183728 Sat May 14 21:32:09 -0700 2005 7 15 Pennsylvania 0 985617 We were there Friday night , so here's my report . We arrived at 530 & were close to having the place to our selves . Eateries in Reading tend to fill up later in the evening . I started with the butternut squash soup with crab & just a touch of curry . Yummy . Then moved on the the clay roasted clams with cippolini onions , chick peas , serrano ham , garlic , white wine & oregano . This was the highlight of my meal . Way too good , the flavors of all the ingredients really melded well together . My girlfriend had a cuban style shrimp cocktail that was tasty , but I liked my appetizer better . I had the seared breast of green peppercorn duck with scarlet orange reduction for a entree . The duck was very good , but you really better love pepper if you intend to enjoy this . Better half had chipolte rubbed lamb chops w. mango mint relish & tamarind chile drizzle . This was very good . Better then the duck , I think . Finished off splitting the Grand Marnier chocolate cheesecake w. bitter orange caramel . I foolishly thought this would just be a slice of cheesecake , but it was actually a hair larger around then a softball . It was really good , but after all the food earlier , it was a struggle to finish . We each had 2 drinks , & the total was around $90 w/o tip . We both love Judy's & wish we could afford to go more often . Sat May 14 21:32:09 -0700 2005 0 GeorgeT 1 985686 So glad you enjoyed Judy's - I'll be there this weekend celebrating an anniversary. Love that squash and crab soup. The lamb sounds interesting, but I've never been a fan of mint flavoring under any circumstances. Judy's has got to be the best restaurant in Berks county. Us country folks would be interested hearing a review from a true Philly hound who's ventured out our way to give it a try. Tue May 17 08:26:09 -0700 2005 985617 0 Ace Mclean 2 985792 As with most posts about the Reading area I've made here , I'm sure any others will also be buried in a matter of minutes by Philly posts . I've posted about Judy's 4 or 5 times here , & this is the first time I've gotten any response ! I did get a couple when posting about Hong Thahn , but that's about as good as it's gotten . Heavy sigh ... Thu May 19 15:56:33 -0700 2005 985686 0 GeorgeT 1 987695 Minority report: I really can't stand Judy's. I know I'm in the small minority here, but I'm tired of paying inflated prices for bland food. My fish last time (monkfish?) was dry, bland, flavorless, etc. Hard to chew without taking a big swig of wine with each bite. The potatoes and onions that accompanied it were soggy and bland, too. Before that, my caesar salad was too soggy. I won't eat here again unless someone else is paying. One good point: Everyone is right about that squash/crab soup....it totally rocks. (But it's not enough to bring me back.) Thu Aug 11 11:01:59 -0700 2005 985617 0 Aaron 2 3346633 Aaron, I have to agree with you about Judy's. The space is definitely nice, especially for Reading but the food is mediocre at best. I work in downtown Reading and generally go there for business lunches (unfortunately, we have to go there by default as there really isn't anything else downtown that is suitable for business meetings). The best part of the meal is the toasted bread they serve with olive oil for dipping. The squash soup is also good (as has been said) but about half the time it comes out not hot enough. The salads have way too much vinegar in the dressing (a pet peeve of mine) and most of the entrees are dry and over cooked. Tue Jan 29 19:08:27 -0800 2008 987695 49661 CChaz 3 3871514 any suggestions for better restaurants in or around Reading? Tue Jul 15 15:16:20 -0700 2008 3346633 60650 monab 4 3871664 I see this is a revived post, but I was there about a month ago for lunch with my best friend and had a fabulous experience! Granted it was a salad kind of day for us, but delicious. She has a fat free citrus dressing that is awesome. I didn't ask, but am pretty sure it has some fish sauce in it. So it is like having a "light" Caesar. Tue Jul 15 15:59:19 -0700 2008 3871514 163011 crazyspice 4 3874737 Hi , I'm the guy who started the thread ( yeah , I know . Different user name . Long story , it was easier to just start again ) . I have a few favorites around Reading besides Judy's . Hong Thanh is the best Vietnamese place I've been to yet . Also Thai Cuisine behind the Fairground Square mall is wonderful . Trooper Thorn's is a pretty good Irish pub type place . The Alpenhof is a very good German place which gets little hype . Hope you try some of these out & enjoy ! Wed Jul 16 13:40:40 -0700 2008 3871514 128109 gtifan