World of Beer

Main Street at Exton
102 Main St #100
Exton, PA 19341
(610) 991-2863
Website

World of Beer is a smallish chain that has been in Exton since 2016. They offer 50 beers on tap with all kinds of variety, including many limited releases. The venue itself is large with plenty of seating, and a large wrap around bar. The outdoor area has fires going with cornhole, jumbo Jenga and inviting couches for extended lounging.

Photo by Pete Bannan / DailyLocal.com

Most importantly, they have tater tots. Specifically, tater tots topped with homemade beer cheese, jalapeños, crispy bacon, scallions & sour cream. The tots were perfectly fried, and the beer cheese was incredibly addictive.

It was an unusually refreshing pile of fried potatoes.

The wings were next up. I got a mix of Garlic Parmesan and Korean Spicy, which is basically a thick and slightly sweet gochujang sauce. The garlic parm were rendered out and left a crispy skin. The sauce itself was nicely flavored without being a garlic bomb. My personal favorites (as usual) were the gochujang version. Sticky, sweet, and packing heat, the scallion greens were a nice contrast and added some cooling crunch.

Are those garlic or parm flecks? Who knows. Just eat them.

The Chimay burger ($5 on Monday nights) comes with a fresh Angus beef burger piled high with Chimay Classique cheese, sautéed mushrooms, & caramelized onions. Served on a brioche bun with house-made Chimay sauce.

Although my medium rare was over cooked, the flavor the was still there. The sauce was rich and the brioche held everything together.

The apple and kale coleslaw was a nice variation on the fries, tater tots, wings, and burger I had already consumed. Crunchy, fresh, and just enough dressing.

I was not finished yet, however. The crispy chicken sliders came with beer-brined chicken breast, fried crisp, southern style with dill pickles & local IPA sauce served on two toasted brioche buns. Yet another winner. These were perfect if you didn't want to overdo it on food (but still wanted to overdo the beer).

The IPA sauce helped keep this from being dry, and the pickle cut the fried breading and bread itself with some acidity.

The street tacos were also pretty good (there was definitely no beer-fueled favoritism going on at this point). Below is the beef barbacoa, beer battered shrimp, and beer brined fried chicken from the left. They are offered with either the house made ranch (fried chicken) or the Sriracha lime aioli (the rest). All did the trick, and it was a fair deal at $11. Plus they were not stingy with the queso fresco.

As if there were not enough food at this outing, the Guinness-infused Bratwurst with sauerkraut, sautéed onions & peppers and  house mustard in a toasted hoagie roll was the grand finale. This, like the burgers, is $5 on Monday nights. The sausage was hearty, juicy, and had a nice snap to the casing. Nothing to complain about.

Basically, this place is great if you are looking for an alternative to Victory in Downingtown, who has consistently fallen off with their food execution. Plus you can drink most of the special Victory brews here for cheaper. What's not to like?

Not Your Average Joe's

561 Glen Eagle Square
Glen Mills, PA 19342
(610) 500-2222
Website

I was asked to check out Not Your Average Joe's recently, and though I had never heard of it, I figured it was worth a shot. It is a small chain that has locations in Glen Mills and Ardmore locally. Surprisingly it was not too far out of the typical Philly Phoodie price range, and they had a craft beer selection to rival most independent eateries.

I chose to sit in the bar area, as I feel most comfortable around a lot of liquor. There were a number of TV's around with sports on, but it didn't feel like a "sports bar".

They offer a seasonal menu along with a standard menu that has some entrees, and a lot of options like pizza and sandwiches.

Check out the local draft list.

The GM Stephen asked if I had tried some of the drafts, and immediately brought out some of his favorites. He was extremely knowledgeable on beer and food, and all around a great guy. A breath of fresh air from some of the places I have been invited.

Many chains are known for their free starters. This was one of the best. Onion focaccia bread, with a spiced olive oil and cheese dip. Diet food this was not. I think I ate the whole basket.

