Boasting made-from-scratch food and 100-plus beers, the independently-owned Red Cedar Grille and Cocktails in Colmar, Hatfield Township wants to bring back reasonable family dining in a non-chain-restaurant atmosphere with no cookie-cutter foods.
Patch Staff
|Updated Fri, May 10, 2013 at 4:16 pm ET
Theo Charitos and his father Dino saw a need one day for a new independent restaurant in the North Penn region.
In October 2012, they purchased the vacant property at 249 Bethlehem Pike in Colmar, Hatfield Township that once served as the home for Wingwalker Pub and The Inn Flight for over nearly a half-cenutry and renovated it into something new—Red Cedar Grille & Cocktails.
Prior to the purchase, Theo was working at the now-closed The Drafting Room in Lower Gwynedd. He also spent time in kitchens in Spring House and Exton.
"I made the next step and opened a restaurant," he said. "We saw things that made sense for an independent restaurant to open in the area. Everybody goes to chain restaurants, but a good independent restaurant is hard to find."
Red Cedar Grille & Cocktails is entering its sixth week of business. Theo said the name was chosen to represent something organic and alive, and the red cedar is native to Pennsylvania.
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"We looked at why everybody was going to chains, with cookie-cutter food," Theo said. "We went down the list and knocked each down one by one: why do people go and what can we do to bring them back to independently-operated restaurants."
It isn't just about the price of an item on a menu that makes the difference; it is the way it looks and the way it tastes.
"Everything on our menu is made from scratch," Theo said. "A $14 to $25 entree is pretty reasonable. We make food that makes people want to come out again. We have something for everybody."
And that includes a gluten-free menu.
Fans of Inn Flight or Wingwalker will recognize the similar layout at Red Cedar Grille. Theo said they did not want to tear down the walls or undergo major construction.
"We refurbished the kitchen and bar. We wanted to turn the bar into a new area," he said. "The dining room is clearn and nicer, more modern. And we have a high standard of food."
Red Cedar's menu features delicacies such as mussel and fries, sandwiches and burgers, big salads and artisan pizzas. A Red Cedar burger (hand-formed ground beef, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and additional toppings) runs $9 and a lump crab cake BLT runs $12.
A Mediterranean shrimp salad is priced at around $15, while artisan pizzas are around $12.
Small plates run between $8 and $11, and entrees range from $14 to $24. Theo highlighted the fish selections at Red Cear Grille, like its Scottish Atlantic salmon.
"We have a special blended burger with brisket, short rib and sirloin. Our pastrami brisket of beef is popular, and we do a beer brine suckling pig that is smoked and braised for 24 hours," Theo said. "It comes out as a real awesome meal."
Most impressive is Red Cedar Grille's beer selection, numbering into the 100s. It also specializes in cask-conditioned beers, similar to firkins.
Theo said there are always 12 beers on tap, known as the Red Cedar Rotating 12. Current beers on tap included Sly Fox, Prism, Round Guys Brewery, Smuttynose, Victory, Yards and Troegs. Local favorites like these cost on average of $4.
"We have a good relationship with Victory, Troegs and Sly Fox," said Theo. "Prism has done fantastic for us; it's the most popular beer on tap—Shady Blonde."
Red Cedar also offers ales (Anchor Steam, Magic Hat, Stone Arrogant Bastard), IPAs (Dogfish Head, Smuttynose), porters/stouts (North Coast, Founders), bocks (Paulaner Salvator, Rogue Dead Guy Ale), Belgian ales (Flying Fish, Ommegang), Belgian ales (Delerium Tremens, Duvel), trappist ales (Chimay), lambics (Lindemans), lagers (Yuengling, Heineken), pilsners (Amstel, Coors, Rolling Rock), wheats (Abita Purple Haze, Hacker-Pschorr) and even gluten-free beers, like Red Bridge and Woodchuck.
Red Cedar also offers hipster cans, like Oskar Blues and 21st Amendment.
"The draw to Red Cedar Grille is going to be a warm, inviting atmosphere. It's a quality of food you can't get around here," Theo said. "Families can come out and eat and have a great meal with their kids."
Red Cedar Grille also does the entertainment thing. It offers happy hours and late night food. There is Trivia Tuesdays and a DJ karaoke on Friday nights. Saturday night features live music. Guests can also rent out a private dining room.
Red Cedar also hosts and sponsors charity events in the area.
"We are doing First Friday in Lansdale. We want to get the word out there," Theo said. "There are so many things in the works."
Theo eventually wants to partner with different wineries for wine dinner nights at Red Cedar Grille.
"I think the key to success is be what the community wants us to be," he said. "We want to do what's necessary to be the everyday restaurant in the area. We want to be the happy hour place, where you can get drinks after 9 p.m. and relax. There's always something interesting going on."
The most important aspect of business, Theo said, is not to run Red Cedar on its laurels.
"We want to outreach. We are listening to our guests," Theo said. "If a guest doesn't like something, we give them what they want."
Theo said a business owner could go with the expectation that there is zero room for error.
"We can do better than that," he said. "As long as we get a little better everyday, I feel we will be on the right track for us to do things well for the community."
Restaurant manager Chris Stoudt said Red Cedar Grille is getting more regulars each day; Red Cedar is slowly becoming an established part of the community, he said.
"I think when people walk in, they are expecting the Wingwalker Pub. Then they try the food and are amazed by it," Stoudt said. "We see the older crowd and we see they enjoy the food we put out. People just have to warm up to the idea of something new in the area."
Red Cedar Grille is located in Colmar, Hatfield Township. It offers a Sunday brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a late night bar menu.
It is open seven days a week: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to midnight during the week.