nevets's Profile
Yalda Grill in Horsham
+ 1
Agree with all of the above. I just wish we lived closer.
Any recent visits to Solaris Grille in Center Square?
We ate there once about a month ago and will not go back. I had the ribs - they smelled funny and the sauce tasted like it was from a jar. My wife had a forgettable pasta dish. Neither dish tasted homemade. I kept expecting Gordon Ramsey to come out of the kitchen with a frown on his face.
BYOB in MontoCo for Holiday Party (20-25 people)
Zacharias Creekside Cafe (Worcester) has a back room that could easily accommodate your group. They are fairly easy to find (intersection of 73-Skippack Pike and 363-Valley Forge Road). Good food, nice owners and excellent desserts.
http://zachariascreeksidecafe.com/
Wilbur Buds: Where to find in Philly
They sell them by the pound at The Head Nut in Ardmore.
www.theheadnut.com
Philly: Where to buy wood chips for a smoker?
I use these pellets in my Primo ceramic smoker. They are an inexpensive way to keep a lot of variety on-hand. If you decide to go this route, make sure you buy the cast iron pot to put the pellets in. It works a lot better than aluminum foil.
http://www.bbqrsdelight.com/order.html
I need a new Sunday morning breakfast place!
IHOP (202, Blue Bell) - not a bad breakfast, friendly service, decent omelettes, good pancakes, get there early
Pumpernick’s (309, Montgomeryville) – good bagels/fish, decent omelettes, clean, well run, gets crowded
Zina's (Butler Pike, Ambler) - agree with AmblerGirl
Nudy’s (Phoenixville) – worth a trip, good pancakes
Ray's (Germantown Pike, Norristown) - breakfast has really gone downhill here, they used to have good pancakes and fluffy omelet’s, pancakes are not what they used to be and the omelettes are flat, used to be our go to breakfast place
Double TT (202, Blue Bell) - tried it once, food was okay, place was not clean
Blue Bell Diner (Skippack Pike) - okay breakfast, there is a special that has a lot of food (eggs, pancakes, meat, etc.). had a horrible dinner there and as such will not go back
Clubhouse Too (Sumneytown Pike, North Wales) - inconsistent breakfast from fair to good, lousy service
American Star Diner (Welsh Road, North Wales) - an okay breakfast, only tried once, need to go back
Collegeville Diner - too far to drive for breakfast, but if breakfast is as good as their other food it should be good, good service, well run
Not sure of the name (Norristown, old Pizza Hut on Johnson Highway) – yuck, allowed smoking the time we were there (a couple of years ago), have not been back
Christine's (Egypt Road, Trooper) - fair, nothing compelling
I wish I had more good breakfast news to report, but all of the above is why I usually cook Sunday breakfast at home, even though the SO loves to go out for weekend breakfast.
Mister Softee or Jack and Jill?
No contest for me...Mister Softee. Brings back fond memories of day camp (Camp Arrowhead anyone?).
Lacroix at the Rittenhouse
We had Sunday brunch there last summer. We enjoyed it, but didn't think it lived up to the hype...and $65 each for brunch sets some high expectations!
Old Fashioned Sticky Buns
We're on the same quest. The sticky buns at Amelyn's are not bad. The store is in a shopping center across the street from Jim Wynn Volkswagen. I haven't been there in a while. The sticky buns at Fleck's in the Q-Mart in Quakertown are good too.
Amelyn Donuts
2030 W Main St
Norristown, PA 19403
(610) 631-2397
Outdoor dining in the burbs - Montco or Mainline?
Places with outdoor seating that I can think of:
(call first as the outdoor areas may not be set up yet)
Brasserie 73 (Skippack, not BYOB)
Zacharias Creekside (Worcester, BYOB)
Parc Bistro (Skippack, not BYOB)
Restaurant Rosalie (Cedars, BYOB)
333 Belrose (Radnor, not BYOB)
Shundeez (Chestnut Hill, BYOB)
Best Sushi in the Philly Burbs
+1 for Umai. I've been there twice and enjoyed it both times.
it's time for the crappy pots to go
+1 to All Clad stainless (easy to clean, even when something burns a bit to the bottom)
Ariana's in North Wales
Ariana's is one of the restaurants that we frequent. We almost always order veal. The price has gone up a few dollars over the past year or so ($22-$23), but it is still a good value. There are always four nice size pieces of veal on the plate (plus soup or salad and vegetables or spaghetti). I'm partial to the Veal Saltimbocca and my SO likes the Veal Marsala. I had the veal Piccata last time and it was good too. There are frequently coupons for Ariana's in the Clipper and I recently saw certificates for Ariana's on restaurant.com. Ariana's is also in the Entertainment Book.
Restaurant Rosalie in Cedars
Also used to be "Cafe at Cedars" with which we were never impressed.
