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
Monday, June 4, 2012
Reading Terminal Market Mini Reviews!
I have been chomping at the bit to get to the Reading Terminal Market. I've seen it on television shows such as Bizarre Foods, Man v. Food, and various places on the Food Network. It's known as a foodie paradise- with a huge variety of foods from various cultures.
Being in Philly, it does have more than one place that will serve you a cheesesteak. But come on, you can get a cheesesteak anywhere.
So, having just spent some time in Philadelphia, here are some minireviews of the places in the Reading Terminal Market where I tried some of the deliciousness available there.
Before we begin, I want to make something perfectly clear: I ATE AT THE MARKET ON MULTIPLE DAYS. I DID NOT EAT ALL OF THIS STUFF IN ONE DAY, NOR DO I THINK IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR ME TO DO SO. Okay, read on!
Dutch Eating Place: This place by far wins the title of "most obvious restaurant name." These are PA Dutch people who serve you various foods from that tradition. I suspect that most of these delicious dishes are high in fat, loaded with calories, and otherwise not appropriate for those dieting.
When I checked out this place on yelp.com, just about every other review spoke of the legendary Apple Dumpling. One comical review even spoke of simultaneously giving the reviewer diabetes and an arousing sensation. You can get it with either whipping cream or heavy cream. I went for the heavy cream, since it was pretty much milk in a cup, and I have always been of the opinion that apple pie and apple dumplings are best eaten with enough milk that you are essentially eating Apple Confectionary Cereal.
The Apple Dumpling was good. But honestly, when everyone talks something up like it is Sliced Bread Number 2, it rarely lives up to the hype. This is the way I felt about the Apple Dumpling at Dutch Eating Place. It was delicious, but at the same time, not as mindblowing as I expected. Honestly, I am still craving the Apple Dumplings you can get at the Bloomsburg Fair.
I also had the ham loaf special, which came with mashed potatoes and corn. It was a bargain at only $5.99, and you got two huge pieces of ham loaf in some sort of wonderful fruity glaze. To me, this was better than the apple dumpling. I love ham loaf, and this particular version was an adventure in taste explosions. I didn't so much care for the sides- the mashed potatoes and corn were both fairly ordinary.
On another day, I tried their Beef BBQ sandwich. See, everyone raves about the apple dumpling, but there's more to be fond of here at Dutch Eating Place. The Beef BBQ Sandwich should be in the discussion of best sandwiches you can have at the Reading Terminal Market. The BBQ sauce was obviously homemade, and it drenched hot, thick cuts of beef. It was also a bargain compared to the other food served at the market, and I should also say that it was HUGE.
So really, to me this is the best place at the Reading Terminal Market, at least so far in my journey through that cornucopia of food awesomeness.
DinNc's Roast Beef- So I went here expecting something incredible. Man V. Food's Adam Richman apparently had been here a few weeks ago, having previously covered the place in another episode of his show.
DiNic's is expensive at $10 a sandwich if you want provolone and broccoli rabe, but you also get a fairly big sandwich for that price which could be two meals for the average person. Also, expect to wait awhile- each day at the market, this was the place with the longest line. Searches on the net reveal that many believe this to be the best thing available in the market, if not in the entire city of Philadelphia.
So I waited a long time. I listened to the owner talk Flyers Hockey with the guy next to me in line. He seemed like a decent guy. But what did I get as a result?
Well, let's put it this way: maybe roast pork isn't for me. Everyone raves about the flavor, but to me, the only thing I tasted was the Provolone, which overshadowed everything. The pork had little to no flavor, and the vinagary taste you are supposed to receive from the rabe was simply absent. I have to admit, for me, DiNic's was a little bit of a letdown.
Maybe I should give this place another try. Maybe I had an underseasoned sandwich. But as it stands, the roast pork sandwich here is highly overrated.
The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company- The first thing we saw upon entrance to the RTM was this place, with its various cookies spread out, all looking delicious.
My wife Michelle had the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and I had the Chocolate Chips themselves. We walked away $8 poorer with two cookies each. Honestly, this is a little overpriced in my opinion. The cookies were nice to munch away at while walking around and taking in the sights of the market, but they weren't worth the price. I've had better cookies for cheaper. Honestly, I've had better cookies in my grandmother's kitchen. Not to say that these were bad- they certainly were tasty, and could hit the spot of one were to have a sweet tooth.
