Dinner: Like Stepping Into a Julie and Julia Scene

Thanks to yet another awesome restaurant.com coupon, I found this little gem called Spring Mill Cafe, in the middle of nowhere Conshohoken PA. I have heard nothing but great things about this place and was very excited to see what all the fuss was all about.

Buddy and I pulled up to this... in fact we drove right past it the first time and we had to turn around to search for the place. The resturant was composed of 2 areas, the main dining was in the actual house while the alternative dining was in the barn.... note to all those girls who want to looks sexy for your date, heels + gravel= walking like you are in Michael Jackson's Thriller video

Walking in was like stepping into a French country side home, with knick knacks, old cook books and pictures decorating this vintage house.

Get news... this place was BYOB! Buddy grabbed a bottle of Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvingnon before we left. I adore red wine, I'm not a wine expert but my favorite type of red are Cabernet and Pinot Noir. 

Complimentary Bread Basket

Buddy and I were STARVING and as soon as this hit the table we both reached in eagerly only to be scolded by the piping hot rolls. Not the most impressive bread basket out there, but it certainly fended off hunger with a healthy slather of butter. The standard dinner roll.

Price: Free

Escargots de Bourgogn

These were snails served on top of a broiche with garlic pesto butter. Petite, a perfect sized appetizer for 2. There were 7 snails and so far the best I have had yet. They were plump, tender, and perfectly cooked. Oh and the garlic pesto butter.... it took all my might not to lick the plate clean. This butter was not for garlic lovers, but garlic obsessed freaks ( like me). The broiche was forgettable, almost a giant slale crouton, or better yet, a platform for the snails to show off on.

Price: $12.00

We were seated next to this...

Buddy and I played around with it for a bit while we waited for out food. I first thought it was a lasagna or some other sort of pasta crimper. We decided to ask the waiter and he informed us that it was a vintage kerosene oil pump and has been in that exact spot since 1910! The house served as a general store back in the day and this is where people used to get oil to fuel their lanterns etc. Learn something new everyday!

Lapin à la Moutarde

Buddy ordered this, it was braised rabbit legs in a mustard cream with leeks, onions, potatoes and egg noodles. My general rule of thumb is that I don't eat any animal what is "cute". So therefore I have never had rabbit. Well I guess it was time to break that rule since it did look quite appetizing.  I took a bite...

" Your just ate a little bunny!!" Buddy taunted at me.  What an asshole. Images of little bunnies hopping around, their cute little nose sniffing at stuff instantly flashed in my mind. I swallowed. Well... I know this sounds clique, but it did taste like chicken. It had stringier meat fibers, a more sour flavor (possibly from the mustard seeds) but overall like chicken. It was moist, and the mustard cream went beautifully with it.

Price: $28.00

La Bouillabaisse de Marseille

I ordered this one. It was with mussels, clams, sea scallops, and monkfish in a tomato saffron broth. This was a pretty big disappointment. The broth was very watered down, and none of the flavors seemed to penetrate any of the seafood. I had to actually use (gasp!) salt. The mussels and clams were also very small, the fish and scallops, overly cooked and almost rubbery. Worth the price? No.

Price: $31.00

Verdict: The charm of this place is its driving force. Insanely romantic, you will be pooping out rose petals later in the night. Though my entrée was a disappointing, the appetizer and rabbit dish were fantastic, filling and made with care.  If you live in PA, it is worth the trip to take a break from all those strip malls and chain restaurants . Having a meal here is like taking a trip to the French countryside. Be forewarned that there is limited seating (40 people max) so it is best to make a reservation.

Spring Mill Cafe

180 Barren Hill Road, 
Conshohocken, PA 19428

www.springmill.com

Dinner: Avalon Restaurant

 Within the chain resturant infested areas of PA, I am always looking for my next  "must go" spot that has an actual chef. Resturant.com led me to Avalon, a BYOB in West Chester. Looking at the menu online, it was reminiscent of Otto (one of my favorites in New York) so I had to check it out...and whenever the boyfriend is paying you take advantage ;)

The Outside

Inside

Live Acoustic

Complimentary Summer Ale

This was accompanied with a complimentary cheese. They do this every Friday and varies each time.

