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The Goat’s Beard debuts in Wayne; Remembering Polka Dots’ Susan Randels & other news around town

June 9, 2016 / By Caroline O'Halloran / /

The Main Line never really warmed up to Xilantro, its cold, neon vibe better suited to South Beach than Central Wayne.

But its North Wayne successor, the new Goat’s Beard, well, he’s a whole ’nother animal.

Warm. Fuzzy. Friendly.

Upscale but not uppity.

It helps, too, that the guys behind the Goat are local lads Sean Coyle and Mike “Mac” MacCrory, pals since their Malvern Prep days.

Server Lindsay Baumstein and partners Sean Coyle and Mac MacCrory.

Server Lindsay Baumstein and partners Sean Coyle and Mac MacCrory at The Goat’s Beard’s bar.

The food biz in his blood, Sean handles operations. (His parents had the TexMex mainstay Binni & Flynn’s; his sister, Meridith, owns Aneu Catering and Paoli’s Fresh Ideas Market.)

Mac’s the money guy – commercial real estate exec by day, goat-herder by night.

The two buddies think they’re onto something.

The original Beard’s been a hit since its Manayunk debut in 2013. Wayne is number two and, if all goes well, a herd of Goats – up to 10 – will follow.

At its core, The Goat is a gastropub. AKA a cool, cozy bar where the food matters at least as much as the booze.

GoatsBeardWaynebar

An intimate gastropub, The Goat’s Beard seats 11 at the bar and nearly 90 at tables inside and out.

Hip and trendy, gastrobpubs are all over Center City. Out here, not so much.

“Responsible, comfortable, inventive American,” is how Sean describes the menu.

Sounds about right.

As much as possible, provisions are locally and sustainably sourced. Everything is scratch-made and “clean” (hormone- and pesticide-free), with meat and poultry butchered on site, Sean says.

In other words, no pre-portioned frozen patties or tilapia here.

We stopped by the Beard this week and scarfed down our Halibut Ceviche starter ($16 but ample for two), along with the Fish & Chips (fresh fluke NOT battered and fried, a mini-salad and steak fries for $28), and the Vegetable Napoleon (grilled veggies & cheese with toasted faro, $18).

Also on the menu: local cheese plates ($7 – $17), oysters, mussels, beef tartare, a whole roasted organic chicken ($39 for two) and four house-cut fries.

Mac suggested we try the fish tacos ($16) and “The Goat” Burger ($14.50) on our next visit.

Will do.

Decor is industrial chic cozy - with reclaimed wood banquettes, salvaged window sash dividers, and old-time filament lighting.

Neon no longer, the vibe is now industrial chic with reclaimed wood banquettes, salvaged window sash dividers and warm filament lighting.

The smallish menu will expand as the kitchen gets more comfy, Sean says.

From the bar’s nice array of brews, pours and craft cocktails, we tried the Goat’s Beard “Hello Wayne” draft beer brewed by Conshohocken Brewing Co. ($6.50) and the mojito-esque Goat’s Beard cocktail (wherein rye subs for rum, $9).

Two hooves up.

Without an outdoor sign, The Goat’s has been flying under the radar since its soft Memorial Day weekend opening.

The sign and awnings (to cut the brutal late-day sun at outdoor tables) can’t come soon enough, the owners tell us.

So what’s with the offbeat name?

Apparently, goat’s beard is a pesky perennial that once ran amuck in the Coyle garden.

With goat’s beard on the brain, Sean’s wife, Tracy, threw the name out there when nominees were sought.

Which got Sean’s wheels turning: the plant’s native to PA, the animal would make an endearing mascot, and the reference was just “ridiculous” enough to be memorable.

So it stuck.

The Goat’s Beard, 103 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne is open daily from 4:30. Lunch and weekend brunch slated to start June 20. Reservations accepted at 484-584-4979 or on Open Table.


As one Wayne door opens, another closes. Ristorante Primavera is no more.

The old-school Italian spot (owned by Malvernites Alane and Umberto Degli Esposti) has closed for good after a 28-year run on Lancaster Ave. near the farmer’s market.

So now two vacant restaurant buildings – Primavera and the short-lived Carmel Kitchen – sit ripe for the pickin’ on a prime stretch of Rte. 30.


