Sometimes I feel upset that, due to where I live, I'm not very close to a lot of things. Living in Shamokin, I have to drive a half hour to work, most large cities are over an hour, and in general, if I want to do anything other than go to Wal-Mart, a drive is in order. It's not a huge deal, really- it's just the fact of the matter.
Recently I was in the Pittsburgh area for a wedding, and I met some friends for breakfast. My wife and I left our hotel and we gathered at this place called Pamela's. Pamela's is the kind of place that will make you jealous that you don't have this place near you. This is probably a good thing for me, though- if I could eat here more often, I would soon need bypass surgery.
If you have ever seen a show on either the Food Network or the Travel Channel, chances are that you have seen Pamela's covered. There are a number of locations around the general Pittsburgh area, and as I hear, they are pretty much all excellent. Pamela's is known for their absolutely huge pancakes, that are thin and large (they are referred to as "crepe style" on the menu) and, according to my wife, delicious.
But I had a real man's breakfast. I didn't settle for any pancakes or anything like that. No, I had the corned beef hash with some fried eggs and a side order of home fries. Yes, that's right- I had corned beef hash with a side order of home fries! As the kids on the streets say, "that's how I roll." Hopefully, this paragraph induced the appropriate amount of eye-rolling.
Seriously, though, the Hash was good. Nice crispy beef mixed with potato in a way that overloaded the senses and made me want more with each bite. I don't know how to put it in words. I want to make up a word not unlike Will Ferrell's portrayal of James Lipton in the old Saturday Night Live parodies of Inside the Actor's Studio. I'm not actually going to attempt that here, because anything I do would be inferior. Still, the Corned Beef Hash might have been the best I've ever had, and certainly beats the kind I try to make at home.
I got potatoes on the side, because I wanted to try Pamela's regular side in its purest form. These were almost as good as the version with the meat mixed in. One thing I noticed was that it was super buttery, which is great because it made it taste good, but bad in that I was checking my pulse the rest of the day to make sure a visit to the hospital wasn't in order. There was variety in this side of potatoes- some really crispy, but not overdone, and some soft, but not underdone.
Just thinking about this place makes me want to hop in my car right now and drive to the Pittsburgh area. Seriously, if you happen to be in that area, even for a night, you owe it to yourself to see where the nearest Pamela's is and get there ASAP. Forgo the free breakfast at the hotel. It will be inferior. Don't worry about the calories. You only live once.
If there was one complaint I had about Pamela's, it would be that it is a cash only place. Luckily, they had a big sign in front of the restaurant warning you of this, but I'm so used to paying for everything with my check card nowadays. Maybe they'll start taking plastic in the near future. So, if you do decide to treat yourself to this unique place, make sure you have some paper money with you.
As an aside- Pittsburgh has some great food, but is FRUSTRATING to drive around. There was construction when we were there, and I got turned around numerous times. Just be prepared and don't trust your GPS.
Pamela's
5813 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
(412) 422-9457
Friday, July 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Marrone's- Girardville, PA
So here's what you do:
After driving through either the dilapidated town of Frackville or the dilapidated town of Ashland, PA, you either take the Gilberton exit off of the Gold Star Highway (from Frackville) or turn onto Route 54 (from Ashland), and take in the sight of Girardville, PA.
It might not look like much, but there is a diamond in the rough in this town, other than Tony's Lunch (wave to Bernie on the way in if you're coming from Frackville).
If you happen to come on a Monday, you'll find some of the finest Italian dinners around- at half off the already reasonable menu price! Who says there's no such thing as a bargain anymore?
Listen, Marrone's isn't fancy. It's old fashioned. It needs a major, major renovation. The waitresses have plenty of "Coal Region" Attitude. But where else can you get a Chicken Parmesan dinner and a salad, and have your dining partner get a pretty substantial Baked Ziti dish, all for under $20? This is the Coal Region at its finest- good food a cheap prices. Even when it's not heavily discounted, on any other night than a Monday, this is still a pretty good place to check out.
As I said before, the decor doesn't look like much. It needs updating badly- old style wood paneling, smallish booths from decades ago, and too many tables pushed together. Some have complained of odd odors from time to time, but I haven't detected that myself. But honestly, nobody eats at a restaurant in Girardville because it looks nice.
