Creed’s Seafood & Steaks
499 North Gulph Road
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
(610) 265-2550
When people discover that I’m a food writer/restaurant reviewer, the question is inevitable… asked ad infinitum, ad nauseam: “What’s your favorite restaurant?” I generally roll my eyes… Within a five mile radius? In this township? County? State? Country? Western Hemisphere? On the planet? This particular quadrant of the galaxy? With friends, though, it’s more like: “What’s your favorite restaurant locally?” Meaning, I tend to assume, the Main Line & Philly’s western suburbs – or thereabouts. And that question, or so it seems to me, appears to be popping up with greater frequency of late.
But permit me to digress for a moment… As Frank Bruni, former restaurant reviewer for the New York Times, so aptly noted: “What you have with a restaurant that you visit once or twice is a transaction. What you have with a restaurant that you visit over and over is a relationship.” And then he continues: “The fashionable script for today’s food maven doesn’t encourage that sort of bonding.”
Indeed, it does not. There always seems to be another restaurant waiting in the wings, another gastronomic orgasm just around the corner. For the insatiable, faddy-obsessed omnivore, apparently, there is simply no end to the possibilities. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Well… yes and no.
During my 10-year tenure as food critic for NJ.Com, churning out three new Garden State restaurant reviews each month, as well as moderating their Restaurant Forum, I often daydreamed about several charming little eateries I had discovered in my pre- “hired belly” days; eateries to which I would gladly have returned on a regular basis had I not been otherwise occupied with reviewing deadlines.
… And regular patrons matter to a restaurant. They matter a great deal. Though newcomers drawn in by Yelp or TripAdvisor can keep an establishment packed for a while, it is the familiar faces that insure survival and ultimate prosperity. A restaurant positively thrives on those regular patrons who drop in, not only with reservations for lunch and dinner, but also impulsively, perhaps at off hours, to savor a glass of wine, a snack, and a respite from the tensions of the day.
And the final sentence of the above paragraph pretty much sums up my feelings about Creed’s Seafood & Steaks. However… by confessing that Creed’s just happens to be my favorite local restaurant, I am not saying that it is necessarily the best restaurant around. What I am saying is that, based upon my own personal preferences and predilections – not the least of which is the fact that it is one of the few eateries in King of Prussia that happens to be locally and individually owned – this is the restaurant with which I have chosen to strike up a cozy, long-term relationship.
But let’s cut to the nitty-gritty… I last reviewed Creed’s in January 2011; and very little has changed in the interim, as both food and service remain models of consistency. To be more specific… in the numerous times that I have dined here, I have encountered only two minor faux pas: on one occasion, undercooked haricots verts (French green beans); on another, slightly over salted spinach. Not a bad record for a nearly twenty year stretch.
So grab a seat at the bar or at one of the hi-top tables and order up a designer martini or a foreign or domestic brew of choice. And don’t forget to check out the wine list, which offers up some excellent selections by the glass. And if you should happen to arrive during happy hour (Monday – Friday, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.), select apps, house wines and martinis go for $6.00 per.
Once settled in at table, there are a number of ways to start things off. If you are so inclined, for example, the Flight of Oysters is an extremely popular appetizer. This includes one each of the four oysters listed on the menu, one top neck clam, spicy red pepper-lemon mignonette and an Absolut Citron Vodka cocktail sauce. On the other hand, if you prefer your seafood cooked, nothing quite beats the Dirty Blonde Ale Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels or the Colossal Shrimp Cocktail (pictured) served up with more of that irresistible Absolut Citron Vodka cocktail sauce.
Greenery also holds a prominent place among the starters. In addition to the Traditional Caesar, Baby Kale-Spinach Blend, and Classic Iceberg Wedge noted on the printed menu, Creed’s always offers a nightly special, which is definitely worth checking out. Most recently sampled was a Spinach Salad (pictured) embellished with tomato, cucumber, carrot, herbed croutons, and diminutive dollops of creamy goat cheese. But the key to any salad is the dressing (and its proper application)… And the herbed Champagne vinaigrette is clearly the star of the show. It is marvelously flavorful, lightly assertive rather than aggressive; and it is judiciously applied, gently coating rather than drowning the objects of its affection.
When it comes to entrées, as the restaurant’s name suggests, the menu is divided fairly evenly between fish and steaks & chops. The former are served with seasonal vegetables and wild fish house rice; the latter with sour cream smashed red bliss potatoes and garlic buttered haricots verts. These, in turn, may be matched up with a number of first-rate sauces.
In addition, there are several select “Chef’s Specialties” that change with the seasons. Among the specials, the San Francisco Style Cioppino – a combo of fresh fish, mussels, shrimp, calamari, scallops, clams, and crab claw meat served up in a tomato-white wine sauce – is something of a must… ditto the Pan Seared Surf and Turf. Here you have sliced filet mignon garnished with an addictive Chianti demi-glace, three shrimp perched on a pillow of sautéed spinach, and a ramekin of luscious Yukon gold scalloped potatoes. A delicious presentation. The spinach, slightly over-salted and overcooked, was the only minor flaw.
I’ve sampled just about every fish on the menu at one time or another. My medium rare Yellowfin Tuna, for example, found a perfect partner in an exotic ponzu sauce (a Japanese amalgamation of rice vinegar, soy sauce, mirin and/or sake, seaweed, and dry bonito flakes). And chimichurri (a thick Argentinean herb sauce consisting of olive oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, and cayenne & black pepper) proved a perfect match for the moist and meaty Scottish Salmon. The best of the best, however, was undoubtedly the special grilled Golden Tilefish (pictured) set on a seabed of fish house rice & julienne of zucchini and consummated with an incomparable orange-fennel beurre blanc.
Meaty matters are equally up to the mark. Both the Ten Ounce New York Strip and the Eight Ounce Center Cut Filet Mignon (pictured) pair exceedingly well with the brandy peppercorn sauce, Chianti demi-glace, sauce béarnaise, or Roquefort demi-glace. My recently sampled filet is usually companioned by sour cream smashed red bliss potatoes and haricot verts, but I was able to substitute pancetta roasted Brussels sprouts and those luscious Yukon gold scalloped potatoes… and the result was an incredible treat for the palate.
Desserts, all made on the premises (with the exception of Basset’s ice cream or sorbet), continue the kitchen’s good work. Possibilities include Cabernet Dark Chocolate Mousse, Crustless Hot Apple Pie with caramel pecan streusel topping and vanilla ice cream, Honey Lemon Tea Crème Brûlée, and an Artisan Cheese Board with appropriate accompaniments. My nod, though, would undoubtedly go to Creed’s Cheesecake, sporting a marvelously crunchy Graham cracker crust and revolving sauces. The most recent saucier’s incarnation featured chocolate pecan (pictured). Absolutely top-notch. However, when it puts in a guest appearance, the Peanut Butter Cheesecake is also not to be missed.
If you’ve never paid a call at Creed’s Seafood & Steaks, this fine restaurant should be at the very top of your dining agenda… If it’s been a while since your last visit, it’s time for a return engagement.
Bon Appétit!
TAD
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