Pinot Noir at Wegmans?

Sauvignon Blanc delivered to your door?

For the first time since Prohibition, we won’t have to schlep to the state store to buy a bottle.

We’ll drink to that.

Gov. Wolf just signed a bill allowing licensed grocery and convenience stores, restaurants and hotels to sell up to four bottles of wine per person.

The bill also allows direct wine shipments to homes and state stores to open on Sundays.

‘Bout time.


After 150 years, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is moving from Wynnewood.

saint-charles-borromeo-seminary

The seminary says it’s exploring a move to an existing, nearby Catholic college.

Seminarians already take classes at St. Joe’s and Villanova so it could easily partner with either.

The seminary’s board this week said it will scrap plans to shrink operations to 30 acres of its 75 acres. Which means the whole kit and caboodle – not just half – will be sold/leased and developed. (Main Line Health and a senior living company have long been eyeing the place.)

An ironic twist: The seminary will lose its own campus at a time when enrollment has rebounded  – from 128 three years ago to 168 this fall.


Two quick calendar notes: Downtown Wayne will be humming (and roads will be closed) this Saturday, June 11 for the Wayne Music Festival, a free, all-ages block party from 1 p.m. – 10 p.m. Click here for the scoop.

And Tredyffrin’s Wilson Farm Park will be hopping Sunday morning (June 12) for the Steps for Sarcoma 5K run/1K walk. Leading the charge once again will be hometown hero, New York Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich, the Stoga star who famously beat Ewing’s Sarcoma and, against all odds, saw his pro football dreams come true. The event raises big dollars for sarcoma (bone cancer) research at Penn’s Ambramson Cancer Center. Click here to register.


A SAVVY salute to amazing, inspiring ’84 Stoga grad Jim Sanders – a glass-half-full quadriplegic for 27 of his 49 years.

And among the nicest guys around.

Jim Sanders and some of his many loyal friends.

Jim Sanders and some of his many loyal friends.

Jim died May 27 of septic shock at Paoli Hospital.

Locals may recall Jim’s story, a cautionary tale for parents: A natural athlete, Jim headed to the shore back in 1989 to celebrate the end of senior year with some Temple buddies. Hot from the long car ride, he dove into too-shallow waters in Longport, severing his spinal cord.

That he survived at all was a miracle.

That he ran his own IT business (keyboarding with a mouth stick) more miraculous still.

With help from the J.O.S. Trust created by his friends, Jim lived on his own terms – in a Chesterbrook townhouse instead of an institution.

His body didn’t move, but his mind was endlessly, voraciously active.

Smart, witty, eternally chipper, a huge Eagles fan and movie buff, Jim was a charmer.

Even better: He was a guy who had every reason to complain – but never did.

Rest in peace, dear man. You will be missed.


Death hurts. But when it comes without warning, from nowhere, to a woman so strong, so alive, so entwined in the community, it hits doubly hard.

Like many, we were sucker-punched last week by the sudden, inexplicable loss of Susan Randels, owner of the Paoli boutique, Polka Dots.

Susan and her loyal Polka Dots team on the night she received the Paoli 2015 Business Person of the Year award.

The late Susan Randels and her joyous Polka Dots team on the night she received the Paoli 2015 Business Person of the Year Award.

Surely, there had been a mistake, we thought.

Surely, not Susan.

Indomitable.

Tireless.

Paoli’s 2015 Business Person of the Year.

Fiercely devoted to her shop and to her family.

So much younger – in appearance and attitude – than her 60 years.

A shopowner who’d gladly kick off her shoes so you could slip them on as you tried on a dress.

A sole proprietor who, year after year after year, took Polks Dots on the road to make ends meet: to the Devon Horse Show, to school fundraisers, to fashion shows and countless charity events.

A woman who pushed it hard at the gym, watched what she ate and did everything right.

How could she, of all people, be taken?

Susan never had it easy in this life.

A single mom with a degree in graphic design, she somehow parlayed a Chesterbrook tanning salon into a Main Line fashion mainstay.

And raised two terrific kids.

And helped raise three stepkids, one tragically lost to heroin just two months ago, another in recovery, finding his footing at last and helping others to do the same.

Susan was scrappy.

She spoke her mind. And then some.