Taste:  This had a very distinct flavor, it reminded me the Victory Helios Ale. It had lemony and peppery after tones.

Price: Free

Complimentary Ricotta with Lemon Peach

Taste:This was a lemon ricotta with diced peaches and basil. This was a very refreshing little appetizer. I really enjoyed the freshness of the basil contrasting with the milkiness of the ricotta. The peach was a nice touch without being overly sweet

Texture: Smooth and velvety, the peaches had a sort of gelatinous texture to them

Price: Free

Grilled Vegetable Platter

Taste:This was with eggplant, zucchini, and onions drizzled with a sweet balsamic reduction on a bed of mesclun leaves. It came with a side of bread smeared with ricotta. Wow, these were soo yummy! Each individual veggie's natural flavors were the stars as the balsamic reduction was the backup dancer. The onion was cooked to perfection ( I hate when onions are improperly cooked and have that unnecessary bitterness to them). Truely the most tasty veggies I've ever had at a restaurant. 

Texture: These were perfectly grilled, the veggies were soft and tender. The mesculn greens gave it the crispness it needed. 

Price: $8.00

Agnolotti

Taste:The half moon pasta was filled with caramelized onion, gruyere and served with escargot in a garlic butter. Yum! The pasta was so fresh and the onions were sweet. The presence of the cheese was there without being too much and I loved the bits of herbs in the butter

Texture:Textures in this dish were the stars. The pasta was thin and chewy and super fresh. The onion filling melted in my mouth. The escargot were plump, tender and juicy. The butter was super velvety 

Price: $11.00

Potato Gnocchi

Taste:This with spinach in a tarragon brown butter sauce. I really loved the spinach in this dish. Its natural flavors came through and was a nice contrast to the starchy gnocchi. The gnocchi itself didn't have much flavor and couldn't taste the tarragon. I wished there were cheese or ground nuts in the filling to give it more depth

Texture: The gnocchi was very soft and I barely had to chew it. The spinach were just wilted enough without being overly cooked

Price:$19.00

Cioppino

Taste:This was with mussels, shrimp, white fish, chorizo and cannellini beans in a tomato broth.  The chorizo gave it a nice smokey flavor and the broth was pretty tasty with chunks of tomatoes, I enjoyed dipping my bread in it.

Texture: The white fish was almost bordering on overcooked, but still was tender. The shrimp were plump (and huge!). I loved the creamy texture the beans gave in this dish

Price: $25.00

Complimentary 5 Cheese and Fruit Pairing

Since I had some gripes last time I was here about the service, the chef offered us this cheese platter. Totally suprised but willing to eat it : D

Left: It was a firm cheese, the winner of this was that it was drizzled with truffle oil (YUM) 

Center: This was also a firm cheese, it had a nutter after taste but not my favorite of the bunch

Right: This one was flaky and the flavor was bold. I liked nibbling on this by itself. One of my favorites out of the bunch

Left: This cheese had the consistency of feta. It was creamy and its subtle flavor was perfect in pairing with an array of fruits
Center: Strawberries and blackberries, yummy :)

Right: This was Buddy's favorite cheese, it was the creamiest of them all. Tart and great with the sweeter fruits.

Verdict: Overall I really loved coming here, the chef/owner seems to truly care about the opinions of his patrons and their happiness ( a character of a true chef). The quality of the food is excellent, and vegetables in all the dishes were my favorite. Though my first experience with service was not up to par, this time it was wonderful and knowledgeable. I loved the ambiance of this place, it was roomy and there is outdoor and upstairs seating. Being a BYOB is a big plus and Buddy and I both agree it is one of our favorite places to eat near his school.

 Avalon Restaurant

312 South High Street
West Chester, PA 19382-3342

www.avalonrestaurant.net

Sorry for the hiatus, but I'm back!

So a couple of months ago, my friend Kim came to visit me in my new apartment in Williamsburg. My boyfriend, her, and I decided to visit Dante's, on Williamsburgs southside. A cute BYOB serving southern fare.

Hibiscus punch with lavender

Taste: Like watered down fruit punch, ek. NOT worth getting, especially for 4 dollars!

Texture: Had some sort of "pulp" but not much

Smell: Nothing

Price: $4.00

Complimentary Cornbread

Taste: It had some hot pepper flakes and corn bits throughout, over all it was not flavorful and I was desperately missing the salty buttery flavor cornbread is known for. The side of butter could not even fix this.

