Bill M.
Yelp
Ripplewood is one of those spaces where I was waiting to enjoy a dinner and drinks experience that I've inevitably been slacking on before Covid-19 turned it into a harder to do experience. But since they provided the incredible Thanksgiving meal complete with CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN PIE that my family indulged upon, I have another incredible experience to add on to the drinks and brunch that I experienced prior to this amazing feast.
When Ripplewood first showed signs of opening, it immediately showed signs of being that city worthy burger and whiskey bar that I wanted to see come to the Main Line for so many decades. But it officially opening when I moved back to Philly inevitably made it something that I could only enjoy on very rare occasions. But on the occasions that I did stop in, I was instantly wowed by the two floor indoor/outdoor dining space, the incredibly well rounded drink and food menu, and the spot on amicable service that my group received.
My first visit was a bit of a blur since I stopped in to catch up with some friends for one of their birthdays after a very successful Tired Hands UYE that I hosted (may the 7th one come in 2021 - https://www.yelp.com/events/ardmore-tired-hands-uye-6-0). But I instantly fell in love with their well-rounded beer list, and the fact that you could order different variations of the city wide special (now understandably limited to just one during their limited Covid-19 dining experience for now) which included one that had a draft beer and a Fernet-Branca. But I also enjoyed their bourbon punch while making note of their other decadent sounding cocktails like their old fashioned with barrel-aged Elijah Craig whiskey, honey, and bitters.
For my second visit, I took my fam out for a Father's Day brunch special occasion, and we were instantly enamored by the upstairs dining experience and the hard-working server upstairs who took extra time to make spot-on recommendations despite being understandably swamped. We also thoroughly enjoyed the wild mushroom flatbread with asparagus cream, truffles, and egg yolk; and the Ripp Fries with fondue, jalapeno, and BRISKET that we ordered for apps. And their brisket omelette that's topped off with cheddar, mushrooms, and caramelized onions is a definite contender for one of the best omelets I've ever had!
For this year's Thanksgiving meal my fam and I knew we wanted to support a local restaurant without dining out, and the Philadelphia Inquirer's article tuned us in to the incredible meal deal that Ripplewood had to offer (https://www.inquirer.com/food/restaurants-thanksgiving-philadelphia-takeout-dinner-reservations-2020-turkey-stuffing-20201109.html). Our Lancaster fresh turkey came complete with house-made cranberry sauce, pretzel style rolls, gravy, a full fall harvest salad, that INCREDIBLE pie, and 2 very boozy punches! In addition to that we had the hard but delish task of choosing between 4 out of 8 amazing sounding sides(https://ripplewoodbar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Thanksgiving-2020.pdf), and were very satisfied by the following:
Roasted fingerling sweet potatoes: potatoes that were perfect for dessert with their five-spice marshmallow and maple pecan crumble!
Haricot vert casserole: Their green bean casserole might have not came with that French fried onion crunch that you're used to with your home version. But it still satisfied with its crispy shallots and mixed wild mushrooms!
Truffled mac & cheese: complete with caved aged cheddar, mushrooms, and Mornay sauce. So good!
Roasted Brussel sprouts: made the best way with maple bacon and balsamic!
With this amazing feast, we still have some delicious food for days! But once I'm done I definitely have renewed reason to finally give them a shot for that dinner and drink filled occasion, and that's still easily obtainable during Covid-19 with their limited indoor and outdoor patio dining that's kept very safe and responsible (You can even order food online through Door Dash, etc. if that understandably isn't your jam right now). But once this is over I also might have another UYE spot to set up for the future!