Simon Pearce

Why haven't I heard of Simon Pearce before? It's a bit tucked out of the way on the Brandywine, but this location only adds to its charm. My photo, taken on the cloudy day I visited, fails to do the setting justice. Simon Pearce does more than deliver on location, however; it also offers outstanding seasonal food and excellent service.

Of course, I do love a good brunch. Eggs Benedict, good pastries and breads, and espresso always manage to set a happy weekend tone. These elements alone can win over my breakfast heart. But being seated at Simon Pearce was the brunch equivalent of a spa. The restaurant is set in two tiers against a floor-to-ceiling window to the Brandywine. This was our view.

The restaurant is wisely decorated in a minimalist white, which serves to highlight the idyllic vista. It also features a glass and pottery store adjacent to it in similarly decorated tones. The store was the genesis of the restaurant; Simon Pearce was originally a glass maker in Ireland. Shopping and brunch is, needless to say, an excellent combination.

So now that we're seated in this lovely spa-restaurant, have been served a cappuccino by a friendly-but-not-overbearing server, we move on to the food. My dining companion opts for the stuffed brioche french toast, which is modestly served but robustly delivers on taste. The current menu on the website offers stuffed french toast with cream cheese, blueberries and orange zest. I fight my perennial struggle against wanting something both savory and sweet for brunch, and find a happy compromise in the pastry basket as an appetizer (enough to take home) and of course, the Eggs Benedict.Simon Pearce's version this week was served with capers, tomatoes and smoked salmon. It was a great, fresh, and slightly lighter combination that still delivered the taste I craved but with an updated twist.

The pastry basket deserves mention, as so many do. Chocolate chip muffins offered almost a solid wall of dark chocolate chips inside, perfectly suspended. Almond turnovers were warm, light and fluffy. Finally, lemon poppy bread struck the right balance of moisture and lightness. All served with honey butter, about which our server confessed sometimes, she eats straight. I can't blame her.

Coming in at around $20/person, this serene restaurant is worthy of discovery, driving, and day trips.

Simon Pearce is located at 1333 Lenape Road, West Chester, Pa, http://www.simonpearce.com/.

Valley Green Inn

Charming and idyllic, Valley Green Inn offers a secluded B&B experience a mere fifteen minutes (or a nice bike ride) from downtown. While I had known of Valley Green Inn for many years, rumors of overpriced food had kept me away. But on a beautiful weekend like this Labor Day, when My Vegetarian Friend suggested it, I decided to take the chance.

I'm happy I did. It is a beautiful, grand house down a driveway canopied by lush green trees, a popular entrance to Wissahickon Park, which features intriguingly named trails like "Forbidden Drive." We were able to secure a table on the porch, with a view of the river and trail patrons enjoying the weather.

Valley Green Inn has an accessibly priced wine menu and offers rotating specials of its wines by the glass. I opted for the viognier, seemingly good for the summer. The food offerings are somewhat safe, but well executed. Items like french onion soup and a straightforward steak adorn the menu, but specials are offered and I hear that Valley Green Inn uses local farmers. I tried one of the specials, featuring one of my favorite combinations -- fig, goat cheese and prosciutto with arugula. Although I have tasted more delicate prosciutto, the salad offered a dependably wonderful taste combination that didn't disappoint. At the server's suggestion, I ordered the "duck two ways," featuring a confit of duck leg, sauteed breast, served with sun dried cherry duck jus, a goat cheese potato croquette and what was supposed to be asparagus on the menu but was in fact bok choy. The duck with cherry was wonderful, perfectly done and flavored. The croquette was fell too much on the fried and flavorless side for me, but was pleasant. MVF's vegetarian sampler platter was reported to be good, with four different vegetarian offerings. Our chocolate pistachio pate was also very good, sprinkled with sea salt that I have grown to crave in my chocolate for bringing out the sweet flavor.

I have no pictures here due to the sun setting, then candlelit scene that I could not bring myself to interrupt with a flash. As we left, we stopped to enjoy the wedding the Inn was hosting on its side porch. With lanterns and small lights, it was lovely, even with the some of the more outlandish, unabashed dancing. (Shout out to our British friend at the next table who commented to us after we all observed said dancing, "only in America." You betcha.) An enchanting way to spend an evening all around.

Valley Green Inn is located on Valley Green Road at Wissahickon, Philadelphia, www.valleygreeninn.com.

R2L

A surprisingly sophisticated newcomer to the Philadelphia restaurant scene, R2L may be getting overlooked in its hidden perch above the city. Maybe it was a Monday night, maybe it was the negative side to the LaBan Inquirer review, but R2L deserves more of a crowd than it's getting. It raises the bar in Philadelphia and most importantly of course, it made my birthday just a little bit better.

Located on the 32nd floor of Two Liberty, R2L offers no guarantees in getting one of the leopard print banquettes that face out on the cityscape. Here was my view. (If you look carefully, you can see me, my father and stepmother).
Later, there were fireworks over the zoo that seemed magically arranged.

Speaking of extraordinary, our server was both professional and personable, setting the tone for feeling like we were getting VIP treatment. The food followed suit. I was foregoing the lobster as an entree, so I indulged with the lobster roll appetizer. A buttery fresh roll cradled lump lobster meat lightly dressed in a lavender-infused dressing. I confess I didn't detect the lavender, nor did I miss it, I was too busy scooping up lobster. The fish and chips hit the right note of moist crisp fish and fries. On our server's recommendation, we ordered the grilled truffle flatbread, with parmesan and arugula over a thin crusted bread. Glad we took his advice, the dish was lusciously balanced between ingredients.