So if you want some cookies, you could do worse than these. Expect to pay for them, though.
Bassett's Ice Cream- It was a fairly warm day, and to be honest, the market itself was pretty warm, so we decided to get some ice cream at Bassett's on the way out. I had the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Michelle had the Strawberry.
Both flavors were good. This was probably the second best Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream I have ever had, the best being Maurer's Dairy in Shamokin. Prices were reasonable, and we walked out cooled off with a nice little treat.
Bassett's is homemade, and you can taste the craft in their ice cream. Mine was nice and creamy, with a great texture, with the chunks of cookie dough distributed evenly throughout. Although it was "hard" ice cream, it wasn't "too hard". Pretty good if I do say so myself!
Four Seasons Juice Bar- What is wheatgrass? Whatever it is, keep it away from my smoothies. I ordered a Orange Pineapple smoothie from this place, and they put some of this wheatgrass stuff in. Gag.
It was so terrible I offer up this haiku:
Wheatgrass Horror Time
I want orange and pineapple
Instead, want to puke
And here's another:
Seriously now?
Wheatgrass? Actual grass here?
In my drink? Ugh. No.
Overall, I had a great time here. There are numerous places to explore and enjoy, and I can't wait to return.
Being in Philly, it does have more than one place that will serve you a cheesesteak. But come on, you can get a cheesesteak anywhere.
So, having just spent some time in Philadelphia, here are some minireviews of the places in the Reading Terminal Market where I tried some of the deliciousness available there.
Before we begin, I want to make something perfectly clear: I ATE AT THE MARKET ON MULTIPLE DAYS. I DID NOT EAT ALL OF THIS STUFF IN ONE DAY, NOR DO I THINK IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR ME TO DO SO. Okay, read on!
Dutch Eating Place: This place by far wins the title of "most obvious restaurant name." These are PA Dutch people who serve you various foods from that tradition. I suspect that most of these delicious dishes are high in fat, loaded with calories, and otherwise not appropriate for those dieting.
When I checked out this place on yelp.com, just about every other review spoke of the legendary Apple Dumpling. One comical review even spoke of simultaneously giving the reviewer diabetes and an arousing sensation. You can get it with either whipping cream or heavy cream. I went for the heavy cream, since it was pretty much milk in a cup, and I have always been of the opinion that apple pie and apple dumplings are best eaten with enough milk that you are essentially eating Apple Confectionary Cereal.
The Apple Dumpling was good. But honestly, when everyone talks something up like it is Sliced Bread Number 2, it rarely lives up to the hype. This is the way I felt about the Apple Dumpling at Dutch Eating Place. It was delicious, but at the same time, not as mindblowing as I expected. Honestly, I am still craving the Apple Dumplings you can get at the Bloomsburg Fair.
I also had the ham loaf special, which came with mashed potatoes and corn. It was a bargain at only $5.99, and you got two huge pieces of ham loaf in some sort of wonderful fruity glaze. To me, this was better than the apple dumpling. I love ham loaf, and this particular version was an adventure in taste explosions. I didn't so much care for the sides- the mashed potatoes and corn were both fairly ordinary.
On another day, I tried their Beef BBQ sandwich. See, everyone raves about the apple dumpling, but there's more to be fond of here at Dutch Eating Place. The Beef BBQ Sandwich should be in the discussion of best sandwiches you can have at the Reading Terminal Market. The BBQ sauce was obviously homemade, and it drenched hot, thick cuts of beef. It was also a bargain compared to the other food served at the market, and I should also say that it was HUGE.
So really, to me this is the best place at the Reading Terminal Market, at least so far in my journey through that cornucopia of food awesomeness.
DinNc's Roast Beef- So I went here expecting something incredible. Man V. Food's Adam Richman apparently had been here a few weeks ago, having previously covered the place in another episode of his show.
DiNic's is expensive at $10 a sandwich if you want provolone and broccoli rabe, but you also get a fairly big sandwich for that price which could be two meals for the average person. Also, expect to wait awhile- each day at the market, this was the place with the longest line. Searches on the net reveal that many believe this to be the best thing available in the market, if not in the entire city of Philadelphia.
So I waited a long time. I listened to the owner talk Flyers Hockey with the guy next to me in line. He seemed like a decent guy. But what did I get as a result?
