The Gables at Chadds Ford

I received my undergrad degree from West Chester University and while there I tried many restaurants. During my senior year, I lived on the main street in town that had all the bars, restaurants and shops. I actually lived in a tiny (but super chic) apartment on top of a restaurant. West Chester, PA definitely has some amazing places to eat.

Not too far from West Chester University is Chadds Ford, PA. I passed The Gables at Chadds Ford a bunch of times while at school, but unfortunately never went inside. When the co-owner, Ann, asked Bryan and I to come out and try their food, I couldn’t resist! 

When we pulled up to The Gables we were happy to see a complimentary valet. Who likes circling around parking lots trying to find a spot?! Not me! Once we walked inside the restaurant, we were quickly seated outside on the patio. I love eating outdoors and this was no exception. The patio looks like a greenhouse with dozens of gorgeous plants. I loved that there was a roof too, because it kept out any mosquitoes. 

We didn’t have to wait long until our waitress, Kelly, happily greeted us. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and even gave us recommendations on what to order. When I told her I was a blogger, she was so sweet and asked me all about my site. We also talked about Pete (of course) and I gave her some recommendations on dog food. By the end of the night, I felt like I knew her for years.

Kelly took our drink order first. I ordered my favorite type of wine, Riesling, while Bryan ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon. We both loved the wine we chose and each ordered a second glass. The Gables also has a reserve wine list which includes bottles ranging from $110 to $500. 

For our appetizer, we ordered the small cheese plate which was the perfect size for two people. It had a variety of hard and soft cheeses, apples, strawberries, a fruit chutney, olives, nuts and toasted bread. It was by far one of the best cheese plates I’ve ever had. 

Ann, the co-owner, stopped by our table many times throughout the night to make sure we were doing OK. When I first met her she gave me a big hug. (She’s a hugger, which was great because I’m a hugger too!) She told us all about the restaurant and the wedding space available, various items on the menu, and some details about her other restaurant in North Carolina. When we told her we ordered the cheese plate, she said that she could eat just that for dinner with a glass of wine. After finishing it, I completely agree! I’m going to have to try recreating it at home. 

After we were finished with our appetizer, we had salad and soup. Bryan chose the chilled corn bisque, because he was intrigued. I’m not as daring, so I ordered The Gables salad. Bryan absolutely loved his soup. He ate every bit! From Bryan: “It was nothing like I had ever tasted before - in a good way! Even though I knew the soup was going to be cold, it was still unexpected! I’m glad I ordered it.”

My salad was fantastic. It was fresh and light, exactly what I wanted. It had Babe Farms mixed greens, candied walnuts, anjou pears, honey crisp apples, black river blue cheese and a white balsamic vinaigrette. I liked that the dressing wasn’t loaded on. Sometimes when I forget to say “dressing on the side,” the salad comes out drenched. The chef added just the right amount. 

For our entrees, Bryan ordered the filet mignon and I had the blackened wild salmon. His filet came with grilled asparagus wrapped in house smoked bacon and twice baked mashed potatoes. From Bryan: “The steak was perfectly cooked - medium rare. The potatoes weren’t your average mashed potatoes. They were certainly unique to The Gables and complemented the filet perfectly.”

My entree was cooked perfectly as well. I told Bryan probably at least five times that I loved the seasoning on the salmon. At some restaurants when you order blackened fish, you get a light, tiny coating of seasoning. This salmon had a crust of seasoning, which didn’t fall off the fish when I cut it. My entree was accompanied by spaetzel, sugar snap peas, zucchini, squash and tomato gazpacho. 

I don’t know how we did it, but we somehow made room for dessert. Bryan ordered the ice cream float sampler, which included a root beer float, mango ginger beer float and a cappuccino orange float. I tasted all three and we both agreed that our favorite was surprisingly the cappuccino orange. It sounds like a strange combination, but boy was it good! We both loved the presentation. How cute are those little mugs?!

I ordered the blueberry cheesecake, because cheesecake might be the best dessert in the entire world. If a restaurant has cheesecake, I will order it 100% of the time. This cheesecake definitely didn’t disappoint. It was rich, creamy, jam packed with blueberries and topped with apricots. 

Our experience at The Gables at Chadds Ford was absolutely perfect. Everything from the service to the food was A+! We enjoyed our dinner, because every dish had a flavor or ingredient that was unique and unexpected. We can’t wait to come again soon. Thank you to Ann and Kelly for making our visit so wonderful! 

FTC: Our meal was provided by The Gables at Chadds Ford. All opinions are my own.