Royal's Brunch, Burgers and Beverages

SATURDAY
Obviously, we brunched. I mean, it was SATURDAY, after all. Our brunch must-try list is still ridiculously long, but we are really chipping away at it week by week. This past brunch brought us to Royal Tavern. Man, that place is good. We had already been a few times because we love the beer selection and the staff, but we finally made it down there to have their brunch fill our bellies and dayummmmm was it good.

:: Royal Tavern ::
address: 937 East Passyunk Ave, Philly
what we ate: bloody mary, mimosa, burger, cuban omelet, curry chicken sandwich, sloppy joe 
Oh. Does that look like a lot of food to you? Did you think maybe a large group of us attended brunch together? HA! Oh, no no - that was a list of all the things that Soopah and I had the pleasure of eating on Saturday - JUST THE TWO OF US. Impossible, you say?? Well, it wasn't in one sitting, so it was very possible. We just found that brunch was so enjoyable, and we saw soooooo many things on the menu that we just HAD to try, that we made a return visit. THAT EVENING. You  may think we're sad, but I'd say we're geniuses.

Anyway, during BRUNCH, of course we had a bloody mary and a mimosa. PERFECT. They use siracha in their bloody marys instead of tabasco, and it results in a thicker tomato-y, spicy beverage. The mimosas were also heavenly, with just a splash of orange juice with a healthy pour of champagne.

Angus Burger: bacon + caramelized onions + smoked gouda + pickled longhots + chile mayonnaise + seeded brioche bun
The issue of who makes the best burger is widely discussed and debated in Philly foodie discussions. Amongst the frontrunners is always the Royal Tavern burger. And hell yes, it should be. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype (because hell yeah there is a lot of it), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it totally does!

The burger meat was perfectly seasoned! I really dislike when places don't use enough salt, or use too MUCH salt, for that matter (I'm looking at YOU, PYT), but this burger was fantastic. Even more exciting, is the bacon was ever so present (that's because my burger pet peeves are as follows: bland meat, minimal bacon presence, mushy bread), which is something I'm always happy to find. The pickled longshots provided a nice kick without being overwhelming and the large, thick slice of smoked gouda really held up within the mix of those flavors. YUM. I don't know that either I or Soopah loved the bun, but we didn't hate it. So I mention our ambivalence for that component - you know... just to be fair and pretend we're objective or something.  

Cuban Omelet: with ham + pulled pork + pickled veggies + mustard + vinegared sliced potatoes + flour tortillas
My recall is currently terrible, so I may not have included all of the ingredients that were included in this dish. But, I'm sure you get the picture. Cuban sandwich, omelet-style! This dish came out of nowhere and we foudn it to be AWESOME. We folded in pieces of the omelet into the tortillas and stuffed with the veggies and potatoes to make little wraps. Added a bit of siracha and BAM, deliciousness.  

Right-O. Then, when we came back for Dinner (hehehe)............... we came right back to try the other items that had been taunting us earlier during the day.

Sloppy Joe: beef in a spicy tomato sauce + hand-cut fries
The vegan sloppy joe was the sandwich I had really wanted to try, but this past weekend, the beef sloppy joe was one of the specials. At the behest of our adorable bartender, I went with the beef version. It was definitely excellent - tart, tangy, spicy and tender. I think the bun they used was the same as the burger, so again, I was ambivalent about that part, but the meat was great. Brought me back to the olden days of high school cafeteria dining - but properly gourmet'ed up, of course. * ah, nostalgia *  OH yeah, and there was cheese! C'mon. CHEESE! <3

I do need to note that the hand-cut fries at Royal Tavern are freaking unbelievable. Crispy, flavorful and addicting. It took everything in me to not gobble up this entire plate of them.

Chicken Frankie: indian curry chicken + indian slaw + warm lovash + hand-cut fries
Our very interesting bartender told us that they make a huuuuuuuuuuge pan of curry chicken and just let it simmer (simma simma) for super long periods of time. He also said, if you pay attention, you can taste the TLC in each bite. Yes, we tasted it... YUM.

Frankly, this frankie (HAHA, sorry, had to), is delicious, but if I had to choose where to eat a curry meat in a wrap, I think I'd prefer the japanese style beef curry burrito at Maru Global, but at least we have OPTIONS!

