Elsewhere: craftbar and Izakaya

craftbar: 900 Broadway, New York, NY

Izakaya: Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ

I fully intended to write reviews of these two places shortly after visiting them, but I’m a bad blogger, and so the details have somewhat left me, though the impressions remain.

Since becoming a fan of Colicchio because of Top Chef, I’d long wanted to try one of his restaurants (I don’t count craftwich in Vegas, which was tasty though). craft was a bit too high end for us on this trip, so we opted for craftbar, and I was very much happy with our decision: informal, but still on point with the food, the restaurant is a great option for a great meal. Our entire party enjoyed their meals — appetizers to entrees — as well as the drinks. It makes me want to try other craft options along the way, and perhaps even spring for craft at some point.

Izakaya was a no-brainer for us: Japanese after gambling? We’re in! Reviews had been somewhat mixed — from Craig Laban’s glowing review in the Inquirer to some foodies on Chowhound complaining it wasn’t a real izakaya in the Japanese tradition. I think I am somewhere in the middle. While some of the meal was outstanding, some of it was just fine — and I cannot comment on how it fits or doesn’t, though I think that’s also something of a moot point. On the suggestion of our decent though not superb server, I chose options from the robayataki menu, including wonderful bacon (natch) skewers and likely the best scallops I have ever had, accompanied by proscuitto. Rick testified that his sushi was very good. However, the whole meal felt overpriced — the overall experience didn’t wow us, and I thought it should have at that price point. A good meal, but something was lacking.

Oceanaire No More

Via Foobooz, I come to find out that the Philly Oceanaire has closed. Thanks to them, I also find that the Cincy outpost has closed as well. Not pertinent? Well, it is: that’s the only Oceanaire I visited and, of course, neglected to review. If the Philly version was anything like the Cincy one, I can sort of understand the closing. My experience at the Cincy one was decidedly unremarkable: the food was fine as was the service, but at the prices they were charging, it should have been a bit more than fine. The Cincy version had a decent enough atmosphere, though, again, not quite matching the prices they were charging. I think in these times, people are quite a bit more discerning with their dining dollar: less inclined to give something relatively expensive a second try when they were wowed (like me) or just not inclined in general to go to that price point with a chain restaurant with so many local joints serving quality food at good prices.

Craft Ale House

708 W. Ridge Pike, Royersford, PA

http://www.craftalehouse.com/

So, thanks to a commenter, I was finally compelled to make the journey down Ridge Pike to this place, once a deli, next to a garden store, and near the Limerick airport.

I think part of my lack of motivation for coming here was this location, as well as there not being a menu on their website; I like to know what I’m getting myself into (and for being open now six months, this omission seems a bit egregious).

We arrived and the place was packed, which is always a good sign. We were told the wait would be a half-hour, so we cooled our jets in the comfortable waiting area and in 25 minutes we were seated. We had initially thought of going here to watch the Phillies over dinner, but the bar area contains the only TV, and there was no room at the bar. Though disappointed, I came to realize that I agree that they’re not going for the sports bar feel — all dark wood with beige walls, the decor is tasteful, simple, and befitting the kind of gastropub feel they are going for. The noise level was surprisingly tolerable given all the people and all the wood. It was a nice space, and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that the outdoor patio didn’t seem to be open for seating.

While waiting, we had decided on our first brews: I ordered the Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Ale, while Rick had an Appalachian Porter. I loved mine with all of its fruity Belgian-ness, while Rick wasn’t quite so down with the hoppiness of his.

We weren’t quite in the mood for full-fledged entrees: they were diverse and interesting enough — a hanger steak here, a chicken breast there — but we just weren’t all that hungry. We also didn’t go for a shared appetizer, though there was a nice smattering of familiar favorites (fries, wings (I think), etc.) and other items of note (including an artisanal cheese plate). Finally, though I’m not a fan, I’m also pleased to see mussels featured, a nod to the Belgian pub tradition, and a good one.

