Chester County Restaurants

[percyn]

Went to Avalon in West Chester on Thurs for Dine for Life.

The food, decor and service was great. Only complaint is the parking, which was so bad for far out that when I realized I left my camera in my car, I did not want to turn back and go get it (very rare).

This is a relatively upscale BYO place with great food. My wife ordered a salad with Crispy Feta Spring Roll and I ordered the jumbo lump crab salad, which was fabulous. I would have ordered another one, but had already placed my order for Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese Ragout, which is served over a crispy polenta. The mushrooms were crimini and shitake and the sauce was excellent (port reduction?).

For our entrees, we got Roast Free Range Chicken Breast (which happened to be served on the same mushroom sauce as our appetizer) and Chilean Sea Bass, which was cooked to perfection.

Dessert was banana bread pudding with chocolate and caramel sauce with their famous coffee.

Dinner lasted a little over 2 hrs and 33% of our check (and a bit more) went to charity....overall a good evening.

This was my first experience at Avalon and I certainly plan to return.

Cheers

Percy

[herbacidal]

There is a great Japanese restaurant on Rte. 3 in Newtown Square called Teikoku:

http://www.teikokurestaurant.com/

It's run by the same people who run the Mikado and Thai Pepper restaurants. The building itself is cool enough to warrant a drink at the bar. Their sushi is fantastic, even better than my previous favorite, Kisso (4th and Race in Philly). It can get a little pricey if you go all-out, but it's perfect for sushi and a beer (or sake, they have a big sake list) before a movie at the nearby theater.

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I think Teikoku got a lot of press when it opened but then all the rave reviews for Nectar switched all the attention over there.

There seems to only room for one big Pan-Asian upscale restaurant in the northern Chester / western Montgomery county suburbs, or at least room for only one at the top of the heap.

That said, from what I remember of Teikoku's reviews from random people and press, I think most people thought it slightly overrated, and therefore once Nectar came onto the scene they lost the spotlight.

Personally, I will never forgive them for opening on where Bobby's Seafood was.

Ooh, I miss that honey-butter.

[handmc]

Cafe Mosaic in North Coventry. $$

422 to 100S on left about 2-3 miles south of the intersection.

I went there for lunch today with my wife. We split a bowl of tomato soup (I ordered it she decided she wanted in when it got to the table, a good sign) with puff pastry, which was hot and delicious. A slight drizzle of basil oil for a hint of flavor but it did not interfere with the tomato taste one bit. It was a nice deep red. I'll definitely order that again.

My wife had a salad on mixed greens with poached shrimp (5) and in the center a nice portabello stuffed with dungeons crab. Also very good.

I went with Kobe beef burgers (2 four oz burgers) one topped with shitakes and onions, the other cheese and bacon. Served Medium. Just like I ordered it! I was craving a burger fix and it fit the bill. It came with some fries that were good but I wish were a little crisper.

We both had dessert a piece of cheesecake in a chimi with banana sprinkled with cinnamon sugar with bananas foster sauce. The plate was nicely decorated and very tasty.

Service, alas, the waiter a disappointment. But the dishes were brought out by the sous chef (odd but we ate late and it was not overly busy) who was a very nice guy and made sure we were happy. He was great to talk to and you could tell he loved what he was doing.

My wife and I had stopped in when it first opened and it was okay but not great. It was clear they were pulling things together. They are up to speed now.

Tab with tip was $50.00.

They are BYOB with wine service. There is a wine and spirit store in the shopping center that is handy.

Price to value: Went in hungry and really hoped for something good. We were both tired of ho hum food when we went out and were pleasantly surprised. I will go back to try their dinner menu.

[percyn]

Went to La Cena this morning/afternoon.

[percyn]

Went to Gilmore's Restaurant for dinner yesterday.

[percyn]

My visit to Margaret Kuo's in Wayne, earlier in the week is posted here.

[philadining]

Got fooled by a positive article in the Inky suburban section a while back... shoulda known better, it wasn't a real review, but indicated some good basic pub food could be had at Kildare's in King of Prussia. It sounded like the right kind of spot for a quick bite before a movie.

Bleah.

Potato Leek soup was actually really good, with a fancy garlic/herb oil spiral adding nice extra flavor. But draft beers were flat, Clam chowder was criminally salty, Fish and Chips were dull, Guinness Beef Stew was pasty and lukewarm. This was simple stuff, even a mid-level diner ought to be able to crank this out.

I wouldn't have been so upset, except there was really good Indian food a couple hundred yards away....

