Restaurant Review: Mercato
Location: 1216 Spruce Street, Center City Philadelphia, PA Partners: George and Valerie Anni
Telephone: 215-985-BYOB (2962)
Website: mercatobyob.com
Ambiance: Close, small, tightly spaced tables for about 40 in a corner property at Spruce and Camac Streets, between 12th and 13th Sts. In Philadelphia. The exterior is hardly noticeable, so we walked right past it, but there are tables with well-attended outside dining. We sat in front of a window and watched the happy revelers enjoying St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Inside, it was bright and cheerful and clean with an informal but caring atmosphere.
Service: The wait staff were informally dressed, friendly and very attentive. Food arrived fast and was well presented. The appetizer I ordered was preceded with a large stainless bowl, and I had to ask what it was for, since I hadn’t ordered mussels.
Experience: I ordered as an appetizer the grilled artichokes, imagining a plate of deep fried artichoke hearts, which I had enjoyed and never forgotten at a little place in New Hope called Amelia’s (also highly recommended and much like Mercato). What arrived were two large whole artichokes and a side of melted butter with lemon. I had never eaten or cooked a whole artichoke, and when I got my courage to ask about the big bowl, the server told me it was for “the leaves.” Then I remembered that you pull the leaves through your teeth after dipping a leaf in butter. It definitely was slow food! Enjoyable, and it took me a long time to get through those leaves! We had forgotten to bring the special wine I had planned, so we were stuck with “still” water. The experience was a night designated as a mental health break to do something different, and we had tickets to hear Emanual Ax play a Mozart piano concerto at the newly named Marian Anderson Hall, aka The Kimmel Center. Bob ordered a large meatball in red gravy for his appetizer, satisfying for him and not unique enough for me. He ordered a Caesar salad, beautifully presented; and I ordered the wild mushroom risotto. Mine was sublime! It was an “I-don’t-care-if-I-ever-eat-anything-else-again” meal, as luscious as it gets, and while it was listed as an appetizer, it was generous, rich and all I needed after the artichoke—at $11 for the risotto! We attacked a tiramisu dessert together like we were piranha fish.
Menu: the menu is fairly small but full of so many wonderful choices it was difficult to decide.
Total Bill: Because we did not order entrees, our total bill was only $63.00, with tip, as I remember! Since there is now a surcharge of 3.25% for using a credit card, we paid cash. And no bar bill sure helped!
Additional Comments: Mercato sure qualified as a place for cheap eaters, and I now want to go back. On the downside, we parked in a nearby parking garage for $25 for the night, rather than cruising around looking for a parking spot that might not last for our whole evening. On the upside, we sat next to an Asian man and his wife at Mercato and got in a conversation when they admired our dishes and then ordered the same dishes. They are both doctors at Penn. They seemed possibly a little older than us, but they asked why we weren’t retired😊. Later we exchanged cards and sent some emails back and forth. I invited them to come see us if they wandered out of the city to go to the Brandywine River Museum.
That night we had such an abundance of time (and money) before the orchestra began that we walked the two blocks to the corner of Spruce and Broad to find the Loch Bar, where we wandered in to find seats right in front of the raw bar, and we ordered old-fashioneds with bourbon. On Bob’s right was a young woman eating a dish of shrimp, and on my left was a well-polished man drinking a dry martini. Bob talked to his friend and found she was an adopted child from Ukraine who was now a center city lawyer, so they began exchanging lawyer jokes. David on my left and I discussed the evening’s program and the best English gins. When we were ready to leave, Bob’s friend said, “Allow me to buy your drinks,” and we accepted his gracious offer. Everyone we met that night was going to the same concert as we were. We felt so sophisticated and part of the city vibe for an evening. The conversations took us way beyond just enjoying the food and drink and music. We even made friends
Location: 1216 Spruce Street, Center City Philadelphia, PA Partners: George and Valerie Anni
Telephone: 215-985-BYOB (2962)
Website: mercatobyob.com
Ambiance: Close, small, tightly spaced tables for about 40 in a corner property at Spruce and Camac Streets, between 12th and 13th Sts. In Philadelphia. The exterior is hardly noticeable, so we walked right past it, but there are tables with well-attended outside dining. We sat in front of a window and watched the happy revelers enjoying St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Inside, it was bright and cheerful and clean with an informal but caring atmosphere.
