Pail - A New Neighborhood Hot Spot

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure to have brunch at a delightful new restaurant right here in Applewood Knolls.  Pail is the brainchild of Rachel, a promising young chef, who trained at an exclusive culinary school in the countryside outside of Lyon, France.  This gem fills a gaping hole in the restaurant scene in in western Lakewood that was left by the departure of the Old Chicago in the strip mall on Youngfield.

At first glance I was not sure what to make of the menu at Pail.  The spellings for the various dishes on the list are to say the least, unique in a weirdly phonetic sort of way.  But once I got past the initial confusion I came to embrace Rachel's conceptual nature and her back to basics preparation.

Beverages, listed on the menu as "Dringcks", consist of a small list that included "Appl Joos", Leminad, Orng Joos and Tea.  For brunch I would have liked to have coffee as an option, but Rachel said that she decided not to serve it in her establishment because, in her opinion, coffee is gross.

Main Dishes include "Appl Slisis, Wattermelin, Pezzas, Ptaito" and a visually stunning dish she calls "frooty", that actually is mixed fruit with an entire corn cob.  Rachel has even put together a separate kids menu in a take home format complete with games to occupy the little ones.  On the kids menu the drinks are called "Jringcks" and include the basics of "Orng Joos, Leminad, and Appl Joos", all fresh squeezed from organically grown fruits.  My son loved the "Bred with Buter" and the "Ptaito".

While each dish was perfectly prepared and delicious, the really stand out aspect of Pail is the service.  Rachel took our order herself and was as nice and attentive as any waitress I've had in even the best restaurants of New York and Europe.  I would have liked to see her offer coffee, or even a bloody Mary, but aside from these omissions, Pail is a can't miss.