Restaurant Review: The Mad Greek
Owners: Debbie Beattes and Dean Grivas Telephone: 610-494-0400 Address: 2805 Chichester Avenue, just after the church next to Produce Junction Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11-9 a.m. (Closed Sundays) Website: www.themadgreekrestaurant.com, and they are on Facebook also Ambiance: The place is an informal BYOB café, with wait service and 8 tables for 4, as well as outdoor dining under bright red umbrellas in good weather conditions. There is handy off-street parking beside the café. One wall is attractively paneled in wood blocks, with insets of plantings. Happy people kept arriving, bottles of wine tucked under their arms. It’s the kind of place where you talk to fellow diners and ask how their food choice is—you know what I mean, chatty. Service: The two young female wait staff were charming and attentive, bringing menus and opening our bottle of wine soon after we sat down and taking other non-alcohol drink order from our son. The only improvement I could have asked for would be to have a sharing plate for the dishes we split, the appetizers and desserts. Experience: The experience was so warm! One of the owners, Dean, came over to say hello, and to further discuss one of the specials our waiters had introduced: braised leg of lamb slices with lemon potato wedges and braised leeks. I decided it was a must-have, though I usually like my lamb medium rare. But first: another favorite Greek choice, dolmades, which are real grape leaves, filled with dill-seasoned rice and bathed in lemon juice and very good Greek olive oil. Greek flavors are redolent of dill, lemon, olives and olive oil and oregano. There were four on the plate, and they were gone in about a minute. The lamb dish was luscious and generous! The braised leeks were a good complement. Fellow Cheap Eater Bob ordered pastitsio, which an unfamiliar American might describe as Beefaroni. They would be so wrong! This dish is a bit of heaven, as follows: it is layered ziti pasta, ground beef in a rich tomato-y sauce, and topped with rich and flavorful béchamel sauce seasoned subtly with nutmeg and another mysterious spice. I love to cook, but this is one dish I don’t want to know how to make—because I couldn’t make it as well. Just take me to The Mad Greek for my fix. Our third diner, Jay Pounds, ordered a charred pork gyro (pronounced heero, not gyro). It seems that a lamb gyro is not authentic, but pork and chicken are, with French fried potatoes on top of the meat, along with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a healthy dollop of Tzatziki sauce, which is a yoghurt and thinly sliced or shredded cucumbers, and garlic combo. It is a thing unto itself, often eaten with just pita. But in this case, piled onto the gyro—which arrives wrapped in foil, so you can keep the foil end wrapped up tight and eat from the top. It is messy and delicious and filling. Dessert: Yes, they have baklava, and we ordered (for $5.00) a giant piece shared between two of us. It was the best baklava I’ve had, with the walnuts not quite a finely ground as they normally are, and the phyllo pastry flaky and oozing honey and butter. It was so rich and satisfying, I was OK with just half of the most delicious pastry in the world. They have several other pastry choices, one of which is a rich custard in phyllo pastry—another favorite. Menu: The selections are “something for everyone.” They have a huge Greek salad, and a mini Greek salad, which was itself huge and with a generous slab of good feta cheese. One of their items we will try next is Shrimp Santorini served on pasta, and another is Greek-style ribs with lemon and oregano. In addition to their Greek and Mediterranean selections, they have Italian dishes, American dishes such as Memphis ribs and all-beef hot dogs, and a kids’ menu. Total Bill: $47.70 plus tip, or $15.90 per person for three excellent and complete meals. The wine was good, too! Additional Comments: I couldn’t resist the two big water carafes on the counter, one flavored with cut watermelon, and the other with cut pineapple. I had a glass of the watermelon water. Very flavorful. Reviewed Saturday, June 3, 2018 by Anne Pounds www.TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of www.WelcomeNeighborPA.com
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 Restaurant Review for Kennett Square Inn
Owner: Steve Warner Telephone 610-444-5687 Website:www.kennettsquareinn.com Location: 201 East State Street, on the corner of Broad and State, in the Borough of Kennett Sq. Ambiance: The historic restaurant has both a tavern with a downstairs entrance, and an upstairs with a dining room and warm, friendly atmosphere with a fireplace burning in cold months, and cozy window treatments surrounding bay windows looking out on State Street. It is warm and comfortable with original art hanging around the room. There were round tables for six and square tables for four, and we were near a table for six of retired teachers meeting for a small reunion. Service: The service (in an uncrowded lunchtime scene) was on point, and the food arrived hot and quickly. Experience: We were there for lunch, and