Risser's Family Restaurant

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By Zach Brown

Cooking with a Touch of Pennsylvania Dutch: The words are printed on the mural that spans the dining room wall at Risser's Family Restaurant in Stouchsburg. The wall is covered with Amish farm scenes and proverbs like "Kissing wears out, cooking don't" and "we grow too soon old, and too late schmart."

Part diner, part family restaurant, Risser's has been serving local favorites in western Berks County for decades. The original dining car opened in 1954 as the Blue Star Diner, and it still maintains its retro styling, with stainless steel trim on the counter and stools. The dining room has a more rustic feel, with the mural on one wall and country primitives throughout.

One of the highlights of dinner at Risser's is the soup and salad bar that comes with most meals. Six varieties of soups, from chicken noodle to clam chowder, are available on any given night. The salad bar includes more than 10 different dressings-including hot bacon dressing, homemade macaroni and potato salad, and some of the best red beet eggs anywhere. Fresh baked muffins and breads are also included.

And with every salad bar order comes soft ice cream, vanilla and chocolate, with topping options that include chocolate syrup, crushed Oreo cookies, peanuts, and chocolate sprinkles.

Risser's has all the standard diner fare: french toast, pancakes, and omelets at breakfast; soups and sandwiches at lunch, and meat and potato platters at dinner.

But Risser's specialty is traditional Pennsylvania Dutch entrees: chicken pot pie, pig stomach, beef heart, and a personal favorite, schnitz und knepp - warm, baked apples served with a dumpling and four thick slices of baked ham.

The flavor combination is unexpected, a mix of dinner and dessert. As the dumpling soaks up the glaze from the apples, it tastes more and more like apple pie. The saltiness of ham is a strange, but welcome addition to the dish, and it only gets better as the ingredients have time to blend together. The only downside to the dish is that it's only offered every few weeks as a special, and is not part of the daily menu.  

If you're looking for the unique taste of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, Risser's is a great choice. Entrees run between $10-$15, and many are available in small and large portions. Check their website or local ads for weekly and daily specials.

Hall of Flame BBQ & Wings

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Hall of Flame BBQ & Wings is the latest edition to Berks County's growing list of bar-b-cue restaurants. Opening in late 2012 in the former Pizza Time building on Lancaster Avenue, the Hall of Flame specializes in wood-smoked meats and deep fried chicken wings.

A plain white and brown exterior is not nearly as appealing as the smells coming from inside. A small counter sits in front of the kitchen area, which is in full view of customers.

A couple other customers were standing by the counter waiting for their food. One of them sampled one of Hall of Flame's fatality wings, which he managed to eat without taking a drink. He raved about the flavor of the wing, and how you got the heat without the messy sauce.

I wasn't nearly as brave, but my black cherry habanero BBQ wings were the highlight of the meal. The wings were deep fried to perfection, and the sauce was one of the best I have ever tasted, with an incredible sweetness from the cherries, and a slow burn from the habanero that built up as I tore through my order.

For the main course, I chose the Hall of Famer sandwich, an oversized roll loaded with beef brisket and pulled pork, with potato wedges on the side. The meats were tender and flavored well, but the brisket still had some fat on it, and there was just too much meat for the tiny cup of sauce that came with it. A little more sauce would have made a world of difference.

The wedges were about six inches long and golden brown, but I was expecting more flavor. There are several seasoned and loaded options that I would suggest trying instead.

The Hall of Flame's most intriguing menu item is the BBQ parfait, a monstrous mountain of barbecue, sides, and cheese sauce.

"I don't sell too many of them," the owner told me when he delivered the parfait, "but it's more of a novelty item. You can't get it anywhere else."

The parfait starts with your choice of side dish on the bottom, then it gets covered in BBQ and cheese sauces, followed by your choice of meat and more sauces. The whole thing is topped off with a big scoop of coleslaw.

It's definitely not for everyone. The flavor combination is interesting to say the least. The coleslaw can be overpowering as its flavor seeps into the whole dish. If you don't like coleslaw, you're not going to like it. If you do like it, and you like trying new things, give the dish a try. For $5.95, it's worth it to say to you ate a BBQ parfait.

Sandwiches range from $6-9, while BBQ platters run $9-23. The Hall of Flame has only three tables so it's best to plan for take-out. Wing prices vary depending on quantity. Open seven days a week until 10:00 pm.

