Fjordstone's Profile
Simon Pearce
I'm hoping another restaurant snaps up that space, Cindy. Such a lovely view, and a lovely drive out there. I'm really sorry it's closed, even though the food is (as others have noted) spotty. (Incidentally, I'd posted here in error, so sorry about that -- it really should have gone on the PA board.)
Simon Pearce on the Brandywine CLOSED
I'm very sad to report that Simon Pearce on the Brandywine is closed, as of today (Jan. 12, 2011). You can read about it on their Facebook page and elsewhere:
http://www.facebook.com/Simon.Pearce.Brandywine
Newfoundland trip -- looking for recommendations
Correction to my price for the lunch at Lighthouse Picnics; we think it was more like $50. Sorry I over-estimated that! This was the only place we spent money in Newfoundland that didn't give us a receipt (and we didn't charge it so we can't check with the credit card company), so we've had to reconstruct how much cash we had with us that day, and what it likely cost based on other travelers' reviews from about a year ago. It still seemed a bit overpriced, but a lovely experience nonetheless.
Newfoundland trip -- looking for recommendations
Okay, I am back from the Rock and have a few places on which to report! We ate breakfasts on the Club Floor of the Sheraton (hey, it was free, so that saved us some money during the week!), and missed lunch a few times, but here's where we ate:
Ches's (St. John's)
By The Beach (St. Philip's)
Lighthouse Picnics (Ferryland)
Taste of Thai (St. John's)
Classic Cafe East (St. John's)
Celtic Hearth/Talamh an Eisc (St. John's)
Sheraton Hotel's bistro: Bivvers
We eat at very nice restaurants quite often here at home (Philadelphia), and so we weren't champing at the bit to try places like Bacalao or Blue on Water or any of the other fairly upscale places. Partly because we only brought tromping-around-the-shore-and-hiking clothes, and partly because we really wanted to try the places where locals eat, and to eat real, regular, local food. Also because our goal was to relax on this vacation, and sometimes it's, well, _effortful_ eating someplace where the waitstaff feels (and acts) like they are much more hip than you are. So, we eschewed the upscale and went for the moderate.
Let me first weigh in on the Ches's / By The Beach divide: there is NO comparison. By The Beach has the superior fish and chips. I could barely sleep after eating at Ches's, the grease was laying so heavily in my stomach. The fish at By The Beach is so much less greasy, and its breading, while plenty thick and crunchy, is so light-tasting as to be nearly insubstantial. How do they do it? No idea, but it's definitely the better dinner. The trick is finding the place. So many people report it as being on Portugal Cove Road (Newfoundland 40). It is not; it is on Thorburn Road (Newfoundland 50). Take it all the way to the end. When you see the water, the restaurant is directly on your right.
Lighthouse Picnics was a delightful experience, and while we enjoyed it immensely and wouldn't have missed it for the world, I do think the fare is a bit overpriced. We paid somewhere between $60 and $70 (they didn't give us a receipt, and neither my husband nor I can remember the exact figure) for two identical meals of a sandwich (goat cheese, sundried tomato and red peppers), a jar of lemonade, a serving of an orzo salad, and a dessert (chocolate cake for me, lemon scone for my husband). It should be noted that you really do need to be in fit shape for walking to get there. After parking, there's a fair rise all the way up to the lighthouse, which is at least the 25-minute walk they promise on their website.
Taste of Thai was great, and suffers from what many restaurants in town similarly suffer: the outside looks quite downscale! We were pleasantly surprised after we opened the door to find a beautiful, modern, minimalistic dining area (half standard western tables, half were low tables on the floor where you can dine in traditional Thai style) with soft lighting and exposed brick. The menu was very nice, much more than the typical dishes you find at so many Thai places in North America, and as a bonus, they have fabulous desserts (not Thai; they're what you'd call European or western-style desserts -- we had an amazingly beautifully plated and delicious chocolate cheesecake!). We each had a chicken curry: my husband had the Massaman, and I had the Panang. The food was really terrific there, and I'd go back in a second if I lived closer!
Classic Cafe East was the surprise dining experience of the vacation, and we ate there twice. They bill themselves as serving traditional Newfoundland cuisine, and since that's what we wanted to eat while there, we gave it a try. Again, this is a place that looks much more downscale on the outside. The inside is better, although the tables are a little tired looking. The food, however, was the great, local, 'regular' food we were after! During our two meals we had the fish and chips, salt cod fishcakes, a Greek-style baked cod dish, and the traditional hot-open turkey with dressing dinner. Oh, and the figgy duff, which was _incredible_! I'm going to try making it myself here at home; it's the thing I miss the most from the local foods we tried while there. So, to sum up, not a fancy place, but the food was reliably delicious, and the staff very friendly. As a bonus, it's right across the street from the Sheraton, which was great when it was freezing cold and raining.