we usually eat light (in anticipation of our next meal, which we don’t want to spoil), so we each ordered a soup and ½ sandwich, a perfect solution for us most of the time—both were $9 each—well priced! I got the mushroom soup, which is exactly as it should be, thick, creamy, complex and with wild and domestic mushrooms. So perfect! Fellow Cheap Eater Bob got a Crab-tomato bisque, which I got to taste. It was luscious, and again, full of interesting flavors and good amounts of crab and tomato flavor. I wanted a cup of each! He then got a ½ turkey club sandwich with a “barrel pickle,” as it should be. We both chose fruit as a side instead of French fries, and the fruit was “winter fruit.” Good, varity nice, but still not at the peak of summer ripeness. I would like to think that as summer comes on, there would be perfect specimens of in-season local fruit, maybe from the farmers’ market which happens at the next block up. I got a Reuben of corned beef, swiss cheese and house-made Russian dressing on marbled rye toast, open-faced. It was luscious! Very satisfying. Menu: The menu is ful of wonderful selections, indicating a choice of large and small plates (a favorite of the Cheap Eaters), appetizers which could be dinner (again, we’re in), traditional dishes and a selection of small place entrees and large plates. Neither selection is anything but well priced and a good value. The food is classical, American-Continental cuisine, and presented beautifully. I can’t wait to go back for anything from the Shrimp LeJon to the Shrimp and Scallops St.Stephen, to the Duck with Wild Rice. We haven’t even sat at the inviting bar yet, but we look forward to it. Total Bill: $15.90 plus tip, $19.90 total. Additional Comments: The Kennett Square Inn has been a mainstay of Kennett since 1838, and it has a resident ghost. It has a history, and a host-chef-owner who has been doing his work well for 40-plus years! It is a quiet place where you can actually talk and enjoy an atmosphere for dining which is respectful of something rather old-fashioned: talking over dinner! Anne Pounds TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com Restaurant Review for
Cocina Authentic Mexican Cuisine Owner: Senor Mayolo Martinez, Owner-Chef Location: 5 Jenners Village Center, West Grove, PA Telephone: 610-450-6125, 484-667-8273 Website: www.MiCocinaMexicana.net Ambiance: Clean and inviting, with sparkly Mexican fiesta décor. There were many tables for 2 and 4 and no booths. It was empty when we walked in at 12 noon, but it filled right up on a June weekday. Service: Very obliging! We were waited on by a lovely young woman named Rosie who was polite, helpful with menu items, and fast! Experience: We were served delicious corn tortilla chips with also delicious salsa, which went so fast! She brought us more cheerfully. The dishes were attractively presented and delicious. Fellow Cheap Eater Bob got soft corn enchiladas filled with ground beef, refried beans and (surprise!) onion rings, which were perfect. I went with three chicken enchiladas, also on soft corn tortillas, with salsa verde and lettuce, avocado and tomato and sour cream. I asked if I could have a tiny sample of mole´ sauce, and she brought me a generous ½ cup in a pretty dish. Menu: The menu has a huge variety of options, including a 3-choices selection of lunch specials for $7.99. On the printed menu, the items were well explained and ingredients given in English Total Bill: $21.50 plus a $5.00 tip Additional Comments: They even do catering and can host parties at the restaurant by reservation. I really look forward to going back for more of that authentic Mexican food! Cocina is in the well-traveled Jennersville Shopping Center, the dining capital of Southern Chester County. We counted seven different dining options, including the ice cream spot and the Giant Café, which is a nice place to meet up. Anne Pounds TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com Restaurant Review
Restaurant Review for Nudy’s Café Lunch 12-17 Location: The Village at Painter’s Crossing, Rtes 202 and 1, Chadds Ford, PA Manager: Corey Thorius Telephone: 484-320-3032 Website: www.nudyscafes.com Ambiance: This former Friendly’s Restaurant is clean, sharp, and yet warm with nice lighting, roomy booths, tables for four, and a patio which will be very suitable for outdoor dining in warmer weather. Service: The service was first-class, quick and attentive, by a very smiling waitress named Judy. Experience: We had very good bowls of New England clam chowder, giant size. I added a half sandwich of chicken salad which again was quite large, served with tomato and lettuce, pickle spear and chips. The chicken salad was too bland for me, but I am the type who puts stuff like Major Grey’s chutney, curry, almonds, grapes, etc. in my chicken salad when I make it. Bland is not a word I identify with. In their defense, I noticed they have a Granny Smith apple, raisins and pecan chicken salad, which would have been more interesting to me if I could have substituted for the plainer choice—but I didn’t ask. Menu: Their menu is quite extensive and has many unique offerings for eggs Benedict