You always knew just where you stood.

It was refreshing. There was no hiding behind false veneers, no pretense of perfection with Susan. If times were tough, she told you so.

Not everyone saw Susan’s softer side but it was there. The side that was just beginning to ease off the gas and enjoy life … at last.

With her husband, Jim McCloskey, she had just started renovating a new home in Malvern, satisfied to see the fruits of their labors beginning to take shape.

She was over the moon, too, at the two new grandchildren on the way.

The businesswoman in her was excited that Polka Dots, long a top-grossing horse show shop, was sponsoring Ladies Day for the first time.

Susan at Ladies Day 2015 with Studio H collaborator Heather Heyman (left) and Polka Dots models Megan Diloia and Jenny Larkin.

Susan at Ladies Day 2015 with Studio H collaborator Heather Heyman (left) and Polka Dots models Megan Diloia and Jenny Larkin.

Tragically, it was during the show she adored, on the very Ladies Day she was sponsoring, that she left us.

How could a bad back that sidelined her for a couple days have exploded into something so dire?

Like her heartbroken husband and family, we seek answers. A few weeks from now, a lab report will tell us what felled her.

But for now, we salute a woman of uncommon style, smarts, gusto and grit. A woman much larger than the short life she was given.

We won’t forget you, Susan.

How could we?

Read More See More

Filed Under: BODY & SOUL, BUZZ, EAT, PLAY, STYLE Tagged With: Devon Ladies Day, gastropubs, Jim Sanders, Main Line restaurants, Polka Dots, quadriplegic, seminary, state stores, Susan Randels, The Goat's Beard, Wayne

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Comments

  1. Katie Cotton says

    June 9, 2016 at 6:46 pm

    I just wanted to take a moment to commend you on this refreshing, wonderfully written, always entertaining and informative newsletter.

    I truly look forward to my weekly catch up when the newsletter comes into my mail!

    Your style of writing is so much fun to read, thank you for always keeping me in the know of the area I grew up in and am so proud to still be a part of!

    Xoxo,
    Katie Cotton

    • Caroline O'Halloran says

      June 9, 2016 at 7:26 pm

      Thanks, Katie. You’ve made my night!

  2. Isabel Duffy says

    June 9, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    Do you what happened with Wabi Sabi in Paoli? Was it a health department issue? It looks like they are trying to open another restaurant. Is it the same owners?

    • Caroline O'Halloran says

      June 9, 2016 at 8:51 pm

      Hmmm. Will look into it…

  3. Deanna Doane says

    June 9, 2016 at 8:15 pm

    Thank you for the Wayne love, but mostly for the heartfelt tribute to Susan. Beautifully described an obviously amazing woman gone way too soon.

  4. Ginny Hart says

    June 9, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    So sad to hear about Susan she was a pistol really really sorry to hear this news please let your readers know what happened to take this energetic women so young.

  5. Karen Emory says

    June 9, 2016 at 9:19 pm

    What a beautiful tribute to Susan. It must have been heartbreaking to write, but you nailed it.

    Thank you.

  6. Anne hamilton says

    June 9, 2016 at 11:59 pm

    What a wonderful tribute to Susan. She worked so hard to make Polka Dots a success…never a problem to drive there from Bryn Mawr to shop. Hope all will continue to shop there…we all owe it to Susan…RIP.

    • Caroline O'Halloran says

      June 10, 2016 at 4:01 pm

      I know she appreciated your business, Anne. Susan loved her loyal customers. It’s unfathomable that someone so full of life is gone.

    • Q says

      June 10, 2016 at 8:45 pm

      Yes, Anne!! Well said. We will all continue to shop there for Susan, for sure.

  7. Cathie says

    June 10, 2016 at 5:55 am

    Thank you Caroline for another terrific newsletter. I cannot scroll through my emails fast enough to see what each new week brings!
    I did not know your friend Susan, but I wish I had. Your tribute to her was inspiring!

  8. Amy Holzapfel says

    June 10, 2016 at 6:14 am

    The community bears a great loss with the passing of Susan. Thank you for remembering her and honoring her through your words and pictures. Lovely article.