I really love that Royal Tavern has such a wide variety of interesting dishes, like the tempeh sandwiches, tofu banh mis, shepard's pie etc. I mean, c'mon... basically there is something for everything. Plus, it's so cozy, quaint, casual - really lets you focus on the food and BEER.

We're FANCY and FUN. Le Bec-Fin said so.

We keep saying how it's ridiculous how well we've been eating. I mean, it's really quite absurd. When your weekend recap includes dining at a renowned French restaurant that is a Philadelphia institution, repeat visits to a gastro-pub that is arguably the best in town, as well as dinner and drinks at a suburban beer oasis, you know you're living a GOOD FOOD life. First, the fancypants French recap!

FRIDAY
Le Bec-Fin. 6pm Dinner. 40th anniversary special dinner that we read about on uwishunu.com.
J. Gigs had read about this special a few weeks ago and we knew we had to go. I mean, how often would one be presented with the opportunity to dine at Le Bec-Fin for $40/person? We made reservations immediately, and two days later, we heard the very sad news that Le Bec-Fin would be closing this year. I would imagine reservation slots have filled up quickly since the announcement of its closing, so I would say book something soon....

:: Le Bec-Fin ::
address: 1523 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
what we ate: $40 pre-fixe

The special includes 4-courses: Starter, Entree, Cheese, Dessert. Ah, love the french.

• Starters: Grilled Octopus with Chorizo puree, Tomato & Watermelon Salad, Chilled Pea Soup 
• Entrees: Stuffed Quail, Poached Salmon, Flat Iron Steak
• Cheese: chef selection with bread and fruit
• Dessert: choice of 2 selections off of the dessert cart

Le Bec-Fin also had a special wine selection to anniversary diners; you could choose from 4-5 wines that were all priced at $40. All in all, an incredible deal, no? 

To start the meal, complimentary amuse bouche.

The grilled octopus with chorizo puree and hot chorizo oil was really tasty. Perfectly cooked octopus and the chorizo oil had a nice spicy kick to it. 

Chilled Pea Soup w/almond sorbet was most certainly an interesting dish. We weren't sure if we'd like it, but with no question, we had to try it. The almond flavors worked really well with the pea soup and it was a refreshing starter. 

The Stuffed Quail was in the most delicious sauce, with creamy beans and savory vegetables. I'm not really sure what the bird was stuffed with, but it had the texture and flavor like meatloaf (I know this sounds weird, but it soooooo wasn't), and was the best part of the meal, for me.   

As expected, the Flat Iron steak was cooked exactly as requested. The medium-rare meat was tender and flavorful, but the puree and the gravy that accompanied it was even more memorable. Seriously, we had to restrain ourselves from sopping it up with extra bread....  

What could I really say about the cheese course, other than WHOOOHOOO. Everyone should really include a cheese course in their meals. Friday night's selection was an Italian sheep's milk cheese. YUM.

Being the bad flood blogger that I am, I don't remember the names of any of these desserts, but rest assured, you will be able to find something you like. The Dessert Cart had over 10 different varieties of cakes, and even some poached fruit options. It really lives up to its reputation and unbelievably, you get to select 2 different desserts EACH! And if that wasn't enough, you still get the complimentary plate of cookies. 

Overall, the food lived up to its reputation, the service was impeccable, and the dessert cart really is as good as they say, but ultimately, it was OK. I mean, the best part of the meal was the fact that we were dining in Le Bec-Fin... but for $40, I can think of at least 4 other restaurants with a fantastic pre-fixe that is much more exciting, innovative and droolworthy. Still, discover the history and experience that is Le Bec-Fin before they close their doors forever.      

FOND philly food phun

YES, yet another month of non-blogging. Bad, TrifectaBAM bloggers. BAD.

HOWEVER, blogging returns, starting with a review/recap of one of the most satisfying dining experiences one can have in Philly: Fond BYOB in South Philly. Woooo! Just a warning, this is a comprehensive review and will be long (a DOOZY). Don't say I didn't warn you.