Without fail, I like appetizers more than entrees. While I appreciate the effort of R2L into my striped bass dish, the separate portions of scallop, bacon, and bass were not unified, but instead offered three standalone tastes on the plate. The scallops were amazing, but the other tastes were a bit dry and further inconsistent with the citrus salad in the middle of the three. My father's veal signature dish featured three small dishes again, this time more melded -- tenderloin, brisket and meatloaf. Forming a loose stew, it rated highly in terms of done-ness and flavor. The shitake mushroom fries, while interested (pureed mushrooms deep fried into fry shapes), were almost too rich to eat.

Because I view desserts as almost effortlessly good, I rarely judge a restaurant more favorably based on its desserts. After all, how hard is it to make sugar, flour, and fat taste good? Yet R2L surprised me with its donut ice cream. Apparently, dozens of glazed donuts are sacrificed for this concoction; more importantly, you can taste every one of them, blended to perfection into a rich ice cream. This is one that I will crave in the future. Also worth mentioning is the warm vanilla cake, a vanilla version of the popular molten chocolate. Very good, but don't miss the donut ice cream. Topping it off were fun complementary root beer macaroons and decadent bergamot truffles.

Ushered back down into the exclusive elevator and bid goodbye by the friendly hostess on the ground floor, I began thinking of future special occasions or even my next available happy hour that would allow a return trip. While I love how down to earth the Philadelphia restaurant scene can be, I hope more restaurants follow R2L's lead take on fine dining.

R2L is located in Two Liberty, 37th floor, with an entrance on 50 S. 16th Street. http://www.r2lrestaurant.com/

Manyunk Brewery and Restaurant

I am not outdoorsey. But in weather like this, the transitional time between summer and fall, all I want to do is be outdoors. Manayunk Brewery offers an excellent venue in which to appreciate the outdoors (at least in the way I like to appreciate it) -- a sprawling, huge back deck, overlooking the Manayunk Canal and bridge that makes for a relaxed, pleasing way to spend an evening.

Its brewery options are pretty good, too. I opted for the Manayunk Lager, an "octoberfest" style beer that was rich without being overpowering, flavorful with a sweet undertone. MFDC went from the lager to the "Schuylkill Punch," a raspberry lager with a 7% alcohol content. It was a bit too sweet for my tastes, even tasting sweeter than an average framboise, but this was to be expected given the description. Manayunk Brewery offers about 6 beers as daily specials, in addition to a few American beers.

Although the menu seems to have been updated, featuring ambitious-sounding entrees, I got the feeling that I shouldn't branch out. Beer pairings are suggested on the menu, but many of the beers were not being offered that evening, which was curious. We started with the crab dip (pictured right, in dim twilight with my apologies). It tasted better than it looked, which was oddly dark for a creamy dip. With notes of Old Bay and hints of lump crabmeat, however, I liked it, although the toast squares had turned more into hard croutons long ago.

I'm sparing you pictures of the Brew House Burger ("8oz of grilled Certified Angus Beef, tomatoes, lettuce and Onions on a brioche, served with beer-battered fries & spicy pickles"), which MFDC reports was very good and my Brew House Cobb Salad ("iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, marinated chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, Roquefort cheese and avocado"), which was also good. You probably already know what those things look like. I have no idea why they are called "Brew House," considering the particular take on these dishes was far from novel, but they were adequately executed and tasty.

Not all restaurants are gourmet destinations. But Manayunk Brewery delivers good beer and a great view, a pretty perfect offering this time of year.

Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant is located at 4120 Main Street, Manayunk, http://www.manayunkbrewery.com/.

Rouge

Most Philadelphians are familiar with Rouge, a Neil Stein creation that, in many ways, put Philadelphia restaurants "on the map." Whatever that means. For me, living "around" Rittenhouse Square (um, ten blocks or so down), it meant that thanks to Mr. Stein's push for sidewalk seating, I now had to step around seemingly pretentious diners and their poodles. But Rouge's prime location invites these visitors, situated directly across from the square, near enough to Walnut to be visible, small enough to feel exclusive. Over the years, I've made my peace with it and grown to enjoy the food.

So I found myself there after work on these days where spring seems genuinely eager to break through winter. With the daylight savings adjustment, my entire time there was spent in twilight, a perfect break after work. The drink selection was equally perfect; I ordered the "Bluecoat Martini" cocktail with some combination of gin, cointreau, ginger ale, and sour mix. Delicious and refreshing without being summer-y.

The menu is divided into small and large plates, which I confess I have begun to loathe in terms of deciding what to order. As a group, we went the multiple small plate route. I ordered the risotto, described as "crispy potato, parmesan, garlic butter & chives." Although offering a larger portion than the "small plate" as described, it nonetheless reminded me more of potatoes au gratin with a risotto texture. Pleasing, but missing the mark. The shrimp and lobster spring rolls, pictured below, were devoid of any discernible taste of shrimp, lobster, or mango as promised in the menu. I trust that it was in there, but it tasted more like a pleasant vegetarian spring roll to me. Pictured above was one last onion ring, deep fried in tempura batter (more were actually served with the dish, and quickly eaten). One last dish was the shrimp served with small diced underdone potatoes and what purported to be white wine foam, but tasted like ... nothing. Ah, foam. The star of Top Chef and the overpraised trend of the past five years. I am still not sold.

We ordered the chocolate chip bread pudding with vanilla gelato, which was unfortunately served with a berry sauce. My rule is never to mix fruit and dessert; pick one or the other. The bread pudding was good, but a bit dry. The chocolate, however, was the perfect darkness.

My review? I've had the burger there before and tend to think it's one of Rouge's stronger offerings. Stick with drinks, soak up the atmosphere and location. And enjoy spring.

Rouge is located at 205 S. 18th Street, Philadelphia, Pa., 215.732.6622.