When the first iteration of Madeline’s in Orwigsburg burned in 2012, there was never a question to owners Jay and Nadine King that it would live on. The questions instead involved where, when and how.
Their original restaurant, which opened in 2007, was housed in an old stone inn, the kind that’s typically made of Pennsylvania fieldstone and features warren-like mazes of rooms that all lead into each other. Usually, these older buildings often have beautiful but outdated architectural choices that make a restaurant charming and cozy, but also difficult to navigate in an efficient manner. You might imagine that after a fire, the logistics of renovating and rebuilding such a structure would be a bit tricky, and you’d be right. Plus, there was the question of parking—but isn’t that always a question?
Luckily, Jay works in real estate but also has been involved in food (he’s the former half of King’s supermarket, if you remember them), which turned out to be the magic combination; Madeline’s is built on land he owns. Although it took several years for the process to unfold, once they got started, construction in Fogelsville was completed in less than a year. It’s tucked away next to a strip mall and a St. Luke’s doctors’ office complex, but won’t likely remain quietly attracting locals for much longer, as there are hundreds of new homes being built on the adjacent land.
The new location, which opened in 2019, has an elevator, banquet space, copious parking, a larger bar and extensive outdoor dining space (complete with heat lamps and, as of this writing, a seasonal installation of palm trees). Madeline’s is named not for a person but after two people; it’s an amalgam of Nadine and her sister Melanie, who originally went into the business with their spouses years ago.
These days, it’s just Nadine and her husband, Jay, who run the place (one of them is always there, Nadine says), but the spirit of Madeline’s remains.
“We always wanted a place that was casual fine dining, where you could come during the week with your kids after soccer practice, for date night with your spouse on Friday, or with your friends on Saturday night,” explains Nadine.
Owners Nadine and Jay King
The menu certainly reflects the diversity needed to support that approach to hospitality. “We see lots of families with parents eating steaks, and the kids are eating pizza,” she says.
If you go, chances are you’ll notice there are various permutations of crab cakes on the menu, and that ought to be your first cue to pay attention. These are a signature item made with real lump crab and “very little filler,” says Jay. You can order one or two as an entrée, and it’ll come with beurre blanc, whipped mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli—a classic protein, starch and veggie combo. Or, you can have a crab cake sandwich on a brioche bun with arugula, tomato and lemon aioli. And if you truly can’t get enough but you want to put your veggies first, Madeline’s will gladly add a crab cake to your salad. For an all-crab experience, order the stuffed mushrooms appetizer. Guess what they’re stuffed with?
Other specialties include their lobster bisque, perhaps the most creamy and indulgent item you can put on a spoon in all of Madeline’s. If you can’t decide what you want, know that all entrées come with soup or salad (garden or Caesar). Yeah, it’s that classic kind of place; you can expect scratch cooking. “Everything is fresh to order, and we buy local whenever we can,” says Jay.
As straightforward as Madeline’s is—there’s also filet mignon, chicken piccata and French onion soup—the restaurant also likes to offer things that are little unexpected. For example, the appetizer menu includes alligator bites, which is not exactly a common offering. And honestly, despite the trope that always seems to get applied to unusual meats, it kind of does taste like chicken. (The fact that it’s breaded, fried and served with a spicy dipping sauce may help the chicken argument.)
Jay loves Wyoming, and in homage to the West, Madeline’s also offers a free-range elk loin (Nadine describes it as “mild” in comparison to venison and other game meats). It’s finished with a cranberry glaze, and served with roasted fingerling potatoes and tricolored carrots. The winter months will be even more comforting with Madeline’s wild boar ragu, featuring a béchamel sauce over gemelli pasta.
Local foods and spirits figure prominently, too. The spirits menu reflects that choice as the restaurant’s Grand Stateside Sidecar is made with Philadelphia’s Stateside distillery’s vodka, mandarin liqueur and lemon juice. The cocktail menu is also populated with drinks made from other local spirits, such as Xplorer in Allentown (peanut butter whiskey, peach bourbon liqueur among others) and Faber vodka (Trumbauersville).