The staff is friendly, and they give you a fair estimation of what it's like to be around someone's kitchen table for a pasta dinner. You might get some attitude, but these people really do care about their customers and there is a lot of care in the food.
The sauce in most of their dishes is a semi-sweet sauce. It's not as sugary as, say, the pizza sauce at Centiole's, but there definitely is a sweetness there. If you are a hardcore marinara aficianado, maybe this isn't for you, but there's not a sauce around like it and it is perfect when matched with grated parmesian cheese. My wife is definitely NOT a fan of sweet tomato sauce, but she does like Marrone's, so it must not be too sweet. The same sauce is also on their pizza, which is underrated and should be in the conversation of "best pizza in the coal region". As is the tradition around these parts, the pizza comes with hot sauce, which makes for an awesome sweet-yet-spicy combination.
I tend to get some kind of dish that features sausage at Marrone's, because I think that the sausage goes best with the sauce. It's another "sweet and spicy" thing.
Sadly, Girardville is like every other coal town in Schuylkill County. Things used to be better, times were tough, times are still tough, and times in the future will probably be tough. Still, Marrone's is a diamond in the rough in these "hard times".
If you do go on a Monday, they open around 5 PM, and you should expect a line of people waiting outside for the half price specials. Some will have come as far as an hour away.
If you want a good Italian dinner that is different from the norm, Marrone's is definitely a good choice.
Marrone's Cafe
31 West Main Street Girardville, PA 17935
After driving through either the dilapidated town of Frackville or the dilapidated town of Ashland, PA, you either take the Gilberton exit off of the Gold Star Highway (from Frackville) or turn onto Route 54 (from Ashland), and take in the sight of Girardville, PA.
It might not look like much, but there is a diamond in the rough in this town, other than Tony's Lunch (wave to Bernie on the way in if you're coming from Frackville).
If you happen to come on a Monday, you'll find some of the finest Italian dinners around- at half off the already reasonable menu price! Who says there's no such thing as a bargain anymore?
Listen, Marrone's isn't fancy. It's old fashioned. It needs a major, major renovation. The waitresses have plenty of "Coal Region" Attitude. But where else can you get a Chicken Parmesan dinner and a salad, and have your dining partner get a pretty substantial Baked Ziti dish, all for under $20? This is the Coal Region at its finest- good food a cheap prices. Even when it's not heavily discounted, on any other night than a Monday, this is still a pretty good place to check out.
As I said before, the decor doesn't look like much. It needs updating badly- old style wood paneling, smallish booths from decades ago, and too many tables pushed together. Some have complained of odd odors from time to time, but I haven't detected that myself. But honestly, nobody eats at a restaurant in Girardville because it looks nice.
The staff is friendly, and they give you a fair estimation of what it's like to be around someone's kitchen table for a pasta dinner. You might get some attitude, but these people really do care about their customers and there is a lot of care in the food.
The sauce in most of their dishes is a semi-sweet sauce. It's not as sugary as, say, the pizza sauce at Centiole's, but there definitely is a sweetness there. If you are a hardcore marinara aficianado, maybe this isn't for you, but there's not a sauce around like it and it is perfect when matched with grated parmesian cheese. My wife is definitely NOT a fan of sweet tomato sauce, but she does like Marrone's, so it must not be too sweet. The same sauce is also on their pizza, which is underrated and should be in the conversation of "best pizza in the coal region". As is the tradition around these parts, the pizza comes with hot sauce, which makes for an awesome sweet-yet-spicy combination.
I tend to get some kind of dish that features sausage at Marrone's, because I think that the sausage goes best with the sauce. It's another "sweet and spicy" thing.
Sadly, Girardville is like every other coal town in Schuylkill County. Things used to be better, times were tough, times are still tough, and times in the future will probably be tough. Still, Marrone's is a diamond in the rough in these "hard times".
If you do go on a Monday, they open around 5 PM, and you should expect a line of people waiting outside for the half price specials. Some will have come as far as an hour away.
If you want a good Italian dinner that is different from the norm, Marrone's is definitely a good choice.
Marrone's Cafe
31 West Main Street Girardville, PA 17935
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