Anyway, I'm ashamed to say that I've actually been to Fond several times now and still have not blogged it. (tsk tsk tsk) My only defense is that for Fond, I always wanted to give the review proper thought, weight and accolades the restaurant so deserves... and with this very admirable thought in mind, kept pushing it off until I had more time. Well... FAIL. clearly. The good news is, I can say, without a doubt, that Fond is consistently AMAZING. So, at least we have that.

:: Fond ::
address: 1617 East Passyunk Ave, Philly
what we ate: everything on the menu (basically)
So, last week we managed to make our way down East Passyunk for a lovely Chef's Table dinner in the new garden at FOND. This charming table can seat up to 8 guests (maybe 10?) in your party and is in the private garden, which is tucked away at the back of the restaurant. You make your way through the main dining room, and stealthily slink through the kitchen and suddenly you're in a Foodie's EDEN.

Guess what? The only caveat about the Chef's Table dining experience requires that all guests in the party participate in the chef's tasting, but that is awesome. It's a really GREAT deal and a wonderful way to try the lion's share of the menu and I'll tell ya, everything is worth it on there. There are 5 or 8 course options. Of course, if you don't want to eat a 5-course meal (c'mon, weak. just do it), you can always take recommendations from Tory Keomanivong, who runs the front of the house, and will happily steer you to the right choice.

What is SO COOL is that Fond is a joint venture by 3 young, ambitious and undeniably talented people with  impressive pedigree: Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix... really?! Both Exec Chef Lee Styer and Exec Pastry Chef Jessie Prawlucki worked at Le Bec-Fin as sous chef and exec pastry chef, respectively. Plus, Tory had worked as captain at Lacroix for 4 years and had met Lee during his stint there.

What is very clear from this operation, is that Lee, Jessie and Tory are three friends who all care very deeply about their work and for each other, and it's apparent on every level of their execution. Doubly shocking is that they're so young (Lee is in his mid-20s!) and handling this business with the maturity and drive that is unparalleled.

And HELLO, it's a BYOB. You know we always love that.

Now, the FOOD!!


APPETIZERS
Crispy Veal Sweetbreads: creamy ricotta, caramelized onions, augula pesto
This is definitely a must try menu option. Even if you're not very adventurous and have no idea what sweetbreads (don't look it up!) are, these are very approachable for new foodie and simply put, taste INCREDIBLE. Not to sound totally cliche, but they really do taste quite like fried chicken...

I really love when you can trust the chef to pair flavors together that truly complement each other for the best possible taste/experience, and executive chef Lee Styer does this perfectly. With this dish, definitely make sure you get each component layered into each bite because it really does make such a difference. The creamy ricotta, sweetness from the onions, fresh bite from the pesto and of course the salty crunchy sweetbreads all combine to bring you flavor bursts of awesomeness with each forkful.  

Yellowtail Crudo: dried Mexican chili, jicama, cilantro
This yellowtail appetizer is a really refreshing and bright option on the menu. The crunch from the jicama helps to balance the spiciness from the chili and you can't help but think... ah yes... raw fish yummm melt in my mouth.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad: baby greens, smoked paprika yogurt, white anchovy
One of the best apps, for sure. You'll want to smother the roasted cauliflowers until they are coated with the smoked paprika yogurt. Do it. Don't be afraid. We won't judge you.

Seared Foie Gras: rhubarb-tonka bean jam, almond cookie
How much more decadent can you get than foie gras, right? Of course, right. But this seared foie gras is worth every calorie/dollar/mean look from friends you refuse to share with...

Since foie gras tends to be such a heavy flavor, it's really nice to have that sweet, fruity jam which really helps to cut into the richness... which, in turn, helps to keep you coming back for more. Waistbands beware.

Special Appetizers: Foie Gras Pate and Foie Gras soup
Fond also does daily specials, both for apps and entrees, and they consistently deliver in creativity and execution. So when we heard the specials included a foie gras pate and soup, we knew we had to try them. Besides, Foie Gras Pate - need I say anything else, really? It was served with a dijon mustard and toasted bread. Not too rich or overwhelmingly salty in any way. Put it this way, we had 2 plates of this and ate every last morsel of pate and had to get more bread!

The Foie Gras Soup was similar in creaminess to the mushroom soup that is on the regular menu, but of course you could taste the distinctive flavor of the foie gras, that was almost buttery, with a hint of sweetness and a whole lot of yumminess.

