Meandering MacDade and More......

Hi, there.  I'm a fairly new resident of Delaware County, originally hailing from the Schuylkill/Devil's Pocket neighborhood in South Philly.  Although I've travelled a fair amount, my roots are and always will be distinctly Philly.  You can't throw a stone in the city without hitting a great restaurant of some kind, and I miss that. Even though there are lists aplenty of the dining/drinking scene out here, none really give a reader (or at least, not this reader) a sense of  what the establishments are really like inside. Is it clean? Is the crowd friendly? Is it under- or overpriced? Is it crowded? How's the service?

More than how many different sauces a place has for their wings, what I want to know is: Are they big, or small?  Are they wet or dry? Are they crispy or soggy? I need more than a menu and a list of upcoming entertainment. If you do, too, read along as I set about doing an up-close-and-personal account of my excursions in no particular order, and with highly prejudiced opinions.

• J. D. McGILLICUDDYS/TINICUM - Great duo at McGillicuddy's/Tinicum  on Friday (7/26) night. Impressive mix of traditional/rebel music and eager to please the crowd if they had one. Even though you can smoke in there, it was well ventilated and air-conditioned, plus the dining area is separate from the bar, but you can still see the musicians. Teeny-tiny ladies room, but clean. Irish music every other Friday and really good food, with a surprisingly large menu. We only had sandwiches, but the grilled chicken was fresh chicken breast cut into chunks and the rolls were really good seeded hoagie rolls. Service was very friendly and the Guinness was a good pour. Will I go back? Definitely!
• A TASTE OF KEY WEST - If this place wasn't right on the water, nobody would go there. They don't spend a lot of money on the outdoor portion (complete with sand floor), but that would be perfectly OK if you got something for your money, like good food. Onion Rings were great; Lobster Roll, not so much. Happy Hour singer, just so-so; Evening band surprisingly talented performances.  See where I'm going here? It's kind of like a split-personality kind of place, but as I said, it's right on the water and that makes some sins forgivable. Will I go back? Probably not.