Instead, we each got soup and a pub fare option: Rick had the soup of the day (a spinach and horseradish puree that was so-so — it needed more seasoning) and the burger, while I had the sweet onion soup and the fish and chips. My soup was delicious — a pureed soup with some crispy onions on top. It was smooth, creamy, and nicely seasoned.

Before our entrees arrived, we re-hydrated: Rick with a Boulder Single Track Copper Ale (which was just fine — a little better than the first), while I had a Southern Tier Hop Sun Summer Wheat, which was quite tasty. In good time, our entrees arrived. Rick bit into his burger and found the medium to be much more like well, with no pink to be found. I flagrantly disobeyed his request and pointed it out to our server because I think it’s important that restaurants know when they’re doing things well and when they’re not. She responded well, and offered us a free beer or dessert. We demurred so we could get back to our food. Rick’s burger was literally and figuratively well done, and my fish and chips were very good: we overheard a co-owner commenting to another table that they don’t even have their freezer plugged in, and that was obviously the case with my meal. The fish was lightly breaded yet still nicely crispy — obviously freshly done in house. Likewise, the fries were wonderfully seasoned and freshly cooked.

Since we didn’t go for another beer or another dessert, our server (who was always attentive and pleasant) comped a beer, which was a nice gesture. Without the discount, the bill came to $50, which is very reasonable. Before leaving, we picked up a mixed 6-pack of great beers, including the Allagash White I fell in love with at the Next Door Bar, which is another great feature of this place.

So, all in all, I’m very pleased with what we have just down the road. The menu is slightly limited, but smartly so, and I look forward to them developing it a bit, especially since the chef is obviously talented. I think another thing they could do is establish more beer pairings and be a bit more intentional about the connections between the food and the beer. That’s quibbling though — good stuff, and I am looking forward to going back.

Fenix

193 Bridge St., Phoenixville, PA

http://www.thefenixbar.com/

Before heading to Majolica a while back, we popped into Fenix for a drink to see what it was like. The place feels like it wants to: something like an ultralounge, where there’s good music and sleek surroundings. The wall of mirrors can be a disconcerting for one who doesn’t like to look at themselves, but the seating is ample and comfortable.

I took advantage of the nice happy hour they have Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and had a couple of $6 specialty martinis. I opted first for the regularly $9 Charger, composed of Belvedere Orange vodka, blue curacao, pineapple and Red Bull. It certainly did provide a charge, with great fruity flavors mixed well, and I always love to have my depressants mixed with stimulants (my favorite airplane drink is Bailey’s and coffee; my favorite casino drink is rum or Jack and diet Coke). My second drink was a take on a refreshing classic — an Arnold Palmer-tini, made with Sweet Tea vodka, citron vodka, and lemonade. Again, it was mixed well and was a fun drink on a summery night.

The service was strong but unobtrusive, and we all enjoyed our drinks. I’m not all that interested in the tapas side of things (I’m sure they’re good, but tapas just aren’t my thing, unless it’s Amada), but The Fenix is a great addition to the more beer-oriented hotspots in Phoenixville.

Updates

It’s been a while, but I have been eating and reading.

• We made it back to Yoshi for some take out sushi, and it went well. They have put in a portable air conditioner, so I feel a little more comfortable, and they gave me a taste of green tea froyo that was very tasty. Service is still awfully friendly, and the sushi is still good.
• An addition was made to the hall of dishes after our trip last weekend to NYC: a killer bagel with a deadly shmear. Thank God I brought back some for home use, even though my floss is getting a workout.
• I have some additions to the Wish List: Craft Ale House (thanks to a commenter) up the road in Limerick that has a serious beer list (but no menu…what’s up with that?) and Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co., which Phoodie.info gave a glowing review (no douchebags and a crazy attractive take on the Pimm’s Cup? So there).
• We’re still waiting on Jannie’s in Royersford.
• I hope to get some more reviews up soon — one for craftbar in NYC and for Classic Diner in Exton.

