbqpa.com/

And that's the report from P-ville, back to you in the newsroom.

[philadining]

A friend of mine made it to the Creperie in Phoenixville and liked it a lot. Peering in the windows, I noticed that they have the same uncomfortable rattan furniture as the downtown location, but I'll put up with that for a good crepe!

[percyn]

Thought some Chester Co. folks would be interested to know Le Creperie appears to have finally opened on the corner of Bridge and Gay in downtown Phoenixville. I have not been yet, as my dining partner is MIA, but driving past last night there appeared to be a handful of couples seated inside.

...

We were planning on going there for breakfast, but the weather changed our plans...maybe we will get a chance to visit it soon.

And finally, we had some very tasty pulled pork sandwiches from Tex's BBQ cart when it was parked at Barto's pools a few weeks back- thanks to whomever suggested we give it a try.

The brisket sandwich is pretty good too and I suggest eating it on the spot or within 10 min, as it can dry out if you wait too long. Though his cue is usually good, it occasionally has a faint odor and taste of charcoal starter fuel, though I have never seen his use it.

[Rich Pawlak]

Finally made the 90-min drive to the new Station Bistro in Kimberton, just off Rte 113, near the Kimberton Inn. It is owned by friends of mine, Nancy and Craig Miller, and I was actually surprised by what I found. They have carved out a warm and cozy 40-seater out of stone walls, slate floors and big windows. A roaring fireplace is set in a corner with some seating for coffee or wine sipping. Open kitchen, reminding me more of a sandwich shop than a hip restaurant. Nice wooden tables and chairs, yellow napkins, flowers on the tables, simply done.

The menu is straightforward American-Mediterranean, with the added menu items of smoked ribs, pork, turkey. Kid-friendly, with several high chairs, fortunately, since I had the twins with me. Here's what the twins and I enjoyed for a late lunch:

an outstanding pasta e fagioli (4.25), which the twins devoured quickly, so I asked for my own damn bowl. A great soup on a cold day. Fried calamari (7.99), prepared in-house , I was told, was a big bowl of small rings and a half dozen tenticles, ungreasy, very tender, with a chunky tomato sauce for dunking. Rings were a little too small for that though. But the kids loved the calamari!

Twins shared a veggie burger platter (5.95) and a hot dog platter (4.95), two of a half dozen kids' entrees on the menu. Hot dog was grilled, and it was--a hot dog. Veggie burger was nice, moist, mushroomy, tasty enough to order an adult version. Kids' plates came with a white/wild rice mix and really nice fresh whole green beans. Kids ate every damn one on both plates and all the rice. Portion seem large, even on the kids' stuff.

Nancy Miller brought over a crock of thier French onion soup, demanding I taste it. The broth is enhanced with bourbon, and quite nice. Not a big fan of onion soup, but this was different, and a nice wrinkle on the standard beef broth based soup.

For my entree I chose the BBQ pork sandwich (6.95), and it was a stunner. Huge brioche type roll, large mound of slices of smoky meat and a pretty spicy BBQ sauce drizzled over. It packed some serious heat. Craig Miller IS a pepper head, so I should have known. And he is also quite skilled at smoking meat, and this was a good example of his skill. Great sandwich. Honey BBQ sauce is also offered, I was told, "for those of us who can't take the heat," said Nancy.

Had a cup of coffee (1.50) while the kids played with (provided) crayons and placemats. There is a coffee bar within this restaurant, as they open in the early AM for coffee and pastries. The coffee is from that really good roaster in West Chester (name escapes me), their "house blend", and that's a great coffee!

Took a rack of ribs (20.95) home for dinner. They were quite nice, also nicely smoked, rubbed with spice mix and grillled to order, and topped with sauce. Some of the very best baby backs I've had in a long time, very lean, yet quite moist (I'm sure the long drive home helped with that a bit).

All in all a nice, sweet little place, already a place with some regulars, after just 3 weeks open. No pretense here, no cutting edge cuisine, but solid, well made stuff. And wait a few more weeks for specials to be added to the menu (they serve the same menu 11AM-9PM), most likely just on weekends.

