Plein Air

Ladies… this Food Hound has a place that is PERFECT for you! A little outdoor location called Plein Air Outdoor Garden Café in Reading, Pennsylvania. The location is gorgeous and offers plenty of seating in a comfortable garden style restaurant. Since we were just dropping in for a look see… I only had the pleasure of trying their Chilled Napoleon of Roasted Summer Vegetables with Chevre Cheese. Nom… nom… nom… Delicious! This spot is WELL worth the visit on a nice warm and sunny day or clear cool evening under the stars. Unique and picturesque, it would be a shame to not enjoy this with your wife, best female friend or mother

Server: «Would you like your leftover Falafel sandwich to go?»
Me: «Yes, could you please place it in anything other than Styrofoam?»
Server: «I’m sorry, we refuse to use Styrofoam here.»
Me: «Oh, I’m sorry, I think maybe you misunderstood, no Styrofoam, please.»
Server: «Yes, absolutely!»
Me: «High-​fives to Plein Air/Judy’s on Cherry/​Speckled Hen! You now have my heart forever.»

Plein Air (pronounced «plain air»?) will make you forget you are in the nation’s poorest city, even though it is situated beside one of the city’s original buildings, a real log cabin. Look for Plein Air to the left of it, nestled in like a secret magic garden.
In the 80s, the cabin was restored to become Widow Finney’s and is now the Speckled Hen Pub. Speckled Hen is connected to Judy’s on Cherry and under the same ownership. So these three places make a lovely oasis in downtown Reading.
Someone with a real sense of design (and a love of Paris) transformed this tiny alleyway into a cozy and romantic outdoor café with light snacks and wines by the glass, also a full bar. Fountains, ivy, and flowerpots abound. It is small with only about 10 tables, so call ahead for a reservation. Due to its uniqueness, I bring all of my out-​of-​town guests here to show them a cool side of my town. Plein Air makes me feel like I am in a movie. And it is one of the few restaurants in town with NO TV, hurray!
They don’t give you a hassle when you ask for small changes to get vegan food and have made efforts to add more. Love the veggie Napoleon and the shoestring fries. I think the bread baked in the flower pot is gone this year, but they had added a falafel salad that includes tabbouleh and nice greens with tahini dressing. Where did the delicious broccolini/​bulghur dish go? With a few more plant-​based dishes, this would be a 5-​star rating from me. It is obvious creative cooks are present, and I know they can do it.
Check the weather, before you go. Umbrellas keep it shady, but I can’t deal with being outdoors when it is too hot. Run inside to the small bar when it starts raining — or back into Judy’s upstairs.
It’s always a happy day when Plein Air opens in the spring and a true sign of fall when it closes for the year.

As far as atmosphere goes, Plein Air cannot be beat. It is nestled in a narrow outdoor courtyard adjacent to the Speckled Hen Pub in downtown Reading. (I am told that the mid-​eighteenth century log cabin that houses the Speckled Hen is the oldest building in Reading). The courtyard is beautifully landscaped and lit, making for an incredibly romantic space.
My husband and I went here to celebrate his birthday. Sadly, I enjoyed my meal more than he did his.
We began with an imaginative appetizer – a fried egg topped with grilled asparagus and shaved parmesan. This may have been the highlight of the meal – a great flavor combination. My husband also had the arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette. This salad normally comes topped with fried calamari, but the spouse is not a fan, so the server kindly put the calamari on the side for me to nosh. I like calamari when it is super-​fresh and tender, but these rings were a tad on the chewy side.
For entrees, my husband ordered the mid-​eastern spiced chick pea burger from the Speckled Hen menu. (Plein Air has its own menu, but also shares with Speckled Hen.) He found the patty dry to the point of being unpalatable and topped with what tasted like a slice of spoiled tomato.
I had the bouillabaisse. Unlike the calamari, the seafood in this stew was quite fresh (though for $ 19, I would have liked more than four or five mussels). The broth was redolent with fresh garlic, but the tomatoes seemed to have come from a can. I ended up leaving these in my bowl.
Service was a little slow late on a busy Friday night, but the server was polished and polite. The husband and I shared a nice and simple berry sorbet for dessert.
In total, this was a fairly good meal, but we were expecting a little something more. The name «Plein Air» and the lush, courtyard atmosphere conjure up expectations of fresh, French-​provincial-​inspired food. However, only a few menu items met these expectations.