The name of Nook & Kranny Kafe couldn’t be a more perfect one. The cozy cottage is tucked within the Shops of Corner Stores, a micro-hamlet of equally quaint retail businesses along Phoenixville’s eastern periphery. Cheery and homespun, its inset shelves displaying a charming array of teapots, the Nook is a nice stop-in for hearty breakfasts and lunches.
From her kitchen, 26-year-old owner Christina Rubeo churns out filling specialties like Frittata Your Way—light, eggy and stuffed with a veritable cornucopia of meats and veggies. Her buttery, Swiss-smothered Monte Cristo is irresistible. Daily lunch specials include chicken salad, and barbecued pork piled high on a Le Bus brioche bun with house-made slaw.
“I’m kind of famous for my chicken salad,” says Rubeo of her lightly mayo’d mix of white-meat breast chunks dotted with craisins and walnuts.
The Nook’s best-kept secret, though, is its monthly reservations-only dinners. Think picnic-style pig roasts, steak and seafood, an Italian feast, or (in February) an intimate Valentine’s Day meal, which run $40-$50 per person for four pre-fixe courses. The dinners are BYOB, with no corkage fee.
847 Valley Forge Road, Phoenixville, (610) 933-5393; 3140 Ridge Pike, Norristown, (484) 370-8110, www.nookandkrannykafe.com.
