Time to Get Lucky in Ambler

The Lucky Well offers stick-to-your-ribs soul food and more than 50 selections of whiskey, bourbon and scotch.

Barbecue platter

The Next Food Network Star contestant Chad Rosenthal is the charismatic muscle behind The Lucky Well, the rustic-chic barbecue spot that’s generating some serious buzz for Ambler. You can find the self-taught chef on the floor nightly, greeting guests. The place is suitably hip, with reclaimed-wood tabletops, leather booths, and a long bar covered in subway tiles.

The setting befits Rosenthal’s modernized stick-to-your-ribs soul food, including picnicky staples like the burnt-ends meat plate with deviled eggs, and hush puppies packed with bacon and poblano peppers.

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First and foremost, Rosenthal is a barbecue authority, specializing in high-end organic cuts prepared in a Southern Pride smoker with hickory wood. By and large, he plays it Memphis-style safe, letting the meat speak for itself. 

For those craving the unconventional, Rosenthal’s SBG creation layers cheddar grits and beer-braised collard greens with house-cured pork belly and grilled shrimp (pure bliss in a stainless-steel bowl). The Cajun-spiced catfish teeters atop a heap of tomato-heavy ratatouille, surrounded by a punchy pool of pea puree.

The Lucky Well’s whiskey, bourbon and scotch roster is one of the finest in the region, with more than 50 selections. Go for the Kentucky Tea, a dangerously delicious mix of Knob Creek and Earl Grey. 111 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, (215) 646-4242, www.theluckywell.com.

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