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| "We Will RRRoCC You!" |
286 Main Street
Exton, PA 19341
610-594-2030
Hours: 11am-2am daily
Food served until 1:30am
Restaurant Synopsis:
Appetites on Main is a family owned and operated
eatery located in the Main Street at Exton shopping center, on Rt. 100 in
Exton. Celebrating their tenth year in
their current location in December, it’s no surprise that this friendly place
does well year round. Perhaps most
widely recognized for their outside seating and pet-friendly patio, you don’t
want to miss stopping in, no matter what time of year it is! Our server, Chris, took great care of us,
keeping Melanie’s diet coke full, and Kelly’s beers and water flowing. It turns out that Chris, having worked at
Appetites for three years, is one of the newer team members. Most of their team has been there for 5 – 8
years, which is a strong testament to a great workplace. In addition to offering fantastic food and an
exceptional beer selection, Appetites on Main has some great entertainment
going on. From Karaoke to DJ’s to live
bands, your music options are wide open.
They are also a great place to go for trivia and Texas Hold’em tournaments. And for you adventurous folks, Thursday night
is Beer Pong night. This is on top of
the sports action offered on their 11 high definition TV’s, with specials that
coincide with the games. Please be sure
to check out their website www.appetitesonmain.com
for daily specials, and entertainment and events throughout the year. You can also find Appetites On Main on
Facebook – be sure to add them to your friends!
What we sampled:
Nola Fries $9.49, half order $5.99
Spicy Mini Tacos $7.59
Buffalo Chicken Dip $8.49
Pork Italiano $9.99
Reuben $9.79
Chicken Cheesesteak $6.99
Funnel Cake Fries $7.99
Chocolate Reese’s Torte
$6.59
RRROCC OFFICIAL REVIEWS:
Kelly says:
"I was first introduced to Appetites On Main at the
end of May, when our book club met there.
This is a book club of five, that had swelled to 42 with the selection
of our May book, “Fifty Shades of Gray”.
Brad, the owner, willingly offered up a private room for our meeting, so
that we could talk freely, and talk freely we did (but that is another
story)! I was impressed at how
accommodating they were for a group our size, and by the quick and efficient
service, even when the power went out due to some serious weather.
I was delighted to hear that
Appetites On Main was going to be our next restaurant to review, and couldn’t
wait to sample some of the many tempting dishes on their menu. With an incredible variety, you would be hard
pressed to not find something to please even the pickiest eater in your
group. Melanie and I learned from our
last review and insisted on small portions of everything we tried, since we
won’t write about it if we haven’t tasted it, and a girl can only eat so
much! The chefs were more than
accommodating, and everyone benefited-Melanie and I got to sample a lot of
wonderful food, and you get to read about it.
The only problem now is that I have a list of things I want full
servings of the next time I go in, and the time after that, and the time after that!
We started off with the Nola Fries,
which are a tribute to the Big Easy Saloon.
These crinkle cut fries were perfectly crispy, and carried the toppings
of crab meat, homemade cheese sauce, and Cajun seasonings with authority. There was a generous amount of crab on the
fries-some for every bite. The Cajun
seasoning was just enough to enhance the flavor of the dish without
overwhelming it. And the cheese sauce (I
did save the best for last here) was heaven. Perhaps knowing that it was homemade, and not
out of a can predisposed me to liking it-this was no whiz, people! It was wonderful, and I had to restrain
myself from scraping the plate with my finger.
Fortunately for me, our sample of the Spicy Mini Tacos also came with a
side of the cheese sauce, and some sour cream.
There could be no better accompaniment to the two-bite sized mini tacos
that were stuffed with chicken and just enough jalapenos to give them a mild
kick. Crunchy and flavorful, and dipped
in cheese and sour cream, these Spicy Mini Tacos are unique and tasty. We capped off our appetizer round with a
sampling of the Buffalo Chicken Dip. The
story behind the dip is almost as good as the dip itself-Sara (one of the
servers there) would make her special Buffalo Chicken Dip for the team
get-togethers, and it was a consistent hit and always requested. Finally, they decided to put it on the
menu-thank you Appetites On Main! This
bowl of goodness contains the perfect balance of cheesiness, spice and chicken
(so you can feel virtuous for the protein you are getting when you eat
it). It comes with chips and celery
(again, points for virtuousness) for dipping, and it was wonderful. This time, Melanie and I were battling it out
to see who got to scrape the bowl, and rest assured, no dip was left
behind. Sara’s Buffalo Chicken Dip is
definitely on the list of things I need a full portion of on my next visit!
Thank goodness we had sample size
portions of the appetizers, because I was feeling great when the parade of
sandwiches began. First we got a sample
of their Reuben, aptly named one of the house specialties. This Reuben has ruined me for any other
Reuben anywhere. It was the next item on
my list of things I need a full portion of on my next visit (and maybe every
visit thereafter). This sandwich was
grilled crispy on the outside, and warm and gooey on the inside, with just the
right amount of sauerkraut and Russian dressing to compliment the corned beef
and Swiss cheese. The rye bread was
amazing, and it turns out it’s from a bakery in South Philly, as are all their
breads. No wonder it was so good-best
Reuben ever! All their sandwiches come
with a side of their homemade potato chips, and again, I love the fact that
they are not coming out of a bag. They
are crispy brown and delicious. Next we
sampled the Pork Italiano-roasted pork nestled in a South Philly roll with aged
provolone shreds and broccoli rabe. My
initial thought was that the sandwich was a bit dry, especially compared to the
cheesy goodness we had been feasting on all night. Then I got a bite with all the ingredients
together and it was a trifecta of flavors…the bite of cheese, the garlic
juiciness of the broccoli rabe and the roasted pork together is divine. Closing out the sandwich parade was a chicken
cheese steak on a garlic bread roll.
