A Non-Chain Restaurant in King of Prussia?

Thanks Foodie Girl for letting me say a quick something about a rare find in King of Prussia- Creed’s Seafood and Steaks.

Why a rare find? Well, if you’ve ever trudged along in the stop and go traffic along Route 202 or Gulph Road in K of P, you know the roadway is jammed with ubiquitous national chain restaurants that pretty much can be found anywhere. I don’t want to say that these places are bad, it’s just that you can find them most anywhere.

This is why Creed’s is so cool. It was great to hit a place, even for lunch, and find the proprietor (Jim Creed himself) in the restaurant saying hello to what appeared to be regulars. It’s been a while since the Foodie Babe and I have been there for dinner, but this lunch with a colleague was a winner.

As you would figure in that area at noon it was mainly business people, really a parade of suits and fancy cars in the parking lot. Despite what appeared to be a large party in one rooms the service was prompt and not at all smothering. My friend had the lunch special, Tilapia over spaghetti squash and rice. ($15.) I went for the classic Cobb Salad even though avocado does nothing for me. ($11.) Both were outstanding!

Since we were talking about business it was good not to be presented with a check too early as we hung out for nearly two hours. Our server was nice enough to keep filling the iced tea glasses as we shared stories about past experiences in the business.

So if you’re doing business in King of Prussia, Valley Forge or anywhere along 202 or 422 you must check out Creeds. If you are staying at a hotel in the area, like the Sheraton Park Ridge or Radisson, leave the hotel restaurants behind for a few hours and get some local flavor! And while I didn't see the dinner menu, I was impressed by the wine list.

You can see a short video about the restaurant here: http://www.philadelphiapavideo.com/city/play.aspx?ItemID=60&CatID=1

Thumbs up to Creeds on North Gulph Road in King of Prussia.

Fore! Tavola at The Springfield Country Club

OK, while we wait for the Philly Foodie Girl to finish bikini shopping and leave her next post, please let her hubby chime in with a quick word about Tavola at the Springfield Country Club.

First, let me say there is not much fine dining where we live in Delaware County. We enjoy some of the places on State Street in Media, especially Margaret Kuo’s Peking Restaurant and sometimes Iron Hill. So the big question was where to turn to on a warm Friday night in late September when we were determined to sit outside and enjoy the mild early fall weather? How did you guess Tavola's Restaurant and Bar? I’m not even sure how to pronounce it.

This is the former location of ‘Stephen’s’ at the Springfield Country Club, as in Stephen Finley of Finley Catering fame. The three of us, including our well-traveled daughter, were seated on the outside deck right next to a green on the golf course by Joe, our chatty host. Overall, the atmosphere was pretty interesting, as a mix of sixty-something golfers and mismatched thirty-something couples came and went over the course of our two hours there.

The food ranged from pretty good to adequate - the $29 filet good, the sugary sweet potato fries that came with it questionable, the salads adequate. The ‘Asian-flared’ mussels the Foodie Girl had were described only as ‘interesting’ since many of the shells were empty and the combination of flavors was mismatched. However, she did appreciate the effort to come up with some interesting dishes at a place like this.

The service was spotty, with long waits between visits from our server. When Jennifer the server did spend time with us she was quite nice and very accommodating and playful with our Junior Foodie. Maybe she had too many tables to tend to on a night the place was two-thirds full.

Overall, we believe we will probably return to Tavolas. In the warmer months I highly recommend opting for the outdoor patio. However, if given the choice between here and a real fav - Carson’s Dockside Grill on the newly refurbished Ridley Township Marina, we would choose Carson’s. (Pork Wings! Another story for another day!)

Please be sure to post your comments about your experiences at Tavolas or anyplace in the Philly area. Caio!

Welcome to The Philly Food File!

Welcome to the Philly Food File. The Philly Foodie Girl is here to share my dining experiences in Philadelphia and around the world! Please check back frequently for updates. I hope you can share your thoughts with me as well. Thanks.