This is a local chain, there's one in West Chester, one in Manayunk, K of P, maybe more.... The decor is nice enough, in that ersatz pub way, there were a few good English and Irish brews on tap, but I won't be sampling any more of them. There was a creepy big-franchise feel to the menu, even down to the glossy menus and even glossier insert sponsored by Jameson's, featuring dishes like, surprise! Jameson's Chicken and Whiskey Wings and blah blah blah...

I really hate wasting a dining opportunity on food like this.

edited for typos and some tempering of ellipsis overuse, although probably not enough....

Edited May 24, 2005 by philadining (log)

[percyn]

So, what is the name of that really good Indian place?

[philadining]

So, what is the name of that really good Indian place?

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Desi Village. It's mostly North-Indian and Pakistani. I've found it to be pretty consistently good, usually excellent. It's a little fancy/pricey but I can live with that from time to time!

[percyn]

Some of us went to Allegria in Exton.

[philadining]

Had a nice meal at The Green Papaya in Exton tonight. The menu is generally standard Vietnamese fare, with a few twists. It's a bit more elegant than most Vietnamese places I go to, and consequently more expensive, but I still thought prices were fair for the quality of food and the pleasant setting.

Their standard fried spring rolls were really good, a dark, bubbly, crisp texture to the surface, and mostly ground pork as a filling. Some veggie summer rolls were good too, the soft ricepaper wrapping vegetables and tofu. They weren't as herby as some I've had, but the soy "vinaigrette" was a flavorful-enough dipping sauce that we didn't miss it.

A grilled lemongrass pork banh hoi was served as large plate with thin-slices of tasty grilled pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce leaves, julienne of carrot and cucumber and spring of mint. Again, a few more herbs would have been nice. A sweet dipping sauce with a little bit of hot pepper in it was served on the side, as was a strange-looking array of nested plastic baskets that held several sheets of ricepaper, soft and separate. Weird as it looked, it actually worked, and I think this is the first time I've made it through a dish like this without accidentally tearing half of the ricepaper to shreds or it hardening up on me. This was very tasty, and fun if you're amused by trying to roll-your-own, laying out a piece of ricepaper, loading it up with whatever you want in it and trying to keep it sealed while you eat it. The portion of the meat was a little small for $13, just about right for 5 rolls. But I didn't leave hungry.

WCDP1 had a special of chicken and shrimp pad thai with a curry sauce, and despite this not really being Vietnamese, they did a nice job with it, a rich Thai-style curry mingling with the expected rice noodles, bean sprouts, etc. WCDP2 had a special of soft-shell crabs, deep-fried and served with their sweet dipping sauce. He liked them, but pronounced the version a stone's-throw away at Tifco's China Bistro to be superior.

Creme Caramel looked fantastic, but I wandered away from the table for a milisecond and it was gone. Must have been good! Vietnamese Iced coffees were sweet and rich as expected, although they could have been a touch icier...

There's lots more on the menu that looks good, including "caramelized" meats and some fresh whole fish, so I'm looking forward to exploring some more. They have a bunch of teak chairs and tables outside, but I think they're selling them, rather than offering outdoor dining. Not that route 30 provides such a lovely view, but it could be nice on the right evening.

Edited June 5, 2005 by philadining (log)

[percyn]

The Green Papaya also serves Pho from Friday - Sunday 12pm-4pm (at least they did in fall/winter).

[percyn]

Went to Duling Kurtz this week and ordered (sorry for the dim lighting):

Soft Shell Crab - in a tempura batter. Quite delicious and large for an appetizer.

Bass and lobster w/caviar in burre blanc

Porkchops with Shrimp

Dessert was their famous molten lava chocolate cake.

A few days later we also went to Gilmores Restaurant (pics did not turn out OK due to the lack of bright lighting).

I had the shrimp corndogs as an appetizer. It was accompanied with 3 sauces - basil, tomato and mustard. The lobster bisque and goat cheese fritter salads are excellent.

Entrées consisted of Truffled Chicken Breast, Butter Poached Lobster and New Zealand Filet Mignon.

My dessert was a Caramel Crème Brûlée.

Wines included a German style Riesling from MI and a BV Reserve Pinot Noir.

Cheers

Percy

[percyn]

Last night some eGers got together for a trip to Birchrunville Store Cafe. Pics and review are here.

[philadining]

I just heard about this interesting site with news and reviews of Main Line restaurants:

http://www.mainlinedine.com/

[jelly]

I just heard about this interesting site with news and reviews of Main Line restaurants:

http://www.mainlinedine.com/

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I like that site but it seems it's only updated once every few months.

