Bad Service, Slimey Pork Sandwich Puts Fork in Brother Paul's as Viable Dining Option

“Why did we stop going to Brother Paul’s?”

This is the question I asked my wife when we were thinking of going to the Eagleville, Pennsylvania establishment a couple weeks ago. The reasons were somewhat vague in my head. I sort of remember friends of ours saying they got hassled about coming into play darts too late? I think there was something where another friend wanted a certain sort of glass for his beer and it was seen as a major affront by the staff. There may have even been something in there about a waitress being generally rude. But we couldn’t really remember so I figured we should make a return trip.

Anyway, now that we have returned, the reason for our lack of patronization over the last few years has been crystallized anew: The service blows. And the food isn’t much better.

Tale of the Pie: Colosseo Pizza

The truth is there was no burning desire within me to try Colosseo Pizza. My Mom and myself had just taken Saucy Jr. to the Philadelphia Zoo when she mentioned stopping someplace for pizza. She didn’t have a place in mind. She simply knew there was a place around the Community College of Philadelphia. Even after we had found the place and tried their pizza, I didn’t know the name of the place. I had to look it up later.

Colosseo Pizza.

McKenzie Brew House Makes a Great Meatloaf (and Plenty of Quality Beer)

I had heard a lot about McKenzie Brewhouse over the years so when one (somewhat) recently opened in Devon (or Berwyn, or whatever), a visit became a virtual inevitability. We're pleased to say that the visit was totally worthwhile, and I only hope that other people begin to agree so that this maker of good brews can remain in my area for a decent stretch of time.

We visited on a Sunday for lunch. The place was absolutely beautiful and supremely spacious. We were there with our young son so we were not going to be sitting at the bar, but a quick drive-by marked it as a fine place to sit and have a beer. From our table, we were able to view their brewing area. While there was no one at work on brewing, it was a nice touch to have such a transparent view of the operating systems and I imagine it would be fun to watch over a dinner during a busier time. And I wonder if that is a concern? True, we were there on a Sunday around noon in the summertime. When people think brunch, a brewery/restaurant probably isn't the first place they think of. But the lack of people certainly did have me worried that business may not be picking up as quick as ownership might like. Hopefully, these concerns are totally unwarranted.

Now to the beverages. I was the only person of our party to drink beer (friends went with Mimosa and Bloody Mary, respectively, while the wife went with a water, and the kid inexplicably chose chocolate milk) so I figured I would go all out. After downing a very decent, citrus-laced Application IPA, I called for a sampler. Along with the IPA, it featured a Saison, an American Pale Ale, a Belgian Wheat, a Belgian Pale Ale, a light beer, a stout, and a dreaded barleywine. As we were there to have lunch with our friends, I didn't take a ton of notes, but I do have a memory of which ones shined and which ones didn't. I've already mentioned that the IPA was agreeable, but I also found that the establishment excelled in the area of the Belgians. Both the Belgian Wheat and the Belgian Pale Ale were highlights. The unquestioned best was the Saison Vautour Farmhouse Ale. It absolutely soared with a "dry hoppiness" and a "significant addition of malted rye." (Uh....sorry about the quotes. I'm writing this write off of my beer stained souvenir sampler mat. I also found (and this is a shocker, because I despise the stuff) the barleywine to be quite tasty. Flavors were a lot more subtle than I've ever experienced in a barleywine. I almost think regular barleywine drinkers (if such creatures exist) might think it a little weak. But for someone like me, the thing was perfect.

In the area of duds, I have to touch on McKenzie Light. I understand the need to pander to the cretin who walks off the street and enjoys the refreshing taste of horse piss upon their lips, but this just wasn't good. It had a bitter, vinegary mouthfeel that I've never even experienced in a Coors Light forced into my hands at a frat house party. And while it is easy to dismiss this as a fine brewer not having his heart in the beverage for the common people, I will say that back in the day Rock Bottom (a similar sort of establishment in King of Prussia) made a very good light beer called Lumpy Dog Light. I would often get it despite its lack of heft due to its crisp, refreshing nature. Moral of the story: If you are not into making the light beer, just get it off the menu and force the beer amateur to try something new.

While I am not a fan of stouts, I also have to call bull on McKenzie's Oatmeal Stout. When you consider that the sampler mat describes the potion as "silky and smooth," it will come as some surprise when your first sip gives you the same off-putting, sour notes as the Light. Maybe I just got a bad batch, but if I was a big stout supporter and I bought a pint (and I had any courage or love of confrontation, of which I have none of either), I would ask for a refund.

Aside from the two beers I described, I would give McKenzie's a very nice B grade for their beers. But what of their food? Would its focus on the brews leave the food as a mere afterthought? Absolutely not. I can not vouch for their omelettes and such because I took the brunch road less traveled. That is right: I saw meatloaf on the menu and pounced. Many times, I find that people make a fundamental mistake when serving the dish. They simply don't give you enough. Look, if I am ordering meatloaf at noon it means that I am a hearty eater...and probably a bit of a freak. I want a finely cooked piece of meat, yes. But I also want it big. And McKenzie delivered with a sizeable portion and plenty of rich, flavorful gravy (not enough gravy being another common meatloaf faux pas). With my meal, I had the choice of gravy or BBQ sauce and the piece comes with onion rings and field greens (they quite nicely allowed me to substitute fries for onion rings because I quite simply can't think of something less appetizing to me than a big-ass fried onion). It was the sort of dish that, upon future visits to the establishment, will force me into a form of menu paralysis. You know, when you are looking at the all of the menu options, but your eyes keep moving back to the meatloaf subconciously. It was that good.

