Restaurant Review: Baxter’s

Restaurant: Baxter’s
Address: 82 E Lancaster Ave. Paoli, PA 19301
Rating: ★★ out of 5 stars
Style: Eat-In / Take-Out / Catering
Food: Pub & Restaurant / Diner Food
Atmosphere: Casual
Service: Very Friendly & Professional
Price Range: $5 - $20
Parking: Lot
Unique Feature: The lambchop lollipops are delicious and worth the entire trip. Baxter’s also just began serving brunch on Sundays from 10am – 2pm, with a $10 bottomless Mimosa and Bloody Mary special that would definitely be worth a visit.

From the parking lot, Baxter’s gives a first impression of a higher end strip mall restaurant. But once inside, its plaid walls and carpets bring any lofty expectations back down to earth. The Lancaster Avenue eatery is actually a more of a pub or saloon and caters to a crowd of locals and regulars with menu options comparable to diner fare.

When my friend and I arrived on a Sunday afternoon, we were given the option to sit in the bar area, but chose the dining room instead. We were seated at a high backed booth surrounding a long, squeaky, wooden table. Our server, Matt, came out to greet us and started us off with a soda and an iced tea.

We looked over the menu; there was much to choose from including appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, comfort foods and entrees. I decided on the Lamb Chop Lollipops, a specialty of theirs, and their namesake sandwich, The Baxter; their take on a Monte Cristo. My friend ordered a cup of French onion soup, the Mussels Baxter and a single Crab Cake entree.

The cup of French onion arrived first; a smaller crock than generally served. Melted cheese swam above a yellow broth, within the boundaries of the crock; a much more reserved take on a usually overflowing presentation. The broth was flavorful and translucent onions mixed in with the bread nicely.

Next out were the Lamb Chop Lollipops, a specialty of Baxter’s. Three chops and a plastic cup of mint jelly sat atop a bed of leafy greens. Had I known there would’ve been so much lettuce I could’ve asked for a little bit of vinegar to mix with the lamb drippings and oil and made a decent salad. The chops were very nicely cooked. The edges showed hints of char, but the meat itself was cooked to a perfect medium, leaving them juicy and moist. They were seasoned with a little bit of thyme, leaving the flavor of the lamb in the spotlight, and I truly enjoyed them.

Our server was back to check on us after every round of food was dropped off, clearing plates and making sure everything was fine and that we weren’t in need of anything else.

With the lamb chops, he also brought out the Mussels Baxter, a large bowl, filled to the brim. The tops of the mussels peeked out through the buttery tomato broth. The mussels themselves were clean, but their texture was odd, like wet, granular lumps of cardboard. They really weren’t soaking up any of the juice either, and without the help of any bread, the broth went to waste.

Our server returned with our final choices. The Baxter, a batter-dipped and grilled ham, turkey and cheese sandwich looked tasty, and generally was, but its batter coating was basically just egg, leaving it coated in fried egg wash which did a terrible job of absorbing any of the grease. The fries, which I thoroughly enjoyed dipping into my side of syrup, were delicious.

My friend’s Crab Cake was accompanied by a heap of coleslaw, a ripe tomato slice, a cup of tartar sauce and some fries. The slaw was sweet and acidy, and not in a good way. The crab cake itself had the flavor of grilled mayo. But the fries and tartar sauce made a nice combination.

Being as they’ve been in business since 1984, Baxter’s has a handle on what they do, and generally, they seem to be doing it well. The service was great and while we were there we noticed how well our server handled the early bird’s barrage of questions. But if everything was made with as much care as the lambchops, this would have been a three star review. It was the seafood options that were really disappointing and sticking to the other choices on the menu will serve future customers well. 

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