“Main Street Café “

660 Lancaster Avenue

Berwyn, PA 19312

This is the result of a continuous drive on Lancaster Avenue in hopes of stumbling upon a restaurant-related revelation of sorts. Not only were there very few inspiring options, but we finally ended up in Berwyn with a small array of mediocre choices.

Its logo? A black sheep. Because it’s the odd restaurant out? Because it differentiates itself so well? I did not really understand this “deeply symbolic” message, nor did anyone else that I came with. Regardless, we herded into the restaurant as “ewe” would have.

Entering right off Lancaster, you can easily miss this place. A nice mix of formality and tradition helps this fashionable interior. Though it was moderately dead and lacking traffic, the ambiance was nice in regards to the availability of seating and spacious interior. It really isolated each party and granted sufficient privacy.

The surrounding crowd was nothing more than a random, eclectic mix of people: business friends, an old couple, a family, some women post-work and maybe some other people who went unnoticed. Otherwise, there was not much of a mood or any music that accompanied this eatery, just a solemn wood environment.

I would describe this menu as comparable to Houlihan’s. They have several “black sheep” specialties, but realistically, they seemed neither enticing nor special. So what else do they offer besides overpriced-for-its-quality-of-food menu? Great question. Their menu focused around meat-related dishes ($14 – $28) with burgers ($8) and salads ($7). Good ol’ American cooking. Their pricy appetizers did not captivate me either: a plethora of foods and small dishes not appetizing in the least.

Unfortunately for me, I decided to sample several of their dishes. The Main Street burger, some bruschetta, their complimentary bread and lobster bisque.

At another establishment, these are some of my favorite dishes: truly scintillating and decadent. On the other hand, we were not at those restaurants and these foods were not so pleasant. The lobster bisque was very “bisquey” and tasteless, leaving something to be desired. The bruschetta was way too warm and had varying condiments on it, forcing this dish to lose its Italian tradition. My burger was gigantic, yet I am a man of quality, not quantity. The burger was plain and had me yearning for real food. Food-wise, we lacked everything from A-Z, especially the F for flavor.

Ask me about the service, because I am dying to tell you. The waitress introduced us to our specials with an easel with chalkboard atop it. What a neat and lazy way of “taking care of business.”

Do they offer desserts? I do not know, nor did I care after the inability of the chef to whet my appetite. Perhaps there was a dessert menu available, but I did not give it a thought. I would rather sit here and wonder to this day what details it held than knowingly taste something from it.

So if you find yourself lost at sea, or deserted on an island and in dire need of food, order from Main Street Café to satisfy those cravings.

I will not find myself or friends there unless one of the previous situations occur.