Ye Olde Ale House — Restaurant in Whitemarsh Township

Let me preface this by saying, I have been going to The Ale House since the early 1970’s and have recommended it to many, many people over the years. Also, I am not a germaphobe, but have worked in many restaurants and for several caterers over the years and understand food safety. However, my visit today was disturbing to put it mildly. I sat in front of the roast beef carving station and while waiting for my sandwich, I observed extremely poor sanitary habits by one of the carvers. He was on his cell phone texting or whatever and would put it down and pick it back up several times. He also grabbed his calf, was wearing shorts, and his apron that was full of food waste. Then he grabbed a pair of gloves, which he had now contaminated, and put them on and touched the meat. If you don’t think that is bad, read the following:

A typical smartphone can harbor a significant number of germs, with studies indicating the presence of thousands, even tens of thousands, of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. One study found an average of 17,000 bacterial gene copies on high school students' phones. Another study identified over 11,000 microorganisms and 2,096 genes coding for antibiotic and virulent factors on mobile phones. Here's a more detailed breakdown: Bacteria: Studies have found that cell phones can carry significantly more bacteria than other commonly touched surfaces like toilet seats, kitchen counters, and doorknobs. Viruses: While less frequent than bacteria, viruses can also be present on phones and can be transmitted through contact. Other Microorganisms: Fungi, protists, and bacteriophages have also been identified on cell phones. Harmful Pathogens: Some common harmful pathogens found on cell phones include E. coli, MRSA, and Streptococcus.

The worst part was that when I brought this to the attention of the bartender, who I was told was the owner, he did not tell the employee to wash his hands, but instead served other customers. When I got the attention of the employee, he laughed it off saying he was wearing gloves. Needless to say I didn’t eat there and don’t know if I will return and probably will not recommend it anymore. If you are going to serve food in the eye site of your patrons, you need to WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE PUTTING ON...

Went tonight for the first time, with my 7 year old and my boyfriend. The three of us all enjoyed the broccoli cheddar soup, and fresh steamed littleneck clams with lemon and butter and a tasty Old Bay/garlic dipping juice. Boyfriend got the roast beef platter and loved it, topping it off with the horse radish on the table. My son got the meatball platter with french fries and coleslaw but his grown-man's appetite was satiated after just the three giant meatballs. I had the crab cake platter with two giant crab cakes and they were absolutely delicious. Perfectly seasoned with fresh tasting lump crab meat, not at all dry, and not too much filler, perfectly lightly breaded and fried to perfection. They were thick and generous and absolutely delicious. There were a number of things that had rave reviews on the menu that I'd love to try, but I don't think I could help myself getting the crab cakes next time we go back, which will be ASAP! We finished the meal with dessert; the boys both had blueberry cheesecake and I had a generous feeling of homemade rice pudding with just the right amount of cinnamon. Perfect meal at the right price, friendly service, and a relaxed atmosphere. We highly recommend this spot! Large bar as well if you're looking for a drink...

This was my first time at this establishment because a coworker said the roast beef, pulled pork and chicken parm were good. So I ordered the pulled pork which wasn't available. So we ordered the chicken parm which they were out of. It was only 5pm. SO, we ordered the roast beef sandwich, wings and a meatball parm. The meatball didn't have cheese so it wasn't a parm. When asked for cheese our waitress said it doesn't come with cheese. And the roast beef by my coworker's description is cut fresh, hot with melted cheese and warm gravy. My roast beef sandwich had cold roast beef, half slice of cold cheese and a side of luke warm gravy. I asked the waitress if the meat was suppose to be hot and she said no that I'm suppose to pour the gravy on top to warm it up. So strange! The meat was cold, dry and disappointing. Not what we were expecting especially for the a la carte price it is. It is a quaint, little place - my kind of bar but certainly the cold roast beef sandwich was such a turn off...