[percyn]

Pictures from my visit to Happy Day's Family Bistro in Thorndale / Ingleside can be found here.

[percyn]

I am sad to report that Crepe Mrytle (my favorite local ribs place), Mom's Pizza and pretty much everything in the Milltown Market with the exception of the healthfood store (forget its name), Thai de Cafe and Blue Moon Cafe have closed down.

Thai de cafe is great and inexpensive...they have great take out too.

Support the local restaurants...

Thanks

Percy

[percyn]

Looks like they are getting ready to build an Ironhill Brewery in Pheonixville.

[philadining]

Looks like they are getting ready to build an Ironhill Brewery in Pheonixville.

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It's the happenin' place to be these days.....

However, still no Gelato in P-Ville, so I checked out Sprazzo in West Chester, right at the corner of High and Gay (insert your own joke here.) They have about 10 flavors of gelato or sorbetto. Pretty conventional, although the pistachio was a startling color of florescent green... There are probably 20 more flavors of ice cream.

I had a small cup of basic chocolate gelato, despite what you poor, misguided malcontents have to say about that flavor in the summer. It was a generous serving, and had a nice texture, and decent flavor, it was very good. I've been typing "it's no Capogiro" kind of a lot lately, and I don't really mean that as an insult. But it's apropos here, there's nothing at all wrong with Sprazzo, I'll go back, but it's not nearly as intense or exciting as what we've gotten used to at 13th and Sansom.

But hey, if you're in West Chester, and it's hot, you know, if you can't be with the one you love....

[SaxChik]

bummer on the milltown market. such a neat idea that never got enough publicity and never really took off. the thai place was good.

you know, my favorite chesco restaurant has yet to be mentioned ... the high street caffe, 322 s. high street in west chester (a few stores down from avalon). they make, imho, the best cajun food in the area. the restaurant is purple and black right out of an anne rice novel. the have a nice coffee bar, live music on the weekends and they're BYOB.

i'll have to go there soon and take pics. some of my favorite dishes are the crab bisque, the blackened crabcakes over portabellas, alligator sausage with goat cheese, the jambalaya fettucine, the crawfish etouffe and their interesting meat specials. leave room for dessert, their bread pudding and bananas foster are HUGE and very tasty. the only thing i wish they did was flambe the foster at the table. everything tastes better after it's been on fire. :)

the place is pretty small and gets packed, so make reservations. i usually bring wine and beer, then leave the leftover beer for the staff. they're highly appreciative.

lauren

[SaxChik]

whilst wandering around the wiles of west chester last night, the conversation focused on a number of restaurants that we all need to eat at ...

1. as mentioned in my last post, High Street Caffe in west chester. great cajun BYOB.

2. although not in chester county, the persian grill in lafayette hill was on the list to follow along with the kebab-a-rama thread. seems their website is no longer functioning.

3. finally, a group outing to Tifco's China Bistro in exton for some sizzlin szecuan.

some other places that might be interesting ...

Shiraz in devon (more persian food)

Su-Tao Cafe in malvern ... vegetarian chinese good enough to please the most avid meat lover.

Olive Tree Mediterranean Grill in downingtown - really good greek!

Teca in west chester - the really cute tiny italian & panini bar we passed last night.

last, but not least ...

Chester Spings Creamery in chester springs (near exton). eat ice cream and pet cows ...doesn't get much better! it's moooooooolicious!

i figure if i write it down, we might actually end up going sometime!

lauren

[percyn]

Lauren,

I say we hit all of these places in 1 day

Meanwhile, a review of last night's Moore Brothers wine dinner at Gilmore's can be found here.

[SaxChik]

Lauren,

I say we hit all of these places in 1 day

i dunno about one day, but i bet we could put a hurtin on those places in a weekend. we'd have to resort to the old "roman food orgy purge".

[philadining]

Percyn and I checked out the Twin Bays Cafe in Phoenixville. I'd been curious about this BYOB restaurant on the edge of town for several years, but for some reason had never gone.

The building had long housed the Herb Garden Cafe, but when that restaurant moved 4 or 5 years ago and reimagined itself as the Black Lab Bistro down in the center of town, the original space was transformed significantly into the Twin Bays Cafe. The bulk of the restaurant is now on the second floor, in what had formerly been apartments. The new dining rooms are attractive, and comfortable, if a little loud. I had always liked the main dining room on the first floor of the Herb Garden Cafe, with its long wall of windows, but that room seems to now be a work area for the florist that has taken over most of the ground floor. There is a small dining area remaining on the first floor if a customer is not good with stairs, although there still seem to be some steps involved even on that level.