We found that there was actually a sweet, nutty, jam type coating on one side of the bowl. Going back to perfect complementary flavors, I was so surprised by how much scooping a bit of this jam with each spoonful of the soup made such a difference.

MAIN COURSES
Seared Skate Wing: meyer lemon risotto, edamame, soy brown butter
I love love love skate. It's amazing that it has so much flavor, is properly salty, and rarely has a fishy scent or flavor, or at least I've only had the good fortune of having well prepared skate. This is a dish I have tried a few times now, and it never fails to impress me. I'm a big fan of risotto and I love when chefs make a lemon risotto that is so tart and bright because it goes so well with fish - especially skate, which is usually a saltier fish. And brown butter really helps to temper the tartness of the lemon in a way that makes you really want to lick the plate clean. Don't do that, though. I mean, we're not really judgmental foodies, but ... too far!

Berkshire Pork Loin: white beans, pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, pork jus
This was our first time trying the Pork Loin and maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan was it good. Soopah ventured to say that it was an unbeatable pork loin... I don't know if I've had enough Pork Loin to make such a BOLD STATEMENT such as that, but really... it is GOOOOOOOOOOD. The pork is tender and flavorful, while the soft beans and tart tomatoes all meld together in that delicious thing known as pork jus!

All Natural Chicken Breast: house-made pasta, summer vegetables, buffalo mozzarella, chicken jus
I generally shy away from ordering chicken when I go out to restaurants because ... well... I mean, you can imagine why, yes? Chicken is boring. Chicken is so often dry and bland. Chicken is for the non-foodies to order while their foodie friends scoff at their unadventurous spirits. BUT BUT BUT  (what what, in the ...heh) this chicken was none of those things.

THIS chicken was juicy and flavorful and tender.... mmmmmm. The house-made pasta on this evening was a pappardelle, which was wonderful with the mozzarella and veggies, and I remember it (vaguely), but yeah.. the chicken.. it was droolworthy chicken.
    
New Zealand Lamb Rack: eggplant caponata, pinenuts, spiced cracker, lamb jus
Rack of lamb is generally a fancier entree option, or at least it sounds like it to me, but often a risky choice as well. IMO, it's a meat that must be perfectly cooked in order to be enjoyable; there is so little room for error. In addition, putting together an original combination of flavors, that still makes the lamb the centerpiece, is quite difficult to do. Well, as usual, Fond delivers.

Each piece was super flavorful and didn't have a hit of gamey-ness at all. I actually think this is my new favorite regular entree item at Fond. I do acknowledge that this may be because I am just so impressed with good lamb.

Seared Yellowfin Tuna: Greek-style farro salad, feta cream
The tuna was a very solid dish. Good tuna, well-executed and nicely balanced flavors. I will say this is probably the only dish I can't feel myself getting super excited about. This may be influenced by my recent discovery that I don't really care for seared tuna, but I would generally say this was the least exciting item on the menu. Don't get me wrong - still excellent, but essentially, I would give everything else a try before ordering this one.

Heh, it is also a bit unfair because this picture doesn't quite do it justice... but... still, good stuff. YAY tuna.

DESSERTS
Somehow, some way, we always make room for dessert when we dine at Fond. I think there are very few places in the city where the starters, entrees and desserts are on a similar plane of excellence. There are tons of places that have extraordinary appetizers and/or stellar entrees, but totally forgettable desserts. Not so, here - the desserts at  Fond are unbelievable. GOOD WORK, Jessie!

Tahitian Vanilla "Cannolis": whipped mascarpone, red plum sorbet,hazelnut praline
Fond's innovative interpretation of the South Philly Italian favorite is so good even I like it (I don't usually enjoy cannolis much). The thin shell is made of hazelnut praline and it's so delicate, but is sweet and crispy enough that it holds the light whipped mascarpone perfectly. The plum sorbet adds another layer of tartness that keeps everything fresh.

Pistachio Tart: saffron ice cream, rose water honey, vanilla sour cherries 
Okay, this is where I go off and use superlatives and rave and drool and whine until I can have another bite. The pistachio tart is, BY FAR, my favorite dessert... of ALL TIME. Was that clear enough?

