The service was EXCELLENT and that is the only reason I'm not giving one star (which is rare for me )
Where do I start ? At the risk of going full Gordon Ramsey , I'll tell you : this food was garbage .
For starters How do you **f up a Caesar salad and not one but TWO soups in one meal? At a CAFE nonetheless. I mean guys , we're not talking diner here (although John's and every other diner from here to Pennsburg will give you a better soup and salad , truly )
Answer : with bottled dressing (though I can't even say for certain it's that because I can't believe anyone would actually bother bottling a dressing this bad . I challenge them to open one of those Caesar salad kits at home and put them side by side and tell me the packaged one ...isn't better . Was it that bad ? Yes , It was . A salty , nasty travesty of a dressing . An insult to Caesar salads everywhere. I'll say this for it the lettuce WAS fresh so I finished it if only to get my greens for the day . Guys , I'll say it again , if you're a cafe , and you do nothing else . Do your business and your customers a favor and Make your OWN freaking fresh vinaigrettes at the very least . That's a no brained for anyone other than a bennigans that's privately owned .
Second, when was the last time you QC'd something coming out of your kitchen or had the cooks try their own soup of the day ? Because that maple bacon shite ...was bloody TERRIBLE. There is no way any self respecting cook could taste that and go " yep , we're good to go --order up --send it out to the customer. No. Freakin. Way . I double dog dare you . The nastiest mess I ever had . Literally tasted like someone opened a jar of baby sweet potatoes , poured a jar of maple syrup in it , a pound of salt , didn't stir it , called it a day --and served it lukewarm . And this was not a mere matter of palate difference. This was objectively awful . How do you make a soup both too sweet and too salty all at once ?
So I order the French onion instead . Because ...cheese and a good basic broth with some sautéed onions, beef stock , a splash or two of cheap sherry cooking wine and voila , am I right ? Wrong again !
Where they went to heavy on the salt in the maple bacon , it was barely existent in this flavorless broth one step above dishwater with a few onions and a slab of cheese slapped on (hey at least the cheese was good .)
Oh and your lemonade is rancid . Have someone scrape up the mildew from the bottom of the machine once in a while or try swapping it out of the walk-in more than once a week .
Did I mention my server was awesome and ran the damn place ?
I cannot imagine she is proud to serve that food . Bloody awful .
Won't be back based on this meal and it's a shame because we live in p-burg and this town is crying out for a few good cafes .
With a tear down of the menu and a refresh (emphasis on fresh ) for local ingredients this place could be a great local staple .
I hope the rest of the menu is better , but your soup and salad have to be on point --that's a basic hallmark --not a throwaway . read more