And in the spring, Craig Miller is already thinking crayfish boils, etouffe, jambalaya and gumbo. I'll make the 90-min drive back out for that stuff as soon as it shows up!

Station Bistro

1300 Hares Hill Rd

Kimberton

Edited November 21, 2007 by Rich Pawlak (log)

[percyn]

Was thinking about going there for dinner the other day, but their menu seemed....uhhmm....uninspiring. However, as you said, there is nothing wrong with well executed dishes, so I will give it a try soon. Is their meat smoked on premises daily?

[philadining]

Hit the Station Bistro a coupe days ago for lunch, I think the day after Rich...

I too got a barbecue pork sandwich.

It was good, but I think a bit different from the one Rich got: standard Kaiser roll, somehow not much smoke flavor to the meat, and not a hint of spice to the sauce. (Yes, they asked if I wanted the honey barbecue, and I said no.) Garlic mashed potatoes were very nice.

I liked it, I'll get it again, but it didn't knock me completely out. Service was very friendly, the space is very pleasant, and they were doing a bustling business. I look forward to trying more.

[Rich Pawlak]

I was there on Tuesday. My pork sandwich was quite smokey, and the sauce quite spicy, so I wonder what happened with yours, Jeff... I'd re-try again. Miller smokes everything on site, so I cant imagine the differences between your sammie and mine.

Edited November 23, 2007 by Rich Pawlak (log)

[philadining]

I'll certainly try another, and despite the low smoke level, it was a tasty sandwich. And I like the sound of their home-smoked turkey sandwich too. Updates to come!

[philadining]

Made it into La Crêperie Café Bis, and really enjoyed it.

Started with a glass of french cider.

Then a "Complête" crêpe, with ham, swiss cheese, and a fried egg on top.

and what's known worldwide as "the Percy shot"

The crêpe itself wasn't quite as crisp as I like them ideally, but still very good, with some parts a little crunchy, others soft and pliable. And most importantly, it was delicious.

The space is quite lovely, and actually larger than the one downtown. Although I'm not a huge fan of the intentionally funky tables and chairs, they're comfortable enough. Service was prompt and friendly. This is a really great addition to the Phoenixville scene, something relatively light and quick and not all that expensive (although not outright cheap, my crêpe was about $12.) They're open 7 days, so this will be a great spot for weekend brunches.

[philadining]

We hit the sit-down restaurant El Cuñado, just south of Kennett Square, a stone's throw away from the supermarket of the same name. We're fans of the fantastic taco stand they set-up outside the market in warm weather. We were hoping for some more of those amazing tacos, and maybe something else...

Carnitas, Al Pastor, Cecina

Tacos Dorados, with Al Pastor filling.

We were pretty disappointed in the tacos. We had high hopes: the ones from the outdoor stand over the summer were unbelievably fresh, flavorful, spicy and juicy, so we were expecting something similar. Not only were these not nearly as good as those we'd had in the summer, they just weren't that great overall, with somewhat dry, under-seasoned fillings.

Just when we were starting to be seriously bummed-out, the Caldo de Res showed up.

This was a huge bowl of the beefiest broth we've ever encountered, with big chunks of tender, somewhat fatty, meat floating in it. We hit it with some lime, and dumped-in the finely diced onion and cilantro they provided, which woke it up even more. This was a truly awe-inspiring soup, I am most definitely heading back there on a cold winter day just for this.

Most of the locals were getting tortas, and there was a lunch buffet that was looking a little tired by the time we got there, but that might be interesting a little earlier in the day. So it bears further exploration.

FYI: order at the cashier then grab a seat. There don't seem to be prices listed anywhere, but 3 tacos, 2 tacos dorados, the soup, and two Jaritos sodas added up to about $20.

Because of its proximity and bearing the same name, we assume it's related to the market up on the corner. Sadly the tacos didn't bear much resemblance to those from the stand, but we'll have to try more and see what's' good...

[SouthPhillyFoodie]

Iron Hill in West Chester recently started a special Chef's Dinner - every other Wednesday night - $40 includes four courses, each with a suggested beer or wine pairing (unlimited), everyone sits together at one long table. The idea is that the chef, who has been with the company for 10 years, is cooking the kind of food that he would make for friends...dishes you wouldn't find on the Iron Hill menu.