Chrstine's Creekside Inn

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Nestled along the Allegheny Creek south of Gibraltar, Christine's Creekside Inn seemingly appears out of nowhere on Green Hills Road. Built originally as a grist mill, the 18th century building was transformed into a restaurant in the 1970s, and finally became Christine's in 2008.

On a Thursday night in December, my wife and I made our first visit to the Christine's. Three chandeliers hung from the center of the ceiling, their light revealing the beauty of the nearly 250-year-old building. Every table was covered in white linen, with red napkins that matched the upholstered chairs. One original stone wall remained untouched on the far side of the room.

It was disappointing to see such a beautiful room nearly empty as only one other couple was in the dining room with us for most of our meal. The waitress's footsteps on the hardwood floor echoed through the cavernous room.

Maybe it was because it was a slow night, but our service was incredible.  Our waitress doubled as the bartender, and she went out of her way to make sure we enjoyed our dinner.

To add to the ambiance, all diners receive a warm towel to freshen up with before their meal. It's a nice touch that really makes it feel like you are not just eating out, you're dining.

I started my meal with the soup du jour, a tasty ham and bean soup, which like the rest of the menu, is made from scratch. The dinner rolls were also fresh and still warm from the oven when they arrived at our table.

My main course for the evening was the "Touch of Italy," which features grilled chicken, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onions and linguine tossed in a light tomato sauce.

The "Touch of Italy" could easily have fed two people. The waitress brought it out in a large serving bowl, and after filling my plate it looked like the bowl had barely been touched.

The natural sweetness of the fresh tomatoes came through in every bite. Unlike a thick marinara sauce, the oil in this sauce helped it stick to everything, blending flavors perfectly. My side of vegetables tasted like they were picked from the garden that morning. The bright orange color of the carrots glowed in the room's soft lighting.

My wife ordered the Steak Alexander, served with red onions in a confit sauce, a balsamic base that was still sweet, which added a unique flavor to the choice cut of steak. The home fries were more like potato wedges, deliciously seasoned with an herb blend.

The only downside to our meal was the portion size left us no room to try any of the Inn's homemade desserts.

Our bill totaled about $65, but we took advantage of a restaurant.com coupon for $25.00 off. Christine's website also offers coupon promotions throughout the year so be sure to check before you go. Because the food is made fresh, reservations are highly recommended, so try to plan your visit in advance. It's definitely worth the visit.

Berks County Restaurant Week

Today begins the annual Restaurant Week presented by the Greater Reading Independent Restaurant Association (GRIRA) where 19 of Berks County's eateries will be offering special multi-course, fixed price menus. From now until April 29th, patrons can enjoy the lower-priced offerings to get a sampling of the establishments. Included here, I have listed all of the participating restaurants, along with pricing and a short description (note: some entrees have sides included). For the full pre-fixe menus for these restaurants, visit www.grira.net.

201West - Shillington
$8.00 lunch specials
$20.00 dinner - entrees with salad, side, and dessert

Blind Hartman's Tavern - Temple
$7.99 lunch - soup and salad, or soup and sandwich
$19.99 dinner - entree with soup, salad, and dessert

Brewer's Bar and Grill - West Reading
$8.00 lunch - entree with appetizer
$20.00 dinner - entree with soup or salad, and appetizer

Building 24 - Wyomissing
$20.00 dinner - entree with appetizer and dessert

Cloud 9 Cafe - Wyomissing
$5.95 soup of the day with tossed salad
$6.95 quiche of the day with fruit
$7.95 sandwich of the day with pasta salad

Deitsch Eck - Lenhartsville
$15.00 entree with appetizer, 2 sides, and dessert

Emily's - Reading
$10.00 lunch - sandwich with soup or dessert
$22.00 dinner - entree with salad, vegetable, starch, and soup or dessert

Flanagan's Pub - Shillington
$8.99 lunch - entree with appetizer
$21.99 dinner - entree with soup or salad, and appetizer

Go Fish Seafood Market & Sushi Bar - West Reading
$10 lunch - entree with side
$30 dinner - entree with appetizer and dessert

The Hitching Post- Reading
$9.99 lunch - entree with side salad, and dessert or wine
$19.99 dinner - entree with side salad, dessert, and wine or beer

Judy's on Cherry - Reading
$10.00 lunch - entree with dessert
$20.00 dinner - entree with Mediterranean bread, salad, and dessert

Klinger's on Carsonia - Reading
$10.00 lunch - entree with soup or salad
$20.00 dinner - entree with soup or salad, starter, and dessert

