Where the 'Le' Means Nothing Pretentious

When I was younger (and even now) I watched a ton of TV , and whenever a character on any of my favorite shows wanted to take their wife/girlfriend/honey on a special date or celebrate some momentous occasion, he would undoubtedly go to some fancy French restaurant with a name like "La Fourchette," "Chez Spencer" or "La Maison." I grew up thinking that all restaurants with a French article in their name were fine dining places.

Imagine my surprise when I set foot in in Manayunk for the first time (I think it was the early '90s). I was expecting white tablecloths and exorbitant prices. In fact, I think I was preemptively worried about how I was going to pay for my expensive dinner.

I couldn't have been more wrong about what awaited me. It was a casual American restaurant with a circular bar, wooden floors, bright signage and servers clad in black T-shirts. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it wasn't a pretentious snooty pants place with items that I could not pronounce. The food is simple, honest and well made.

Appetizers include excellent hummus with roasted peppers, grilled zucchini, yellow squash, grilled eggplant, calamata olives and feta cheese served with multigrain pita bread ($8.75) and killer nachos (homemade tortilla chips, monterey jack cheese, salsa, guacamole, black beans, sour cream, diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce topped with a fire roasted jalapeno—$9.75).

On the menu's lighter side, the numerous salads offer something for everyone. The house salad (mixed greens, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, $7) is a great starter at dinner time. The apple walnut salad (mixed greens tossed in raspberry vinaigrette with pink lady apples, gorgonzola, roasted red peppers and spiced walnuts, $10) is also delicious.  All permutations of Caesar salad are also available (avocado, chicken, Colorado chicken and shrimp).

I have had their tasty burger with regular french fries and sweet potato fries ($9.85 for plain, 75 cents additional for cheese) numerous times. For a healthier option, go for the freshly ground turkey burger ($9.85) or salmon burger ($11.50).

Winnie's favorites are mom's meatloaf ($13.75) and two dinner salads: blue Colorado salad (house greens tossed in red wine vinaigrette with plum tomatoes, asparagus, grilled corn & topped with char grilled ancho chili glazed chicken breast and blue cheese, $12.25) and Thai turkey salad (oven roasted turkey, multigrain pasta, scallions, zucchini, celery, carrots, sesame seeds, bell peppers, spinach and walnuts tossed in thai dressing, $9.50). 

Vegetarian options abound here as there is a butternut squash lasagne ($13.95) and brown rice nut salad ($10.50), in addition to a veggie burger ($10.85). Numerous fish entrees are also available (crabcakes, $22.50; fish tacos, $16.50; pan seared tilapia, $17.50).

Most recently I went in for brunch and had the eggs benedict ($9.25) with spinach (75 cents extra) and Winnie's signature roast coffee ($2). The eggs were poached nicely and the brioche underneath buttery and delicious. I only wish that there was some more spinach. The huevos rancheros ($10.50) are also excellent here. I like that they are served with Dutch maple syrup and fresh fruit and come in 6-grain ($9), buttermilk ($8.75), banana walnut ($9.25) and blueberry ($9) varieties. The French toast ($9.50) is made with their homemade brioche and the nova lox platter ($13.50) comes with black onion bread.

Their is a full bar complete with plenty of local beers and red and white wine. If you're in the mood for a cocktail, they can whip up one of those according to your specifications or you can order off of their drink menu. Mimosas in all shapes and colors are available at brunch and their specialty coffee list goes far beyond a simple Irish coffee. 

The decor is simple, unassuming, welcoming and comforting. The service is friendly, unpretentious and relaxed. Winnie's LeBus is the complete opposite of what I thought it would be like when I first set foot in the restaurant years ago. Thank goodness. That's why I keep coming back for more.