Service: The wait staff were informally dressed, friendly and very attentive. Food arrived fast and was well presented. The appetizer I ordered was preceded with a large stainless bowl, and I had to ask what it was for, since I hadn’t ordered mussels.
Experience: I ordered as an appetizer the grilled artichokes, imagining a plate of deep fried artichoke hearts, which I had enjoyed and never forgotten at a little place in New Hope called Amelia’s (also highly recommended and much like Mercato). What arrived were two large whole artichokes and a side of melted butter with lemon. I had never eaten or cooked a whole artichoke, and when I got my courage to ask about the big bowl, the server told me it was for “the leaves.” Then I remembered that you pull the leaves through your teeth after dipping a leaf in butter. It definitely was slow food! Enjoyable, and it took me a long time to get through those leaves! We had forgotten to bring the special wine I had planned, so we were stuck with “still” water. The experience was a night designated as a mental health break to do something different, and we had tickets to hear Emanual Ax play a Mozart piano concerto at the newly named Marian Anderson Hall, aka The Kimmel Center. Bob ordered a large meatball in red gravy for his appetizer, satisfying for him and not unique enough for me. He ordered a Caesar salad, beautifully presented; and I ordered the wild mushroom risotto. Mine was sublime! It was an “I-don’t-care-if-I-ever-eat-anything-else-again” meal, as luscious as it gets, and while it was listed as an appetizer, it was generous, rich and all I needed after the artichoke—at $11 for the risotto! We attacked a tiramisu dessert together like we were piranha fish.
Menu: the menu is fairly small but full of so many wonderful choices it was difficult to decide.
Total Bill: Because we did not order entrees, our total bill was only $63.00, with tip, as I remember! Since there is now a surcharge of 3.25% for using a credit card, we paid cash. And no bar bill sure helped!
Additional Comments: Mercato sure qualified as a place for cheap eaters, and I now want to go back. On the downside, we parked in a nearby parking garage for $25 for the night, rather than cruising around looking for a parking spot that might not last for our whole evening. On the upside, we sat next to an Asian man and his wife at Mercato and got in a conversation when they admired our dishes and then ordered the same dishes. They are both doctors at Penn. They seemed possibly a little older than us, but they asked why we weren’t retired😊. Later we exchanged cards and sent some emails back and forth. I invited them to come see us if they wandered out of the city to go to the Brandywine River Museum.
That night we had such an abundance of time (and money) before the orchestra began that we walked the two blocks to the corner of Spruce and Broad to find the Loch Bar, where we wandered in to find seats right in front of the raw bar, and we ordered old-fashioneds with bourbon. On Bob’s right was a young woman eating a dish of shrimp, and on my left was a well-polished man drinking a dry martini. Bob talked to his friend and found she was an adopted child from Ukraine who was now a center city lawyer, so they began exchanging lawyer jokes. David on my left and I discussed the evening’s program and the best English gins. When we were ready to leave, Bob’s friend said, “Allow me to buy your drinks,” and we accepted his gracious offer. Everyone we met that night was going to the same concert as we were. We felt so sophisticated and part of the city vibe for an evening. The conversations took us way beyond just enjoying the food and drink and music. We even made friends
Restaurant Review: Avenue Kitchen Brunch, 3-28-24
Location: Glen Eagle Square, 509 Wilmington-West Chester Pike,Glen Mills, PA 19342
Owner: Dana Farrell, who has been building and running top-brand restaurants for 30 years
Telephone 484-800-8070, reservations never hurt
Website: avenuekitchen.com, email avenuekitchenbar@gmail.com
Ambiance: Modern, sparkly, clean and elegant. There are booths, tables, and a beautiful bar that seats 11 easily. I saw many diners enjoying interesting cocktails at brunch and lunch, which separates Avenue from many breakfast/lunch venues. The restaurant was almost full on a Thursday around noon.
Service: Fast and efficient, even though there was a table of 11 women who had just asked for separate check AFTER eating their meal!
Experience: My willing dining partner Bob agreed to split several dishes so we could experience more tastes. I had learned from Dana, proprietor, that every sauce and every dish is home made from scratch, so we had anticipation. The hollandaise on Eggs Benedict (there are six varieties to choose from, including vegetarian, short rib, and crab) was lush, and the home fries were perfectly sauteed. The second dish, brioche caramel-apple French toast with stuffed with vanilla bean cream cheese and sliced apples on top was simply delicious. Fresh-squeezed orange juice was also shared, as was the La Colombe coffee. (How do think we qualify as cheap eaters, very important to us who like to dine out often?)
