PF Chang's China Bistro, Warrington, PA

I've seen the PF Chang's in Warrington many times and being reasonably bright I figured out that it was Chinese. I'd avoided it for the simple reason that it is a chain and that has proven to be a mistake. We stopped by today for lunch and we were quite satisfied to say the least.  

Inside it is large and full of stone. Stone walls, stone floors bright lighting in some areas, mood lighting in others. Overall a nice ambiance. Being that time between lunch and dinner the place was relatively empty. We were seated, presented menus and told that our server would be right with us. 

One of the main reasons for our favorable experience was our waiter, a nice young man named Phillip who was very helpful, informative, friendly and had a wonderful attitude. It is amazing how a good server can make a meal. 

I ordered the lunch portion of the lemongrass salmon with asparagus on fried rice. $11.95 plus a buck for the fried rice. Teresa ordered the ginger chicken broccoli at $9.75 and we shared a small order of egg rolls (2) for $4.95. Both came with soup, Teresa opted for the egg drop and I decided on the hot and sour. Mine was excellent, Teresa's was okay. The egg rolls were fresh tasting, light in flavor and had a dipping sauce that was a mixture of duck sauce and hot mustard. Quite nice.

My salmon was quite good. For my taste it was a bit overcooked, but I think most patrons wouldn't like it as rare as I do. I pointed this out to Phillip and he said the next time I should order it medium, or medium rare and they would accommodate. I will.

I would rate the food as Americanized (not in a bad way) and upscaled Chinese food. The flavors are clean and light tasting with a nice presentation. Can you find better Chinese at a local restaurant? Probably so, but when traveling I've found Chinese restaurants to be a crap shoot. Sometimes you find good food, sometimes you get crap. And that leads me back to that chain comment from earlier. Chains have their advantages, the biggest of which is consistency. I will go back to a PF Chang's (probably the one in Warrington since we pass it) simply because it is good food. I would rate PF Chang's as a good chain from my experience.

Triumph Brewing Company, New Hope, Pa

Before I start I have to say that I went to a brew pub and I didn't try the beer. I know that sounds a bit odd, but it's because I had a little over a hundred more miles to drive. I did look at the offerings and there was a bitters that looked interesting, as well as a stout. Next time I'll pick up a growler and try it when I get home. I did try the food though, so I'll tell you about that.

After looking over the menus we decided. I got the brewery burger, shown here at $13.00. It is a half-pounder on a fresh roll with bacon and cheddar cheese and a chipotle mayo on the side. I ordered it medium and it was medium. Teresa got a grilled cheese sandwich and black bean soup at $9.00. She said the sandwich was greasy, but she ate it all. I'm not sure what cheese they used.

Our server was good, but once she realized we were drinking only water she wasn't all that attentive. The food did come in about ten minutes of ordering though. I have a feeling the place can get busy, and loud, at night. The decor is what I call modern neo-classical brewpub. Two floors, open space, stage, large bar in the center, wood, windows, blackboard menu of the beers including ABV, etc.

Food was good, service okay, prices okay, beer . . . I don't know yet. I'd go back. There are two other locations, one in Philly and another in Princeton, NJ. They have a website for more information.

Doghouse Gourmet Burgers, Downingtown, Pa.

Doghouse Gourmet Burgers in Downingtown, Pennsylvania is an interesting set-up. It is small with a few tables and stools running along the side, but mirrors make it look a bit larger. They have a fairly good beer selection and their specialty is burgers and dogs. All of their specialty selections are named after dogs and they call the children's burgers puppies. Cute and catchy. 

I ordered the Angus burger with bacon and blue cheese and got it as a combo with a small drink and onion rings. Teresa got the Angus without cheese and she had the garlic fries and drink combo. My son-in-law had the Whippet, a turkey burger. My grandson had a hot dog and my daughter got a black bean burger. 

You order at the counter, pay and take a seat. When the food is done (less than 10 minutes) they bring it to you. There is a condiment bar (very clean by the way) with pickles and hot banana peppers. 

The burgers were good, not great, and I think they started out frozen so I wouldn't really call them gourmet. The default temperature is medium, but I'd call it more medium well. The fries were good and the rings were large and sweet. 

On the way out I looked over the counter and saw that the burgers are grilled and the grills were positioned at a slight angle, probably to allow the grease to run off. That's why they weren't greasy at all. 

