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?

Fortis Craft Spirits at White Dog Cafe

Fortis Craft Spirits 2300 Trumbauersville Rd Quakertown, PA 18951 (215) 268-6071 Website

White Dog Cafe 3420 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 386-9224 Website

I was recently invited to try out a new local "craft" distillery that had a unique niche – they are shooting to be the well-liquor of choice in Philly. Never one to turn down free drinks (just ask about anyone), I figured it was worth a try. To double down, I asked the rep to meet me at the White Dog Cafe in University City, as I have been meaning to try the food Chef Josh Varquez is putting out (I had heard rumors of house cured jowl pastrami). I was surprised with how nice the building was, and the food was no slouch either.

Rum, Gin, and Vodka, are the standards at Fortis, and I had to sample them all. The have some flavored varieties as well, but I'm more of a cut and dry guy with my hard alcohols. Check out the basement dining area at White Dog in the background. Amazing.

They use Fortis in a variety of mixed drinks, such as the Snoopaloop for fall.

The rail is populated with a variety of Fortis products. Fortis is headquartered in Quakertown and is slowly spreading their product throughout the eastern, central and western parts of PA. Founded by a couple of Carnegie Melon grads, they have a good business plan and they know what they're doing.

You can see their interactive map here, and they expect to have 1L bottles in most PA wine & spirits shops before the end of the year. I mean, it's affordable with a great looking label, so I recommend trying this as your at-home well-drink (if you have a bar, I'm currently working on getting one in my basement...). In the meantime, they're having a Philadelphia launch/cancer research benefit in Northern Liberties this Friday night; get info here. Now on to the White Dog experience.

On the left is a Marmadaiq, with "Green Apple & Kiffir Lime Infused Fortis Rum, Lime, Cranberry Bitters, and Sugared Cranberries." Although I am a whiskey and beer type of guy, this was a refreshing drink. The Fortis tasted just as smooth as I would expect of any other mid-range rum.

The other drink was a Cowan's Hero, "Fortis Gin, Art in the Age Sage, Pear, Honey, Lime, Sage, Soda". This was a real winner. The sage flavor mixed well with the neutral gin, and the pear and honey added some fruity sweetness.

I then had the pleasure of trying some of Chef Varquez's favorites, starting with the short rib sliders. I am not usually a slider fan, but these things fixed all of the issues inherent in small sandwiches.

Look at the texture of this beef. The spicy cheddar was local and delicious, and the fried quail egg put this over the top. I was not left with any "bread only" bites, and could have eaten another six of these things.

At this point I transitioned to the cask Hop Devil, and Chef Josh transitioned to pastrami. From left – house cured beef pastrami, cold smoked salmon, and guanciale. Mixed in for toppings were some beet pickled quail eggs, pickled red onions, cornichons, whole grain mustard, and a caraway aioli.

My god, look at this pork cheek. Fatty, decadent, and speckled with dry rub, this literally melted in your mouth. This is not for those counting calories, and it was worth every fatty bite.

The salmon was fresh, with the texture of velvet, and the light smoke made for a great match with the caraway sauce.

Finally, the beef pastrami. This stuff was highly addictive. It was tough to beat the pork jowl, but this was a close match. Again, the tender fat kept this from being dry, and the attention to preparation was apparent.

One of my favorite parts was the ability to mix and match flavors and meat textures, with crisp pickles, tart onions, and flavorful spreads. I am hooked on the meats, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

Well done, White Dog Cafe. I'll be back soon.

Krystal

3502 U.S. 80
Jackson, MS 39208
(601) 939-8520
Website

I have always wanted to try the "White Castle of the South," but circumstances had never enabled it. Mostly because I live in Philadelphia. On a recent business trip, I had a chance to check it out. Keeping in mind I was dead sober, and in order to fully compare this place to White Castle as it is usually enjoyed, I would have to had been drinking for a substantial period of time. Needless to say, I gave it a go anyhow.

It looked rather similar inside, with stainless steel and a variety of crappy choices.

I got a four 'Krystal burger with cheese' pack, with fries and an additional fried chicken sandwich for good measure. There were a couple of construction workers next to me, and one of them had at least a dozen burger sleeves littered around his tray, so I didn't feel too fat. God bless Mississippi.

These burgers are steamed in onions, with the buns on top, resulting in a flavorful patty, and a fluffy/moist bun. Obviously, they are slapped together hastily, but they aren't too bad.

Pickles, onions, cheese, and yellow mustard are all that you get. But it works well enough.

The fried chicken slider is basically a chicken finger on a bun, and was okay as well. It seemed like I was lucky to get mayo and a pickle, even though it's supposed to come standard.

Krystal burger is exactly what I expected it to be. The pickles are pretty key, but I wouldn't run back. Unless, of course, business takes me down south once again – but that time, there will definitely be booze in the equation.