Chester County Restaurants

[percyn]

I agree with Philadining, the food at Twin Bays Cafe was good, but not excellent (keep in mind our preception may have been skewed after monthly trips to StudioKitchen).

Beef consume, Porcini and Venison soup - Great aroma, hearty beef flavor and a tad bit over salty. The venison and porcini were heard to find.

Osso Buco with garlic mashed potatoes - As philadining had mentioned, the flavor was there, but the meat was a touch rubbery. Enjoying the marrow was the best part though...as always.

The excellent apple cider caramel homemade ice-cream, which apparently was added to the menu that day. Simply divine.

[Furious Flav-or]

Had a nice meal at The Green Papaya in Exton tonight.

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.

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Not that I mean to seem to be jumping up and down on your reviews, but I've made Ga Kho Gung (Chicken in a reduced caramel sauce, it's a favorite at Tet) many times, and the version at Green Papaya, which I had three weeks ago, is a weak imitation. What should have come out as a nicely darkened, almost earthy chicken dish prepared with heavy soy sauce and nuoc mam came out, instead, like a collection of chicken bits in watered down RC Cola. Granted, the Cha Gio were fine, but they're not a stretch.

Ga Kho Gung really requires one to observe certain standards of preparation, like a long marinade, and clay-pot preparation, and as such it's probably a tough plate as a regular menu item. While talking to the waiter, I learned that they are owned by the same people that own Le Saigon. Had I known that, I would have probably taken the rolls to go and skipped the entrees.

Considering my experience with the other place in Frazer, whose name I'm apparently blocking (it's around the corner from Cheeburger Cheeburger and right next to a Japanese place), I'm starting to think that Vietnamese is not a suburban experience.

[philadining]

Not that I mean to seem to be jumping up and down on your reviews...

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It's cool, go ahead, I hadn't actually had any of the "caramelized" dishes, they just sounded appealing, and I thought I saw one go by that looked good. And I enjoyed the food we did order, although I haven't tried enough of the menu to make a grand pronouncement about the place! I'm glad to have your perspective on it. I've eaten a lot of Vietnamese downtown and in Upper Darby, but not so much in the burbs.

(But we'll have to agree to disagree about Plaza Garibaldi!)

[percyn]

I've had the caramelized chicken at Green Papaya in Exton and my recommendation would be to skip it unless you are looking for boiled pieces of chicken in a broth. Their Beef Pho however rocks (only served on Winter weekends. I need to see when they will start serving it again) !!

On Sunday my wife and I visited Duling Kurtz, which is one of our local favorites.

She ordered pan seared chicken breast

I had lobster and risotto in a burre blanc type sauce with capers

[percyn]

Went to the new Bonefish Grill in Exton with some friends. This is a restaurant chain (I believe owned by the same group that runs Outback Steak house, but don't worry, this one has a hip, more upscale theme) which I have seen in FL, but never tried. The service was excellent and food pretty good and not too bad for a chain.

I would recommend the Tuna Sashimi, Calamari with Thai chili sauce and Bang Bang shrimp as an appetizer. My entree was the pistachio parmasean encrusted trout, which I would also recommend.

[philadining]

Grabbed some takeout from Thai Place in Phoenixville (yep, that's the name: Thai Place.)

Chu Chee Curry with Beef.

Chicken with Basil

It's not necessarily the most thrilling Thai food I've every had, but it's surprisingly good for a little spot in the Giant Supermarket Plaza where rt. 113 meets rt. 23. Everything's a little formulaic: meat A,B,C or D, the same random mix of vegetables in everything, just a different sauce. That said, the sauces are good, with vibrant flavors, even if they are on the thin side.

It's not perfectly consistent from night to night, but I like it as much as most Thai restaurants in Philly these days...

Edited December 12, 2005 by philadining (log)

[handmc]

Stay away from the thai place a little further up the road across from Redners. I di ordered Shrimp pad thai, but received a shrimp pad thai (with Free Bettles!)