Overall impression, not bad. Would we go back? Sure. They have a website for more information.

Sly Fox Brewery and Eatery , Phoenixville, PA.

Pennsylvania is full of good brew pubs and I like brewpubs. They have everything a guy could ask for, beer and burgers and sometimes both the beer and the burgers are very good, like Front Street Brewery in Wilmington. Sometimes they are not, such as Capitol City in DC where both are not too good. My daughter and son-in-law had been to Sly Fox before and said it was good, plus we had a dining coupon, so off we went.

We had the Imperial IPA and it was quite tasty with a nice happiness to it, but not overpowering. We sampled the two bitters, but stuck to the Imperial for the refills. The bitters were good, but the Imperial was excellent. 

The dining coupon was for two appetizers and four entrees (sandwiched and burgers included). We ordered the chicken fingers, Buffalo style and the Nachos for appetizers. The chicken came out quite spicy, juicy and the portion was big. The nachos were ample, but there was nowhere near enough cheese on them.

Brian and I each had the Birchrun Black and Blue Burger at $9.00. It had cajun seasonings, plenty of blue cheese and came on a brioche roll. We both ordered them medium and they  were much closer to well-done. Teresa got the Swedesford Burger with sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese. She ordered it medium well and it was well-done. The burgers were good and flavorful, but a bit dry as they were overcooked. The cajun spices did add a mild heat and the roll was fresh. They both came with fries and they were good.

For my grandson we ordered the children's chicken fingers with fries, milk and ice cream. His portions were large and even though he is a champion eater at two years of age, half of his food came home with us. 

Speaking of takeout, they have cans, growlers and 22 oz bottles of selected beers for sale. The bottom line? 

• Prices good
• Beer very good
• Food okay to very good
• Service good

They have a website for more information. 

Drafting Room, Exton revisited

Calamari

One of my favorite places in Pennsylvania is The Drafting Room in Exton. We've been there a few times, twice I had a burger and once we had the Sunday brunch. Each visit was excellent with good food and service. One of the bet points about the place is the tap beer selection which rotates depending on season. This time the season was hoppy harvest ales and that was for me. We got two very nice beers. One was Hair of the Dog Blue Dot and the other was Flying Dog Centennial Hop. What I like about the Drafting Room is that you can get a five ounce, a ten ounce or a fifteen ounce glass. All the better to try a few different beers. They also have an amazing Scotch menu with some darn fine single malts offered. 

I ordered the calamari with aioli sauce to share. The sauce was quite buttery with a good garlic flavor, not overdone. For my dinner I got out of my comfort zone and ordered the Scallops and pumpkin ravioli with leeks, roasted garlic and pine nuts shown here. Teresa got the Ravioli with olives, asparagus and capers and it had a taste similar to a putanesca. Very nice. 

Bangers and mash

Brian got the Bangers and Mash, sausages on mashed potatoes, and it looked quite nice. Large portion and nice presentation. 

Overall, a good meal and some good beer. The Drafting Room is a winner. 

Sweet Lorraine's at Peddler's Village, New Hope, PA

In our quest to find good places to eat, we like to try different places so we stopped off at Peddler's Village, a shopping area in New Hope, PA, for something different. Looking around we saw Sweet Lorraine's Cafe next to the Golden Plough Bed and Breakfast and decided to stop in. 

I went with the Fireworks Burger at $11. It had havarti cheese, jalapeños, peppers, bacon, lettuce and tomato with fresh made chips. I ordered it medium and there was a bit of pink in the middle so it was closer to medium than I've been getting lately. The burger was good with a nice flavor and the combinations of ingredients added some good notes. 

Teresa had the quesidilla shown here at $10 and there was plenty. She said the salsa was a bit bland and I agreed, but the guacamole was good. 

We had water with the meals, but they did have a good beer selection. Service was excellent and there was a nice ambiance. Overall a good experience. Nothing amazing, but good food at reasonable prices. They have a website for more informations. 

Chester Springs Creamery

Here's a cool place in Chester Springs, PA, just north of Downingtown on Uwchlan Ave for fresh ice cream. They make it right there and it tastes like it. Good. I had the Joy's Peanut Butter Fudge with hot fudge on it and it was quite good. You can even walk around and see the cows that the cream comes from. They have a website for more information.