The tart is covered with pistachios and honey and is just heavenly salty sweet buttery in each bite. It's slightly chewy, but that's from the gooey honey coating the entire tart. The saffron ice cream has a really subtle saffron flavor, and really gives the tart great contrast. I could eat this all day long. AND I'm superduper excited to say that I've had it more than once and it hasn't failed me yet.

Sorbet Sampler: waffle cookies, peach, watermelon, passionfruit
Simple, delicious, refreshing, satisfying! The flavors are super fierce and distinctive. Eating the watermelon sorbet seriously felt like I was having mouthfuls of cold watermelon slices, which is amazing. I honestly can't remember if the first sorbet was peach, or something else, but it was delicious nonetheless. That much I do recall!

Mocha Mousse Cake: dark chocolate, coffee Chantilly, pecan crunch  
The mousse cake is everything that a chocolate lover would want: decadent, semi-sweet, crunchy with a hint of coffee... omg... and because it's largely mousse, it feels light (HA).  

I think it's truly incredible that each course at Fond makes everyone gasp and wipe their drool and keep coming back for more. It's really not surprising at all, though, when you think about who is running this place.

SHOWING PHILLY SOME LOVE 
If you know me, you're aware of how much I love supporting the awesome local businesses in Philadelphia. Philly locals have really been vocal about how great the dining options are in our fair city, and these days, I really appreciate that Philly is also getting sooooooooooo much love and national recognition. Fond was even recognized by the food critic Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post in this great article about Philadelphia dining. Check it out for a full backstory of the partners and Fond opened its doors.

Man, it's really a good time to be a Philadelphian - eating and boozing it up.


To sum up, go to Fond because:

• the food makes you want to lick your plate/silverware/table clean
• parking is relatively easy to find in the area
• BYOB
• the take reservations (!) (215) 551-5000
• these young, local Philly restaurateurs represent the next generation of food genius  

Seriously, Fond is my current fave South Philly spot, and definitely my fave BYOB of the moment. Go and I'm sure you'll experience the same.

oopsies. receipt tracking fail

I realized today that the proclamation I made a while ago to post receipts of meals we have in city ... is a total fail. Haven't posted a single receipt since that entry.

Whoooops.
 

duck, eggs and lamb OH MY

I am determined to attempt healthy living for the next few weeks. Obviously I cannot fully cut out delicious foods, but I look at these posts and through all the food pics on my phone and I realize that full-on gluttony is probably not sustainable - for my wallet or waistline (which has already been feeling the detrimental effects).

Anyway, before launching into a full scale fitness regimen, we thought it only apropos to indulge in one final decadent meal. So, we went back to Garces Trading Company. Our first meal there had been so amazing (full review) and we knew there were still quite a few things we wanted to try.... so off we went.

Since it was just the two of us dining this time, we knew we had to be smart about our selections. Though we wanted to order the deep dish pizza, one of the Plats du Jour and several pastas, that just seemed a tad aggressive. We ended up with a generous, but reasonable smattering of dishes: the duck confit salad, the special lasagna, and the lamb ragu.

Lyonnaise Duck Salad: duck confit + poached egg + bacon lardons + mustard vinaigrette
There is no way I would really call this a salad; it's more of a plate of awesomeness with some greens mixed in throughout. The duck confit and the poached egg were of course perfectly cooked. We salivated with anticipation as I broke the egg over the tower of duck, greens and bacon lardons and gave it all a thorough mix.

A super pleasant surprise was that there were also tiny slices of fingerling potatoes threaded throughout as well. The richness of the egg and duck were cut by the mustard vinaigrette, while the bacon lardons added a hefty saltiness that really brought everything together. If you're expecting a salad, you may be disappointed, but honestly - duck lovers will never be disappointed by this.

Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu: sunchoke puree + piave vecchio 
This pasta dish comes with a very generous portion of lamb ragu. At first bite, it was a bit game-y and we were afraid we were going to regret the decision to order this over a reprise of the gnudi we had so enjoyed the last time. However, we took the time to give this pasta dish a thorough mix as well. Tossing everything together allowed the piave cheese and the sunchoke puree, which was layered at the bottom of the plate, to coat the pappardelle and the shredded lamb meat. What this did was to add a creaminess to the entire dish, which tempered the game-iness of the lamb.