varieties, such as lobster benedict, crab benedict, and eggs Florentine benedict. They also do lox and bagel with all the trimmings, always a breakfast plus for me. They make big and hearty burgers, a great variety of sandwiches, salads and wraps, and a hearty bowl of soup for $3.50. Some of the sandwiches sound really tantalizing. I did not see any mention of desserts on the menu, but sometimes it’s good to have temptation removed. Total Bill: The soup and ½ sandwich selection was $9.99; our total bill was $23.61 plus tip. Additional Comments: This can be a nice place to go, with probably no waiting line at least for now. It is a welcome addition for a good place for lunch and breakfast especially. Anne Pounds TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com   Restaurant Review for
Angelina’s Italian Grill, Concordville, PA Owner: Angela Momo Telephone: 484-800-8081 Address: 1102 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, PA 19342 (behind Fulton Bank off Rte 1 North, or off Applied Card Way, the new spur off 1 and 202 which passes through Wegman’s Shopping Center. Website: www.angelinasitaliangrill.com Ambiance: It is a cozy and warm environment, and they have improved on the lighting from the original Mile High Steak House. The night we were there, early in December, there was a “one-man band musician, Dean Garofolo, singing and playing back-up music. Although he was an enjoyable addition to the birthday party for which he was performing, it wasn’t quite appropriate to the fine dining atmosphere I craved. Service: We received perfect service from our seasoned server, Teal. She was attentive in every way, but not intrusive. Experience: We enjoyed the meal and could have been quite happy just enjoying appetizers and a small salad, which they at $7. Caesar salad is $8, Angelina Salad with feta cheese added, is $11, caprese salad $9, and Antipasto Italiano $15. It is BYOB, and there was a $5.00 corkage, as indicated on the menu. Menu: There were 9 appetizers, mostly Italian classics, with a chef’s special, which I ordered, called a “Stacked Tomato” appetizer ($10). I give it 5 stars! It was a stack of breaded and fried tomato slices with melted cheese and a luscious tomato sauce on a bed of arugua. With some jumbo lump crab and capers, it was a meal and beyond excellent, very filling. Fellow Cheap Eater Bob ordered the Italian Sausage appetizer for $9, which came in a pool of delicious marinara sauce with onions and peppers. There were nice touches on the table: delicious bread and butter, small plates of red pepper flakes and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Entrees: My Ravioli Nicola was described as a cheese-filled rav, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, in a brandy cream sauce. I could not find any lumps of crab, which disappointed me, and the raviolis were cold in the middle. But our waitress quickly remedied that and brought a whole new dish, now hot. Bob’s Ravioli Pomodoro was cheese filled ravs with fresh tomato and basil sauce, definitely a 5-star dish. I understand their pasta and sauces are all house-made, which I appreciate. Total Bill: My Ravioli Nicola was $22,00, Bob’s Ravioli Pomodoro was $17. $72.08 with $5 cockage and tax; tip added another $14.00. Total $86.08, not a cheap night, considering we bbrought our own fine bottle of red blend. We got no dessert or coffee, and we felt there should have been a small side salad included to round out the meal. Additional Comments: They were totally booked Christmas Eve, and I imagine they are also for New Year’s Eve, which is a good sign. We will see over time whether Angelina’s can break the “curse” on the difficult location of the hidden little center behind Fulton Bank off Route 1. Anne Pounds TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com Restaurant Review for Brandywine Prime Friday Night Half-Price Burger Night
Owner: Michael Majewski Telephone: 610-388-8088 Website: www.brandywineprime.com Ambiance: I am a big fan of the happy hours at Brandywine Prime partly because of the ambiance and service. The tavern/lounge is a big “comfy” room with cloth tablecloths and a variety of seating, and the bar is a good old zinc top bar which winds around the accommodating bartenders. There is a long high-top table island in the middle of the bar, with high-top tables for 2 all around the perimeter of the bar. The lounge is through French doors and open to the bar. Service: This is what separates the Prime: Their service is impeccable and caring, and they treat happy hour customers as if they were the same royalty as if I were the Queen herself. Even on this buzzy last Friday evening in December, it was jammed with happy people, and the service was customized and very quick. They brought our food as we liked it, letting us know they can give us what we want. And that burger was at half price! Experience: We intended to go to the Christmas Parade in West Chester, and we spent two hours in traffic at 5 p.m. unsuccessfully trying to locate just one parking spot. We began to think the Brandywine Prime sounded better! But we could hardly find a parking space in the lot there! The Prime is very