December is a time to look back and reflect on the year that was. Berks County Eats is taking a look back at the best of the best from more than 50 restaurants that we visited in 2015. This week: Our Top Five Favorite Appetizers.
Appetizers are the perfect answer when you just can’t wait for dinner. Whether it’s a light salad, a fried snack or a hearty soup, a great app is the best way to start any night out. Here are our favorite appetizers we found in 2015:
Heirloom – Red Quinoa Salad
Palm
When I visited Heirloom, I described the red quinoa salad as “Hands down, this was the best salad I have ever eaten.” That was eleven months ago, and I haven’t found anything that comes close. Every ingredient was fresh and worked well together, but it was the creamy chèvre that brought the whole thing.
White Palm Tavern – Pretzellas
Topton
Mozzarella sticks are usually nothing special, but White Palm Tavern put a memorable twist on theirs, using crushed up pretzels as the breading. The salty snacks were a great way to start our meal.
Tavern on Penn – Fried Cheese Curds
West Lawn
Another cheesey favorite from this year were the fried cheese curds at West Lawn’s Tavern on Penn. Instead of marinara, the fried pieces were served with roasted red pepper sauce that was just about perfect.
Plein Air – Beet Soup
Reading
Soup is one of my favorite starters, but chilled beet soup is one that I hadn’t tried before my visit to Plein Air this summer. With its bright purple color, the beet soup was one of the most vibrant looking dishes I tried all year, and it had the flavor to match. The dill helped sweeten the slight sourness of the beets in what was a creamy, smoothie-like dish.
La Abuela – Flautas
West Reading
One of Berks County’s newest restaurants delivered a memorable dish on my first visit. The flautas at La Abuela in West Reading were superb. The fried tacos were topped with homemade salsa, queso fresco, Pico de Gallo and sour cream. I could have eaten them as the main course and been fully satisfied.
