Exton: Birchrunville Store Cafe (August 2012)

My spouse and I waited approximately 9 weeks for a Saturday-night reservation at Birchrunville Store Cafe located between Exton and Pottstown. The restaurant has two seatings 6:00 to 6:30 and 8:00 to 8:30. We had more than an hour’s drive to reach the restaurant, and had allowed some extra time for getting lost and (what turned out to be non-existent) traffic, but we arrived early. Our reservation time was 6:30; however, we arrived around 5:45. Rather than driving around for another 45 minutes, we decided to see whether they could take us early, but when we walked up onto the covered porch and tried to open the door, we found it locked. (We didn’t try to call – the other times that we had telephoned to make a reservation and confirm a reservation, we were never actually able to speak to anyone; we could only leave messages, so we assumed that the same would happen if we tried to call.) A couple who was waiting in the two rocking chairs on the porch told us to “forget it – they won’t open the door a minute early”. There were only two chairs in which people could wait – everyone else had to stand. We estimate that the restaurant could hold about 40+ people at a time, so in inclement weather like rain, snow, extreme cold, and extreme heat, many people could be standing on a porch – which seemed unnecessary. There is plenty of parking in a lot behind the restaurant as well as in another gravel lot across the street. Rather than stand on the porch in the extreme heat for 45 minutes, we got back in the car and drove 4 miles to a nearby bar/restaurant (Ludwig’s Oyster Bar) so that we could have a pre-dinner drink. When we arrived back at the café at 6:30, we were seated promptly. The restaurant is located in an old store/post office that probably once also housed the family that ran the establishment. The tiny post office section of the building is still in operation, and that is where the restrooms are located. The restaurant has a deck on the back overlooking the garden (and parking lot) that contains a table for 6 under a retractable awning. The tables in the restaurant are of a decent size and are nicely spaced. The air conditioning works well, despite the age and structure of the property. The wait staff work well together, delivering each others food and doing a great job of keeping water and wine glasses full. We were told that everyone pitches in to deliver food because the chef doesn’t use any heat lamps and everything must be delivered ASAP. The restaurant is BYOB, and they accept only cash or personal checks, no credit cards. Don’t even consider stopping in to see whether a table is available – reservations seem to be a must, particularly on weekends. Their website says to plan 2 to 3 weeks in advance; however, when we called, the wait was 9 weeks. The menu is interesting, with many choices for appetizers, salads, and entrees, with another few choices for dessert. The salads, entrees, and desserts are printed on a menu, while the appetizers are mentioned verbally by the wait staff (which looked to be all female). We would have liked to have read about the appetizers as well, because they were elaborate with detailed ingredients. For some reason, we were under the impression that the meal was a set-course prix-fixe menu, which isn’t the case. We don’t know why we had this idea – possibly because the website mentioned allowing 2 to 3 hours for dinner service (if you just ordered one course instead of four, I hope it wouldn’t take 2 hours!) We had four courses; for appetizers, we ordered a lobster roll (which was more like a summer roll, with meat wrapped in lettuce and cellophane noodles accompanied by sesame baby octopus) and bone marrow (served with crostini and braised oxtail); the marrow was particularly plentiful and delicious. For salads, we ordered a salad accompanied by fresh figs stuffed with gorgonzola and bacon and another salad topped with a cheese croquette; both were tasty and nicely presented. We chose veal and a pork chop for our entrees; while good, the entrees were not the highlight of the meal, more rustic in ingredients and presentation than the more unusual appetizers and salads. Desserts were mixed – we ordered one mint mousse encased in a chocolate crumb crust and one warm butterscotch cake accompanied by fruit. The mint dessert was most surprising in that it used real mint! The butterscotch cake, the biggest seller for the restaurant as the waitress told me, was warm and tasty but not really butterscotch-flavored. Overall, we had a great meal at Birchrunville, although it was not inexpensive despite the fact that our total check included no beverages (our total was about $125 before gratuity). We would be pleased to return again if there were less constraints (wait time for a weekend reservation, distance from our home, cash or checks only policy).