Restaurant Review Number One

Derek's Restaurant - Along Main Street of Manayunk, PA lies Derek's, a very modern and stylish restaurant unlike the rest of the college bars and pubs along Main Street. The restaurant features outdoor seating and a beautiful indoor decor. We were seated in the "skybar" which features a view of Main St and I-76 (definitely a nice place for a date!) The service was pretty quick and they had a good selection of beer and wine. Our waiter was very knowledgeable on the menu and beer list; he suggested a SlyFox Dunkel Lager, which is a pretty tasty local brew. 

Appetizers -  We decided on two appetizers. One was a baked Lancaster goat cheese spinach dip with caramelized shallots and brioche toast points, and the other was the vine-ripened tomato and mozzarella salad with micro greens, pesto reduction and twelve year balsamic. Let me start by saying that I am a huge tomato lover and even bigger lover of Caprese Salad. The goat cheese dip was very tasty, somewhat reminiscent of a thick creamy potato soup. The crunchy outside and super soft inside of the brioche toast points made for the perfect vehicle for this delicious dip! I would highly recommend this dish for anyone that is a fan of goat cheese and creamy soups! Now, to the tomato and mozzarella - Best I've ever had! Beautiful thick slabs  of juicy vine ripe tomato sandwiched between layers of fresh mozzarella cheese, tenderly topped with micro greens and a light pesto reduction with accents of aged Balsamic. This could have been enough be my whole dinner, a five star appetizer for sure.

Lancaster Goat Cheese Dip and Caprese Salad

Entrees- As my main entree, I ordered the braised pork shoulder, which was the winner of Philadelphia Magazine's Entree of the Year. The entree consisted of smoked Berkshire pork, sweet corn basil grits, and crispy hominy in a Pinot Noir sauce. My girlfriend ordered the jumbo lump crab cake with avocado corn relish and cilantro lime butter along with a side of Asparagus Risotto! The waiter highly recommended the pork and said it's a customer favorite. Normally, I order a nice filet or some sort of seafood but I figured if the dish won Entree of the Year, it must be pretty damn good.

When our food arrived, I was kind of put off by the appearance. When I imagined the braised pork shoulder I envisioned a large hunk of meat on my plate smothered with the Pinot Noir Sauce. However, what I got was what looked like pulled pork on a bed of cous cous. I was ready to count this entree out, but once I took my first bite of pork I was amazed. Not only did it not taste like barbecue pulled pork, it had the taste, consistency and juiciness of  a beautiful ribeye. I was intrigued, confused and amazed at the complexity of this pile of pork in front of me. The basil corn grits were nothing special; they reminded me of under cooked cous cous. The combination of corn, basil and honey works well in a lot of dishes but this one, not so much! The crabcake was plated very well... somewhat "Iron Chef" like along with the asparagus risotto. According to my girlfriend, the crabcake and avocado corn relish was spot on, but the cilantro lime butter ruined the dish. She has high expectations for crabcakes, but I would have to agree; the sauce was over powering and tasted like grass. 

Final Opinion -  Derek's  is a great place for a date night out. The entrees are hit or miss but the appetizers and appearance of the restaurant make up for it. Service was pretty standard, no interruptions or noisiness and the restaurant was very clean! I would recommend trying Derek's and letting me know what you think!

Ratings

• Appetizers   -  4/5
• Drinks  -  5/5
• Entrees  - 3/5
• Appearance  - 4/5
• Service - 3/5
• Overall   - 3.8/5