Sassano's Gourmet to Go and More - 21 Plank Ave., Paoli, PA 19301
http://www.sassanos.com/
This will be quick because I have to run out. I apologize in advance if it doesn't flow together nicely!
I met my husband today for lunch, and he took me to this gourmet sandwich shop where he and his co-workers often get lunch. This small shop was situated in a shopping center (The Depot Shoppes), and as it was already 2:45 pm when we arrived, there was no one in there. The location we were caters primarily to the lunch crowd; they close after 5 pm and aren't even open on Sundays (as we learned the hard way one weekend).
We had the turkey sandwiches, if you could call them that. To me, it was more like a slice of sandwich heaven. Sliced turkey, Applewood bacon, gorgonzola, and cranberry mayo were piled on a roll with lettuce and tomato. (I will post a picture here tomorrow.) The sandwich was perfect - not too dry and not too moist, flavorful but not overpowering.
To go with our sandwiches, my husband and I each got a bag of potato chips. I can't remember the brand; it wasn't a national brand like Herr's or Lays. Anyway, they were almost like homemade potato chips and were really, really, really good. I had the sour cream and onion; Kevin had the sweet BBQ.
One of the only quirks that I noticed was that they didn't have a trash can. We dined in, and though the dining area (a few tables and chairs) had a very quaint, country feeling to it, apparently they don't get a lot of traffic. So we took our garbage with us (the employees were all in the back once we paid for our food).
Not a bad place to try, and I would have loved to try another one of their sandwiches, or even soup. The biggest down side to Sossano's is the price: our sandwiches were $8 each.
Final Outlook: Recommend, if you have the money to spend
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Adventures in Pho
Pho Thai Nam - 1510 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422
http://www.phothainam.com/
I had never had pho before last night. In fact, my brother and cousin had asked me on Monday whether I had had it before and was greeted with astonished looks when I said that I hadn't. They raved about the food, and so when we received an invitation for a surprise party at a pho restaurant, I was eager to try it out.
For those that don't know what it is, pho is a Vietnamese soup with rice noodles. It comes in a large bowl, so one serving is good enough for a small dinner entree or a full lunch. The broth is some sort of meat broth, they throw in a good amount of rice noodles, and add some sort of meat or seafood. Served on the side are additional spices, such as jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and sage. The more daring foodies add hot sauce to the soup.
Everyone raved about the pho.
Except for me.
Don't get me wrong, it was fine. There was nothing wrong with it. The broth was tasty, the meat was cooked just right, and the noodles were - well, they're rice noodles. But I wasn't wowed.
Maybe it was because everyone had set the bar up so high for me. Maybe it's because I grew up in an Asian household. The pho wasn't too far off from Filipino soups my mom made while I was growing up.
There were other things at Pho Thai Nam that wowed me, though. I really enjoyed the cashew chicken, and the fried rice looked excellent (though I didn't have any to be able to judge). We had excellent service, which is rare for such a large party (there were 14 of us). I really liked the Thai iced tea. Who would have thought ice cream in a sweet tea would be so good? And the mango with the sticky rice dessert was excellent; it was perfectly ripe and would meet even my mother's own exacting mango standards.
All in all, for the price we paid (no more than $10 for an entree), the convenience of the location (right on 202), the great service, and the good atmosphere, I'd say it was a hit.
Final Outlook: Recommend
http://www.phothainam.com/
I had never had pho before last night. In fact, my brother and cousin had asked me on Monday whether I had had it before and was greeted with astonished looks when I said that I hadn't. They raved about the food, and so when we received an invitation for a surprise party at a pho restaurant, I was eager to try it out.
For those that don't know what it is, pho is a Vietnamese soup with rice noodles. It comes in a large bowl, so one serving is good enough for a small dinner entree or a full lunch. The broth is some sort of meat broth, they throw in a good amount of rice noodles, and add some sort of meat or seafood. Served on the side are additional spices, such as jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and sage. The more daring foodies add hot sauce to the soup.
Everyone raved about the pho.
Except for me.
Don't get me wrong, it was fine. There was nothing wrong with it. The broth was tasty, the meat was cooked just right, and the noodles were - well, they're rice noodles. But I wasn't wowed.
Maybe it was because everyone had set the bar up so high for me. Maybe it's because I grew up in an Asian household. The pho wasn't too far off from Filipino soups my mom made while I was growing up.
There were other things at Pho Thai Nam that wowed me, though. I really enjoyed the cashew chicken, and the fried rice looked excellent (though I didn't have any to be able to judge). We had excellent service, which is rare for such a large party (there were 14 of us). I really liked the Thai iced tea. Who would have thought ice cream in a sweet tea would be so good? And the mango with the sticky rice dessert was excellent; it was perfectly ripe and would meet even my mother's own exacting mango standards.
All in all, for the price we paid (no more than $10 for an entree), the convenience of the location (right on 202), the great service, and the good atmosphere, I'd say it was a hit.
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| Happy Birthday, Jayneel! |
Final Outlook: Recommend
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