The contemporary casual dining destination of Woodcutter Street in Main Street at Exton, Freskada BYOB, recently received a menu facelift–one that now features a mix of American, Italian and Greek dishes. Owner and chef George Lambardakis has kept his most popular Greek dishes, while broadening the choices to include more pizzas and now, even burgers.
George has owned the popular restaurant The Olive Tree (located up on Route 113) for seven years. He opened Freskada a year and a half ago.
“We had more of a Greek menu, but it’s a more difficult learning curve for customers, so we took away items that need more explanation,” he shared. George and his staff revised the Freskada menu in November 2011, adding more pastas and more “middle of the road” pizzas, which are made in their wood stone pizza oven.
“We’re a casual, fun contemporary place,” George said. “We have an all encompassing menu that will please anybody. We have nightly specials. We’re easily adaptable. If someone comes in and wants something special, we can help them out. The majority of our menu is gluten-free.”
The appetizers include such diverse offerings as Lemon Zesty Calamari, Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas, and Buffalo Hot Wings. They have a wide choice of fresh market salads–which are a meal in themselves. Diners can also choose from the signature sandwiches, such as our favorites: the Artichoke Turkey Panini and the Grilled Chicken Eggplant Parmesan. Cheesesteaks, burgers and pizzas are also on the menu. It’s true–Freskada has something for everyone.
The diverse dinner entrees range from a Chicken Souvlaki Platter to a Buttered Rib Eye Steak. George described the special on the day I was there–Applewood Shrimp, which is charred shrimp in pilaf with sun-dried tomato red wine sauce. “A lot of the pastas are popular, and the steaks.”
George shared that he balances his time between the two restaurants. “The other one [The Olive Tree] is more established. I’m there morning and night. My staff there knows what they are doing, and it gives me the luxury of doing this. They are wonderful.”
A week after meeting George, I met a friend at Freskada for lunch and tried the Wood Fired Chicken Roma – a grilled chicken breast with a saute of mushrooms, onions, fresh garlic, tomatoes and baby spinach with provolone. Served on a grilled ciabbata for $9.99, the sandwich was fresh and satisfying.
We were able to linger and chat in the restaurant, never feeling rushed. Freskada has an open floor plan and you can see into the kitchen. When weather permits, they have a large outdoor shaded area for al fresco dining. One other nice note: it’s always nice when a BYOB is in walking distance of the local liquor store. After a day of shopping in Exton, you can pick up a bottle of wine and enjoy a nice casual dinner.
Freskada is located at 120 Woodcutter Street in the shopping center known as “Main Street At Exton.” They are open Monday –Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. You can call for reservations at 610-524-3334, though walk-ins are welcome.
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