Taproom on 19th

2400 S 19th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19145
(267) 687-7817
Website

The Taproom on 19th has been around for a while, but given its location in deep South Philly, it maybe hasn't gotten the hysteria that many more accessible (but inferior) places have. But that is okay by me, as it means I don't have to wait in line behind some new Fishtown resident that I would hate anyway.

The menu here is perfectly sized, and pretty much everything on it is a win. A couple of stand-outs that I very much enjoyed recently were the fried cheese curds and the Japanese fried chicken sandwich. Don't overlook the burger or cheesesteak, however. If fried curds or chicken are on a menu, I am almost always ordering them. These two were no disappointment.

The curds, sourced from "The Cow and the Curd" are little gooey sticks of magic. The breading is a light cornmeal-ish coating, and the salty stringy cheese takes me back to Wisconsin when I discovered these regional delicacies over a decade ago (along with New Glarus beer). In both cases, beer + fried curds = happiness. I would venture to say these are better than anything I have had in the Badger State. A taste of the chipotle lime dipping sauce actually gave a sharp kick of acidity and late smokey burn. Too often these aiolis are bland town. Not here.

The Japanese fried chicken sandwich was just out of this world. The shishito pepper aioli and the ginger pickles were just icing on the cake.

The brioche, which I am generally not hugely into, was the perfect vessel for this fried manna from heaven.

The chicken thighs were battered with a slightly sweet, shatteringly crunchy shell. The flavor on its batter reminded me ever so slightly of eating a corn dog. Yes, a corn dog. The sweet cornmeal flavor was the perfect bit of sass to match the tender meat inside. This was the best fried chicken sandwich I have had in recent memory. Simple perfection.

The juicy thigh was just right for the application. And there was plenty of salt to get my taste buds dancing. I am pretty sure I contemplated having Uber drop me back off here towards the end of the night for a sequel.

Although they didn't look like much, the fries were addictive as well. Sure, they might have come out of a freezer but I'm not a hater of pre-cut fries, I quite like them! The inner potato was fluffy, while the outside was crunchy and salty. Not much else you could ask for. All around, the Taproom on 19th blew away expectations.

Split Rail Tavern

15 N Walnut Street
West Chester, PA 19380
(484) 999-8805
Website

Split Rail is a good place to stop in West Chester for a decent beer selection, and so I decided to try the "Split Rail Commonwealth Burger" that was talked up by the bartenders the last couple of visits I made.

On the menu, it had all of the right components. "All burgers are 6oz Dutch Meadow Farms 100% Organic Grass-fed Beef accompanied by a Russian dressing, shredded lettuce, tomato, red onion, choice of sharp cheddar, American or Swiss, a spicy pickle and house-cut french fries, served on a Big Marty's sesame seed bun." Sounds like a high-end fast food burger to me. Lovely. I ordered it with sharp cheddar, and caramelized onions ($1.50 up-charge on the onions). Which put it at $13.50. Still, when it arrived, it looked quite good, and the fries were tantalizingly golden brown.

The problem with the burger was flavor. It was bland city, the burger meat tasted like watery beef juice that had never heard of salt (and there was a hair on my vegetable toppings served on the side). The hair, well that sometimes happens, but the woeful under-seasoning, that should never happen.

I really wanted this to be awesome, look how good it looks, and is a nice medium (strong medium) which was close enough (I guess) to the medium rare I ordered so as not to offend. But I truly tasted nothing. I asked a dining mate to try it (having given no indication of my thoughts), and the immediate response- "wow, that is incredibly bland" followed by- "is that a hair?". I have been back and tried it again to be sure it was not a one off experience. And it was the same conclusion. Great components, poor execution.

Not to mention the unexpectedly dry bun. Usually these babies are soft and supple, but this bad boy was D-R-Y and crunchy, but not because it may have been toasted (it wasn't), it was stale. Even if the burger had come out medium rare and potentially dripping with jus, the crumbly bun still would have been noticeable.

The fries were the saving grace (I think they mistakenly used the burger salt on THEM). Perfectly fried, nicely seasoned, and pillowy inside, I loved them. Next time I would steer away from the burger, but perhaps try something else that was accompanied by these crispy potato dreams. That is if I venture back during dining time.

Berwyn Tavern

625 Lancaster Ave.
Berwyn, PA 19312
(610) 889-9352
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The burbs have a couple of things going for them where the city is relatively weak. One of which, and probably the most important thing: blue collar bars with great drink specials and cheap delicious bar food. I'm not saying there is NO WHERE with this in the city, but the ratio of places where you can get a cheap domestic and some good wings is way off. As you well know, I am not a big fan of trendy gastro-bullshit that will be out of fashion in six months and cost me $40 at happy hour. Berwyn Tavern is the best of both worlds.

