Kurt Here!!….My First Restaurant Review!

As many of you know, one of my hobbies is eating at restaurants (mainly non-chain). I don’t get to the city that much because it takes too long from my Valley Forge home. Anyway, I eat out all the time and I think I know more about the suburban food scene than anyone I know.

You know, it is hard to find a honest restaurant review on suburban restaurants… because the Inquirer focuses on the city…. and the local magazines are primarily paid-for ads.

So I’m going to start writing my own suburban restaurant reviews! It is one of my goals for 2018!

Hope you enjoy and please send me any topics and/or restaurants you would like me to cover. Some topics I am considering…

5 best beer bars, 3 best Mexican, 3 best Italian, 3 best pizzas, etc……. I need your input here! Any feedback can help me better achieve one of my 2018 goals ! 

Arde Osteria www.ardewayne.com:    rating 4 Crocs out of a possible 10  

Arde is perched atop bustling North Wayne Avenue amidst a potpourri of bars, restaurants, and fashion boutiques. The spacious room is lined with mahogany tables, and rustic Italian-esque décor. A large Italian Brick oven towards the back of the restaurant creates an ambiance of cozy warmth and authenticity. The large bright windows are perfect for watching Mainliners bustling in and out of their Range Rover’s, Jags and Mercedes. Really nice atmosphere!

The menu concept at Arde is solid, a local neighborhood Italian BYOB, wood-fired flat breads, charcuterie, salads and pastas. But alas, we encountered executional flaws… primarily with that beautiful Italian brick oven! Here is our course selection…

Wood-Fired Clams– arrived in beautiful ceramic bowl filed with tender clams, briny broth, garlic, and fresh parsley. Two decorative slices of crispy Italian bread were an attractive garnish, but weren’t any good for soaking up the delicious broth. Clams were really fresh and a very successful dish!

Signature Hearth-Fired Bread– we asked for a loaf of their “signature hearth-fired bread,” to dunk in the clam broth (I call this nectar-of-the-sea).  The bread looked great and the first bite tasted great… but it was frozen in the center. The waiter said they didn’t get a chance to bake because it was the day after Thanksgiving. Ugh!

Chopped Salad– a large portion of romaine, grilled chicken, apples, spec, and avocado. Unfortunately the romaine was speckled with brown throughout the entire salad.

Flat bread Napoletana– They don’t make pizza at Arde, so we went with the flat bread. This one arrived on a wooden plank nicely topped with- tomato, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and arugula.   Unfortunately, we had another misfire with that brick oven! Instead of the flatbread being crispy, it was doughy and limp.

If you go- Atmosphere is nice and it’s byob so it’s worth a try. I think we might have caught them on an off day (the day after Thanksgiving). However, to get lots of Crocs in my rating, you must be consistent!