I was at the last dinner, with a few press people, and we had a great time! Wound up with more than 20 folks, so we had two tables and we were passing notes to each other throughout the meal.

The menu for this Wednesday is:

Mango and Crab Salad

Vegetable Empanada

Petit Filet Mignon

Blue Cheese cheesecake

Have to make a ressie for the dinner - phone number is 610.738.9600

[SaxChik]

Natasha, I believe the name of the Mexican place at 2 Wallace Ave in Downingtown is Los Comprades. The owners/family also have 2 lunch trucks in Coatesville. Interestingly, the menu and prices are pretty much the same (with the exception of a few dishes like Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, which they did not have and the weekend tripe soup mentioned).

They do have Horchata (and other Mexican sodas/drinks), which is great with the homemade chips and salsa.

I ordered the Carnitas Burrito (served with rice, beans and salad)

and a super creamy/eggy Flan (the pecans were a good touch, but had to take the canned cherries and peach off)

I hope this place stays around, though I am a bit concerned about them being able to cover all the overhead and make a profit when they are charging the same prices as the lunch truck (essentially the entire menu ranges from $2-$8/item).

Hoping to try the tripe and hominy soups they serve only on the weekends.

Cheers

Percy

P.S: Sorry, for the blurry cell phone pics

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just a note that this place is still around and was pretty crowded when we went on saturday. their carnitas al pastor is EXCELLENT, as is their guacamole, which i think they chop up to order. the horchata isn't on the menu, but they have it if you ask. it was really really good saturday. they don't put fruit on their flan anymore, just a dollop of whipped cream. yummmmy. i think they're closed on wednesdays and close around 8pm on the days they're open. they also take credit cards now (they were cash-only last time we went).

[SaxChik]

the high street caffe in west chester had a wild game & wine dinner last night. while some of their game wasn't all that wild, the food and wine were quite tasty! i apologize for the bad quality cell phone pictures ...

course 1 - smoked buffalo sausage server on top of baby arugula tossed with crumbled chevre, carmelized shallots finished with a wild boar bacon vinaigrette

wine 1 - dr. konstantin frank semi-dry riesling (finger lakes, NY)

the sausage was "beefy" and spicy and the dressing had a nice sweetness to it. the riesling was a good riesling, but a little too sweet and heavy for this dish, IMHO.

course 2 - ostrich roulade stuffed with black mission figs, prosciutto and gorgonzola drizzled with cherry gastrique.

wine 2 - lapis luna zinfandel (CA)

this was perhaps my favorite dish of the meal. it had all sorts of tastes going on ... savory, sweet, salty, sour.

course 3 - elk medallion served with black trumpet truffle tasso jus

wine 3 - vina robles red 4 (paso robles, CA)

the dish was ok. IMHO, elk and it's like are better in stews or cooked slowly to tenderize them. the dish included a biscuit of some sort, as well as nice and spicy tasso bits. the wine, however, was FABULOUS! very rich with an interesting vanilla finish. i need to find out the vintage so i can get a few bottles.

course 4 - apple wood smoked wild boar chop served with brandy chipotle demi glace over sweet potato smash.

wine 4 - luigi bosca malbec (DOC mendoza)

the boar chop was tasty, but the demi glace was the star of this dish! i felt very savage chomping on wild boar bones.

course 5 - flourless chocolate torte topped with balsamic raspberry sauce

wine 5 - graham's 10yr port

i love flourless chocolate torte and this torte did not disappoint. the tartness of the raspberries and the tanginess of the balsamic vinegar were a good match for the sweetness of the chocolate. the port was a sweet ending to a good meal.

all in all, while half the game was not that wild, the food and wine were good and the atmosphere was festive and friendly. it was $65 p/p + tax & tip.

[percyn]

Finally got a chance to make it to La Crêperie Café Bis. Unfortunately, it was not the best experience.

