Dedtired's Profile
Reqs for brunch Sunday before a show at the Annenberg Theatre on 36th and Walnut?
You can have brunch at The White Dog on Sansom Street. For lunch, Penne at The Inn at Penn is convenient.
Fergie's Pub? Or somewhere else for group?
A group of us are gathering on a Sunday afternoon in April for a get-together. The main purpose is to see each other again and to be able to chat. Most of us will be arriving by SEPTA at Market East. One suggestion for lunch is Fergie's Pub on Sansom St. I've never been there. Is it appropriate for a group of about 10 chatty people? We may have two high school age boys in the group as well. Will Fergie's have space for us or is it cramped?
My other thought is El Vez. I'd have to call and see if they have room for us but I remember it as more spacious than a lot of other restaurants in the area.
Criteria are enough space, not very expensive (average cost), walking distance to Market East, serves alcohol, food is acceptable. We met once before at the RTM and would prefer to go elsewhere on a Sunday.
I hope we don't have to resort to a chain like Maggiano's. Any other suggestions for our group? Having a drink with lunch is important to a few of them. Thanks for your thoughts.
Dinner near the Barnes Museum
As others have suggested, you will find better restaurants closer to St. Davids than near the Barnes in Merion.
Here are some to consider:
Susanna Foo's in Radnor.
Savona (but will be $$$$). A little hard to find, but you can do it. It's in Gulph Mills
Sola in Bryn Mawr. It's a BYOB, food is very good. Don't be put off by the outside appearance. Seating is tight, but okay for four. (Tip: in the same row of stores is The Bakery House -- pick up some goodies for breakfast. They are wonderful)
Georges' on the Main Line: Convenient for you. Good food. It's Georges Perrier's more casual place in Wayne (Eagle Village)
333 Belrose in Radnor. If you are coming in spring, try to sit outside
I would google all of these and see what fits your taste and pocketbook. I don't recommend that you drive out to Malvern or West Chester. There are plenty of good choices in the area where you will be staying.
FYI, parking in the town of Wayne (Wayne Avenue) is hellish on a Friday night. I personally would avoid any of these restaurants. You could be seated next to a family with kids. Most are tight and noisy.
Places I haven't been but you could consider are White Dog and Margaret Kuo.
Have fun. BTW, part of the Barnes is closed to prep for the move to the new location. It's still worth going to see the art in the way that Dr. Barnes intended.
Business Lunch Recommendations near Gladwyne PA/Philadelphia Country Club
guard house does not serve lunch.
Craig LaBan's Da Vinci review...ouch!
So, has anyone returned to Da Vinci since the infamous chop-washing episode? How are they doing now, or has it gone down the drain....?
Cupcake Gourmet in Malvern
I stopped there this afternoon and picked up a bunch of cc's for the office. I got two dozen of the mini's for $32. The price list says $18 for a dozen, so I dunno.
So far I have tried the cafe au lait and it was a little bite of heaven. Then I tried the Classic Vanilla and found the icing a bit too sweet for my taste. The cake was delish, nice and fresh. My staff reports that the Banana Chocolate Chip and Lime were fantastic. The cake in the Dark Chocolate Mint was amazing.
Definitely a fun little place. Not cheap, but worth stopping in.
Casual business dinner in Malvern/Paoli area?
Maybe Basil in Paoli, which will be less expensive than San Nicola and Gen'l Warren. Also more casual. But the food is not as good. Again, not sure about private room.
Wayne Farmer's Market
On Route 30 (Lancaster Avenue) in Wayne. The correct name is The Lancaster County Farmer's Market. It's at the corner of Eagle Road and across from where Conestoga Rd hits Route 30. It's at one end of a strip mall in a free-standing old grocery store building.
Breakfast on City Line (City Ave)
If you're willing to drive down Belmont Avenue a bit, the Centennial Cafe might be an option, although I'm not sure about a business breakfast. Maybe there's something in the Radisson Twelve Caesars. I used to depend on a restaurant in the hotel that was torn down. I forget the name already.
http://www.thecentennialcafe.com/
Maia
Okay, I made a quick stop at the market on my way home tonight. I got one smallish (three inch diameter) crabcake for $12 (!) and one serving of roasted veggies (carrots, onion, parsnips) for $2.80. The crabcake was fair. Lots of crab, no filler but also a lot of chives or something green that overwhelmed the taste of the crab. The roasted veggies were roasted veggies --fine, ordinary.. For $15 I expected a lot better.
The selection of takeout food was limited. A fair number of veggie dishes and grain salads, some tuna, the crab and meatballs. There may have been more choices, but not much.on it
One annoying thing -- nothing had a price aon it nd there wasn't even a paper to pick up to see the price. Maybe the message is if you have to ask, you can't afford to eat here. In this economy, I need to know.
The music was so loud I had to shout at the server to be heard. The small crowd (it was early) was 40-ish and 50-ish and a nice looking group. The servers must be hired for their looks -- all were easy on the eyes.
I still want to try it for dinner one night and see how they do. I won't be stopping at the market again. I can go a couple miles down the road to Food Source to be robbed, but at least there are more selections.
Maia
How were the prices at the market? I drive right past it on my way home and it would be a great spot to pick up dinner.
I was at the opening night party and the decor and set up of the place are amazing. I hope the food measures up or someone has spent an awful lot of money on the place. It's kind of odd having such an upscale place in the same building as Staples and Summit Fitness, although the restaurant upstairs has a nice entrance from the back. I'll be following Maia's fate with interest.
Sola - cannot continue to recommend
I just returned from dinner at Sola and it was a lovely evening. I started with the Roasted Beet and Mixed Green salad. One of my dinner companions had the sardines and the other had a sweet potato soup. All three appetizers were wonderful. They were preceded by a complimentary "amuse bouche" of an artichoke and lemon soup -- again a real treat. Dinner for me was the "Roast Pork Two Ways" -- one brined pork tenderloin with a maple flavor sitting on mashed sweet potatoes and a 12 hour roasted pork shoulder on caramelized onion. I am not a big eater and this was a generous portion. It was so delicious I nearly cleaned my plate.
Each of my companions had the Striped Sea Bass -- again, absolutely delightful. We shared a dessert of gelato served with raspberries and chocolate sauce. Yum. The coffee was good, too.
The service was impeccable with two exceptions. When I made the reservations, I requested 6:30, which was not available. Then I requested 6:15, which I was told we could do but they would need the table at 8. I never had anyone tell me that before but at least I had fair warning. At about 8:05 we were told they needed the table, so would we please vacate. We had finished our coffee about ten minutes before and were ready to go when the waiter offered us a second cup, which we accepted. We didn't have time to finish it when we were asked to leave! So why did they offer us a second cup if they weren't going to give us time to finish it?? Strange.
We also had an over-eager busboy who kept trying to clear our plates when it was obvious that there was still food on them and that we were still eating. None of us had "signaled" that we were done by setting our silverware down on the plates. He did this twice. It's a pet peeve of mine. However, it was a minor nuisance.
It was thoroughly delicious meal and I highly recommend Sola. Another nice thing is that the noise level is reasonable and we had no trouble hearing each other, as is too frequently the case in a number of restaurants.
Meatballs and Spaghetti
La Dolce Vita on DeKalb Street in Bridgeport. Just follow Route 23 into Bridgeport to where it runs into DeKalb, and turn left. It's in a house on the right. Odd place but really good food. It's really only 20 minutes from BC.
Diner in KoP area for group of 20
Michael's Deli on Route 202, north of the mall. I think it's called Town Center Plaza. They have a private room that would accommodate your group. Good food.
