StoneRose

Boyhood buddies're constantly hatching plans to do heroic deeds when they grow up, until they actually do grow up, and discover drinking and Law & Order instead. For grub and brews from two guys who made good on their youthful dreams, hit StoneRose

Two DelCo guys who've had designs on opening a bar even before they were allowed in one have taken over the old Y2K Tavern, completely renovating the dingy beer & shot joint into an airy, beige, chocolate & wine schemed casual bistro with dark hardwood floors, high ceilings hung with crushed bronze/alabaster globe chandeliers, and a 12-seat dark wood bar, complete with a pair of plasmas and wall-hung wine racks; there's also a 30-seat dining area where locally sourced ingredients'll grace dishes described as "refined comfort food", which you previously defined as putting chopped Ball Park franks in your mac 'n' cheese. Starter plates include mussels & chorizo in white wine garlic broth, wild Indonesian jumbo lump crab cakes, BBQ short rib over mac 'n' cheese, and Alsatian flatbread pizza w/ braised onions, bacon & raclette, a cheese categorized as semi-firm -- arguably better than being totally firm for four or more hours and having to explain it to the doc. On the entrée side of things, selections range from meaty fare like 12oz pan-roasted Piedmontese ribeye w/ Lyonnaise potatoes & bacon, dry-skillet Angus burgers, herb-roasted pork loin stuffed w/ spinach, and red-wine-braised lamb shanks, to seafood including pan-seared diver scallops & wild mushrooms, and salmon served skin-on, dubbed "Jail Island", which only Sean Connery knows how to escape from

Brew-wise, six taps pour an all-local roster including Troegs Dreamweaver Wheat and Dogfish Head 60-Minute, while a 30-strong bottle list's brimming with microbrews from Sly Fox Rte 113 IPA and Rogue Chocolate Stout, to Great Lakes Eliot Ness and Victory Hop Wallop -- the very conviction dance popularized by Sam Waterston.