As we reported in August, the short-lived Pale Horse was being reincarnated as The Social Lounge.
The Social Lounge is the latest establishment from Donnie Moore, who operates the popular concert venue The Note. The Pale Horse came and went so quickly that most people still refer to the historic space as Spence Cafe. I stopped by to pay a social visit and see what’s unfolding in the space now.
Inside the front door, the bar runs down the left wall. I chatted with Paul Maychak, a bartender who worked at The Note before moving over to open up the Social Lounge. Paul told me the new menu is priced affordably. His favorites include the wings, Italian pork sandwiches and the bratwurst. He informed me everything is under $10 before he stepped into the kitchen to see if the chef could stop out.
Chef Andrew Vogt popped out and showed me the menu they just finished pulling together about two weeks ago. What’s it like to create a menu from scratch? “I sat down with Donnie, who knows his food. We worked it on it together, tossing ideas around. It was a collaboration,” Andrew said. He hopes to start offering specials soon.
Andrew described the menu as gourmet pub food. “Our goal was to make the food affordable. Everything is made in house. We wanted to make stuff people are familiar with but we’re making it a little different, we’ve added our own twist,” he said.
Asked what’s one thing we shouldn’t miss on the menu, the chef replied, “definitely the homemade beer chips. They’ve been soaked for a week and a half in Flower Power IPA. They come with cheddar and pecan smoked bacon. Everybody that works here has been raving about them.”
Andrew has been getting the staff up to speed on the new menu. “I’m doing what I love to do,” he said. It’s obvious he likes building the feel of the new dining experience. “I enjoy working with people who have a passion in the kitchen. People work better with a smile.”
Andrew is planning on entering The Social Lounge’s vegetarian chili in the upcoming Chili Cookoff. “I like meat, but this is good,” he says with a grin. He’s also hoping to have a second entry of Wild Boar Chili in the cook off. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll still offer it eventually as a special.
Other items noted on the menu include: Caribbean Jerked Shrimp Skewers, Nachos, Raspberry Tuna and a choice of flatbread pizzas.
Sitting at the bar with his cell phone in hand, Rob Snyder booked a few bands in a matter of minutes. Rob explained the Social Lounge lounge is unique in one way, there is “never a cover for live music,” he said.
Some of the notable local acts he’s booking include the punkabilly band TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb, funk jazz fusion band The Sermon and 80’s cover band Ka-Pow! Mason Porter has played there recently also. The current plans for the Social Lounge are to have Reggae Wednesdays, Original Nights on Thursdays and Dueling Pianos on Friday.
So The Social Lounge is up and running. No Sundays for now, though they will be open for the Chester County Restaurant Festival. Live music Wednesday through Saturday nights. The Social Lounge is located at 29-31 Gay Street, West Chester, PA. Phone is 610-738-3948.
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