Menu: Brunch offers a big variety of Benedicts, custom omelettes that include home fries and toast, breakfast sandwiches, Lox and bagels, latkes, short rib hash, and avocado toast. The pancake and waffle offerings are decadent, even including fried chicken and waffles. Warning: the candied bacon and scones and biscuits are addictive. On a previous visit I was taken with the candied bacon and can’t get my mind off it!
Lunch diners will find a Million-Dollar burger with that candied bacon added to all the other fixings, fish/shrimp/short rib tacos, grilled cheese and short rib sandwiches on grilled sourdough, six different varieties of pizzas (including vegetarian and gluten-free, and unique and thoughtfully designed salads, to which you can add protein for a complete meal. Don’t miss the truffle fries, either.
Total Bill: About $45 with generous tip. As many restaurants now seem to be doing, there was a 3.5 percent charge for using a credit or debit card, so we paid cash. It’s not the cheapest place to be found, but what is these days? Top quality takes the sting out!
Additional Comments: If you go for dinner, it is served only on Friday and Saturdays from 4-8 pm., Happy Hour 4-8 on the same evenings.
Anne Pounds
TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com
Location: Glen Eagle Square, 509 Wilmington-West Chester Pike,Glen Mills, PA 19342
Owner: Dana Farrell, who has been building and running top-brand restaurants for 30 years
Telephone 484-800-8070, reservations never hurt
Website: avenuekitchen.com, email avenuekitchenbar@gmail.com
Ambiance: Modern, sparkly, clean and elegant. There are booths, tables, and a beautiful bar that seats 11 easily. I saw many diners enjoying interesting cocktails at brunch and lunch, which separates Avenue from many breakfast/lunch venues. The restaurant was almost full on a Thursday around noon.
Service: Fast and efficient, even though there was a table of 11 women who had just asked for separate check AFTER eating their meal!
Experience: My willing dining partner Bob agreed to split several dishes so we could experience more tastes. I had learned from Dana, proprietor, that every sauce and every dish is home made from scratch, so we had anticipation. The hollandaise on Eggs Benedict (there are six varieties to choose from, including vegetarian, short rib, and crab) was lush, and the home fries were perfectly sauteed. The second dish, brioche caramel-apple French toast with stuffed with vanilla bean cream cheese and sliced apples on top was simply delicious. Fresh-squeezed orange juice was also shared, as was the La Colombe coffee. (How do think we qualify as cheap eaters, very important to us who like to dine out often?)
Menu: Brunch offers a big variety of Benedicts, custom omelettes that include home fries and toast, breakfast sandwiches, Lox and bagels, latkes, short rib hash, and avocado toast. The pancake and waffle offerings are decadent, even including fried chicken and waffles. Warning: the candied bacon and scones and biscuits are addictive. On a previous visit I was taken with the candied bacon and can’t get my mind off it!
Lunch diners will find a Million-Dollar burger with that candied bacon added to all the other fixings, fish/shrimp/short rib tacos, grilled cheese and short rib sandwiches on grilled sourdough, six different varieties of pizzas (including vegetarian and gluten-free, and unique and thoughtfully designed salads, to which you can add protein for a complete meal. Don’t miss the truffle fries, either.
Total Bill: About $45 with generous tip. As many restaurants now seem to be doing, there was a 3.5 percent charge for using a credit or debit card, so we paid cash. It’s not the cheapest place to be found, but what is these days? Top quality takes the sting out!
Additional Comments: If you go for dinner, it is served only on Friday and Saturdays from 4-8 pm., Happy Hour 4-8 on the same evenings.
Anne Pounds
TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com
Restaurant Review
Location: Jennersville Shopping Center, 49 Jenners Village, West Grove, PA 19390
Owner: Chef Mike Stiglitz and partners
Telephone: 610-345-5689
Website: Two Stones Pub
Ambiance: Friendly, with a long bar stretching in front of diners on entry, with high-top tables, booths and bar seats on the right, and some cozy nook seating on the left. It was crowded in mid-afternoon Sunday.
Service: We were seated right away and brought menus and water. We asked questions about the beers so we could find our favorite IPA’s. I like cloudy and citrusy; he likes his more hoppy. The server brought us teeny-tiny samples to find what we liked, very nice (but small). We both found good beers we liked, at reasonable prices of $6 and $8.00.
