FSFOT..What's The Deal??: June 2012

"The first annual Mac & Cheese Cook-Off was filled with kids laughing, everyone covered in sunscreen, and lots of sighs, moans and groans of people enjoying a large variety of mac & cheese. The Downingtown and Thorndale Rotary Clubs did a great job dazzling our taste buds at this event! All nine restaurants that participated brought their own unique twist to an American staple. I was worried before arriving that the dishes would all taste similar; I ended up worrying for nothing! Local cheeses, Kennett Square mushrooms, the bounty from restaurant gardens and seafood all made appearances in the entries.

Business was brisk, and unfortunately I missed my chance to sample the lone home cook Andy Keen’s Buffalo chicken inspired entry the “Mac Daddy”. I asked Andy if he enjoyed the experience and he said: “This was great! I never entered a contest as a single person before. When tasters said my mac & cheese was restaurant quality, it was great!”. Proud Mom Lori Keen, a member of the Rotary chimed in on the event saying: “We had an overwhelming turnout!”. She was very pleased with the success of the event. She told me that the proceeds would go to local, regional and international Rotary approved needs. It is the top goal of Rotary International to eradicate polio worldwide.

I enjoyed all of the mac & cheese entries, but the stand out dish for me was the Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork by The Midway Bar and Grill. It tasted like a Southern pork barbeque and homemade mac & cheese rolled into one. Two of my favorite comfort foods, together at last! I happily cast my vote for The Midway Bar and Grill and was rewarded with a second helping by the enthusiastic staff manning the booth. They didn’t have this particular mac & cheese on their menu, but I hope it is added as it was delicious!

The Bordley House Grille won both People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice awards sweeping the competition. Triple Fresh Caterers won the Kid’s Choice award.

I can’t wait until next year to sample some more creative, local mac & cheese dishes! Thank you so much Autumn Katzenmoyer for allowing me to cover such a fun event!"

Kelly says:

"The blistering heat on Sunday did not keep the crowds away from the first annual Chester County Mac-n-Cheese Cook-Off. By the time I arrived at 1:10pm, the turnout had already exceeded the Thorndale-Downingtown Rotary Club’s expectations, according to Laurie Keen, rotary member and mother of the one non-restaurant person entering the competition. All of the proceeds from the Cook-Off support the charitable projects of the Rotary Club on local, national and international levels. There were nine restaurants, and one individual that entered the Cook-Off this year, which provided for some amazing varieties of Mac-n-Cheese.

Andy Keen was the one individual who entered the competition with his signature Buffalo Mac-n-Cheese dish. Even though he cooked five pounds of his specialty, he had run out by the time I arrived at his table. That bodes quite well for the quality of Andy’s dish, but not so well for me – I was really looking forward to sampling that!

Molly Maguire’s was the first restaurant table I visited, and was treated to a sampling of their Jambalaya Mac-n-Cheese. Chicken, shrimp, andoulie sausage and lobster paired beautifully with the blend of cheeses and penne pasta. It was tasty with a kick! I look forward to Molly Maguire’s opening up in Downingtown in January or February of next year in the old firehouse on Lancaster Ave – a welcome addition to the great variety of restaurant options in Downingtown.

Triple Fresh, a market and caterer located in E. Fallowfield, offered a Five Cheese Mac-n-Cheese with a buttered Panko Bread Crumb topping. Cheesy, crunchy and flavorful, this dish featured Gouda, Fontina, Cheddar, Blue Cheese and Parmesan Cheese all from Lancaster County, and milk from the dairy in Cochranville. The fact that all of the ingredients were locally sourced made my sample taste even better! Triple Fresh was the recipient of the Kid’s Choice award – congratulations Triple Fresh!

Foster Boys, a Downingtown pizza and sandwich shop, offered a Jalapeño Mac-n-Cheese. This was a cheesy dish, but it was not greasy. And the addition of fresh jalapeños gave their Mac-n-Cheese a crunch and a zest that I have never experienced before with Mac-n-Cheese. Unique and delicious!