Panevino - Reading
$20.95 dinner - entree with appetizer and dessert

Penn Werner Hotel - Wernersville
$8.00 lunch - entree with fries
$20.00 dinner - entree with appetizer and dessert

Sofrito Gastro Pub - Reading
$8.00 lunch - entree with appetizer
$20.00 dinner - entree with appetizer and dessert

Suburban Tavern - Mt. Penn
$20.00 dinner - entree with salad and dessert
$17.00 wine

Winedown Cafe - West Reading
$8.50 - $12 lunch - entree with wine pairing

Works at Wyomissing - Wyomissing
$8.00 lunch - entree with fries or salad; and soda, tea, or coffee
$20.00 dinner - entree with appetizer and dessert

Yellow House Hotel - Douglassville
$10.00 lunch - sandwich with soup or dessert
$20.00 dinner - entree with salad, vegetable, starch, and soup or dessert

I know I'll be heading to at least one of these restaurants during the week, and I hope that you will, too. I'll be sharing my experience with you, and as always, feel free to comment here about your own dining experience.

Muddy's BBQ

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The smell of barbecue wafts through the air along Route 12. About a mile south of the Route 73 intersection, a small trailer sits on the side of a hill. Parked cars line the narrow stone driveway that winds its way around. Dozens of people are crammed around the five adjacent picnic tables as they devour beef brisket and pulled pork that took hours to slow cook.

A sign along Pricetown Road points the passing cars to Muddy’s BBQ, one of Berks County’s newest dining hot spots. March 1st began the outdoor barbecue joint’s sophomore season of business, with fans flocking in after a township-induced four-month fast from the tender meats that Muddy’s began serving up at this spot in the Spring of 2011.

In the south, places like Muddy's are everywhere. I fell in love with barbecue five years ago on a trip to the Gulf Coast. There, outside the otherwise sleepy little town of Oceans Springs, Mississippi, I found The Shed, a literal shed in middle of nowhere that had people lined up for over an hour just order. Since then, I've eaten in barbecue joints from Texas to North Carolina to New York City, unsuccessfully trying to find something that could rival The Shed. Never did I dream I would be able to find it in the Oley Valley.

While you wait in line, the smell can drive you crazy. If you go during peak hours, you could be waiting to order for fifteen minutes to a half hour before waiting just as long for your food. But a little patience goes a long way.

On my most recent trip, I decided on a platter of pulled pork with a side of french fries and barbecue baked beans. Each platter comes with two slices of white bread, which come in very handy for cleaning up extra sauce.

Their pulled pork, like all their meat, is slow-cooked and I can just imagine it falling apart as they prepare it. It's tender and juicy, but a little extra sauce never hurts. The fries are fresh-cut and dashed with Old Bay. The uneven coating gives a little different flavor in each bite. The baked beans are some of the best around. Whatever is left from yesterday's meats get thrown in with the beans. It almost has the consistency of chili, but the much sweeter flavor of barbecue.

If you want to give Muddy's a try, start with lunch if you can. It's not as full, and you can usually find an open seat on the picnic tables. If you're going for dinner, especially on the weekend, you're either going to have to take your food home with you, or make new friends because the tables are full through the whole dinner rush.

My meal cost about $12 including the drink. Sandwiches are a more economical option, and come with slaw and a side for a few dollars less. For families, Muddy's offers several combos that can be shared, including The Feast, which features almost everything on the menu, can feed five or more, and runs about $60.

The Works at Wyomissing

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When the Works at Wyomissing opened in 2003 it was a playground for adults, an abandoned textile factory turned into two-story bar, restaurant, and game room. The upstairs bar doubled as a nightclub on weekends where local bands and DJ’s kept the crowd on the dance floor until closing time. The game room below was open until 11:00. Here, adults turned into big kids again, trying to amass enough tickets to buy a lava lamp or pizza oven. A smaller bar downstairs featured acoustic performances, and the main restaurant was a home for casual fine dining.

In the last few years, however, everything has changed. Gone is the upstairs restaurant, replaced by Ballocity, a Chuck-E-Cheese-like ball pit and maze. The game room is populated by whiney little kids.  The restaurant is more casual than fine dining since Building 24 opened next door. And, everything, including the downstairs bar, closes at 9:00 pm.

The only thing that hasn’t changed is the quality food. The Works still delivers the same quality food that they always have. One of the highlights on the menu is this “healthy” offering, the towering taco salad. A giant bowl made of crispy taco shell is filled with fresh lettuce, red peppers, and grilled chicken, and topped with a Mexican cheese blend. And, it is definitely towering, measuring almost a foot around, and standing almost as tall.

