The Pub

Wegmans, Collegeville, PA

http://collegeville.wegmans.com/

It was almost too much to bear: the new Wegmans was opening and I just knew it was going to be overrun on opening day. So we waited until day two to go. Patience, personified.

We approached the host at The Pub and were told it would be about 15 minutes (that estimate would be an hour by the time we left the store), so we perused the nearby 6-pack beer selection (which has been controversial): we are now free from the beer distributors who force me to buy a case. Freedom!

In about five minutes, our buzzer sounded, and we were seated at a two-top near the railing that separates the pub from the seating area for the rest of the market cafe area thingy. The Pub is not large by any stretch, but has a decent-sized bar and perhaps 15 tables. It was of course packed, and so the volume was pretty high, but we could still hear each other.

The menu is interesting: it doesn’t purport to be Irish in any way, which I sort of appreciated, compared to faux places that just put out crap food. It is also surprisingly healthy, with sides being not fries or other starches, but the daily vegetable, which turned out today to be green beans. Further, the portions all appeared to be sensible and befitting the price. Adding to the health factor: the menu details each dish’s calorie count. It’s a bit more difficult ordering that cheeseburger when you know it’s going to cost you 900 calories.

So, I opted for the salad and the fig, gorgonzola, and prosciutto naan pizza, while Rick chose three oysters and the Vietnamese black tiger shrimp with bouillabaisse sauce. A note here: I am pretty darn sure that these relatively simple dishes on the menu can be relatively easily recreated at home; for example, all of the sauces served with the entrees can be purchased in the deli section. It’s a nice tie-in, and also a nice way to try things out before taking them home.

My salad was average (nothing spectacular but perfectly serviceable), as were Rick’s oysters. He enjoyed his shrimp more, and I really dug my pizza. It was something of a gloopy mess to look at, but managed to hang together pretty well. There was a lot of flavor going on with the pungent gorgonzola sort of dominating, but the figs held up their end with a nice sweetness, and the prosciutto was nice and crispy and salty. A good little pizza that. Accompanying our dinner was a pint of Yards, and really that can’t be bad.

Service was a bit spotty, but that’s to be expected as it was just their second day. However, considering that there is no tipping, it didn’t matter all that much and good for just getting a wage and nothing else.

Is this a destination? Probably not. Could it be a reliable place to get a beer and some grub before getting victuals for the week? Definitely.