Texture: Dry and very very crumbly, a sad excuse for cornbread

Smell: like disappointment

Price: Free

Crabcake Eggs Benedict and Sweet Potato Fries

Taste: The crabcake was not memorable, just a standard crabcake, not very flavorful, the eggs were poaches perfectly however and the hollandaise sauce was a bit too "yolky". The sweet potato fries were a huge disappointment. They seemed to be overly fried. I got the crunch, but the delicate soft innards were missing, like somebody sucked them out before serving them to me, the kosher salt added on top didn't seem to fit right on top of the overly fried fries either

Texture: Over all the texture of the eggs benedict mended together nicely, but the sweet potato fries were just too over done

Smell:

Price: $14.00

Verdict: Not coming back anytime soon, even though this is a BYOB. Maybe their dinner is a little better, who knows, but hopefully others will have a better experience then I did with the food. The service was slow, but nice however and the charming display for random graffiti and artwork is nice to look at when waiting for your food to arrive and a good conversation starter.

Dantes

153 Roebling St (Metropolitan & Hope)

Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 599-1945

Black Lab Bistro: Dinner with the BF in Phoenixville

Oh good old Limerick, the melting pot of all chain restaurants and strip malls. Sure, I can't say that I loathe Applebee's 2 for 20 dollar special, but when the BF is paying, I take advantage and decide to try something new. Phoenixville had gone through many, many, many improvements over the last couple of years, and is steadily starting to look like a mini Manyunk. One night in the winter, my friends dragged me out to PJ Ryans on Bridge St. After a couple hours of awkwardly talking to old high school class mates who still live with their parents, we decide to leave. But something catches my eye- across the street is a nice red framed restaurant with Olden Day letters. "Black Lab Bistro". hmm....

Garlic Rosemary Butter with Sesame Bread

Taste: Nice salted butter, the aroma of garlic and rosemary was there rather than the taste.

Texture: The bread was chewy and airy. Nothing to wet yourself over.

Smell: Like rosemary and garlic.. duh!

Price: Free :D

Black Angus Burger with Truffle Oil Fries

Taste: He had ordered it rare, but to his disappointment, it came out well done. After a bite, I decide that it was still very much flavorful and surprisingly still kind of juicy without making the brioche roll soggy. The flavor of the tomato, burger, and buttered brioche danced together gracefully in my mouth. It also had gruyere cheese, which I didn't really taste at all. The truffle fries perfectly salted and the taste of the truffle was just enough without becoming overbearing.

Texture: Nice toasted roll, slightly chewy burger, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato, unnoticeable cheese. It's like a perfect outfit and you accidently put on an extra pair of panties.

Smell: Backyard grilling and good red wine

Price: $15.00

Mussels in Tomato Vodka Sauce with Penne Pasta

Taste: PERFECTLY stewed sauce. The chunks of tomato melted in my mouth. Not too much garlic, but enough to add to the texture of the sauce. Loved to topping of parmesan cheese which salted my penne just right. The mussels however, weren't that big :(. Oh well it might be the ending of the season?

Texture: Pasta was cooked al-dente, and remained hardy even in the heat of the broth. The mussels weren't over steamed and fell off of their shell without much struggle

Smell: Tomato soup and Seafood

Price: $18.00

Tiramisu with Honey

Taste: Creamy, airy taste of Cognac, then a sudden sharp sweetness that came from the honey. (What is it about that piece of mint on desserts that makes you feel like you have to eat it so neatly?!). Could have done without the layer of chocolate sauce, I felt it cheapened the dessert. If it had to have chocolate, it should have been dark bitter chocolate.

Texture: Airy, spongy, angel food cake-y with a dark past...

Smell: Honey and Mint

Price: Free :D ( The waiter felt bad for BF's over cooked meat, so this treat was on the house)

Verdict: Coming back for more! Bring a nice bottle of wine, friends, lovers, family, and enjoy this gem in Phoenixville. The service was fantastic, the ambience was cozy, and the food was memorable.

Black Lab Bistro

248 Bridge St, Phoenixville, PA‎

(610) 935-5988‎

www.blacklabbistro.net/