On Sunday, May 22, just a little before noon, a large mass descended down Bridge Street eating everything in sight, but instead of being a blob from outer space it was a crowd of Phoenixville Restaurant Festival attendees.
Streets were flowing with happy festival-goers, the air was filled with live jazz or rock (depending on where you were standing) and at the end of the day, most of the vendors had sold out of their perfect portion delicacies. To many diners I spoke with, the restaurant festival was a wonderful way to discover new places to eat that they plan to return to in the future.
Before I toured the festival, I had to get my daily dose of caffeine and headed over to Steel City Coffeehouse. Part of me was tempted to sit down on a comfy couch and take in the relaxed coffeehouse ambiance, but I knew I had a lot of eating to do, so I headed out the door with my foamy cappuccino in hand.
The first stop on my tour of Phoenixville’s premier dining spots was a landmark at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets, Molly Maguire’s. Along with an freshly poured beers and beverages, Molly Maguire’s handed out tender, sweet and savory park sliders topped with coleslaw on a mini potato roll along with large crispy curry french fries (coming soon to a menu near you).
In order to get my glutton on, I formed a relatively simple strategy and decided to work my way from one end of Bridge Street to the other. I joined the crowd that was beginning to congregate in front of Majolica’s booth, but then I had to ponder the ultimate question. Which one should I choose amongst their delicious options of roasted corn with cilantro butter, churros with cardamom, golden empanadas or shrimp and potato kebabs? And the winner was…alternating pieces of spicy shrimp and roasted potatoes in beautiful kabob form.
In between bites from Franco Ristorante, Bistro on Bridge, Pepperoncini Sotto, The Columbia Bar & Grille, Daddy Mims Creole, Thai L’Elephant, PJ Ryan’s Pub, Bridgeside Deli & Grille or Eleanor’s Kitchen, festival attendees had a chance to do some shopping, listen to live music or watch karate demonstrations while kids got to hop on a moon bounce or get their faces painted.
Karla was at the festival with her son and felt, “It was a great way to try a smaller portion.” She had the shrimp and grits from Marly’s (more about that later). “I never want to get the huge portions from a restaurant. I think the festival is nice and hope it grows as much as other festivals. I would love to see more of this, I always enjoy the entertainment.”
Next up was dessert euphoria, starting with a caramelized basil and lemon cupcake (with a green tea cake) from Dia Doce. These fabulous cupcakes (it’s nearly impossible to not eat them in one bite) will be cruising throughout Chester Chester late June by way of a lean green cupcake toting truck.
Despite clouds and lower temps, I opted for a chocolate banana popsicle, made from Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa and chunks of bananas from Mompops. These pops are made from organic ingredients, agave nectar and real fruit and every flavor is under 100 calories.
After a day of eating, I decided it was time for some liquid refreshment and headed down to Iron Hill. After a mug of the Belgian Witbier, a piping hot bowl of chicken gumbo, and an immense pulled pork sandwich, I was almost ready to end an excellent food extravaganza.
All day I heard foodies raving about the fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits and squash and green apple bisque from Marlys. I trekked down the end of Bridge Street to seek out the chef’s speciality of shrimp and grits. The generous portions of shrimp laid on top of grits with manchego cheese swimming in a tasso ham cream sauce was absolutely as amazing as the reviews it had received all day.
“It was a good event and people were impressed with it. A lot of people tried something they’ve never had before (even if they have already been here). A lot of people don’t normally come this far and many said they would be back,” said Marly’s cheery server Holly.
As my food coma set in I reflected back on my time at the food festival, filled with smiling faces, games, talented musicians, shopping, lovely libations and most importantly fantastic fare. I have a feeling this festival will join the other fantastic food traditions and celebrations in Phoenixville and beyond.
More photographs from Sunday’s restaurant festival may be seen by clicking here.