Experience: Since it was mid-afternoon, we were going to eat light. My fellow diner Bob ordered loaded potato soup, which was hearty and delicious at $6.95. We shared the brussels sprouts with siracha aoli, and in fairness to the $13.95 price, it was a nice serving for 2. I ordered the Kennett Square mussels at $14.95, which were described as having shitake, cremini and oyster mushrooms with onion and fresh herbs in a Madiera cream. Yum! However, the mussels were just barely cooked and kind of stringy and unappetizing, so I could not finish them. And quite honestly, the Madeira cream was more like thin milk with no real Madeira flavor. I was disappointed, as I am a mussels lover and often make Vietnamese mussels with kefir lime leaf, cilantro, and Thai basil in a cream sauce instead of the traditional red or white wine and garlic. On a high note, the bread served with both the soup and the mussels is outstanding!
Menu: It is a gastropub menu that I know the owners are highly committed to making unique, and it does have many unique offerings. Any menu that features pork belly rings my bell as a make of my own pork belly bacon. And there are Asian flavorings and traditional and vegetarian dishes and great salads. As a cheap eater, though, I can’t warm up to a salad priced at $15.95, not matter how many cranberries and pumpkins seeds and red onion are in it. Know what I mean? On a good note, the entrees are complete meals, which gets high marks with me. I saw another restaurant’s menu recently that charged $7.95 for a side of “biscuits.” Help!
Total Bill: $52.00, with tip $62.00. I wouldn’t say the snacks qualified for a top Cheap Eater spot, but I think we will go back again, being the gluttons for punishment and good food (and good beer) that we are.
Additional Comments: Gastropubs sometimes go over the top in comfort food, meaning “come here and overeat,” which is not what us Americans need more of. So they do a good job of keeping balance in the menu.
Anne Pounds
TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com
Location: Jennersville Shopping Center, 49 Jenners Village, West Grove, PA 19390
Owner: Chef Mike Stiglitz and partners
Telephone: 610-345-5689
Website: Two Stones Pub
Ambiance: Friendly, with a long bar stretching in front of diners on entry, with high-top tables, booths and bar seats on the right, and some cozy nook seating on the left. It was crowded in mid-afternoon Sunday.
Service: We were seated right away and brought menus and water. We asked questions about the beers so we could find our favorite IPA’s. I like cloudy and citrusy; he likes his more hoppy. The server brought us teeny-tiny samples to find what we liked, very nice (but small). We both found good beers we liked, at reasonable prices of $6 and $8.00.
Experience: Since it was mid-afternoon, we were going to eat light. My fellow diner Bob ordered loaded potato soup, which was hearty and delicious at $6.95. We shared the brussels sprouts with siracha aoli, and in fairness to the $13.95 price, it was a nice serving for 2. I ordered the Kennett Square mussels at $14.95, which were described as having shitake, cremini and oyster mushrooms with onion and fresh herbs in a Madiera cream. Yum! However, the mussels were just barely cooked and kind of stringy and unappetizing, so I could not finish them. And quite honestly, the Madeira cream was more like thin milk with no real Madeira flavor. I was disappointed, as I am a mussels lover and often make Vietnamese mussels with kefir lime leaf, cilantro, and Thai basil in a cream sauce instead of the traditional red or white wine and garlic. On a high note, the bread served with both the soup and the mussels is outstanding!
Menu: It is a gastropub menu that I know the owners are highly committed to making unique, and it does have many unique offerings. Any menu that features pork belly rings my bell as a make of my own pork belly bacon. And there are Asian flavorings and traditional and vegetarian dishes and great salads. As a cheap eater, though, I can’t warm up to a salad priced at $15.95, not matter how many cranberries and pumpkins seeds and red onion are in it. Know what I mean? On a good note, the entrees are complete meals, which gets high marks with me. I saw another restaurant’s menu recently that charged $7.95 for a side of “biscuits.” Help!
Total Bill: $52.00, with tip $62.00. I wouldn’t say the snacks qualified for a top Cheap Eater spot, but I think we will go back again, being the gluttons for punishment and good food (and good beer) that we are.
Additional Comments: Gastropubs sometimes go over the top in comfort food, meaning “come here and overeat,” which is not what us Americans need more of. So they do a good job of keeping balance in the menu.
Anne Pounds
TheCheapEater.com, an affiliate of WelcomeNeighborPA.com