It started out OK with a cup of coffee and hot chocolate. The first cup of "hot" chocolate they brought was luke warm, so we asked them to reheat it and they graciously provided another cup which was hotter, but not hot enough for my liking.

My wife ordered La Royale, which has chicken, onions and Herb de Provence. The chicken was a bit dry and the crepe was not bursting with flavor, nor was the texture crisp.

I order Crepe Al a Béchamel, which contained ham and the Béchamel sauce containing garlic and swiss cheese. The edge of my crepes were crisp, but the rest was not. However, the Béchamel was quite tasty and flavorful.

Service seemed a bit frenzy and though the place was only half full, the kitchen seemed slammed. It seemed to take over 30 minutes to send out crepes and most tables were visibly upset. The front of the house seems in dire need of some organization and structure. The waitresses and waiters seem to alternate tables instead of divide the staff responsibilities into sections, resulting in the staff running all over the dining room. Add to this the responsibilities of making Cappuccinos, busing tables, etc and it is a recipe for disaster.

Towards the end we decided to let the place redeem themselves by serving us one of the great list of classic french desserts on the menu, of which we selected Tart Tatin.

After 45 minutes of waiting, during which we took solace in the fact that we had convinced ourselves that at least the tart would be made fresh, we got this....

Yes, the picture is of poor quality, but the Tart Tatin honestly did not look a whole lot better in person. My hopes were shattered when the flaky crust I envisioned turned out to be a soggy, heavy mass of partially cooked dough and the apples seemed to be out of a canned apple pie mix. Needless to say, we had to send it back and wish we had a time machine to recoup the 45 min we waited in anticipation.

Maybe it was the busiest they have ever been, but I was really looking forward to trying this place, hoping that it would become a regular brunch hang-out, but alas I do not see that happening until some drastic changes are made.

Food = C

Service = C-

Value = C

Longing for Parisian Crepes

Percy

Edited December 10, 2007 by percyn (log)

[philadining]

Wow, I'm saddened to hear about your experience Percy!

I didn't have those problems you mentioned, but when I went, the place was almost empty. And it did seem as if there was a lot of frantic buzzing around by the staff despite the lack of customers, so I could imagine that a more-full room could throw them off.

And the crêpe I got was not quite as crispy as I like them, and not as texturally interesting as I remember them from their downtown Philly location, but it was still pretty good. Sounds like mine was better (and more promptly delivered) than yours, but one would hope that they could get a decent one out when there are more than 3 tables filled.

So my initial excitement is dampened a bit, but I'm going to give them another shot after they've been open a little while, they're still pretty new.

On a similar note (not the newness part, just the disappointment part) I recently hit the Black Lab Bistro, a stone's throw away from the crepe place. I'd had a pretty great meal there a couple of weeks ago when Katie Loeb and her posse stopped by, featuring a surprisingly good French Onion Soup and a nicely-made Frisée salad with pears, Maytag Bleu, Pecans and prosciutto. Entrees were interesting, especially the lamb crusted with chevre, and the flat iron steak with a cheesey sauce. Some of the sides were pretty blah, and the sauce on the duck was overly sweet, but overall it was a good meal.

But on this latest visit, our soups were cold (including the French Onion - how is that even possible?!?) entrées were delivered before we were done with the soup, and those main courses were only OK. The bison rib-eye in the mixed grill was tender and delicious, but the venison was dry and the quail was kind of mushy. Seared scallops weren't really seared, or very hot.

The food wasn't bad, just not quite up where it should be, given that the place is not inexpensive. I wish it were a little more consistent, as it can sometimes be quite good.

On both occasions, desserts were excellent. Pecan Tart with Bourbon Ice Cream, Chevre Panna Cotta, an assortment of cookies with a milkshake, a Chocolate Trio, a Pumpkin Chesecake with bruléed marshmallow...

Maybe I'll just pop in for dessert...

[percyn]

Had a chance to swing by Bistro Station in Kimberton today for lunch. It is a nice little place which had welcoming fireplace as you enter. The stone floor while charming, can be hard to clean and I spotted bits of food that the previous occupants of our table had probably left.

Started with some Minestrone soup which was good, with decent depth of flavor, but not mind-blowing.