Shudder, I haven't been back.

The Thai Place is ho hum. Ask for it hot, get medium. Ask for it screaming hot, get medium. I don't ask anymore. I make the drive down to Frazer or over to Devon, anything else is too dissapointing.

Edited December 12, 2005 by handmc (log)

[percyn]

Was out shopping and went to Dessert Moon in Exton for lunch.

Had a Southwest Cob Burrito

[handmc]

I went to the Royal India, 55 Lancaster Ave, Malvern PA for lunch.

The place was empty, for reasons that escape me. I had the vegetable Samosa ($3.25) Crisp overstuffed triangles of potato and peas with traditional indian spices. Nice mix, toasty hot, serve with three chutneys all which were very tasty.

I had the Dale Shrobe ($3,25) which is billed as a "delicately flavored" lentil soup served with lemon wedge. Choice of vegitarian or non veg option. I wouldn't know I was never offered a choice. Nor was a lemon to be seen. If the meaning of delicately flavored means herd of flamming elaphants trappling your mouth so that all you taste is pepper, it was delicatley flavored. The lentils which you could taste were nice actually, not starch, but the spice overwhelmed the dish. This dish failed.

Now I am no shrinking violet when it comes to spicy food. I ordered Murgh Vindaloo ($11.95) "a goan special for hot and spicy food." Oh, boy was it! Tender hunks of chicken in a spicy sauce that was not all heat, really good flavor! It was what I was looking for. I asked for "London Hot!" The waiter smiled broadly when I ordered it and came back and said, "well?" I smiled mopped my brow and told him I was very happy. This stuff was great. I took some home and I am ashamed to say when I tried to eat it for lunch today that it threw me to the floor and kicked the snot out of me. I finally relented and threw it out. A day to grow in intensity I could not eat it no matter how much water I had on hand.

Service was very good. I was the only guy in the place. My waiter was nice, polite and attentive.

In sum Good appy, Lousy Soup, Great entree.

I would go back.

Edited December 21, 2005 by handmc (log)

[SaxChik]

I went to the Royal India, 55 Lancaster Ave, Malvern PA for lunch.

i like the indian grocery store next door. i go there often for breads (paratha, roti, naan) and a plethora of boxed foods (the paneer makhani is my fav). they also have sweets and other foods from the restaurant available in the store at times.

the restaurant started doing only indian, then only indo-chinese, now they're a mix. they have lunch buffets, too. the last time i ate there, they were only indo-chinese. the food was pretty good (and VERY plentiful!). they also have a flat screen tv in playing the best of bollywood.

all in all, not a bad place. i hope they survive (especially the market).

[percyn]

That place serves some hot food !! A few months ago, I ordered some Chili Chicken (an Indo-Chinese dish which consists of shredded chicken, green peppers and green chilies in a soy based sauce). Their version was hotter than the ones I remember getting in India. Haven't tried any of their other dishes, but will plan to soon.

[handmc]

Bamboo Restaurant

245 Lancaster Ave Frazer, PA 19355

Main Phone: 610-296-7711

I needed to get a duplicate license so I decided to treat myself after a visit to the DMV.

I have been to the Bamboo Restaurant before and order Beef Pho, which was wonderful with tripe, shin, tendon and meatball in a spicy broth.

Today I had Banh Beo rice cakes, the only way to describe it is gelatenous congee covered with fried shallots garlic and I topped it with a spicy sauce. WOW this was great.

I also had quan noodles safforn noodles, with slices of pork, shrimp and beef. The noodles were serve atop lettuce and mung brean sprouts. The dish was sauced but it was light and flavorful, not spicy.

To drink I had Ice tea and vietnamese coffee. Tax and tip $24.00.

Worth every penny in my opinion.