More cheesy goodness, and the garlic bread roll just put that sandwich
over the top. Another one for the
list! Turns out, you an order any of the
sandwiches on a garlic bread roll…good to know if I can ever get past that
Reuben. Vegetarians-you can order a
chicken or beef fake steak for just $1.00 more-I don’t know how the fake steak
tastes, but with everything else they can put on that roll, that sandwich has
got to be good. I don’t know where I
thought I was going to put the antipasto salad that came next. With a refreshing combination of Italian
meats and provolone cheeses, roasted red peppers and other fresh veggies, this
salad was a flavorful medley in my mouth.
The Balsamic Vinaigrette had just a hint of kick, and while I couldn’t
finish the salad, I enjoyed every bite.
It was no surprise to me that it is also a house specialty.
Dessert was a true treat-Funnel
Cake Fries and Chocolate Reese’s Torte.
The fries were sweet and chewy…how can you go wrong with fried dough
topped with powered sugar? The strawberry
sauce on the side was cool and complimented the heat of the fries nicely. I also enjoyed dipping the Funnel Cake Fries
in the chocolate sauce on our Torte plate.
Next time, I will ask for a side of chocolate sauce with the Fries. The Chocolate Reese’s Torte was a tall cake
with layers of chocolate cake, peanut butter mousse and chocolate ganache with
a peanut butter buttercream icing, peanut butter ganache and peanut butter
cups. Need I say more? The perfect ending to an exceptional meal!
With everything that Appetites on Main has to offer, I
can’t believe that it took me as long as it did to discover it. And I am sure glad that I did! I am really grateful to Sean, the manager,
and Chris, our awesome server, for a wonderful night, and to everyone at
Appetites On Main for creating such a wonderful and warm place for people to
land. I look forward to seeing you there"
Melanie says:
"The first
thing I noticed about Appetites On Main was how comfortable and friendly it
is. It is the kind of place that makes
you instantly relax. Upon meeting our
server Chris, she was immediately a friend.
(I invited her to the aforementioned book club and she eagerly
accepted.) Chris told me she loves her
job and loves the great staff she works with at Appetites On Main, and it
shows. What other restaurant would
include an employee’s party dish on their menu?
Kelly and I
started our feast with the Nola Fries; a little Cajun, smooth, rich and cheesy
they were an indulgent treat! The
crunchy Spicy Mini Tacos were next. They
had a little punch from the jalapeno that was cooled nicely with the sour cream
and homemade cheese sauce. We moved on
to the Buffalo Chicken Dip, which is homemade, and absolutely delicious! It was served nice and warm and was the
ultimate blend of heat, blue cheese and chicken. This is a hearty dip and would probably be
enough for dinner if you can keep your tablemates from trying it!
The first
sandwich we tried was the Reuben. When
Chris set the plate down, I thought the bread was sourdough at first since it
was so thick. She assured me it was the
traditional rye…I have never seen rye bread so thickly cut! And I was so happy it was thick since the
bread usually disintegrates when eating a cheesy, hot, slippery Reuben and this
bread held up the whole time. The Reuben
is a house specialty at Appetites on Main and I highly recommend it! It was so good I licked my fingers right at
the table when I was done! I was a
little nervous about our next sandwich, the Pork Italiano, since it has broccoli
rabe and I am not so great at vegetables.
I tried it, and I actually liked it!
(Don’t tell my Mom!) The aged
provolone in this sandwich takes it from good to great! Tender pork, broccoli rabe and aged provolone
on a sesame seed long roll=heaven. I
loved the cheese so much, that I will order double cheese on it next time! Our last sandwich was chicken cheese steak on
a garlic bread roll. They had me at
garlic bread roll! The roll was soft and
buttery and garlicky without being overwhelming. The chicken was juicy and delicious.
After eating this last sandwich, I
commented to Chris that the garlic bread roll from the chicken cheese steak
plus the aged provolone from the Pork Italiano with some meatballs and tomato
sauce would make a great sandwich! The
next thing I know, Sean the manager presents me with a meatball to try! The meatball was huge! Perfect on a sandwich with Appetites On
Main’s homemade tomato sauce! (If
Appetites On Main does add this sandwich to their menu Melanie’s Meatball
Hoagie has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?)
All of our sandwiches were served
with Appetites On Main’s thick cut, homemade potato chips. They were super crunchy and great for
scooping up the bits of chicken cheese steak and Reuben that fell out of the
rolls while I ate them.
We rounded out our feast with
Funnel Cake Fries and Chocolate Reese’s Torte.
The Funnel Cake Fries were light and sprinkled with a generous amount of
confectioners sugar. The strawberry dip
added a sweet touch to a classic. Chris
recommended the Chocolate Reese’s Torte; a dense chocolate cake with peanut
butter icing…it was very peanut buttery, which I love! It was topped with whipped cream and chocolate
sauce, sinfully good.
What a fun and fabulous meal I had at Appetites on
Main! I made new friends, had great
food, and can’t wait until book club to enjoy their wonderful food and
atmosphere again! Thank you so much
Chris, Sean and everyone at Appetites On Main!"
~Melanie
& Kelly
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