January
2
4 out of 5 stars
O’Malley’s Tavern is hidden in a quaint shopping center off of Glenwood Avenue, across from the Rooms to Go and just up the road from Crabtree Mall. Fellow reviewers’ descriptions of a dive bar are correct, but this is a dive bar with personality. Well-worn wooden booths welcome you on one side, and the other sports pool tables and comfortable-looking couches. Patrons seem to be made up of a come-as-you are local crowd, which is a breath of fresh air compared to many places farther down Glenwood. Speaking of fresh air, now that all bars are non-smoking it shan’t deter you from visiting this hidden gem. They even have a nice patio out front.
I actually only stopped in here for breakfast, but really did enjoy the simple meal and friendly service. The breakfast menu here is actually pretty broad, taking up two sides of a menu page. I had the country fried steak and two eggs with toast, plus choice of hash browns or oatmeal or grits for $5.75. My steak was relatively small, but quite satisfying for the price paid. Hubs had Byron’s Breakfast, consisting of two eggs, two sausage links plus wheat toast for $5. His sausage links were deliciously herby and tasted homemade. Prices are reasonable with lots of options to choose from, including corned beef hash, sweet potato sticks, yogurt, omelettes, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, french toast and more.
Drink (including pitchers) and food specials look generous, so try them out any time of the day.
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April
5
4 out of 5 stars
My mother and I were starving by the time we were heading towards downtown and I remembered that Flying Biscuit was on the way to the SPCA. We stopped in in the early afternoon and didn’t have to wait for a table. The menu had been calling out to me, but what to order? Something with the fried green tomatoes? Well I needed to try the biscuits for sure.
I ordered the country eggs benedict, a poached egg with country sausage patty on a biscuit with country gravy. It was heavenly. Mom ordered whole wheat french toast, which came with creme anglais and raspberry sauce drizzled on top. The sauces on top reminded me of the two types of doughnut filling, raspberry and boston cream. It was hard to stop eating. The bacon was thick and crisp, the sausage was tender and the gravy had just the right touch of sausagey flavor.
The service was good and the food was good, there’s not much more to say. With breakfast available all day, why not give the biscuits and cran-apple butter a try?
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February
11
3 out of 5 stars
Nudy’s is a favorite of my Mom and my sister, so they arranged to bring me here rather than my stand-by favorite King Street Grille when I recently visited town. I normally require that they bring me to King Street and they are sick of this! King Street has one of the best Eggs Benedict I’ve had in my life! But on to Nudy’s. Nudy’s has about 4 locations and this Exton one seems to be newer than those in the Main Line (and perhaps less polished?). Main line locations have an excellent reputation for quality breakfasts.
I decided to stick with something on the “Specialties” portion of the menu since usually that nets pretty good results – a restaurant should be pretty good at preparing one of their specialties. However I was dissappointed in my order of Eggs Benedict. The hollandaise was extremely bland, normally what you’ll find in a sauce that comes from a powder or a can, not a light tangy sauce I was hoping for. The potato hash was relatively flavorless – crisp on top but dry and mush on the inside. Mom ordered a delicious banana waffle with wet nuts on top (mapley walnuts) which she graciously gave me bites of. My sister had a tasty (albiet standard) bagel, egg, cheese and bacon sandwich which she also lovingly shared bites of. We asked the waitress to bring me a short stack of gingerbread pancakes because I wasn’t happy with my dish. She apologized that I didn’t like it but didn’t offer to take it off of the bill. The gingerbread pancakes were tasty, light and fluffy with just the right hint of spice. Incidentally a short stack of pancakes is not a great deal, at what I remember $4.50 or $5+ for two pancakes.
I recommend that when you come here you stick to the sweet items like pancakes and waffles. Service was just ok, with some coffee cups remaining empty, but the hostess was kind enough not to charge us for the benedict when Mom went to pay. Mom did happen to mention that her daughter is a food reviewer. Finally I get a perk!
Nudy’s Cafe
(610) 524-1508
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