Firecreek restaurant, another Downingtown favorite, offered Mac-n-Cheese with Gouda, Havarti and Cheddar cheeses, brown sugar rubbed bacon and wild mushrooms. The cheese and bacon were from Wyebrook farms in Honey Brook, and the mushrooms were from Kennett Square. Another locally sourced winner! In fact, Firecreek came in second in every category – People’s Choice, Kid’s Choice, and Judge’s Choice, and I have seen some suggestions floating around Facebook that they may want to consider adding the dish to their menu. Hmmm…

The Bordley House Grill at Broad Run, in West Chester, served up a Mushroom Mac-n-Goat Cheese that won my heart and my vote. The mushrooms were from Kennett Square, and the Goat Cheese was from Yellow Springs Farm in Chester Springs and they went together beautifully. The amazing flavor of their dish was accented by fresh rosemary from their own herb garden, which was the perfect touch! The Bordley House Grill took first place in both the People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice categories – congratulations Bordley House Grill! I will be seeing you soon.

The Hotel Sports Pub and Grille, in Downingtown, offered Crabby Mac-n-Cheese, which contained baby spinach, plum tomatoes and crab. It was a saucy and flavorful mixture. Their sister restaurant, The Midway Bar and Grille, in Coatesville, provided a refreshing change of pace with their Middy Magnifilious. This dish contained pork ribs (without the bone), cheese whiz and heavy cream, among other ingredients. The flavor was part Mac-n-Cheese, and part Pork BBQ – quite a tantalizing combination!

The Beaver Creek Tavern, in Downingtown, was the only participant to make a “traditional” Mac-n-Cheese, with extra sharp cheddar cheese and Italian style stewed tomatoes. It was quite a treat amongst the exotic renditions of Mac-n-Cheese I had sampled elsewhere. And last, but certainly not least, was the Station Taproom’s Cheddar, Swiss and Arugula Pesto Mac-n-Cheese. It was light and tasty, and the Arugula came from the herb garden that kept behind their restaurant. I love that!

Even though there were ten different types of Mac-n-Cheese, the portion cups they were served in helped to provide a sufficient portion for sampling, without being overwhelming. I was amazed at the variety of renditions of this classic dish, and at the creativity of the chefs that worked so hard to keep everyone impressed and entertained.

Speaking of entertainment, the Rotary Club provided a Craft tent for the kids, a live band (where one of the members was the brother of a member, if I heard correctly), and a B 101 tent, for tunes while the band was on break. In addition, the Club manned a beverage stand, with sales of water and lemonade and soft pretzels going to support the Rotary’s charitable causes. Victory Brewing Company also stepped in with some libations in their Beer Garden, and offered some non Mac-n-Cheese food for those that hadn’t quite gotten their fill. Margo’s ice cream of Downingtown was scooping away and doing a brisk business in the heat, offering about five options of homemade ice cream – the perfect dessert!

Small in size, only filling about ¾ of the Kerr Park parking lot, this event was extra large on community – bringing in over 600 guests. This took many of the participants by surprise, and several of the restaurants had run out of their samples by 2pm. Members of the Rotary Club are already looking forward to next year’s event, where everyone can come prepared with plenty of samples for the 2^nd Annual Chester County Mac-n-Cheese Cook-off. Many thanks to the Downingtown Thorndale Rotary Club for their hard work and for giving me the opportunity to review this great event!"

~Melanie & Kelly

MelanieRRRoCC@aol.com

KellyRRRoCC@aol.com

www.facebook.com/RealReviewsChesterCounty

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

RRRoCC Appetites on Main in Exton...yum!

"We Will RRRoCC You!"

286 Main Street

Exton, PA 19341

610-594-2030

Hours: 11am-2am daily

Food served until 1:30am

Appetite's On Main

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

MelanieRRRoCC@aol.com

KellyRRRoCC@aol.com

www.facebook.com/RealReviewsChesterCounty

FSFOT..What's The Deal??

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Chester County Mac & Cheese Cook-Off Review!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

RRRoCC Appetites on Main in Exton...yum!

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