The Works also features their signature molten iron chili, which uses pulled pork instead of ground beef. The chili is excellent on its own—just enough heat to go with the sweetness of the tomato base and not too many beans—but the Works uses it in a multitude of dishes, including to top off an order of Slag Pile Nachos (an appetizer for four that features nachos topped with lettuce, melted cheese, jalapenos, and just about everything else in the kitchen) and the Scrap Pile Burger, a ¼ pound hamburger patty grilled your way and covered in chili, cheese, and sour cream.

The Works has a long menu that does include a couple misses. The menu features build-your-own pizza. If you’re looking to take the family out for pizza, you can do better by going to one of dozens of pizza shops in the county. If you want an individual pizza, you’re better off ordering a pepperoni roll appetizer which is packed with more flavor for the same price.    

No trip to the Works is complete without dessert. Some of the best dessert in Berks County is found here. The Peanut Butter pie is the perfect blend of chocolate of peanut butter, the ice cream sandwich features chocolate and vanilla ice cream smothered between two gigantic fresh-baked cookies (and is occasionally topped with a Hershey kiss, sprinkles and/or M&M’s, depending on who’s manning the kitchen that night).

But the real treat is the Black and Tan Tower, a massive concoction that can feed at least three people. The base is a still-warm brownie oozing with melting chocolate chips. A hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream sits on top. Then comes my personal favorite, the blondie—a chocolate chip cookie in bar form. Next is a scoop of chocolate ice cream, capped off with another triangle-shaped brownie. It is then covered by dollops of whipped cream and a pool of chocolate syrup large enough to drown a small child (and depending on who is in the kitchen, a smattering of M&M’s). The monstrosity is held together with a wooden skewer.

Entrees run between $10-$20. Burgers and fries are between $8-$10. Desserts are $5.00 and up, but the dessert menu doesn't list prices so be sure to ask your server before ordering.  

Jimmie Kramer's Peanut Bar

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Over 80 years ago,  Jimmie Kramer began offering free peanuts to the patrons at his cafe along Penn Street on the west side of Reading. Today, Jimmie Kramer's Peanut Bar is a local institution. Empty peanut shells litter the floor, and it takes a conscious effort not to look every time you hear a crunch beneath your feet. Every little nook has a piece of local breweriana including an Old Reading Beer barrel and a miniature Yuengling delivery wagon. And, like most central Pennsylvania bars, Yuengling's are always flowing from the tap.

As you enter through a pair of heavy wooden doors, you notice the darkness. Strings of white Christmas lights are woven through twigs suspended from the ceiling, casting a dim glow on the red and white checkered tablecloths. Antique-looking lamps jut from the walls surrounding you, illuminating framed posters that adorn the walls of all three rooms.

Seating stretches out across what was once two storefronts, the bar having outgrown its narrow urban building decades ago. Once seated, a waitress appears with a wooden bowl full of shelled peanuts, and two large laminated menus. The Peanut Bar offers all the bar food staples you expect like wings (AYCE on Monday nights), burgers, and fresh cut seasoned fries.

But the menu is full of fine dining surprise. Panko-breaded salmon and free range organic chicken grace the same menu as southern style po' boys and Philly cheesesteak. There are not many places you can go to enjoy a gourmet meal while tossing empty peanut shells onto a solid wood floor.

My wife and I went on a Monday night and were surprised to see such a big crowd. We were put in the back, the third of three rooms. Our waitress appeared quickly our peanuts, but never gave us her name.

I got one of about ten daily specials, chicken and peppers with cheese ravioli. In all, it was a solid pasta dish, but if the sauce were improved, it would have been great. The chicken, the peppers, and the ravioli were all flavorful on their own, but the tomato sauce was on the bland side and hurt the overall dish a little bit. If the sauce was a little sweeter or a little spicier, the dish would have been near perfect.

 My wife opted for the crab cakes, which came served to her a fish-shaped wooden platter. The dish came with fresh cut fries and homemade slaw. Personally, I'm not a crab cake eater, so I'm going to take her word for it. She said they were good, and was glad that they didn't have much filler. If there was a negative, it was that she likes hers broiled, and a little wetter, and these were on the dry side, but worked well with the tartar sauce she got with them.

Our total bill (drinking only water) was around $25, definately a good price for the large amount of food we got. If you're looking for a cool, comfortable place for a night out, you can't go wrong with the Peanut Bar.