What’s Conway Twitty doing behind the bar at Slow Hand in West Chester?
A food-focused experience at a downtown bar-restaurant.
The most striking design aspect of Slow Hand, which opened last spring in downtown West Chester: It looks like a pub, right down to the bare Edison bulbs over the bar, but there are no TVs.
There is, however, an oversize portrait of country singer Conway Twitty behind the bar.
Turns out that co-owner Josh McCullough grew up amid country music in Indiana, and Twitty’s 1982 recording of “Slow Hand” (a cover of the Pointer Sisters hit) seemed to be running on a loop in his childhood.
Who needs TVs anyway?
You’ll want to focus on your lunch or dinner conversation and on the food by co-owner/chef Craig Russell, whose cooking dazzled me two years ago when he opened Co-Op in University City.
Russell’s eclectic menu at Slow Hand includes serious hot Nashville-style chicken, served with pickles and white bread; crab tartine in a gribiche over sourdough; carrots roasted with sumac, sesame, thyme, and saffron rouille; shishito peppers with lemon aioli; and sautéed wild mushrooms topped with a soft-cooked egg.
Fun drinks include the Hello Darlin’ with apple brandy, Disaronno, cranberry, and rosemary syrup, though wine or a craft beer (lots of locals) might be a good match, too.
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.