Well, let's put it this way: maybe roast pork isn't for me. Everyone raves about the flavor, but to me, the only thing I tasted was the Provolone, which overshadowed everything. The pork had little to no flavor, and the vinagary taste you are supposed to receive from the rabe was simply absent. I have to admit, for me, DiNic's was a little bit of a letdown.
Maybe I should give this place another try. Maybe I had an underseasoned sandwich. But as it stands, the roast pork sandwich here is highly overrated.
The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company- The first thing we saw upon entrance to the RTM was this place, with its various cookies spread out, all looking delicious.
My wife Michelle had the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and I had the Chocolate Chips themselves. We walked away $8 poorer with two cookies each. Honestly, this is a little overpriced in my opinion. The cookies were nice to munch away at while walking around and taking in the sights of the market, but they weren't worth the price. I've had better cookies for cheaper. Honestly, I've had better cookies in my grandmother's kitchen. Not to say that these were bad- they certainly were tasty, and could hit the spot of one were to have a sweet tooth.
So if you want some cookies, you could do worse than these. Expect to pay for them, though.
Bassett's Ice Cream- It was a fairly warm day, and to be honest, the market itself was pretty warm, so we decided to get some ice cream at Bassett's on the way out. I had the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Michelle had the Strawberry.
Both flavors were good. This was probably the second best Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream I have ever had, the best being Maurer's Dairy in Shamokin. Prices were reasonable, and we walked out cooled off with a nice little treat.
Bassett's is homemade, and you can taste the craft in their ice cream. Mine was nice and creamy, with a great texture, with the chunks of cookie dough distributed evenly throughout. Although it was "hard" ice cream, it wasn't "too hard". Pretty good if I do say so myself!
Four Seasons Juice Bar- What is wheatgrass? Whatever it is, keep it away from my smoothies. I ordered a Orange Pineapple smoothie from this place, and they put some of this wheatgrass stuff in. Gag.
It was so terrible I offer up this haiku:
Wheatgrass Horror Time
I want orange and pineapple
Instead, want to puke
And here's another:
Seriously now?
Wheatgrass? Actual grass here?
In my drink? Ugh. No.
Overall, I had a great time here. There are numerous places to explore and enjoy, and I can't wait to return.
Been away for a bit...
Sorry for the lack of posts, everyone. I was on vacation for awhile.
Coming soon: "Coal Region Food Guy Eats Outside of the Coal Region".
Stay tuned!
Coming soon: "Coal Region Food Guy Eats Outside of the Coal Region".
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Maurer's Dairy and Ice Cream Shoppe- Shamokin, PA
Ice Cream is a rite of passage here in the Coal Region. I remember as a child on a warm summer's night loading up the family in the car and taking a ride to the Tastee Freeze in Shenandoah Heights or Rickard's Dairy in Gordon.
In the city of Shamokin, Maurer's Dairy has been in business for years. I'm not sure how long, but it is considered by many to be a hallmark of the city, one of the highlights of its culinary culture. I first discovered Maurer's Dairy back in the late 1990's, as it became a stop for me between my home in Frackville and my school, Susquehanna University.
Maurer's advertises itself as the home of Bittersweet Ice Cream. This is simply (as far as I can tell) some Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Bittersweet Chocolate Chips mixed throughout. As with all of their varieties, the Bittersweet Ice Cream is homemade. You can really taste the care that goes into this ice cream, especially, in my opinion, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. To me, this should be the real highlight of their ice cream menu- not only do you get the bittersweet ice cream, but you get it with the added emphasis of buttery, soft chunks of cookie dough. Delicious!
Although many come here for the ice cream, Maurer's also serves actual food. The inside of the restaurant looks like a prototypical ice cream parlor, and I suspect that this layout has been in place for a very long time. The good news is that, despite its apparent age, they keep the place pretty clean.
So how is the food? Well, it depends what food you are talking about. I have had Maurer's food for lunch multiple times as take out, and each time it has been pretty good. They do a decent job with club sandwiches, but my favorite thing on their menu is the Chicken Bacon Ranch Sub. It's not a huge sub, which is probably a good thing given all the salt and fat. It tastes delicious, though- Chicken, bacon, and ranch dressing is an excellent combination.
I've also had Maurer's for breakfast. Their omelets are very good- I have had the ham and cheese and bacon and cheese varieties, and the egg is good, the cheese is distributed throughout, and there is plenty of meat inside. Just for your information, Maurer's serves the "pocket of meat and cheese folded up in an egg" variety, which in my opinion, is better than the "random mix of meat, cheese, and egg" variety you can get at other places.
