No doubt Berks County owns enviable fame thanks to its hearty chicken pot pie, one-of-a-kind potato filling, handmade pretzels and shoofly pie, but there is a whole world of food to savor in Reading and its environs. Here’s a short tour of some of the most authentic eateries, with their marvelous chefs and featured dishes.
France
Papillon Brasserie spells French heaven along West Reading’s café-laden Penn Avenue. The best way to proceed? Just step inside and open your mind to whatever it is Chef Philip Davis has decided should be featured this week. He does advise starting off with the escargots: “That’s what most people think of when they imagine French cuisine,” he says. “I change it around all the time.” Imagine six lovely escargots in veal demiglace with a plum-red wine reduction dotting a piece of toasted brioche. A rich, earthy-elegant accolade to the snail.
As for an entrée, bring Cotes du Rhone (it’s BYOB here) and try the champignons. Tarte au Champignons is Davis’ original “amalgam of a dish that my Grandmamé made. I made a tart out of it and bake it in the oven.” He sautés locally grown organic mushrooms with shallots and sage, then layers them over creamy chèvre (goat cheese) on a puff pastry tarte, topping it off with a farm-fresh egg, sunny side up.
“My mother is off-the-boat French,” reveals the chef. “I used to go every summer to visit my grandparents and the whole family.”
So place yourself outside Paris, in Vaucresson, vicariously but authentically, at this fine dining gem.
Middle East
“You must try our lamb,” insists Chef Alex of Aladdin, mere blocks from Papillon Brasserie. The lamb kebab, lamb sauté, and rack of lamb with pilaf are lovingly prepared with “special” spices that the chef and his family obtain from a “special” (yes, it’s a secret!) location in Lebanon where they’ve been buying for 40 years. “This lamb is nothing like the lamb with mint jelly that many Americans are used to. We use quality New Zealand lamb, very lean, and we clean it ourselves. Everything we do is from A to Z—from scratch.” Both Alex and his wife cook, and both give all the credit to their mothers: “I learned to cook from my mother, and she learned from her mother. Really—we took the taste from our mothers.” And tasty it is. The marinating process yields a tender treat, just as it has for hundreds of years.
India
Tandoori Fish Tikka is a bestseller amongst patrons of downtown Reading’s Aashiyana Indian Cuisine. The preparation and the tandoor—clay oven—are what make this salmon dish special. “We put chili powder, coriander, cumin seed powder and garam masala (a blend of ground spices) together, and mix it with yogurt, add the salmon and marinate it for three hours. Then it goes to the back in the tandoor oven, and in 15 minutes it is ready to be served with basmati rice and chutney, a slice of onion and lemon,” explains Sid, of Aashiyana, who moved his restaurant from New York City to Reading after 9/11. A true taste of Northern India.
Thailand
“A lot of people don’t even look at the menu,” laughs Dow Fox, owner of The Thai Cuisine. “They just ask for the seafood curry. We have a lot of regulars, people who have been coming here for 24 years.” This dish is traditional Thai and not at all like Indian curry. The curry is created from ginger, chili pepper and lemongrass for a light, mild flavor (not overly strong or spicy hot). In a coconut cream sauce, it enhances the mixture of seafood. At lunchtime, the feature comes with shrimp, scallops and salmon. The dinnertime version has all that and more—crab, clams, tuna and mussels. It is usually served with delicately aromatic jasmine rice, but customers may request noodles instead, either pad thai (rice noodles) or silver noodles made with bean curd (carb-free).
Italy
“The seafood risotto is our most popular dish,” says Chef David Brennan, owner of the classy Panevino Italian Restaurant in downtown Reading. Originating in Northern Italy and made to Brennan’s perfection, this classic rice dish is full of lobster, shrimp, scallops and crabmeat, garnished with sweet basil and grape tomatoes; a shellfish sauce simmers with the rice to complete the risotto. Fresh seafood deliveries come in daily from Philadelphia, notes Brennan. Apparently, Berks Countians are hooked, ordering this feature time and again. “My guests will say, ‘I had a craving for it!’ and then they never get around to trying other dishes!” Brennan laughs, “That can be frustrating for a chef.” Any one of Panevino’s six salads pairs well with the seafood risotto, along with a Sauvignon Blanc.
Visit France locally at PAPILLON BRASSERIE 615 Penn Ave., West Reading | 610.376.0601 | papillononpenn.com Visit the Middle East locally at ALADDIN MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT 401 Penn Ave., West Reading | 610.685.6677 Visit India locally at AASHIYANA INDIAN CUISINE RESTAURANT 16 South 4th St., Reading | 610.736.0843 | indiancuisinereading.com Visit Thailand locally at THE THAI CUISINE 502 Eisenbrown St., Reading | 610.929.6993 | thethaicuisinepa.com Visit Italy locally at PANEVINO 25 North 2nd St., Reading | 610.376.1101 | panevinoreading.com
BY MARIAN FRANCES WOLBERS | PHOTOS BY HEIDI REUTER