Best Lox on the Main Line??
Genuardi's in St. Davids (call first) -consistently excellent lox cut by someone who knows how to do it right (I forget his name though).
And how was your Valentine's Day Dinner?
We went to Blackfish for our Valentine's Day dinner. It turned out to be a fixed price ($75 a head) four course meal. The food was good, but the entree choices were very limited (scallops, beef or chicken). I started with the oysters with lemon foam, which were tasty. My SO had the lobster broth which was tasty but a bit too salty. Next course was the grilled shrimp for me (texture okay, sauce not that flavorful) and the foie gras for my SO. The foie gras was artfully presented (rolled in a ball with a cherry center and covered with pistachio crumbs) and was the taste highlight of the meal. Next we both had scallops which were perfectly cooked, but there were only three on the plate. Dessert was vanilla crème brulee for me and the warm chocolate cake for my SO. All in all, a tasty meal, but not a great value at $75. The wait staff was clearly in "volume" mode, but the service was efficient and attentive.
We’re tiring of going out on Valentine’s Day, with the limited menus and move ‘em through atmospheres. Next year, I’m cooking a romantic dinner at home.
Fogo de Chão or another Churrascaria?
It's been a few months since I was at Fogo de Chao and at Picanha. When I was there, Fogo was about $45 per person and Picanha was about $23. While Picanha is half the price, it is 25% of the quality and 5% of the atmosphere. Picanha is BYO though, they will mix your Caprihanas for you. Depends on what you're looking for, Fogo is a more upscale atmosphere and Picanha is definitely neighborhood casual. I like them both.
Clubhouse, Too - replaced Astor Place
We had breakfast there this morning and will not be going back. To start things off, our table was not clean even though it had been set with napkins and silverware. There was a round table next to us that was being bussed, and before it was even wiped another bus person started to set the table. It stayed that way during the duration of our meal. Service was just plan bad. Our juice glasses were placed on the table after being held by the waitress with all of her fingers in a circle around the top of the glass. I had to ask for my coffee to be refilled as our waitress walked by us with a coffee pot in her hand. The pancakes had an okay texture, but were tasteless. The scrambled eggs were served as an omelet type slab and were a bit under cooked. We have eaten there four times, three times for breakfast and once for dinner. Each meal was worse than the previous one.
loved bolete - but they're booked! other ideas?
I'm not sure how far you are willing to travel, but you may consider:
The Glasbern Inn
www.glasbern.com
2141 Packhouse Rd
Fogelsville, PA 18051
(610) 285-4723
Chocolate studio in E. Norriton anyone been?
The Chocolate Studio moved into the Hillcrest Plaza (the shopping center on the corner of Germantown Pike and Swede Road).
Regional Treats/Snacks
Treats from Philly:
Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes (Tastykakes)
Goldenberg Peanut Chews (currently sold as chew ets)
Wilbur Buds
Frank's Black Cherry Wishniak Soda
I assume Synder's hard pretzels and the like are available on the West Coast (years ago they were not).
Need BYOB Help in Montco!
Zacharias Creekside Cafe has a back room that can accomodate a party of 12. The food is good to very good, the menu is varied, the owners are lovely and it is BYOB. It is located on the corner of 363 and 73 in Worcester.
The Pub in Pennsauken
Anyone remember the steak "oriented" restaurant (not sure it was a steak house) that was next to the Marriot on the corner of City Line Avenue and Monument Road? I think it was called the Red Coach Grill. They had great date nut bread served in these black wicker baskets with gold trim. I don't remember anything else about the food. We went there a fair bit when I was young.
New sushi in Blue Bell - Gami - anyone try yet?
Let us know what you think of the sushi at Gami. We had sushi at Asuka once and thought it was just okay.
New sushi in Blue Bell - Gami - anyone try yet?
Where is Gami located? I could not find it with a quick search of the web.
Gilmore's (West Chester) - Anyone been lately?
We ate a Gilmores on a Saturday and were not impressed. The dining room is cute, but gets noisy when all of the tables are occupied. We tried the chef's tasting menu ($60 each).
1st course: Some kind of whipped egg, served back in the shell with a dash of caviar. Tasty.
2nd course: Foie gras on French toast with huckleberry sauce. Great French toast. Mediocre foie gras with no creaminess and a slightly bitter taste.
3rd course: Halibut cheeks on fennel - okay, not bad, not great.
4th (main) course: Rabbit loin with pearl onions in a creamy sauce. The rabbit was cut in to small chunks and was tough. It tasted like Lean Cuisine.
5th course: Frozen orange soufflé. It was delicious and was the only high point of the meal.
The service was very good. The overall feel of the place is a bit odd; the vibe isn't as "gracious" as it should be.
We found no compelling reason to return.
