Blue Bell Inn, Blue Bell, PA

Busy so make a reservation if you plan to go. We started with an appetizer. We shared the Pan Seared Diver Scallops with Corn Puree, Summer Succotash and Bacon Jam for $17. This was very good however, it came with only two scallops. We suspected that it would have at least three for $17. Give me a break…what a rip-off. Sorry we devoured it before I took a picture because like I said, the scallops were delish.

I ordered the 14 oz. New York Strip with Potato Wedges, Creamed Corn and Black Garlic Butter for $39. Let’s be honest, for a steak to be good it has to be cooked properly. The steak I had was cooked perfect. 30 seconds more it would have been borderline over and 30 seconds less it would have been under BUT for $39 (please just make it $40 on the menu!!) the sides were VERY underwhelming. Come on…3 fried potatoes wedges!? That was literally 1/2 of a potato. And an obvious house-made creamed corn was very lose. Sadly I believe it was the same corn used in our appetizer. Boy that was a bummer. You can probably tell in the pic it was soupy. The flavor was there but it was more like a corn soup, not even worthy of the word chowder. And they must have just simply forgotten the black garlic butter. Oh and lastly, the 4 shavings of sea salt seen on the steak in the pic are not enough. Any chef will confirm you must season with salt and pepper…generously! What the heck! Boo on the sad presentation!

Dan had the Half Roasted Duck with Frisee Lettuce, Crispy Fingerling Potatoes, Pomegranate Seeds with a Grand Marnier Glaze for $32. Dan said it was good but I think he was being generous just to not get me going. He’s smart like that. I had a bite of the duck and the meat was dry. Sorry to say but it is true. Duck is supposed to be moist! The skin, however, was deliciously crispy as it should be. The potatoes were far from crispy and the lettuce was plain old boring. Presentation was nice but overall, I wasn’t impressed.

Dessert was the cream brulee and a bull crap of a “cookie”. It was dry and tasteless. It was a disintegrating biscotti served on the side. The menu indicated that the cream brulee was to be served with a cookie of the “Chef’s Selection”. I said to Dan it’s probably a stale biscotti from a bulk Costco pick up. I know that seems harsh especially if someone there did bake it but it’s important that I am honest with my readers. And if by chance the person that did bake it reads this they will know the truth and maybe make it a little better or let it not get so stale before serving. The cream brûlée was okay. The sugar was a touch overdone but not ruined. The cream had a delicious flavor however the texture was a bit thick and not light in the least. Not terrible but definitely not award worthy.

Drinks

The best part of the meal was the cocktails. Not really much more to say about this place. I am surprised and disappointed to say the least. They have such a good reputation but with the meal we were served, I’m not quite sure why. Now I have heard that the raw bar is very good so if that’s your thing, give it a try especially during their happy hour. A couple of people told me this was good. I don’t do raw so I won’t be back for that. Also a note that the clientele is of a more mature group so if you are looking for a good’ole hang out of a time, this isn’t your place. Its probably a good place to take your grandmother for her birthday. Sorry, not sorry. This place gets a 2 out of 4 forks. Thanks for reading and eat up folks!