Next Door Bar

126 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, PA

http://www.teresas-cafe.com/

We had some time to kill before catching a train into the city, so we decided to get a quick drink and nosh beforehand. Seeing as how there is nothing within walking distance to my usual R5 stops, we journeyed to Wayne, where I knew there had to be something. Walking from the train station, I remembered hearing about the bifurcated Teresa’s Cafe/Next Door Bar and thought that might be a good option.

We sat at the end of the bar, which wasn’t exactly the most desirable place, as it was where servers congregated waiting for drink orders and also where dirty glasses were deposited for the bartenders to wash; I would think there would be a better system for that, but if that’s my only complaint, then you know it was a good experience.

And it was. We didn’t have all that much time before our train left, so we ended up going small — a couple of salads and a shared cheese plate. To start though, we each chose a beer, and I chose the wonderful Allagash White, which is my new favorite beer: a classic Belgian from the fruity, wheaty side of the family (see Delerium Tremems, Golden Monkey, et al.), it wasn’t quite as misstep-inducing as its brethren, which was exactly what I wanted. I can’t remember what Rick ended up having, because I was so obsessed with the Allagash.

Our salads were quite good, save for perhaps being a bit overdressed and undertossed: I chose the nuts and berries (spinach, bleu, walnuts, currants) while Rick chose the three bean (fava, English peas, and haricots verts) and radish. They were both tasty and hit the spot. We then shared a generous serving of Humboldt Fog with an assortment of bread and some seriously good balsamic strawberries.

As I said in my previous posts, I would kill for a place like this around us: a relatively affordable gastropub that served great beers and great food — someplace that had a good vibe where you could go for a good meal or just a beer. Please. Do this, someone.

Turning Japanese

I really think so.

In a recent post, I noted how the addition of Yoshi brings to three the number of sushi-offering restaurants in our area. I also should note that with Wegman’s coming in October (were I in possession of the actual opening date I would literally be counting the days), there’ll be four sushi offerers within five minutes.

I needn’t wait: according to Michael Klein, Jannie will be opening at the Target plaza in Royersford in the coming weeks. With outposts in NE Philly and Warrington, Jannie is apparently a Chinese/Japanese place, with equal emphases on both cuisines (Menupages menu).

This is just odd to me. We’re big sushi fans and also enjoy the other Asian offerings, but is there really a need in this area for Japanese/Korean (Bonjung), fast Japanese (Yoshi), Chinese/Japanese (Jasmine), and another Chinese/Japanese? This does not include a Thai place and an authentic Szechuan place another five minutes up from Jannie. It’s not that I’m really complaining, but, as I’ll note soon enough in an upcoming review, I’d love to have a strong gastropub or a good authentic or even decent Mexican place, among other options. Apparently though, we just really need another Asian place.

Or we’ll see.

Yoshi Sushi and Yogurt

Collegeville Shopping Center, Collegeville, PA

As Rick noted when we were at Yoshi, we now have three places that serve sushi within about five minutes of our house. This is what happens when you live in a resort community.

Seriously though, how did this happen? Bonjung is a great standby (whose bento box lunch I had just t’other day and was reassured of its value and taste) and Jasmine also serves sushi (though we haven’t tried it). Now there’s Yoshi.

Which is a completely different kind of restaurant. With only a few small tables and a bar, it’s tiny; it’s obviously intended to be much more of a casual takeout place. And, I can see that — as long as they get their act together.

We walked in on what I believe was their first day, and were greeted warmly. As with many just opened counter service places, it wasn’t exactly clear where a line formed or where to order (despite there actually being a side; see Barrister’s Bagels for the same problem which has been slightly resolved). Once we finally came up with selections from the printed menu, the menu on the wall and the menu on the wall with pictures, we were told it was going to be a while — 15 minutes.

Not that big of a deal for us (we could do our Mother’s Day card shopping), but that’s not really going to work if you’re going to do takeout — unless you call ahead (which we’ll likely do in the future).