popular, and I recommend starting as early as you can—which can be from 5 p.m. to 7, but half-price burgers are all night long. Our waitress asked how we want our burgers—a full quarter-pound prime beef on brioche roll, with jack or bleu cheese, carmelized or raw onion, the works if we want it, mushrooms if we want them. It was huge, and I couldn’t eat it all, but I enjoyed trying. We have split a burger in the past. It is kind of a knife & fork meal OR juices running down, which is another kind of happy. She asked how we wanted our beef, and it came rare, as ordered—and hot! The burger comes with a hearty serving of skin-on frites. There was a spinner with all the condiments we like, right in front of us. We had classic martinis first, with Beefeater’s gin and two olives—perfect. I got a glass of house cabernet sauvignon, and Bob got an interesting draft pint of IPA, perfectly pulled and with nice head. The drinks are not on special on Friday nights, but they were as good as always Menu: Happy Hour Specials are shown below, to make it easy for you to pick your best night. We’ve done ‘em all. By the way, the wine list is excellent, including their house wine, which changes regularly. Monday is BYOW with no corkage fee, but any other night you are free to BYOW with a $6 corkage. REVIEW OF Queen Cuisine Asian Restaurant
Old Ridge Village, Rte. 202 at Ridge Road, Chadds Ford, PA Telephone: 610-358-COOK (2665), 610-358-2488 Website: http://queencuisinechinese.com Ambiance: Pleasant and clean, but the phones are constantly ringing loudly, which was a definite disturbance to the diners' peace of mind (at least at my table, anyway). I would suggest headsets to answer while they are filling the many take-out orders and pick-ups. Service: The service was very good, timely and well performed by Emily, our wait person. Szechuan Beef was our favorite entree Experience: We were served a plate of fried noodles and a red dipping sauce. The noodles were on the stale side, and the dipping sauce was quite sweet-could have used more vinegar and complexity. This was true of all the sauces: too sweet. We had eaten there only once before and had a less-than-good experience, right after they opened. One aspect then has been corrected, in that we didn't have to stand at the counter and place our orders. This time we actually sat down and had Emily come to take the order-as it should be! But the other issue has not been resolved, and it needs to be: the meats previously and at this most recent experience have this terrible "spongey" consistency which is a real turn-off. I can only guess that the meat is soaked in a solution of meat tenderizer of some sort. I would so prefer if they could change this policy! If the meat is sliced thinly and cooked quickly, most all meat is tender when done this way! Since I cook Asian food a lot, I know this works fine. There is no need to adulterate the texture (and possibly the flavor) by tenderizing meat Since I am on a weight management plan, I ordered lettuce wraps, which were less than wonderful, because they lacked the "peanuty" flavor one usually finds, and the meat was so crumbly it kept falling out of the lettuce. Also, we ran out of lettuce. We shared crab wontons (not on my diet), which had been favorably reviewed on the web. They were good, but mostly creamed cheese and no discernible crab taste or texture. And the sauce was the same one, too sweet. Read Entire Review on Facebook By Anne Pounds at TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com
 131 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19382 610-918-1272 www.spence.cafe Andrew Patten, renowned West Chester chef and restaurant owner, has emerged again in the charming café formerly known as The Three Little Pigs near the corner of High St. and Chestnut Sts., across from the Hotel Warner. Ambiance: Warm and casually elegant, with butter-colored tablecloths, nice cutlery, terrariums decorating both the tables and the walls. Oh—and there was hot sauce on the table, but no personal pepper grinder. Just ask the wait staff. There is lots of room, and an outdoor patio for warmer weather. Service: Very good and personal. I liked that the owner, Andrew, came around to each table when he had a breather. Our coffee cups were regularly refilled, and the food was brought hot and came quickly. Experience: We were there for lunch on a weekday, and I opted for a salad of house-roasted turkey, which proved to be really flavorful with big, thick and tasty slices of it, along with dollops of goat cheese, almonds, and fresh sliced strawberries and plump blueberries. The poppy seed dressing was served on the side, and I didn’t leave a drop of it behind. Generous portion and delicious! There was no bread served, but the salad was so big, I was fine with that. Presentation was nice: the salad arrived in a huge shallow white ironstone bowl filled with spring greens and all the other goodies. Fellow Cheap Eater Bob got a “Pick Two” lunch from three selections of soups or chili, salads and ½ sandwiches. He chose a ½ sandwich and a cup of chili. The chili was a very good chicken and black bean variety, and for once Bob didn’t miss