The lamb meat itself was really interesting. It had a hint of mint in it and it really worked well with the peas and the sunchoke (which is apparently like a cross between a rutabaga, potato, sunflower seed, and water chestnut, heh) puree. It's amazing how much more we liked this dish after we mixed everything together. It just goes to show - make sure you trust your chef, you know?

Lasagna: oxtail + short rib + baby spinach + ricotta
Sunday's daily special is the Lasagna and this is really the reason we had decided to have dinner at  Garces. The picture makes this look like a huge family-size portion and I'll say that while it's big, it's not enough to feed 4 people. Maybe 3 people... needless to say, we had leftovers to take home.

What I really liked about this lasagna was the baby spinach and the ricotta. The fresh baby spinach seemed to have been blanched and drained before being layered into this lasagna and the flavor was very bright. The ricotta was creamy perfection and a nice complement to the heavier chewier cheese that formed the top layer.

I felt a bit undecided about the meat. It was certainly an interesting take on traditional lasagna... and the meat was... tasty. I am pretty sure it had some lemon notes mixed in, but it still felt somewhat heavy. If I had to say, I think that maybe there was a disproportionate amount of meat in the meat layer, and possibly could have been improved by a heftier ricotta and/or spinach layer. Overall, it was a good dish, but I can't shake this feeling that it's not one that I would rave about or even recommend...

Anyway, it's Garces Trading Company, and I love it here. Plus, we went for an early bird dinner - arriving around 5pm on a Sunday and it was wonderful; we didn't wait at all! And of course, we had a lovely bottle of a Spanish white wine that was already chilled and was such a reasonable $13.99! God, I love this place.    

Beer Oasis in the middle of SuburbanTown

So, last Saturday, I spent the day doing adult things like helping brother shop for a new car and being an awesome person/sister. To reward myself, and the rest of our merry troupe, we ended up at Station Taproom in Downingtown, PA. Which, BTW, is absurdly far from the city, BUT literally across the street from the Septa R5 station, so good for you suburbanites living in this area.

I credit this find to Soopah because he had the handy Yelp mobile app on his BB and once we realized we were starving, he found this gem right away and OFF WE WENT.

:: Station Tap Room :: 
address: 207 W. Lancaster, Downingtown PA
what we ate: wings, fries, mac'n cheese, pulled pork, cubano, beers
So this place apparently JUST opened up and their website isn't even functional yet, but I am loving what they are doing here. The focus is on awesome beer, locally sourced food/ingredients (some of their produce is from Talulah's market in Kennett Square), and great service - all in a clean and spacious decor with a cool open kitchen concept.

First, the BEERS. As you can see, on tap, they were heavy on the Ales and IPAs here, but had plenty of bottled options and of course, wine as well.

We had a few pints of beer that the owner/bartender recommended. Then we saw the "Try a Flight!" message on the board. OF COURSE! How did we not see this previously?!

It turned out that you could get a flight of four 5.5oz beers for $7. Not bad, right?

#4 is the first beer on the left. My faves of this flight were the Sixpoint Righteous Ale and the Founder's Centennial IPA. They are just perfectly hoppy! As a sidenote, I'm really loving Sixpoint Craft Ales and Founder's Brewery. So happy to have discovered them.

When we put our order in (there were 3 of us), the owner was like "uhm, wow- aggressive" because we ordered 5 dishes. I don't think it was excessive; some could be considered appetizers, after all! Plus, obviously we can eat.

Short Rib Eggroll: fried + stuffed with collard greens
We kept going back and forth on whether or not to get this, but in the end, how could we deny ourselves an eggroll with short rib meat in it? It was flavorful, but definitely a bit on the greasy side. I think they have to figure out how to deep fry tender meat without having it retain all of the delicious but decidedly unhealthy oil.

Definitely an interesting dish, but I didn't love it so I doubt I'd get in on a return visit.

Cuban Sandwich: pulled pork + thick cut ham + swiss + spicy mustard + fries
Unquestionably my favorite dish that we ate at Station Taproom. It was just a really great blend of spicy, salty, rich flavors and the bread was just crunch toasted enough to give it the textures it needed.

I mentioned before that the service was awesome. Well, we didn't make it easy for the servers, mind you. Since there were 3 of us dining, I asked him to cut the cuban sandwich into 3 pieces for us. Not only did he do this, but he actually plated all 3 pieces separate so we could each have our own plate and fries.