It should also be said that the service at McKenzie's was spectacular. As I said, our server did not have a lot of customers to take her attention away from us, but aside from being attentive, she was also courteous, friendly, knowledgeable about the beer, and actively engaging of our young one, making jokes and bringing him some materials to play with sans an eager plea from his parents.

All in all, McKenzie Brew House offers a very quality experience with good beer, delicious food, and a warm, inviting atmosphere in which to consume both. Hopefully, the customers are flocking while I am looking the other way. It would be nice to keep these guys in the neighborhood.
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McKenzie Brew House
324 West Swedesford Road
Berwyn, PA 19312




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Copabanana: It Simply Hasn't Aged Well

I mentioned earlier in a post about Tapestry’s Cirque du Saison event that we had also hit South Street’s Copabanana. There is a reason for that: You see, the wife is pregnant. She is always hungry and she always has to pee. The hunger part: The barbecue sandwiches Tapestry was serving seemed to be recklessly overpriced so she wanted to go someplace else to eat. The pee part: We were looking for someplace else when she told me she had to go to the bathroom, so we had to end the hunt for the hot new Zagat-recommended hipster hangout to be named later and go to the closest place possible. That was Copabanana.

I will say that Copabanana used to be a major attraction for us during the days when we used to frequent the area. First of all, they made terrific margaritas and a wonderful variety of the drink at that. They also made some darn good nachos, some of the best in town if you were to ask us, and we fashioned ourselves as major nacho aficionados (in other words, we once struggled with weight issues).

Well, it has been a long time since our man-about-town salad days. These days, it takes a Congressional order to get us out of Norristown. And in the time between these two periods of our lives, it would appear that Copabanana has fallen on hard times. Its neon décor has become a bit quaint in these days where “authenticity” is in such high demand. Their menu lacks adequate beer choices, which is fairly rare in a time where Philadelphia has emerged as perhaps the greatest beer city in America. And…well, let’s just say, in order to eat outside we had to present a driver’s license that the establishment would hold onto until we had paid for our meal. The place’s clientele must leave something to be desired if a diner eating al fresco is being looked upon as a Watergate-burglar-in-training.

In any event, this being Philly Beer week, I WAS going to have a beer while eating. I perused the menu for options and there were few. There was Victory Golden Monkey, which is always an enjoyable treat. It can get you somewhat bombed though. There was Dogfish 90 Minute, which apparently qualifies as an adventurous IPA for the not-so-adventurous palette. And then there was Allagash White. I was very confused to see it on the menu. Therefore, I felt it was the one I had to try. It was just a classic, incredibly refreshing wheat beer. Even without a glass (none was offered and I was afraid to ask, fearing that I would fall victim to some sort of mysterious craft beer hate crime at the hands of one of the street’s consistently menacing passersby), the flavors popped. Orange. Something banana-esque. Some coriander spices. I might have gotten a second one if the service wasn’t a bit spotty, our waitress disappearing for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.

For food, we ordered a plate of their primo macho nachos, a side of their Spanish fries, and an order of steak tacos. The nachos were still awesome, packed as they were with chili, jalapenos, salsa, and sour cream. It’s not a gourmet treat and you get the idea that the ingredients are extremely store-bought. (Kidding. I didn’t get the idea. I know it because I saw a manager coming back from a local store with, like, eight bags full of Ortega taco shells for making of the establishment’s tacos. Then I hilariously heard some nearby workers ragging on the poor sap because he had bought the wrong item. They needed tortilla chips, not taco shells. DUH!) Still, I believe that the item is worth the price of admission simply for the pure amount of accoutrements. I didn’t consume a naked chip. This is key.

The other items unfortunately did not earn any sort of rave, on a curve or otherwise. First of all, the steak tacos were served in some sort of odd soft shell. It wasn’t a full tortilla. It was cut in half or something. It was as if the establishment was afraid it was going to run out of shells (see previous note: it probably was). The actual steak was tough and overdone, and the flavor wasnonexistent. As for garnishments, the salsa was really scarce, the lime hard to detect, and the odd choice of a radish simply did not appeal. As for the Spanish fries, Copabanana’s website calls the dish “famous.” But if this is the case, they must be famous in the same way that Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton is famous. In other words, it wasn’t earned and certainly isn’t based on merit and accomplishment. Nothing about the dish, slathered as it is with cheese and jalapenos, marks it as something you would want to experience a second time.

If you choose to go to Copabanana, I sure hope it is because you want to see a girl of moderate fitness wearing see-through, tight white jeans with black-and-white zebra striped underwear. That is there for the taking. Believe me, I saw it and still have not recovered. However, if you are there for a delicious meal and a diverse group of beer offerings, you might want to keep on walking.












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The Pizza Project
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