Incredible garlic flavor in the oil and wonderfully caramelized onion on the bread.

The first thing I tried was the bacon-leek flatbread. This boasted applewood smoked bacon, melted leeks and blue cheese, finished with Romano cheese and marinated tomatoes. It was quite tasty, though it was my second favorite flatbread of the evening.

The bacon was crispy, the leeks were tender and sweet, and the blue cheese had just enough funk going on. Also, the crust on this was very thin, and crisped up perfectly.

The OTHER flatbread was butternut squash-based. Now butternut squash is not one of my favorite things. In fact, I generally avoid it. But I happened to love this offering. A thin and crispy base topped with sage-pecan pesto, roasted butternut squash, shaved brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, smoked mozzarella and balsamic reduction. The smoked mozz and sweet tart balsamic were in harmony with the shaved sprouts (which cut the bitterness) and the natural sugar in the squash. I really liked this one.

Look at how thin that crust is.

As if by joke, I was informed the next courses were coming out. I was at the point where a more intelligent person would say, "thank you for the great food, but I am totally stuffed". Luckily(?), I am not that kind of person. I proceeded to do my damnedest to attempt to plow through THREE entrees.

First up, and reigning champion, was the Molasses braised pork shank. I am always a sucker for any kind of shank. Except you know, the prison kind. The shank was slow cooked, served over smoked gouda white-corn polenta with a tart apple relish. This meat was so tender and well rendered, it just pulled off the bone with a gentle nudge from my fork. At $20, it is a STEAL. The smoked gouda (one of my favorites) gave the polenta the fat and flavor so often missing, and the tart pickled apples and red onions cut through their heavier counterparts, adding some "pop".

Look at the crust.

Perfectly pulled off the shank.

The Harvest Mac and Cheese was an insane bowl of smoked mozzarella and pepperjack cheese sauce with roasted butternut squash, roasted mushrooms, pulled chicken, spinach and cavatappi pasta, topped with asiago bread crumbs. This was likely a meal for two on its own. I really liked the bread crumbs, but it was probably my least favorite dish of the night. This might have been because I ate approximately 5,000 calories before it got to me, or because it was outshone by the other dishes.

It was by no means bad, it was just kind of heavy, one note, and maybe lacking a bit of the cheesey roux that mac and cheese conjures up. It was more of a chicken pasta bowl maybe?

Are you feeling full yet? Because we are about halfway there. The Mustard Crusted Chicken didn't seem like much on paper, but it had that "it" factor that made it work, and quite well. Featuring pan-seared chicken in a three-mustard marinade and panko crumbs served with green beans, garlic mashed potatoes and lemon aioli, this could have easily been dry or bland. I mean we are talking about chicken breast and mashed potatoes. This was anything but. The mustard marinade added some tang, and must have helped keep the chicken breast moist (also the kitchen knew what they were doing, thanks Jose), because this was a great WHITE MEAT CHICKEN BREAST. Yes, I said it. I am a thigh man in general, but this was an exception. The lemon aioli was bright and acidic, which helped to make this potentially heavy dish light(ish).

Check that crust. Not very photogenic, but delicious nonetheless.

At this point I was about to nap, but they heard me mention my affinity for both wings and pizza, and out came a dessert Buffalo Chicken Pizza. This one had crispy chicken tenders tossed in  mango-buffalo barbeque sauce with mozzarella, scallions and blue cheese dressing. It was different than the flatbreads from the appetizer menu. And my second favorite dish of the night (behind the pork shank, maybe). The sauce was sweet, spicy, and smokey, the blue cheese was cool and together they formed a sauce to be reckoned with. I would eat those crispy tenders on any occasion.

The crust was super thin, and light. I was shocked such good pizza came from a chain that didn't even specialize in pizza. Though the attention to detail and care put into the other dishes should have been an indicator.

To add insult to gluttonous injury, I was told I could not leave without trying dessert. This was like delicious torture. I was a victim of deliciousness. The Peanut Butter Thing, their signature dessert is peanut butter and chocolate chunks folded into vanilla ice cream and rolled in oreo cookie crumbs, topped with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with hot chocolate and caramel sauces tableside. See below for tableside saucing.