  9. Liz says

    June 10, 2016 at 9:53 am

    I always loved talking to Susan and talking about her kids. I taught them both at VFE. Also loved her honesty about the addiction in her family. We need more folks who are willing to come forward about this terrible disease. Susan was a force recognized by all who knew her. She packed more into 60 years than most who live far longer. RIP.

    • Caroline O'Halloran says

      June 10, 2016 at 3:59 pm

      So true, Liz. Susan was a tough nut – but in all the right ways. Brave and honest. She called me the day Tyler passed – she wanted his tragic story shared. I’ve been tracking down various angles of this horrific epidemic in our community. Stay tuned.

      • Liz says

        June 10, 2016 at 11:07 pm

        My son is in recovery and runs two sober living residences in Florida. He and his business partner are very involved in beating this horrific disease. If he can ever help you out, let me know. He has been asked to do an interview on a local Palm Beach radio program next week addressing addiction.

  10. Jen Lohner says

    June 10, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Caroline,
    It was a really rough week. After seeing you at Susan’s beautiful service I wondered if we would see a tribute from you. Opened my emails today and there it was. Thank you for such a loving, witty, honest article. It made me laugh it made me cry once again. Indeed Susan will be missed and not forgotten. I also really enjoyed your other stories and tribute to Jim. You are a beautiful writer that keeps me anxiously awaiting for the next to come. It can not be an easy task to do each week but you always keep it exciting,informative and heartfelt.

    • Caroline O'Halloran says

      June 10, 2016 at 3:56 pm

      Wow, Jen. I’m so glad my words have touched you. I’ve known Susan for more than 20 years, Jim for only five. Both were remarkable people in their own ways – so full of life and spirit. It was nice seeing you (however briefly) at Susan’s funeral. Jim’s memorial was this morning – and it was equally touching. Thank you for your very kind words about SAVVY. I am tickled that you’re a fan!

  11. Brigid McGrath Stasen says

    June 10, 2016 at 6:09 pm

    Hello Caroline, I am so very sorry to hear about Susan. What a shock! They have no idea what happened?

    You gave her a lovely tribute.

    Best, Brigid Mc Grath Stasen

  12. Tom Delozier says

    June 14, 2016 at 10:00 am

    I and everyone at Saratoga Saddlery was saddened by the news of Susan’s death. What a great lady. We’ve been a neighbor of hers at the Devon Horse Show for many years and we always looked forward to seeing her, having a bit of a chat in the morning, commiserating and such. Those of us who got to know her, including Mick Rodgers, became very fond of Susan over the years. She will be dearly missed. Please extend our condolences to her family and friends. Thank you.

    Tom

  13. Laura Fiedler says

    June 18, 2016 at 3:46 pm

    I was so shocked to hear about Susan’s death. I’ve known Susan for a number of years
    Susan was always happy to see me as I was to see her. I always made a point to see if she was in the store. I would peek my head around the corner to see if she was in the back room. If not I would always tell Karen to say hello for me.
    You will be missed.
    Thank you,
    Laura Fiedler

  14. Laura Fiedler says

    June 18, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    RIP Susan❤️

  15. Debra Reiff says

    June 20, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    Susan’s reach seems to have been far and wide. We just received news now of her passing and are touched with sadness of the loss of this wonderful woman. Susan bought our wholesale jewelry collection for her store and was a loyal buyer for many years. I always looked forward to seeing her at the trade shows; she was always kind, bright, bubbly and always showed up with a smile on her face. She was a joy to work with and I will miss her presence now and whenever I am in NYC in the Javits. Rest in Peace.

Trackbacks

  1. Local beer boom; Stunning news @ aging skin; Academy Ball Ever After; Gucci crimes; Bridal tidings; Saluting newsman Tom Murray & more - SAVVY MAINLINE says:
    January 31, 2017 at 10:59 am

    […] yes, we’ve got a few, but not nearly enough, cozy gastro-pubs like The Goat’s Beard and Teresa’s Next Door in […]

  2. Undocumented on the Main Line; Louella heads east & lots of comings & goings around town - SAVVY MAINLINE says:
    March 8, 2017 at 5:57 pm

    […] huge horse show supporter and an equestrian herself, Susan tragically passed from a ruptured retroperitoneal aortic aneurysm on June 1, 2016, Ladies Day at Devon. Her store, […]

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