Restaurant Review

SCRAMBLING FOR SUPPER? D&H CAN BAIL YOU OUT

By Susan N. Denaro, Esquire

The Easy Button. It’s something all of us look for to get us out of a jam. I reach for it frequently, especially when the kid, who runs the equivalent of a half-marathon a day, is home from university and texting “what’s for dinner?” in the late afternoon while I’m still at the office and haven’t a clue what to tell him. Those late afternoon texts signal two things: 1. He’s surprisingly not made plans to go out with friends to dine, and 2. He’ll want to eat almost as soon as I get in the door. Luckily, Dundore and Heister (the “D&H”) is the Easy Button that never fails.

For the uninitiated, it’s a true nose to tail, farm to table, butcher shop that is also a mini-market for high-end nibbles and treats. Located at 1331 Penn Avenue in Wyomissing, it picks up where the former Banco’s butcher store nearby on Evans Avenue left off.

Prior to all the COVID craziness, I occasionally used D&H around the holidays to merely supplement what I bought at the Fairgrounds Farmers’ Market or Shillington Farmers’ Market. Typically, I would order a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving, or one of its fabulous hams for Easter. When I found shopping at the farmers’ markets uncomfortable during the pandemic, I started patronizing D&H more regularly to put a little variety on our table. We love their dry-aged beef. Before the need to social distance, if I wanted a $35 steak, I’d go to a white linen restaurant. But now, we find we prefer buying D&H’s high-end cuts of beef and making them at home where the drinks are shaken just how we like them and we don’t have to worry about the stranger with a cough at a nearby table.

Some of our favorite things to buy at D&H are the traditional English sausage rolls and pork pies. These staples can be found in a case by the cash register every Thursday. The sausage rolls are the largest I’ve ever seen and boast a flaky buttery pastry. One with a dollop of HP Sauce and a side salad makes for a light supper dinner. The pork pies are decidedly heavier and just as tasty. The pie crust has never been soggy, even if we eat them a couple of days after purchase. Although my son can eat a pork pie and a sausage roll in one sitting and still be hungry enough to eat again before bed, we’ve been known to split a pie as they are very filling. The smallest of its pies are beef and lager, or mushroom and chicken, hand pies they call Crescent Pies which are served with a

A traditional English pork pie and Brussels sprouts will fill you up when you’re not quite sure “what’s for dinner.”

DUNDORE & HEISTER 1331 Penn Ave. Wyomissing PA 19610 610-374-6328 dundoreheister.com

Enjoy a dry-aged, bonein rib eye steak and other high-end cuts of meat for a white-linen steakhouse experience from the comfort of your own dining room. You won’t have to make the trip on 422 to Lebanon and wait in line for Shuey’s Hard Pretzels.

worthy Hex Sauce. Unlike the others, these are on offer daily and are sold warm which makes them one of the most unique fast foods in Berks County.

Part of the fun of shopping at D&H is that they have a freezer full of bone broths, soups, and other treats. I admit that I always have a container of its Revive Bone Broth in my freezer. It is a dark chicken broth that has lemongrass, ginger, and coriander flavoring and is perfect for sipping to keep away the sniffles.

We are also partial to D&H’s creamy baked potato soup. It’s silky and layered with herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, parsley, and nutmeg. The vegan tomato soup is wonderful as well, and a container of it is usually nestled beside the bone broth in my kitchen freezer. If you don’t want to buy frozen soup, D&H always has a hot cauldron of a satisfying soup behind the counter. You can buy either a cup or a pint. Two other soups worthy of a mention are the turkey curry soup, and the creamy cauliflower soup that comes with a swirl of either garlic sauce or roasted red pepper sauce. A cup of soup and a Crescent Pie make for a great meal on the run.

The case beside the meat case is filled with an assortment of premise-roasted vegetables such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, red beets, sweet potatoes and the like as well as homemade mac and cheese and other starches. There are also some ready-made meals, such as salads and meatloaf in the case. When I am really pressed for time, I pick up a couple of D&H’s sides and the convenience helps me get dinner on the table for my ravenous kid quickly after work.

On a recent visit, I discovered Jeni’s ice cream. Its flavors are anything but typical. The browned butter almond brittle is a favorite as is the lemon and blueberries parfait. Although it is a bit pricey for ice cream (about $10.00 a pint), it’s still cheaper than a couple of desserts in a high-end restaurant.

The large, refrigerated cases beside the freezer case are always filled to bursting with farm-fresh eggs, milk, cheeses, pickles, and all manner of specialty beverages. I always seem to spot

Indulge in a pint of Jeni’s ice cream to top off your meal or to satisfy your sweet tooth.

something enticing each time I shop there. But I do have other staples that are a must: did I mention that D&H also sells Shuey’s Pretzels? I know everyone has his or her favorite local pretzel maker, but mine has been Shuey’s from the first time I tried them. However, I could only ever get them at the Shuey store front in Lebanon, which is open rather limited hours and a trip there must be timed to arrive before the daily allotment sells out. Thanks to D&H, that problem has been solved. The pretzels pair well with some of Jeni’s ice cream flavors such as its High Five Candy Bar.

Because D&H specializes in whole animal butchering, rather than buying cases of specific cuts from a wholesaler, it is best to put in an advance order if you want a specific cut of meat. Its local sourcing of animals and produce means that while the prices are higher than the farmers’ markets, the quality and freshness of its offerings is unsurpassed. D&H also has a loyalty program that gives a $10 credit for every $200 spent – the equivalent of a free pint of Jeni’s.

When those late afternoon texts take me by surprise, my D&H Easy Button never disappoints, especially when my son responds, “I don’t care” or “anything” when asked what he’d like to eat. I simply don’t have recipes for “whatever.” However, D&H always satisfies in a pinch even if I merely pick up some burgers for the grill and a pack of its brioche buns.

Ms. Denaro is with the Wyomissing law firm of Georgeadis||Setley.

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