They have some unique specials, and incredibly fresh food.

They also have a load of traditional style appetizers, and some interesting twists.

The happy hour runs 7 days a week (!) from 4-6pm. Not my favorite hour spread, but having the weekend specials is a huge plus. All appetizers are half off, and they have a bunch of drink specials. Baskets of wings for $4 is enough for me, however. I was told I had to try the boneless wings and buffalo shrimp. So I had to oblige. Below are the coconut curry boneless wings and buffalo shrimp.

The wings (boneless, in this case) are fried extremely crispy, and the coconut curry sauce is delicious. Subtle, yet slightly spicy, and there was a hint of creamy coconut cutting through the heat. They also offer hot, BBQ, teriyaki, Thai chili, sesame ginger, and chipotle flavors for both boneless and regular wings; so there's no shortage of flavor opportunities. I'm willing to bet the wings with bones come out just as crispy and I shall find out soon enough.

I also tried the regular buffalo hot boneless wings, and they were also delicious. I am so fat.

The shrimp were surprisingly good, crispy, breaded, and lightly tossed in buffalo sauce.

The breading had a nice seasoning to it, you can see the pepper flakes below. Who knew that buffalo shrimp could be a thing? And then turn out to be such a GOOD thing? I mean, dipping shrimp in blue cheese dressing sounds crazy, but just take my word for it, you won't regret it.

As I had been there WELL past happy hour, I started to get hungry again, and so I asked to see the menu one more time. When I saw they had a riff on the "Schmitter" I knew I had to try it.

Pit beef, salami, fried onions, American cheese, tomato, and Thousand Island dressing on a brioche roll. This is all served on a bed of fries. My heart was struggling to pump at this point.

While this is no Schmitter, this is one good sandwich. I could only eat half. Mostly because I recently (but I won't say how recently) eaten 3 orders of fried appetizers chased by fries and one or 10 beers.

Delicious in its own right, their "stadium sandwich" is worth a try.

The fries were cooked to perfection, crisp with skin on the ends - they may not be fresh, but they are some of the best fries that can come out of a freezer.

While it may not look like much from the outside, its the type of place those in the know go.

And yes, I will be back to try every app on their menu during happy hour.

Ye Olde Ale House

405 Germantown Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA ‎ 19444
(610) 825-2469 ‎

Roast beef and gravy is one of the most comforting of all the comfort foods. Though the best in Philly has already been tackled (I know that's a dirty word for us Birds fans right now) here, I was alerted to a suburban joint that might be a contender. Either way, I am always down for some beef.

Ye Olde Ale House is wood finished, and dated inside. Exactly what I like in a bar.

They also have some of the better wings I have eaten recently. And I have been eating more good wings than ever before in my life. These things are lightly breaded, have a nice spicy sauce, and retain their crispy texture.

I was not there just for wings, however, I had a great purpose on my visit. One that included peppery gravy and horseradish.

I asked for the more rare beef, and the "outs" which includes the seasoned, crispy outside. Hell. The beef was incredibly tender, the fatty outside was so crispy it was basically a cracklin. I was blown away.

Look at the crispy exterior on these things. I've never seen anything like it at a beef-and-beer type place.

I also tried the roast pork. This one I can't really recommend. The beef was sooo good, and the pork was sooo unremarkable. It was under seasoned, and dry. The gravy was bland. All over a big pass for me. That being said, the beef and wings were especially delicious, and I am already craving that crispy beef end. It will not be long before I am back in the company of beef fat, where I belong.

Pic-A-Lilli Pub

231 S. Tennessee Ave
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(609) 344-1113
Website

Atlantic City is a lot of things. Notably, it's the dive of the two big casino towns in the US. Therefore I figured there had to be a dive bar there that was classic, not just terrifying. Although some of the patrons were preserved in ethanol, there wings were fresh and delicious.

They are also open 24 hours. I have been there late night/early morning, but I wanted to see if what I remembered about the place was correct. That the wings are as good as blurry memory served.

Beers were about $2 a mug, and if you texted some bullshit number they gave you a free one. Done.

There was actually something green in this place, and they served plenty of it. You can tell the wings rule the roost, because the celery was crisp and fresh.

The end bones were basically Frenched on these things, which gave you an extra handle to wrestle these saucy flappers into your mouth. The sauce was a thick, spicy, vinegary paste that was perfect for your wing cravings. And at $17 for 25, they didn't break the bank, unlike the craps table. . .

They were also served in an endearing clear glass casserole type dish. I must admit, I am a big fan of this place. It's nice to get out of the casinos, get something delicious, and not get robbed.