However, there’s another way to look at local, and that’s with a dish itself. It’s unusual to see this dish on the eastern side of the commonwealth, but the Pittsburgh Salad is on the menu. If you’ve never had it, it’s the perfect marriage of virtue and indulgence: a salad, with steak and French fries. All in the same bowl, with homemade ranch dressing. If you can’t decide between a salad and French fries, the Pittsburgh salad solves that problem for you quite easily and deliciously. Madeline’s sources so much from Pennsylvania; its beef comes from Lancaster, the pork from Leidy’s in Souderton and the chicken from FreeBird in Fredericksburg. Fruits are procured through local farms and orchards. “Whenever possible, we try to use organic. Our elk is free-range and organic,” says Nadine.
When COVID-19 hit, Madeline’s had only been open for less than a year, and as Nadine describes it, they hadn’t completely hit their stride before they had to shut down. What surprised her the most about the shutdown was that the customers were so supportive and generous.
“We received numerous checks in the mail for our waitstaff, knowing that with our restaurant being closed, they were probably hurt the most. We have a great staff, and the fact that our guests recognized them is heartwarming to us,” says Nadine.
A restaurant is, of course, only as good as its people. The kitchen is led by executive chef Gary Rhodes, but Nadine is quick to emphasize that “the entire staff is very talented and contributes to the daily features and menu planning.” And it’s true. A good restaurant benefits from a kitchen leader, but it can’t operate without a skilled and efficient kitchen, along with a professional and warm front-of-house group, and great food. The Kings are so grateful for their staff, whom they say feel like family—and, as a result, the restaurant is closed on many holidays. Don’t look to book on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, nor Memorial Day, Fourth of July or LaborDay. They are, however, open on Mother’s and Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (until 4 p.m.) and New Year’s Eve. “The restaurant business can be very hard on home life. We don’t want to burn our people out,” says Nadine.
After a rocky year or two in the restaurant world, at Madeline’s, things are definitely looking up. Having all that banquet space and ability to accommodate groups helps—especially now that people are starting to cautiously plan small gatherings again. “Events are good word of mouth,” says Jay. But whatever your event is—from a casual lunch, brunch with the family, a business meeting or a full-on wedding or party, Madeline’s can handle it with a menu full of familiar comforts, and a staff that greets you with warmth and ease.
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Cider-Brined Frenched Pork Chop – Apricot farro, apple mostarda and roasted grapes
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Lobster Bake
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BBQ Chicken Gourmet Pizza – Grilled chicken, barbecue sauce, caramelized red onions, cilantro, fresh mozzarella
Boom'n Shrimp – Fried crispy and tossed in signature boom'n sauce, served over a bed of slaw
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Peanut Butter Pie
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Madeline's new location, which opened in 2019, has an elevator, banquet space, copious parking, a larger bar and extensive outdoor dining space.
Madeline's
1250 Turnstone Dr., Fogelsville | 484.277.2250 | madelinesfogeslville.com
Hours
Mon.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Fri. & Sat.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sun.: Brunch: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; Dinner: 3–7 p.m.
Reservations
Recommended for the weekend, via OpenTable or by calling
Parking
Large lot on-site
Curbside
Yes; also participates in Grubhub and DoorDash
What to Order
If you come here, chances are you’ll order the crab cakes. You can order one or two as part of an entrée, on a sandwich, or add one on top of a salad. People also love the lobster bisque, too. Some unusual items here attract a following, such as the alligator bites and elk loin, but the pork chop, salmon and lobster dishes remain perennial favorites. Don’t miss the Ruby Red Cosmo (formerly known as Dorothy’s Slipper), a grapefruit twist on a regular Cosmo, or the Fireside Manhattan, with Woodford Reserve Bourbon.
Specials
Happy hour every Monday through Friday, 4–6 p.m.: $4 drafts and selection of cocktails from $6, wines by the glass from $7. Live entertainment is offered seasonally. Gift card promotion for the holidays: buy a $100 gift card and get a $10 card free. Slow-roasted prime rib dinners every Friday and Saturday.
