The clouds were stunning this past Friday morning - not sweet little puffs against a clear blue sky, but dramatic formations lit up by an early autumn sun. Praise be that I was taking out a grannie client who loves to go cloud chasing!
It was a tough decision, figuring out where to go. Normally, such a magrnificent skyscape would cry out for a ramble into Philadelphia, along what I consider the BEST drive into any American city. But I had a massive amount of baking to get done for a Saturday farm market, so couldn't spare the extra time. Compromised by going half-way, heading along back roads to Chestnut Hill, an utterly charming "village" that's Philadelphia's northern reaches.
The plan was to have lunch at a restaurant that featured outdoor seating, where we have sat before, watching the clouds & crowds roll by. The idea was nixed by my grannie client as too cool. Alas, while we enjoy the outdoor seating area of that particular restaurant, its interior is a bit dark for my tastes. We headed off down "The Hill" to a restaurant that is a "Lockhart Ladies" (aka Mom et moi) favorite. Rats! They were inexplicably closed. What to do? The only other option was a restaurant that was okay, but no great shakes for food, setting or service. Looking in the window, what stood out to me was the flat screen TV. An ominous sign, in my experience. But it was handy, so in we went.
What a delightful surprise! Chestnut 7 could, I guess, be described as a sports bar, but in preppy style. We were seated toward the back - hanging on the wall across from us were oars from a scull, with photos of trophies for various crew events. Tasteful, attractive. Yes, there was a television on, but it wasn't intrusive - we could enjoy a lively conversation without being distracted.
Nothing surprised me more than the small, yet select menu. It offers deviled eggs as an appetizer - how many places do you know that offer deviled eggs?! For her lunch entree, my g.c. was torn between two burgers - The Boomer's mushroom medley & The Wedge's thick-slice bacon - a dilemma solved by combining both the mushrooms & bacon on The BYO. As for me, I was over-the-moon to discover the menu features at least two fully vegan selections - a true rarity! Megan, our wonderful server, explained they also feature gluten-free selections, including g-f pizza & beers.
My sidekick tucked into the deviled eggs, finishing up with a big grin. Her vodka martini got a big thumbs up, especially as it was served in classic stemware. She ate almost less than half her generously-sized burger (very unusual) PLUS a number of the delicious hand-cut french fries. I blissed out with a large scoop of homemade hummus accompanied by triangles of toasted pita, tomatoes, kalamata olives & slices of cucumber. My g.f. followed the dictates of her particular "clean plate" club (as in "Clean off my plate - I'm ready for dessert!"), ordering a yummy vanilla w/chocolate sauce sundae, whipped cream on the side, with coffee for both of us.
We loved every enjoyable, tasty moment! And we found out why the restaurant is vegan & g-f friendly - the owners have family members with gluten-free issues, so it made them aware of related food issues LONG before they were a blip on most restaurant owner's radar. They certainly exceeded the expectations of this vegan!
Since we often have a limited amount of time to get in a ramble & a bit of lunch, it's great knowing that Chestnut 7 is at the end of a 30-minute meander, welcoming carnivores & herbivores alike!
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