Kings Tavern — Restaurant in West Caln Township

I must preface this assessment with my acknowledged 40 years of restaurant industry experience. My Mother and I recently visited for lunch to celebrate my birthday. Considering we have eaten here before and both thoroughly enjoyed our shared experiences we were anticipating a comfortable respite. After being seated and perusing the menu we noticed a brief reference concerning your Sister Restaurants. My interest piqued, I Googled the included web site. After a brief moment, I came to realize what was once a local independent restaurant was now a subsidiary member of Five Star Restaurant Group. This information, in and of itself, in todays market is understandable as corporate structure affords small business a safety net to remain financially soluble. The remainder of my birthday celebration however was sub par, at best. Our server, Mariah was noticeably newer to the industry, as were the tenderfoot line cooks. Our table seating afforded a glimpse into the kitchen every time anyone entered or exited. Please reference my first statement concerning my entire career. My Mother had a specific allergy related request, no tomatoes. The dish she ordered included Angel Hair pasta which she asked to be served with a white sauce instead of the red sauce offered. It was served aglio olio w/pepper flakes. I guess S&P wasn't thought of, and her pasta wasn't stirred while being prepared as it was presented clumped. The Chicken Breasts were tasteless,again what kitchen doesn't have S&P? Always season your egg wash, flour & breading when preparing cutlets of any meat entrée. Protein lacks flavor. Personally, my birthday selection ,wasn't prepped so the manager asked me for a second option which I asked to be prepared medium yet was served well done. As the restaurant wasn't busy, three tables in the dining area and three patrons at the bar, I raised no objection to the discrepancies that my Mother and I experienced as this situation could have been averted with proper training and above all staff communication, which is the bedrock of any and all professional business. Furthermore, how are you allowed to operate with an entrance/exit that prohibits a vast number of potential clients? It's discriminatory and possibly illegal. I do hope that your new proprietors/ management sort these problems through, as I will sorely miss our communities asset if it remains as what my Mother and I experienced....

I LOVE KING'S TAVERN. The food, service, cocktails & atmosphere are perfect! I've enjoyed many great meals here & highly recommend King's Tavern for your next meal out - Or, your next private party. I chose King's Tavern for my daughter's wedding rehearsal dinner and I'm so glad I did! Everyone enjoyed a fabulous meal. My daughter was so happy!

BTW... We were seated in the East Wing of the King's Tavern - it was elegant and cozy. We had superb drinks (I had the Tavern Dirty Martini. Mom had the best Old-Fashioned she ever had), Excellent service from Katie & Exceptional Dining Experience!

The Menu is HUGE, but here are some of my personal favorite foods at King's:

Starters & Shared Plates... • Tavern App Sampler - Applewood Bacon wrapped JUMBO Shrimp, Prime Rib Cheesesteak Egg Rolls & Chili Wings (The shrimp are awesome!) • Short Rib Fries - Crispy fries, rib meat that's juicy, flavoful and melts in your mouth, covered in hot cheese fondue • Baked Clams- 1 dozen top neck clams, olive oil, garlic, herbs (I feel like I'm back in Italy when I'm eating these!) • Local Mushrom Bisque (Full of Crabmeat, too!) • French Onion Soup

Handhelds... • Pork Italiano - Braised pork, Broccoli Rabe, roasted peppers, provolone • Filet Mignon Cheesesteak - When this sandwich is on the Chef Special Menu, You have to get it! • Herb Grilled Chicken Club - Applewood bacon, provolone, baby arugula, tomato, roasted. Forget the layers of toasted bread this Club is served on a fresh Brioche Bun!

Entrees... CHICKEN • Parmesan Crusted Chicken - Mozzarella, ricotta gnocchi, marinara • Southern Fried Chicken - Buttermilk Brined Boneless Thighs over Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes with garlic spinach STEAKS & CHOPS • 16 Oz Prime Bone-in Kansas City Strip Steak • 40oz. Tavern Tomahawk Ribeye - Yes, FORTY OUNCES! • Prime Kurobuta Cowboy Pork Chop (Gluten free) • Double Cut Lamb Chops SEAFOOD • LOCAL Wild Dayboat Scallops • Seafood Fra Diavolo - JUMBO shrimp, Local dayboat scallops, jumbo lump crab, angel hair, spicy marinara • Jumbo Lump Crab Cake over Sweet corn risotto • LOCAL Wild Ahi Tuna Steak

Save room for DESSERT! • Warm Chocolate Stout Cake - with Bourbon caramel & vanilla ice cream • Freshly made warm Caramel Apple Doughnuts - Served with vanilla ice cream and homemade...

My wife and I visited Kings Tavern Sunday on a drive through the old area.  It was formerly Mr. E's Tavern when I lived across the street 15+ years ago, and I was curious.  The Kings Tavern had upscale look with nice table cloths and was clean. It goes downhill from here sorry to report.

The upscale look/feel was also reflected on menu prices as well.  Price was no issue as long as food was good, we wanted a good meal.

I selected the Tavern Cheese Burger and fries, normally $18, but on sale for $12 Sundays.  Was not super hungry, and just wanted simple burger, ordered Well Cooked.   I typically cut my burger in half, but did not this time, a big mistake.  After first bite, saw burger was little raw inside. After cutting burger in half saw mostly raw middle, waiter observed as well.  Waiter said he would have it fixed and took my plate away. After few minutes waiter returned with a  burger and proceeds to tell my wife and I that they took care of it fastest way possible and put my same burger on the grill to cook it more, dispite I had taken a bite already. I expected a new burger, and new fries, but only got a new roll.  Same fries I believe since  they seemed little cool. I ate less than half the burger and almost none of the fries. Burger just didn't taste good.

My wife ordered chicken caprese with angel hair and a lemon white wine sauce. She said the pasta was mushie and needed much more salt than normal. There was a huge amount of oil, and to taste any lemon, she used the lemon brought with her beverage to add flavor. Due to the balsamic glaze, the chicken was good. Most of the pasta was left uneaten.

BTW: Perhaps we should have complained to manager after diner, but we both just wanted to leave after a bad meal and long day traveling. I had previously asked waiter to speak to manager upon arrival before we even ordered to inquire about hosting my daughter's rehearsal diner.  He never stopped over.  Only 3 tables busy at the time. But based on poor quality of food served, we decided to not...