A lunch at Celtic Hearth/Talamh en Eisc was fine, but nothing to write home about. Fish and chips and the turkey with dressing, plus their house specialty, turkey soup. The soup was very nice; the rest was nothing special (and in fact they were a bit chintzy with the amount of turkey in the turkey with dressing platter).
Finally, on our last evening, we had a yen for dessert and didn't want to go anywhere, so we ordered up from Bivvers, the bar/bistro in the Sheraton. I have to say that this dessert was EXCELLENT. It was figgy duff and brown bread ice cream in a brandied bowl (kind of like the bowls you make out of woven caramel threads), with unsweetened whipped cream as a garnish. Oh my gosh, it was so good I was REALLY sorry that we hadn't tried it on the first night (and then we could have had it several more times)!
The main thing to note about eating in Newfoundland is how delicious and fresh the cod is, most places. I ate fish as often as I could stand it, because I knew I wasn't going to get it that fresh again for a long time.
I hope this is helpful for those looking to dine moderately while there.
Newfoundland trip -- looking for recommendations
Hey, nomad, thanks much! By the way, Atlantica's menu looks okay for us. They seem to have chicken, duck, non-shellfish fish...
We're definitely going to be traveling around Avalon, so we expect to see both Witless Bay and Brigus. I'm glad to know about Yellow Belly Brewery, too -- my husband is a beer afficionado, and the only brewery we'd heard about so far is Quidi Vidi. Nice to have another to visit!
I'm very interested in the traditional fare, but also open to other things. I mean, I'm probably not going to seek out any Chinese or Italian restaurants while there (we have many great ones here in the Philadelphia area), but I could probably be swayed away from fish and traditional places if you could tell me about an awesome tapas place!
Newfoundland trip -- looking for recommendations
Hi, all,
I'm going to Newfoundland next week. We'll be based in St. John's, but taking day trips around Avalon. I'd love to get some restaurant recommendations that don't begin and end with Bacalao. :-) Nothing against a pricey, upscale place, but I'm really more interested to find more moderate choices, places where locals enjoy local food. (One consideration is that we don't eat red meat, and I'm allergic to shellfish -- my plan is to eat (non-shell) fish all week!)
A place I'm not going to miss is By Da Beach for fish and chips. Is there anything in between the very downscale and the very upscale that anyone thinks I shouldn't miss?
Thanks in advance, and cannot wait to get to The Rock!
Fudgetown Cookies - Help!
I find it hilarious and awesome that people are still talking about a cookie gone from store shelves for about three decades. I loved Fudgetowns, too, and was looking around today for a recipe when I found this thread -- I know people post recipes for fake Twinkies and things like that, so why not Fudgetowns? This may be an unpopular opinion, but I was even more of a fan of the reverse Fudgetowns than the original ones: these were vanilla (light brown) flower-shaped cookies with the same delicious chocolate fudge peeping out of a hole in the middle.
Have you seen how many websites and message boards out there are talking about Fudgetowns? Seriously, I think this must be the most-lamented no-longer-made cookie in the US!
New Year's Day brunch on the Main Line
I wonder if anyone knows which Main Line area restaurants are serving brunch on New Year's Day? I could just go someplace where they have a breakfast menu, but I was hoping to find some places open for business, and serving something special that morning. We're in Malvern, meeting folks from Ardmore, and all planning to see "Avatar" at King of Prussia at 1pm, so we'll have to plan on eating somewhere convenient to those locations at that magical in-between hour, probably around 10:30 - 11am. Thoughts or suggestions?
Aero Bars or other English Candies in Philly
bluehensfan, is Wayne a possibility? There's a tea shop called A Taste of Britain that just relocated to the Spread Eagle Village (now Eagle Village Shoppes) in Wayne, from its former location in Devon. They carry lots of English candies, including Aero bars. Website is www.easyelegance.net .
Prices at Gracie's 21st Century? (Pottstown area)
Thanks to both of you. I'm curious about this "weird" vibe... Is it overly snooty? Or what?
Prices at Gracie's 21st Century? (Pottstown area)
I don't see any prices listed on the menus at Gracie's website. Does anyone have any idea of the range for entrees there? It looks great, I've heard really good things about it, but I'd like to have SOME idea of what it's going to cost me! We have an anniversary dinner coming up, and my husband and I don't eat red meat (plus I'm allergic to shellfish). We can generally eat anywhere, but we like to find places that give us more than one or two choices, and Gracie's looks like it was tailor-made for us.
Wedding cake in Philadelphia?
Sorry, should have mentioned that Aux Petits Delice is in Wayne!
Wedding cake in Philadelphia?
We're in the 'burbs, and had our wedding cake done by Aux Petits Delice 17 years ago -- they were fabulous! But in the city, you could try the Pink Rose Pastry Shop.
HARRISBURG--MANGIA QUI
I've been to the tapas place upstairs, Suba, but not to Mangia Qui proper. We were quite pleasantly surprised! We're not out in that area very often, but have put this place on our "to try again" list.
Noodi Thai open?
