Food & Drink in Horsham

A tranquil fountain aptly flows right outside the entrance to Fountain Side Seafood and Grill Restaurant. Fountain Side’s name, however, doesn’t derive from the decoration, but from Rome’s Fountain of Trevi, a favorite landmark of founder Franco Federico. Along with his chef de cuisine, Jeff Fox, Franco draws on further Italian inspirations for his menu, which spotlights Old World classics such as ravioli stuffed with shrimp or porcini mushrooms.

The duo also puts its own spin on Italian and seafood flavors, whether by sautéing scallops and shrimp in pepper vodka cream sauce or coating crab cakes in creole mayo. In spring and summer, feasts can unfold al fresco on a patio right by the fountain. Year-round, however, Fountain Side's dining room showcases paintings of Italy’s ornate buildings, landmarks, and waterways that are so large they almost envelop guests, though, assuredly, there are no 12-foot-wide envelopes on the premises.

Alongside hot hoagie sandwiches and steak and egg platters, Little Leo's Cafe's very decor serves up a classic slice of Americana. Floor-mounted stools with red leather tops run along the customer-side of the long dining counter. Booths in matching leather line the opposite wall. Combined with the white tile floors and tiny American flag centerpieces, the furnishings seem ripped from a 50-year old photograph of the prototypical American diner. The menu matches the ambiance's American enthusiasm with dishes such as pan-fried freedom toast, southwestern chicken steak, and fries that come with half a dozen dipping sauces, including gravy and salt and vinegar distilled from Uncle Sam's tears of joy.

The scent of a wood-fired grill and the sight of a steak perfectly crisscrossed with grill marks are likely to set mouths to watering. That's why many of the dishes at Perfect Taste Grill are prepared atop wood-fueled flames, including a rib eye topped with Cajun seasoning and blue cheese, slow-roasted baby back ribs, and a roasted chicken that's marinated for 24 hours. But the casual steak-house concept would be incomplete without some surf?mussels and grilled tuna, for example?as well as classic starters like wedge salad, crab cakes, and french onion soup. For a departure from this American style, the chefs create a prime rib night every Wednesday night and Greek menu every Thursday night.

Philly's Phamous lives up to its slogan—"An authentic Philly sandwich taken to a whole new level"—by assembling more than 170 varieties of sandwiches on italian rolls, which its cooks bake in-house every hour. They load these fresh rolls with hand-cut beef or all-white-meat chicken to forge more than 30 varieties of philly cheesesteak, and they mound sandwiches with deli meats, roast pork and beef made from a family recipe, and vegetarian options. While diving into orders of fresh-cut boardwalk-style fries, diners can peruse the Phamous catering menu or ask a staff member how sandwiches were eaten before humans grew opposable thumbs.

Corned beef, egg salad, steak, hot barbecue pastrami, liverwurst, and meatballs only touch the surface of the vast sandwich selection at In the Bag. More than 100 hot and cold options include the triple-decker Dresher, piled high with tuna, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Bagels serve at the sandwich base during breakfast, and are topped with such pairings as melted cheese and ham,or jumbo whitefish and cream cheese. Additionally, the kitchen staff simmers homemade soups and chops up veggies and meats for bowls of salad or to stuff into pockets for midday snacks.

At Pizza Mista, glass cases showcase freshly baked gourmet pizzas bubbling with cheese and savory toppings. Near the pizza window-shopping area, a brick oven with an elegant arch symbolizes the curvature of pies coming out of it, or the curvature of a mouth as it opens for a piece of pizza. A terracotta roof inside the restaurant imparts the ambience of a warm-weather locale. Along with specialty pizzas ranging from Hawaiian to buffalo chicken, the eatery presents a selection of hoagies, paninis, cheese steak sandwiches, and pastas. Pizzas are available by the slice or as whole pies.