[SaxChik]

i went the twin bays cafe in phoenixville for dinner with an old college friend and her husband on saturday. although i didn't take pictures, here's my take on the restaurant ...

first off, the chef, named rob, was the one to come out and let us know what the specials were for the evening. i liked that.

i started with a cream of mushroom crab bisque soup, which was ok, but pretty much good cream of mushroom soup with lumps of crabmeat in it. i think i would have been happier with just the mushrooms. it tasted fine, although the crab seemed to be out of place.

my entree was pan seared duck breast and duck leg confit in a raspberry vinegarette demi-glaze with sweet potato mousse and steamed string beans and carrots as the vegetable d'jour. i thought the dish was very nice. as mentioned before, not excessively creative, but very tasty (especially the sweet potato mousse). my co-eaters had the crab cakes, the rack o' lamb special and cajun style scallops. everyone was quite happy, although we had just been to the high street caffe in west chester that week for cajun food, so their cajun wasn't quite as cajuny as he liked.

desserts were great (as was their coffee). my guy and i split the creme brulee and my friends had apple cake and, i think, chocolate rasperry ice cream.

all in all, i thought it was a very pleasant evening. the timing of the food was right on, we didn't feel at all rushed. the food was good and nicely plated. the place is very pretty and the company was good.

next time, i'll bring a camera!

[percyn]

Awesome !! Is the one in Wayne located in the Gateway shopping center?

BTW, there is a Thai/Sushi place in the Gateway shopping center (202 & 252) and they recently started serving Thai buffet. I visited last week and the food was pretty decent for the price (under $10). My favorite dishes were the Tamrind glazed salmon and the Basil chicken.

Speaking of Sushi, what would you consider the best sushi place in Chester County (or vicinity, but not Philly) to be? I have tried to the following places and would categorize them as:

Highly Recommended

Margaret Kuos (in Wayne)

Mandarin (also a Margaret Kuos restaurant and my current sushi hang-out)

Nectar

Recommended

Shangrila

Mino

Neutral

Aoki (in Exton)

Avoid

Hibachi (grill)

Yamashiro

Heard mixed reviews of Teikoku (but never been) and I am sure I am missing a few other places I have tried.

I would be curious to get other people's sushi restaurant recommendations.

[handmc]

Have you tried the Liki in Pheonixville?

There is a Sushi side and a Habachi side. I had some toro and a bowl of udon both which were quite good. But I don't think that kind of lunch is much to base a recommendation on. Servie was good as well.

I tried the habachi side with the family - it was LAME and the food was not good. The service was also poor.

I don't know if it was an off night or what. Perhaps they should just stick to Sushi. I can't believe the two experiences. It was like going to two different restaurants.

[philadining]

I met a friend at Senora's in West Chester tonight. This place was a favorite of mine when it first opened, it was fairly traditional Mexican, casual and cheap, which was pretty rare around here a few years back...

The folks out front are mostly are college students, but the kitchen is still staffed mostly by Mexican cooks, so there's a certain level of authenticity, even if the menu's a bit buffed and dumbed-down for American tastes. Even so, there's some good stuff on the menu if you order carefully.

I almost always get what they call Duelling Tacos (one each of their Tampico and El Mundo Tacos.)

The El Mundo is herby, juicy, deeply-flavored, stewed, shredded chicken, served with a dollop of decent guac. The Tampico is similarly tasty stewed, shredded beef. Both are dressed with shredded lettuce and boring cheese, but still, very tasty tacos.

I often forget how they make them here and order an Al Pastor taco too.

Which is just grilled steak (or chicken) with pineapple salsa, not what you usually get as an Al Pastor at most Taquerias. If you happen to get some freshly-grilled meat, it's terriffic, if not, it's still OK, the pineapple salsa is good. Sadly, it was just OK this time, the meat was a bit dry and tough...

The Tacos are about $3 each, which is a bit high compared to some places, but still, not much money, and they're pretty well-stuffed.

On the more elaborate end of things, they make a pretty good Mole Poblano

It's a good-sized bone-in chicken breast, with a very nice dark mole, maybe not my number one in the area, but not bad at all. It's a big portion with rice and beans for $12.