I thought, well I will just take a few bites to be polite. I couldn't possibly eat anything more.

And then I finished the damn thing. Seriously. It was heaven on a plate. Everything sweet I love in this world mixed together. Holy hell.

I did not pay for my meal, which should be apparent above. But I would gladly part with my own money if I were in the area looking for somewhere to eat again. The prices were right, the food was on point, and it is unfair to other chains to call it a chain restaurant. It is leaps and bounds above its competition. It's like they took all of the comforting parts of chain dining (large portions, reasonable prices, approachable food) and made it actually good. 

KOP Beerfest Royale | DONNERSTAG

King of Prussia Mall
Plaza Parking Lot
160 N Gulph Rd
King of Prussia, PA 19406

BUY TICKETS!

Session Two is sold out but there are still 300 tickets left for Session One. And until 11:59pm on Friday, October 4th, you can save $10 off of Session One tickets using the code "10DAYS" (*cannot be combined with any other offers and is not valid on designated driver tickets). The code expires the day of the event, so get them while you still can!

I was asked to do a preview of the KOP Beerfest Royale, by visiting the "Donnerstag" happy hour on Thursday night. I am going to provide a walk through of some of the things I saw, drank, and ate. I also smoked a Pennsylvania-grown-and-wrapped cigar, but at that point, pictures were getting a little fuzzy.

The lot is set up pretty nicely, and there are those trailered bathrooms that are 10 steps up from port-o-potties at the entrance. Big fan.

Upon entering the fest, I was greeted with the Dogfish Head Ancient Ales, and those are always a treat. Expensive and hard to find are two things that come to mind when I think of them. I also think delicious, and always welcome.

The ice sculpture was pretty "cool". God it's early.

The Hoppin John Orchestra was a 10 piece live band that kept the mood festive, and encouraged mass consumption. For someone like me, it didn't take much.

The pulled pork and flour cakes with feta and microgreens came from the Valley Tavern, which is located in the Valley Forge Casino. I had no idea it existed, but the giant beer list might drive me to drink away my winnings on the craps table.

Seasons 52 had the best looking display, with all of their samples on mirrors.

I also loved the desserts in a shot glass. Carrot cake and raspberry mascarpone (deconstructed cannoli) were my two favorites.

Ruth's Chris offered beef sliders (delicious) with a mild horseradish shmear, sweet potato cups, tuna spoons?, and creme brule. All were consumed with vigor.

Ralph's of South Philly apparently has an outpost in KOP, which I never knew. I demolished the meatballs and sausage, as well as the cannoli, with no sign of slowing down.

Peppers Restaurant offered brushetta and polenta. Go for the bruschetta.

Rock Bottom Brewery, located in the KOP mall itself, had a smoked sausage mac and cheese that was damn fine.

Surprisingly, Wegman's might have had the best spread. Thai peanut lettuce wraps, two kinds of sushi with seaweed salad, and floats made with Sly Fox. Yes please.

The cocktail tent just exacerbated the situation, with two of my favorites, Penn 1681 rye vodka, and Blue Coat gin, both of Philadelphia Distilling.

There were a bunch of people wearing pretzel necklaces like trophys. I am not sure who they flashed to get one, but I am pretty jealous.

There was even a mini cupcake truck, which made some incredible cakes.

Arnold Palmer (lemon cake with sweet tea frosting) on the right, and pumpkin on the left.

To say I overdid it is a gross understatement. I ate enough to feed a village, and drank enough to slick the thirst of the Russian army.

Luckily, they offered my favorite ride home, Uber, WITH a $25 credit. Baller. All together, this is the grown up version of the usual beer fest scene. There was no one throwing up or fighting (which I see far too often at these kinds of things) – just a whole lot of people with a whole lot of love for the finer things. See for yourself on Saturday, you will not be disappointed.