One of the best-kept secrets in Chester County is Firecreek Restaurant’s reasonably priced and oh-so-delish happy hour. And just as there are drink deals to cater to every preference, the winter happy hour bar menu also has a little something for everyone.
Let’s take a sec to discuss the prices: Everything on the bar menu is under $12; during happy hour, that entire menu is under $10. And these aren’t tiny apps; many are a meal.
I recently challenged Executive Chef Jamie Drusik to select his top five. OK, to be fair, I insisted on the Mac and Cheese Gratin, so he offered five additional winners from his creative menu. I brought my carnivore friend, Sally, to make sure all tastes would be represented. Here’s our 411 on why you should make it a point to stop by Firecreek Restaurant Monday through Friday, between 5 and 7 p.m., and Sunday between noon and 2 p.m., and 4 and 6 p.m.
Mac and Cheese Gratin served with blueberry cornbread: Genius, just genius. The light and sweet cornbread gives the savory mac and cheese a little sumpin sumpin. A combo of cheeses, including my loves applewood smoked cheddar and Gouda, make for a rich but not heavy dish. Chef Jamie’s secret? Each is cooked to order. Nice.
Risotto Feature: Sally and I got extra lucky here! This night it was wild mushroom and truffles with a shaved truffle garnish. Decadent but not heavy, because all that’s used to make this Arborio rice awesome is a little cream, grated parm, and salt and pepper. The truffles are hearty enough that nothing else is really needed to get big flavors.
Loaded Baked Potato topped with broccoli, bacon and house made cheese sauce: I know it sounds simple, but this giant tater is as big as two fists. Fists of a grown man. Or one NBA all-star’s fist. Anyway, it’s enormous, and those aren’t your mama’s toppings. The smoked Gouda sauce and the applewood-smoked bacon are house made. Sally commented the fresh bacon bits gave a slight crunch and umami finish.
Blue Moon Style Mussels drenched in Blue Moon Belgian white ale, ginger, jalapeno and oranges: And the oranges steal the show, especially the bit o’zest. It brings the whole dish together because the citrus not only is a no-brainer with the beer, but also because it adds a wonderful clean finish to the mussels. And, yes, ginger, we noticed you, too: way to contribute to a well-rounded dish.
Cone-A-Yam Fries tossed in spiced brown sugar and cinnamon served with a molasses dipping sauce: Truth be told, I’ve been eyeing this up since it arrived on the menu, and it did not disappoint. Like the others, it’s a generous portion served with style. And with a thick, rich, sweet sauce that made me want to lick the serving dish clean. Sally added that the hint of bitter found in good molasses was a great complement to the yams.
Firecreek Burger with bacon, havarti, caramelized onions, spicy thousand island dressing on a brioche bun with truffle fries: Hold the phone … truffle fries? Sally’s task was to sample the mile-high burger, and I gladly shoved her aside to get to the truffle fries. Chef Jamie offered me a whiff of his house-made truffle salt, and I’m fairly sure my eyes rolled back into my head. I highly recommend you get your hands on a side of those.
Minutes later, Sally still was contemplating how to tackle the piled-high burger, which, I must add, is Hubs’ favorite. He has it every time. Sally’s reaction was largely the same as his: she dove in and drooled over every taste, right down to the romaine and tomato. She noted it’s not first-date food if you’re looking to be dainty, and that the burger was excellent, the brioche perfectly fresh, the bacon thick-cut and the havarti and sauce mild. It’s worth noting the burgers are made from scratch every day at Firecreek.
Chef Jamie’s philosophy shines through in all of the above and the rest of the extensive bar menu which includes other gems such as Tuna Tartare, Wild Boar Sliders, Nachos Pablo, Firecreek Wings and six additional, ample appys. His philosophy is not pretentious. He believes in using key ingredients to make good food not because they are trendy, but because they taste great.
Special note: New Year’s Ever resos are going fast!
Firecreek is open regular lunch and dinner hours on New Year’s Day.
Photographs credited to Nina Malone.
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