Senora's exists in an odd middle-ground: not as funky and authentic and inexpensive as the real down-home places, but not as fancified as Coyote Crossing a few blocks away, and not as Americanized as the chains. It's not so great as to inspire a long detour, but if I lived nearby I'd be there all the time. When I'm in the area, even with several good options in West Chester I find myself drawn there often. Especially for those duelling tacos...

[percyn]

I have good news and sad news...

The sad news: La Cena (the Columbian place in Downingtown) is closing and in fact today (Sat Jan 28th) they are selling off merchandise and equipment until 2pm. I was wondering what was going on as I had swung past a few times on a weekday for breakfast (which were awesome) and they were closed.

The good news: I confirmed that Taste of India (the same pople who own the Indian restaurant in the Gateway shopping center in Wayne) are opening a place in Exton which will open its doors in about a month.....can't wait to try it. Hope they put those little chicken lolipops on their menu !!

[SaxChik]

I have good news and sad news...

The sad news: La Cena (the Columbian place in Downingtown) is closing and in fact today (Sat Jan 28th) they are selling off merchandise and equipment until 2pm. I was wondering what was going on as I had swung past a few times on a weekday for breakfast (which were awesome) and they were closed.

The good news: I confirmed that Taste of India (the same pople who own the Indian restaurant in the Gateway shopping center in Wayne) are opening a place in Exton which will open its doors in about a month.....can't wait to try it. Hope they put those little chicken lolipops on their menu !!

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i'm so sad about la cena. they made a kick-ass pork sandwich.

i'll be happy to have an indian place with MEAT! yay meat!

[handmc]

La cena closing makes me very sad. That pork sandwhich was so good.

Edited January 29, 2006 by handmc (log)

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

Sampan Inn in Havertown has good fresh sushi, as well as chinese food. I always get the sushi, it's as good as Genji, IMHO. They even have Japanese beers. Darby Rd & Brookline Blvd.

[percyn]

After enjoying a Kobe short ribs dish at Margaret Kuos Mandarin in Frazer during a recent Chinese New Year banquet, I inquired if I could special order the dish.

They pointed me to a similar dish on the menu

Red-Cooked Leg of Lamb - Amazingly tender lamb, which has been stewed for hours in a slightly spicy broth with some vegetables. Very good on a cold wintery day.

[philadining]

feeling seriously under the weather...fogged-in....sore...congested...ornery... need soup.

Must have soup.

Maybe Beef Stew Rice Noodle Soup from Bamboo Noodle House in Fraser. (Sure they say the address is Malvern but you can't fool me, that's Fraser...)

Starting to feel almost human. Almost.

I have no idea if the restaurant as a whole is any good, but this is a fine soup.

Edited March 14, 2006 by philadining (log)

[shacke]

Speaking of Sushi, what would you consider the best sushi place in Chester County (or vicinity, but not Philly) to be?

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Percy, I assume you saw me post on this on another thread but I was shocked how good Hana sushi is in Wayne. BYO too.

[handmc]

feeling seriously under the weather...fogged-in....sore...congested...ornery... need soup.

Must have soup.

Maybe Beef Stew Rice Noodle Soup from Bamboo Noodle House in Fraser. (Sure they say the address is Malvern but you can't fool me, that's Fraser...)

Starting to feel almost human. Almost. 

I have no idea if the restaurant as a whole is any good, but this is a fine soup.

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I have had many a bowl there good pho, I like the dumplings, and they hand some kind of app that was steamed rice with crunchy shallots, fish sauce and thinly sliced hot pepper that was really good.

[percyn]

Speaking of Sushi, what would you consider the best sushi place in Chester County (or vicinity, but not Philly) to be?

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Percy, I assume you saw me post on this on another thread but I was shocked how good Hana sushi is in Wayne. BYO too.

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Thanks Evan...I am planning to visit it soon.