Yes, it's open. We've eaten there once, and taken out once. It is SO good to have another place making east Asian curries on the Main Line! (Mayuree, Wave Noodle, and now Nooddi Thai.) We eat mainly vegetarian dishes, some chicken, and were very pleased with the meals we had. The Kao Soy (Burmese curry) was particularly memorable.
Dinner in the Main Line Area
Mayuree (in Devon, in the bowling alley building, of all places!) is fabulous, but don't go there if you're starving: because there are only two employees (the wife cooks, the husband takes orders, serves, and handles payments), it will take you a LONG TIME to get served. Having said that, it is worth the wait! The Gang-garee curry appears in my dreams, it is so incredible.
Two New Restaurants in Bryn Mawr
Yes, Mediterranean -- which has been there for a few years -- is Persian, not Greek. You get some similar dishes (they are, after all, both Mediterranean cuisines), but it's different enough to be noticeable. I do like the place, but agree that there isn't enough variety in the menu. Looking forward to trying Verdad, though!
Kosher eats near New Hope?
Ah, I didn't realize there's a kosher board here -- thanks! I did see the sad list of choices (mostly supermarkets) on the Shamash database, unfortunately. And yes, we're trying to schedule _after_ Passover to avoid all the other food-related problems. Thanks anyway.
Kosher eats near New Hope?
I am totally flummoxed. I am meeting a friend from NJ at our usual halfway point, which is New Hope. She's kosher, and thus is usually able to eat something like a salad wherever we've gone, but she seems to have gotten a bit more strict in her dietary requirements over time. I'd really like to find an actual kosher restaurant somewhere near New Hope (i.e. Lambertville would be fine, anywhere else within about ten miles from New Hope in any direction). Any ideas? Lambertville's Ota-ya comes up in a list of kosher restaurants, but I'm skeptical...
The only thing that vaguely comes to mind is La Pergola in Doylestown, and I'm not even sure if they're really kosher. They _do_ have Jewish specialties there (it's the only place outside of Grandma's kitchen I've ever seen kasha varnishkes!), but that doesn't mean kosher, necessarily.
Thanks in advance!
New Year's Eve dinner on the Main Line
I have -- but it seems to simply _lean_ Greek, if you know what I mean. You're not going to find a whole spate of traditional Greek dishes on their menu. One of the reasons we like to eat Greek is because neither my husband nor I eat red meat, and we both eat very little poultry. Greek food gives us a lot of opportunity for delicious vegetarian choices. I think we're going to have to curb our appetite for Greek until after the holiday...I've been meaning to try Estia for some time, and my mouth is now watering just thinking about it!
New Year's Eve dinner on the Main Line
Thanks for the recommendation -- we've never eaten there, but now that I've glanced at their menu we'll give it a try after the holidays.
What I was really hankering for is some Greek food, but I doubt we could get into Lourdas at this late date. And although we used to like The Mediterranean (in West Chester), the last few meals there have turned us off to the place.
New Year's Eve dinner on the Main Line
So, where are people eating for New Year's? Our goal is always to avoid the late, drunken crowds, and to eat someplace where they have their _usual_ menu available (rather than a special holiday prix-fixe).
We're in Malvern, and I was kind of jonesing for Mayuree Cafe in Devon, but sadly they will be closed on New Year's Eve. I'm trying to come up some other place, equally quirky and delicious, and not likely to be the scene of drunken madness. Any thoughts?
Imported beers by the bottle?
Yep, I just paid a little more than that ($35) for a mixed 6-pack from Maia Market, lastl week. :-) Thanks for the tip, though -- it's great to know about ALL of these places!
Imported beers by the bottle?
Wow, that's another place I wouldn't have thought of. Thanks!
Imported beers by the bottle?
Moved? Huh? Is there some prohibition regarding talking about alcohol here?
Imported beers by the bottle?
Replying to myself to add some comments about Michael's: it's worth noting that the beer list online is not what is _definitely_ in stock; those are just the beers they can get. They didn't have the Young's on hand, but they're ordering it for me and expect it in by next Wednesday. They place their beer orders on the weekend, if you're interested to get a hold of something special for a party or something.
Imported beers by the bottle?
rocknroll52, you rock and roll! :-) I had no idea Michael's had a 'beer library.' That's just made of awesome. Thanks so much -- I'm going right down there today!
Imported beers by the bottle?
Is there one of those outside of Philadelphia? I mean, if the choice is driving to Philly or buying a whole case in Wayne, I'd probably opt for the case. I'm looking for someplace out here in the 'burbs.
Imported beers by the bottle?
Hey, Chowhounders, I need your help!
I'm in Malvern and I'm looking for Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I would prefer to just buy a six-pack, or a couple of bottles, to try it before investing in a whole case. I've already checked with Epicurean (in Phoenixville), Maia Market (in Villanova), and Landis's (Wayne). Does anyone know of any other place that regularly carries a good selection of imported beers that are sold by the single bottle?
Thanks!
