Main Street
Café
660 Lancaster Avenue
Berwyn, Pennsylvania
(610) 540-0501
www.main-st-cafe.com
Co-owner Jessica Morrison, now twenty-six, was eight years
old when her father opened the first Baxter's Saloon and Eatery in Paoli. Which
only goes to prove, if you'll pardon my paraphrase of the old adage: "You can
take the girl out of Baxter's, but you can't take Baxter's out of the girl."
Not that there's anything wrong with Baxter's. Both the
Paoli and Malvern locations are genial neighborhood gathering places majoring
in a bustling bar scene, respectable "pub grub," and a limited number of
straightforward entrée selections. These are good spots to enjoy a brew or
glass of generic vino and chow down on a bodacious burger, salad, or
tempting tuna melt. Main Street Café, however, which postures itself as
an upscale urban bistro, clearly desires to rise above its elder siblings'
humble origins... Unfortunately, for the most part, this establishment's reach
exceeds its grasp.
If you've ever set food in a Baxter's, Main Street's
interior prompts an immediate attack of déjà vu. But here the wood is
darker — nicely contrasting with the exposed brick walls — the carpeting
plusher, and the bar cozier. Decoratively speaking, this eatery puts its best
foot forward; the food, however, finishes a distant second to the décor.
Entrées run the gamut... and that should be the tip-off. The
kitchen attempts too many things to do anything particularly well.
Possibilities range from Japanese steak ($19.95) to Cajun scallops ($15.95) to
meatloaf "just like mom used to make" ($9.95) to a list of backboard specials.
Typical of the chef's largesse is the "Catch of the Day,"
which may be prepared baked with a honey/pecan crust, amandine, piccata, or
blackened. The grouper piccata ($17.95) — sautéed with white wine, lemon, and
capers — sounds easy enough; its execution, however, can be something of sticky
wicket. In this case, the fish is perfectly cooked, but the sauce is overly
viscous and far too assertive for its own — and the diner's — good. The
accompanying red bliss garlic mashed potatoes are incredibly gloppy and the
broccoli and cauliflower florets are underdone and their "piled on"
presentation about as attractive as the regurgitation of an endangered species.
Two other piscatorial offerings fare somewhat better... though
not a great deal. A slightly fishy salmon filet is stuffed with crab imperial
and blanketed with an over-the-top hollandaise sauce ($16.95), and the shrimp
and scallops ($17.95), another blackboard special, are beautifully grilled but
sabotaged by an odd epicenter of mango/pepper relish.
Seafood, as you have undoubtedly surmised, is not this
kitchen's strong suit. And since the chef/co-proprietor, Thai Dang, is a native
of Vietnam, I'd stick with simpler dishes or those with an Asian flair. The
Asian kebabs adorned with teriyaki gravy ($20.95) are a good bet... ditto the
sizzling strip steak ($19.95) and "Drunken Shrimp" ($14.45) intoxicated with
dark rum and served up on a bed of pasta.
Appetizers include slightly greasy Vietnamese spring rolls
($6.95), garlicky bruschetta on a toasted banguette ($4.75), generic spinach
salad with warm bacon dressing ($5.75), and a number of "Seafood Teasers":
calamari rings with marinara ($8.45), shrimp wrapped in bacon ($8.45), mussels
($7.45), and pan-seared tuna with a cucumber/wasabi dipping sauce ($8.65).
The aforementioned comments (both positive and negative)
notwithstanding, if you decide to put in an appearance here, my advice is to
cut your culinary losses by keeping matters as simple as possible. Cast your
lot with the so-called "pub grub," which is clearly the summit of this
kitchen's limited capabilities, and you probably will not be disappointed.
This means starting things off with some old standbys:
potato skins ($6.75), chicken tenders ($6.75), or mozzarella sticks with
marinara ($6.75). Hardly innovative, but also guaranteed not to cause any
permanent peristaltic pollution. Then you can move on to a "Create a Club
(sandwich)" — turkey ($6.95), chicken salad ($7.25), tuna salad ($6.95) —
classic B.L.T. on sourdough bread ($5.75), respectable Reuben filled with
either corned beef or turkey ($6.95), or one of the establishment's
all-American hamburgers. The Reuben and burgers are accompanied by a side of
killer French fries, which could very well constitute this kitchen's single
claim to fame.
July 2004
The Artful Diner
The Artful Diner is the food critic for New Jersey Online. His most current review can be seen at http://www.nj.com/dining . An archive of past reviews for New Jersey Online can be found on this Web site at http://www.artfuldiner.com/newjersey.html .
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