When we got back from Hallmark, we arrived to find a table waiting for us with complimentary soups and the first of our rolls. Nicely done. Our other rolls soon followed: we ordered a spider, Philly, California, and Alaska (salmon, avocado, cucumber) roll. To be honest, the spider and Alaska rolls where both overpowered by the accompanying sauce; the California roll is by definition pedestrian — strangely, the Philly roll was our favorite. The miso soup was just fine. Our salads were relatively standard in terms of ingredients — lettuce, cabbage, carrots, ginger dressing — but they were enormous and very fresh, if not a bit overdressed.

The prices were reasonable and the service a bit unpolished but awfully friendly. I don’t know if we can support three sushi places, but I hope Yoshi does well.

PS: you’ll note no mention of the yogurt: I don’t mention it because I didn’t see it on the menu nor anywhere else in the menu. Future expansion?

PPS (7/1/09): Check out my updates for another recent visit to Yoshi.

Deeg’s Place (Evansburg Country Kitchen)

3839 Germantown Pike, Evansburg, PA 19426

In our neverending quest to find a good place for breakfast on the weekend, we finally were able to go here. I say finally, because we had had two aborted attempts to eat breakfast when there was not a free space in the parking lot.

This, to us, boded well.

Not so much.

The atmosphere is basic — nothing horrible, but nothing attractive; the TV blaring Saturday morning cartoons is a nice touch, if you like that sort of thing — the busgirl seemed to while I waited for coffee. Otherwise, the service was fine — generally attentive, and our orders were correct.

Rick had scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, and potatoes, which were strangely sweet; I think we finally agreed that they had drenched the poor things in Old Bay, which didn’t really result in anything I’d want to have again. I had the two-two-two, which were two decent but strangely glossy pancakes, two scrambled eggs, one piece of nice sausage, and two strips of bacon that were burnt and would have still tasted strange were they cooked properly. Deeg’s is apparently not so good with math, and only barely better with cooking: apparently I’m missing something because that full parking lot we encountered on previous occasions means someone thinks Deeg’s is something special, even if I don’t agree.

Majolica (Once More)

As noted in a recent post, Majolica closed and then re-opened with a new concept–slightly more casual, slightly less expensive, but still featuring quality, local, seasonal ingredients and a certain French flair. We decided to support the return/re-birth and went with friend Sara to celebrate her birthday. It was a Wednesday night, so the place was relatively empty, but did business did pick up as the night went on, thankfully.

To start, Sara had the beet salad, Rick a few oysters, and I had the soup, which that night was a cream of cauliflower; we all enjoyed our dishes quite a bit. Indeed, I was slightly overjoyed by mine — creamy without being heavy, certainly filled with cauliflower goodness, but with nice spices to complement but not overpower the vegetable. I also ordered a side of frites for the table, because, well, one must, really. They were delicious and took me back to my summer in Belgium; ok, not really, but they were very good — crispy enough, but plenty of potato taste and not greasy.

For the entree, Sara had the sweet potato agnolotti (little ravioli) with black trumpet mushrooms and sage; surprised at first that the sweet potato was the filling not the main ingredient of the pasta itself, she was still very pleased with the dish. I had a bite and also found it tasty. Rick had the Atlantic Skatewing with peas and bacon and devoured it; it’s a darn ugly creature, but darn tasty here. After much deliberation, I decided on the milk-fed pork, and was very glad I did. Wonderfully cooked, the meat was tender and flavorful; all pigs should be fed milk…or something.

For dessert, Sara got the pecan shortbread with lemon curd because one cannot pass up curd, and I got the doughnuts for the same reason. The doughnuts were, like the frites, well-executed and little pillows of heaven and hell.

I don’t remember what the bill was, but it was perfectly reasonable. They also have a three-course prix fixe for $25 which is a bargain, I’d say. $60 for dinner for two including tip if you bring your own wine? Bargain.

So, it’s nice to have Majolica back, even if they weren’t gone very long. I look forward to returning much more often than we did in the past.