The Best of the Best - County Lines Magazine

Flickerwood Wine Tasting Room
116 W. State St., Kennett Square
610-444-8341 / flickerwood.com
This Kane, PA-based, family-built
and operated winery (daughter Julie designs
the labels) opened a tasting room
in the heart of Kennett. Ron Zampogna
brings his 30+ years of wine-making
and offers up 21 varieties to sample:
Chardonnay Gold, Cayuga Kiss, Rose
Bud Red. Try them during a First Friday
stroll. Open Wednesday to Sunday.
BEST BAR FOR OVER 30s
333 Belrose
333 Belrose Ln., Radnor
610-293-1000 / 333belrose.com
This lively, stylish mainstay on the
Main Line provides a bar scene that
continues to please. With a sophisticated
crowd from surrounding corporate
centers and beyond, happy-hour
drink prices, half-priced bar menu
(Mon-Wed), a drink list sporting three
types of Cosmos and five martinis (including
the healthy choice, pomegranate,
and a Flirtini) and a sometimes guitarist/vocalist
with a repertoire from
the Rolling Stones to Elvis, there’s
much to enjoy. Not the least is
chef/owner Carlo DeMarco’s consistently
well-executed contemporary
American fare that brings sparkle to an
outstanding bar menu, which includes
Yangming
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Crispy Salt and Pepper Calamari,
Chardonnay Steamed
Mussels, 3 Little Pigs (BBQ
Pork Sliders), Roasted Portobello
Mushroom Quesadilla,
and Petite Java Pork, mashed
yams, mango salsa and maple
jus. You’ll be lured back to experience
the full menu in the
dining rooms!
BEST BAR FOR UNDER 30s
Ryan’s Pub
124 W. Gay St., West Chester
610-344-3934 / ryans-pub.com
They may not shout your
name when you enter, but this
bustling, friendly spot in the
heart of West Chester has all
the makings of a great neighborhood
hangout, where the
college crowd rubs elbows
with locals on two floors with seven
large-screen TVs. There’s the great pub
food you’d expect (and surprises like
twin Kobe sliders), extensive sandwich
menu (with treats like mile-high corned
beef and lobster rolls), lots of salads (try
Cobb Taco Bowl) plus upscale entrées
(tuna, scallops, sirloin), kids menu, and
specials — all reasonably priced. Oh,
and there’s plenty of beer and wine.
BEST MICROBREWERY
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
3 W. Gay St., West Chester / 610-738-9600
30 E. State St., Media / 610-627-9000
710 S. Madison St., Wilmington / 302-472-2739
103 E. Bridge St., Phoenixville / 610-983-9333
781 Harrisburg Pk., Lancaster / 717-291-9800
Newark / North Wales / ironhillbrewery.com
The pursuit of happiness led to the
creation of the first Iron Hill in 1994,
and continued growth attests to their
success in providing full flavored beers
and creative New American food. Even
if you’re not a member of their Mug
Club, you’ll be impressed by their
changing list of lagers, ales and porters,
all freshly brewed on site at each location
and featuring gold medal winners
at the recent Great American Beer Festival
(Roggenbier, Vienna Red Lager,
Saison Lambic de Hill). Can’t decide?
Let well-trained servers direct a tasting
of 8 brews. Try the Brewhouse Fa-
vorites, Black Pepper Crusted Ahi
Tuna, Jambalaya, or special meatloaf.
Great range and overall excellence
explain why industry experts
have showered Iron Hill with
awards.
BEST BEER SELECTION
Teresa’s Next Door
126 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne / 610-293-0119
Teresa’s Next Door (next door to
Teresa’s Café) continues to get raves
for its astonishing selections of beers
on tap (20+) and in bottles (200).
Pair this with a simple, creative and
well-executed menu for a great addition
to Wayne’s restaurant row.
The uninitiated need not fear because
knowledgeable servers help
you select from the blackboard list
of beers on tap and book-length bottle
menu. Or put your faith in their
hands and discover delights like
Pliny the Elder or Russian River
Damnation, maybe served in one of
the 60 special beer glasses that show
serious attention to all things beer.
Menu selections complement beer
sipping, with mussels (dirty,
provencial or drunken), steak frites
and Mexican dishes. With beer dinners
and special events, TND is a
beer Mecca.
Another Favorite
Quotations
37 E. State St., Media / 610-627-2515
The outside doesn’t do this neighborhood
favorite justice. It’s the careful attention
to bringing an unusual selection
of beers paired with great food
(especially the strong sea food offerings)
that keeps the faithful returning.
If you’re lucky, owner Mike will sit
and talk beer with you. It’s the kind of
place that has Bells and Oberon on tap,
and you hear folks comparing IPAs (India
Pale Ales, to the non-beer geeks).
BEST NEW AMERICAN
Moro
1307 N. Scott St., Wilmington
302-777-1800 / mororestaurant.net
Foodies love exploring the manysplendored
tastes at this two-story
MOST POPULAR DISHES
Here are dishes that diners love most.
Baby-Back Ribs, Yellow House Hotel
(Douglassville)
BT Burger, Brandywine Prime Seafood &
Chops (Chadds Ford)
Capellini Adriatico, Allegria (Exton)
Crab Nachos, Half Moon Restaurant &
Saloon (Kennett Square)
8-oz. Filet Mignon, Mile High Steak &
Seafood (Glen Mills)
Fresh Maine Lobster Cakes, Green Hills
Inn (Reading)
Java Pork Tenderloin, 333 Belrose Bar &
Grill (Radnor)
Pan-Seared Giant Diver Scallops, Olde
Greenfield Inn (Lancaster)
Pan-Seared Wild Striped Bass, Nectar
(Berwyn)
Petite Filet Mignon, Stockyard Inn
(Lancaster)
Seared Ostrich Tenderloin, Duling-Kurtz
House (Exton)
Shrimp Lejon Gourmet Pizza, Iron Hill
Brewery (Media)
Whole Adriatic Sea Branzino, Gibraltar
(Lancaster)
Wu Tu Tangerine Beef, Auspicious
Chinese Restaurant (Ardmore)
~ Jaclyn McErlane
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restaurant, where chef/owner Michael
DiBianca plays with his food. He takes
the freshest ingredients and transforms
them into inspired, innovative creations.
His popular “studies” — featuring
one food, like tuna or chocolate (!),
prepared three ways — are exciting
field trips for adventurous palates. Two
samples from the regular menu:
Planked Roasted Maple-Glazed Salmon
with whipped sweet potatoes, grilled
pineapple-macadamia vinaigrette and
Braised Beef Short Ribs with white
bean purée, grilled asparagus and
roasted quince-oregano natural jus. Sophisticated
wine list with 900 labels,
great cheese plates and signature cocktails.
The Blood Orange Cosmopolitan
salutes the name “Moro,” Italian for the
fruit, according to DiBianca. Bravo!