Service was very friendly and enthusiastic, everyone was so darn nice and sincere that we really wished we had liked the food a bit more than we did...

The restaurant serves perfectly pleasant food, made from good ingredients, but sadly it's missing that extra dimension that would allow it to achieve the heights to which the menu prose aspires. It's not inexpensive (many entrees in the mid to upper 20s), and the descriptions make it clear that the dishes are meant to be serious preparations, not simple cafe fare, despite the restaurant's name.

The menu online is out-of-date, there are many changes, and prices are a little higher, but you get the idea.

The food wasn't bad, just a little plain, I could see it being a perfect place to bring someone when the setting is as important as what's on the plate, or if your guests are not particularly adventurous eaters, but would appreciate a nice, casual-but-fancy dinner.

I'm usually reluctant to paint with such a broad brush after a single meal, but almost everything we had had the same telling characteristics: the food was generally underseasoned, or all spicing was focused on one flavor; items were cooked in a way that was superficially "correct" but which failed to optimize the inherent qualities of the ingredients; the pacing was a little off, our entrees arrived milliseconds after the appetizers had been cleared, showing some signs of having been held.

Percy and I tag-teamed the photos, each shooting the dishes we ordered, so I'll let him add his pix and descriptions.

I started with the "Red Onion Soup" with cider and cheddar cheese.

I'm really hard-to-please when it comes to onion soup, yet I always have hope... and this wasn't bad at all, and mercifully did not suffer from the frequent crime of blankets of inappropriate cheese. This featured a decent, but inelegant broth, a little too thin, sharp and salty. There was a nice onion component, but I think it might have been crippled by its central conceit: the red onions were fine, but some flavor depth from additional, or different, types of onions would have been welcome. There was a decent crouton, which could have been toastier, covered with good cheddar cheese. Cheddar is not the typical topping for this dish, but it worked well with the apple notes from the cider (and a few slices of apple in the soup). It's a shame really, this is really close to being an excellent soup, but the broth needs some refining... And I don't mean to be snarky, but what's up with the plating?? That random spray of onion and parsley, is that supposed to be enhancing the presentation in some way?

A special venison soup had a pleasant gamey note, but sadly tasted alarmingly like Campbell's Beef and Barley to me.

I usually steer clear of Chicken dishes in restaurants with more interesting options, but the Chicken Gorgonzola sounded good, and was lauded in a newspaper review posted in the lobby.

This was a free-range chicken breast, breaded and fried, served with roasted red peppers, a creamy gorgonzola sauce, spinach and an orzo-like pasta. OK, this is not exactly dramatically innovative, but the prospect of the strong flavors of bleu cheese and roasted peppers appealed to me. The chicken had a nice crispy coating, but was dry, and the gorgonzola sauce was timid. The spinach was thankfully just lightly wilted, but seemed completely unseasoned. The pasta was the correct degree of doneness, but tasted like nothing at all. Again, this was almost good, it was a nice idea, but too restrained, and the main element was carelessly overcooked.

The osso buco had a decent flavor, but did not have that melting texture that results from the slow, low braise a shank requires. This one was a bit rubbery, usually a sign of a hurried prep. The accompanying starch (I'm can't even remember what it was, polenta?) was gummy.

I should reiterate that nothing was especially bad, the ingredients were decent, the combinations were fairly creative, and the cooking competent, but all three aspects seemed to fall short of what was required to make these dishes really sing.

BUT!! there's good news! We were presented with a dessert menu which seemed to be bigger than the dinner menu, featuring a wide array of cakes, and other confections, as well as several homemade ice creams. The server raved about the apple-cinnamon ice cream, so although we each were pretty full from the good-sized servings, we decided to each get a single scoop of that, and an espresso. (It's a nice touch to offer the small serving of ice cream.)

I'm pleased to report that the ice cream was outstanding! It was luxuriously creamy, with well-balanced flavors of apple and cinnamon. The espresso was good too.

So, overall, the meal was OK. It's a very nice place, with a sincere and friendly staff, with OK food that falls short of its aspirations. Bill for two, each having soup and entree, a small dessert and a double espresso was just under $90 before tip.

I wouldn't turn down an invitation to an aunt's birthday party there, but I'm not hurrying back on my own.

But, I MIGHT go back for dessert....

Edited October 7, 2005 by philadining (log)