Having heard much about their smoked meats on this thread, I decided to try the BBQ Pork sandwich. The pork was sliced thin and was still juicy with a good smoked flavor. The fries seemed to be made to order and had a great texture (even if they may have been frozen fries).

Many diners seemed to be enjoying their burgers and raving about them. The cappuccino we had also had a nicely developed foam on it.

We will be back to try it again.

Food: B+

Service: B+

Overall value: A

[Rich Pawlak]

Yeah, I noticed the same thing about nearby diners downing their burgers, lots of yums and umms and compliments. Was almost tempted to order one, but I wanted that BBQ pork sammie.

[percyn]

I think I will return to try their burgers and report back, though Philadining might beat me to it.

[percyn]

Went to Thai L'Elephant ( 277 Schuylkill Rd, Phoenixville PA 19460. Phone: 610-935-8613) for lunch the other day and really enjoyed it. Apparently Chef owner Michael Roethong was in the kitchen and served some of the best Thai food I have had outside of Thailand.

We started with some Tom Yum (Lemongrass Shrimp) soup

Aubergine Salad - Grilled Asian eggplant with minced chicken & shrimp tempura, in lime chili sauce. The topping was really refreshing and the peanuts gave it a nice texture.

The Chicken Satay was good, but not that memorable and comparable to renditions from other Thai restaurants in the area.

The Tulip Dumplings contained shrimp, chicken and crabmeat wrapped in a delicate wrapper. While I have had my share of Chinese dumplings with similar stuffing, these had a unique flavor.

The whole Bangkok Fish - Striped Bass in Thai sauce was the highlight of the meal with sweet and salty flavors with the crisp fried texture to contrast with the soft flesh of the bass.

The Basil Chicken was delicious, but was upstaged by the fish.

A few of the desserts are homemade and looked delicious, though we were too full to try it. Service was super friendly and they even brought us complimentary Thai iced teas.

Food - A

Service - A

Value - A

[Rich Pawlak]

Anyone been to the Black Lab Bistro in Phoenxville?

Comments, recommendations?

Edited December 30, 2007 by Rich Pawlak (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Rich:

Philadining and I and a couple of dining companions had a perfectly lovely meal at Black Lab Bistro a few short weeks back. But apparently it wasn't able to be recreated on the next visit. Consistency seems to be the bugaboo here. I would have driven the 45 minutes for a bowl of that perfect French Onion Soup in a heartbeat. But the next time it was ordered it was dead cold. How that is even possible if it sits under the broiler to melt the cheese is a mystery to me.

I will say that I applaud Black Lab Bistro for having such a diverse menu. I think if the restaurant were downtown they'd have a long wait list for tables. The service was stellar. But perhaps maintaining a flawless record is difficult with such a wide ranging menu. I'd happily settle for a smaller but consistently well executed menu any day. It's certainly worth a visit. I'd love to hear your opinion once you've had the pleasure.

Edited December 30, 2007 by KatieLoeb (log)

[percyn]

I used to go there frequently for lunch, but for some reason they decided to only serve dinner for a little while and I believe they are back serving lunch again (Tues-Sat).

They have good burgers, including a tuna burger and the soups are usually good. You can have a seat by the "kitchen bar" and watch the kitchen in action.

[percyn]

Went back to Thai L'Elephant yesterday for a wonderful lunch and opted to order from the dinner menu instead of the lunch specials.

Started with Thai Treasure - appetizer selection which included Chicken Satay, spring rolls, Tulip rolls, Thai dumplings. Even an otherwise pedestrian dish such as Chicken Satay was bursting with flavor. My favorite was the Thai dumplings, which seemed to be stuffed with chicken and shrimp and had a great texture.

Wife ordered Crab Kamakazi - This dish was good, but seemed to exemplify the Chef's French training rather than Thai heritage. It was a giant portobello cap stuffed with lump crabmeat, topped with lemon aioli and crispy noodles. The tomato based sauce provided a little acid to cut through the richness of the aioli.

I went for the Scallop and Mangosteen salad - The mangosteens appeard to be canned, but went quite well with the fresh lime and chili dressing.