beef. The sandwich was a generous whole wheat pita with albacore tuna salad stuffed full, with lettuce. The coffee is a locally roasted coffee and was quite good—we drink it black, so good coffee is easily detected. Then I made the mistake of spotting the cookies. We each had one for the modest price of $1.00—for two! Honestly, they were ambrosial, with big chunks of white chocolate, whole macadamia nuts, and were perfectly baked—by Andrew himself. What we paid: I should mention that Spence Original Café is BYOB, but it was a working lunch for us, so we abstained. Our lunches were $12 each, coffees $4, cookies $1.00 and a fairly generous tip (for us). Total, with tip, $37.74. More than we usually pay for a lunch out, but a whole lot classier than a slice of pizza eaten on the run. The full menu for lunch and dinner will be posted on the website TheCheapEater.com (Selections/prices subject to change.) Disclaimer: The Original Spence Café is a sponsor of Welcome Neighbor’s welcome basket for new homeowners, and they provide a very generous gift certificate.  131 N. High Street 610-918-1272 Lunch Menu Soups Soup du Jour.............................................. 4 Today's Chili.............................................. 5 **Salads Served w/French or multigrain baguette Baby Kale Caesar, house made dressing, croutons and asiago cheese.............................................. 10 Fall Harvest, mixed greens, apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, gouda cheese, cider vinaigrette....................................................................... 10 The Med, mixed greens, hummus, feta cheese, cucumber, roasted peppers, blush wine vinaigrette....................................................................... 10 Spinach, Bacon, egg, grape tomatoes, bleu cheese, mushrooms, poppy seed dressing……………….10 **add to any of the above salads; Grilled chicken........................ 3 Salmon.................................. .4 Shrimp................................... 4 Roast beef and aged gouda cheese with creamed horseradish, roasted peppers on French baguette.................................................. 10 Roast Turkey and muenster cheese, cranberry herb mayo arid baby spinach on multigrain baguette....................................................................... 10 Black forest Ham and brie with creamy Dijon and baby spinach on French baguette....10 Tarragon chicken salad with toasted walnuts and red grapes with mixed greens in whole wheat pita................................................................... 10 Albacore Tuna Salad with dill pickle and sweet onion with mixed greens in whole wheat pita............................................................................. 10 *Sandwiches come with bag chips or side salad of the day. **substitute LOW CARB PROTEIN WRAP for bread choice on any sandwich......2 *Pick 2 Combo........................................................ ....12 Choice of 1/2 sandwich, cup of soup, or 1/2 salad- garden or Caesar salad 131 N. High Street 610-918-1272 Dinner Menu STARTERS Root Vegetable & Crab Soup $8 Mushroom Bisque $7 Steamed Mussels chorizo & fennel tomato broth $12 Crispy Pork Belly Napa cabbage slaw $12 Duck & Mushroom Eggroll sesame dipping sauce $10 Flatbread sweet sausage, spinach, roasted peppers, fontina cheese $12 Baked Blue Point Oysters bacon, spinach, Pernod $15 SALADS Romaine Wedge cucumber, tomato, bacon, and creamy bleu cheese dressing $10 Baby Spinach and Kale roasted butternut squash, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, cider vinaigrette $10 Dinner Menu STARTERS Root Vegetable & Crab Soup $8 Mushroom Bisque $7 Steamed Mussels chorizo & fennel tomato broth $12 Crispy Pork Belly Napa cabbage slaw $12 Duck & Mushroom Eggroll sesame dipping sauce $10 Flatbread sweet sausage, spinach, roasted peppers, fontina cheese $12 Baked Blue Point Oysters bacon, spinach, Pernod $15 SALADS Romaine Wedge cucumber, tomato, bacon, and creamy bleu cheese dressing $10 Baby Spinach and Kale roasted butternut squash, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, cider vinaigrette $10 ENTREES Almond & Three Seed Encrusted Chicken spaghetti squash, marinara, ricotta $26 Braised Short Ribs root vegetable puree, cabernet demi-glace $27 Pan Seared Striped Bass crispy sushi rice, sweet soy & ginger beurre blanc $28 Pan Seared Swordfish & Petit Crab Cake roasted potatoes, herbed tartar $32 8oz. Filet roasted potatoes, candied shallots, bleu cheese butter $35 Pan Seared Salmon Mediterranean style sautéed calamari, roasted potatoes $27 Toasted Peppercorn Grass Fed Ribeye Sheri jus, celery root gratin $32
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AuthorAnne & Bob Pounds, the owners of Welcome Neighbor, the new home owner personal visitation, community orientation service and deliverer of special housewarming gifts from sponsoring business owners, enjoy having the best eating out experiences... at the lowest prices, hence thecheapeater.com They love sharing their "finds" here and in their monthly newsletter: the Neighborly News. Enjoy! Archives
March 2018
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