OMG, the FRIES. The fries here were AMAZING. Hand-cut fries in the "english chip-style" where they were thick and super crispy on all the edges, but still soft on the inside. Totally a winner. Several of our dishes came with fries and we worried that there'd be much leftover, but seriously - we ate every single one off of each plate. Ridiculous feat.
   
Chicken Wings: thai curry sauce + bleu cheese 
Awesome wings. Here again, was another example of service that goes above and beyond - the owner let me sample the wing sauce base before we ordered! I really wanted to try the wings, but was hesitating because I don't usually like thai curry sauces (it's the coconut milk), so he brought us a cup of the sauce and let us try it out first. It was pretty incredible so we ordered the wings and devoured them.

In terms of quantity, you don't get too many - I think it came with 6 wings? I'd be hard pressed to make this a meal by itself. Still, it's really tasty and so worth ordering as a starter.

Pulled Pork sandwich: NC-style pulled pork (vinegar-based) + fries + coleslaw  
I was super excited about this because Station Taproom actually gives you 2 different options for the kind of pulled pork you'd like: North Carolina style with the vinegar-y base or Texas style with a thicker sauce (ketchup, cumin etc). We went with the NC style.

This was just okay. I suppose the downside to having 2 different preparations of pulled pork is that you don't really have pork simmering in the sauce over a long period of time. I suspect that they have pulled pork and then mix it in with one of the two different sauces. What you're left with was tender meat that hadn't really absorbed the flavor of the sauce. But again, the fries were so good!

Mac 'n Cheese: sundried tomato + olives + ? 
I wish I had taken a closer look at the menu to write this down. I had actually assumed I'd be able to pull it down off of the website and didn't pay close enough attention. What I can say is that the mac'n cheese was definitely UNIQUE and interesting; I've never had anything quite like it. You did have to make sure you got pieces of olive/tomato etc in each bite for it to be good, though. Otherwise, it was on the bland/boring side.

The other menu options definitely seemed worth checking out - lamb burger, regular burgers, truffle fries etc. Station Taproom seems like a wonderful option for beer and food lovers alike, that live in the area, and certainly can appreciate that it's a rare find. I don't know that I'd travel to Downingtown to eat/drink here, but I would definitely recommend it to others who live in the area. You can't go wrong with a knowledgeable staff, fantastic craft beer selection, good food and comfortable decor.  

"mmMMmm here you go"

Went to Seafood Unlimited with J. Gigs last night. I actually don't even want to review the food because it was totally unspectacular in every way. They do have a good happy hour special - $5 margaritas, $5 wines, $3 lager, and an array of snacks like shrimp coctail, fish tacos, mussels, chicken quesadilla etc. MEH.

The best dish was the fish and chips and even those weren't very good. The fish itself was good, but the breading was soggy wet so mostly, it was kind of depressing. They did have maker's mark though, so between a few glasses of those and a nice long catchup chat with J. Giggles, the evening wasn't a total bust.

Aaaaanyway, what I really wanted to mention was the super odd server that waited on us. He had this look in his eyes that just totally screamed "I wanted to bring your food, but then I got high."

He brought us our food orders and drinks, basically one by one - the reason I mention this is to really emphasize the frequency at which he was stopping by our table. Each time he dropped something off, he would, almost imperceptibly go "mmMMmm."

"mmmMMm here's your shrimp cocktail"

"mmmMMmm here's your maker's on the rocks"

"mmmMmm here are your fish tacos"

"mmmMMmm here is your mixed salad" 

This went on and on. It was SO WEIRD. And most definitely creepy.

I suppose I should include a picture. So here is one of the fish tacos. Don't get these; they are not good.

Components of this sad little fish taco include: fried tilapia (supposedly), shredded lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce (ick, wasn't expecting that to be in there).

:: Seafood Unlimited::
address: 270 South 20th St, Philly
PS - the website looks super nice, so it's easy to be fooled. But this place wasn't great, seriously. And it smelled like FISH the minute we walked it. So of course, we immediately asked to be seated outside; I would much rather take on mother nature and her neverending mosquito attacks than eat while smelling raw fishes.

The End.