I had homefries with my omelets, and to be honest, they weren't anything special. To be more honest, they weren't cooked through all the way. Their homefries are clumps of potatoes- not quite the disks you get at some places, not quite the little cubes of potato you get at others. Its's somewhere in between, and I wish they would change it because it is not working.
So how is the food? Well, it depends what food you are talking about. I have had Maurer's food for lunch multiple times as take out, and each time it has been pretty good. They do a decent job with club sandwiches, but my favorite thing on their menu is the Chicken Bacon Ranch Sub. It's not a huge sub, which is probably a good thing given all the salt and fat. It tastes delicious, though- Chicken, bacon, and ranch dressing is an excellent combination.
I've also had Maurer's for breakfast. Their omelets are very good- I have had the ham and cheese and bacon and cheese varieties, and the egg is good, the cheese is distributed throughout, and there is plenty of meat inside. Just for your information, Maurer's serves the "pocket of meat and cheese folded up in an egg" variety, which in my opinion, is better than the "random mix of meat, cheese, and egg" variety you can get at other places.
I had homefries with my omelets, and to be honest, they weren't anything special. To be more honest, they weren't cooked through all the way. Their homefries are clumps of potatoes- not quite the disks you get at some places, not quite the little cubes of potato you get at others. Its's somewhere in between, and I wish they would change it because it is not working.
I should also note that I had about a quart of butter on my toast. Tastes delicious, but I was checking my heart rate all day. My wife says I'm paranoid about it. Still, the toast might have taken about five months off of the end of my life, despite its deliciousness.
I was severely disappointed in their old style fountain sodas. First off, Maurer's serves Pepsi, which is a strike against them for me, since I much rather have Coke. Secondly, they offer syrup additions, with a variety of flavors. I tried their Pepsi with cherry syrup. I don't know for sure, but I think I had the recommended daily allowance of sugar for ten days in my first sip. It was sickeningly, cloyingly sweet. Maurer's also happens to have bottles of local company Big Ben's in the refrigerator at the entrance. Next time I'll get that instead.
So I would really recommend Maurer's for the ice cream. For the food, it seems touch and go, though they have some interesting sandwich options.
Maurer's Dairy and Ice Cream Shoppe
34 South Market Street
Shamokin, PA 17872
(570)644-1316
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Tony's Fluffburger
Lately, local eatery Tony's Lunch was the focus of a story on local news channel WNEP-16. Apparently the local ABC affiliate has been doing a series of "strange food" pieces, which included the Tony's Lunch menu item the "Fluffburger".
Click here to watch and read the story.
I've had the Fluffburger more than once. Judging on my previous review of Tony's, you all know that I absolutely love the place and adore the food. Tony's really is a culture all its own, and to be honest, I prefer the "classic" Girardville location to the new Bloomsburg one (though both are good). That has to do more with me being a traditionalist than anything else. The Bloomsburg location serves fine food, but there's just something about the G-Ville location that gives, in my opinion, a more authentic experience. Also, if you want to meet some authentic Coal Crackers, G-Ville is your best bet.
Still, the Bloomsburg location is open for more "regular" hours, so your mileage may vary. At either place you are going to get a good, homestyle hamburger patty that's miles ahead of anything else in the area.
Anyway, I've had the Fluffburger at both. And to be honest, I never got it. It has a decent mix of sweet and spicy, I'll give it that. If you are less of a spice-a-holic, the Fluffburger might actually be more your speed.
To me, the classic taste of sauce, cheese, and butter is where it's at. That's what defines Tony's for me. I do have the Fluffburger very occasionally when I am in the mood for something different, but I also always order a screamer right alongside.
It's worth noting that the M.C. Coney in Mt. Carmel also has a Fluffburger. It's a pale imitation, if you ask me. Their sauce is more run of the mill spicy sauce. I eat there from time to time, and the food is good, but it's not Tony's.
On the whole, good to see Tony's getting some coverage. I know the Bloomsburg location had to deal with the struggle of the massive flood that hit the area back in September of last year, but it seems like they are doing well. It should be a great fit in a college town. If it were *me* doing the story, however, I'd point out the classic taste of the screamer and not focus so much on the Fluffburger. I guess the regular screamer isn't enough of a "bizarre" thing for them, though.
Click here to watch and read the story.
I've had the Fluffburger more than once. Judging on my previous review of Tony's, you all know that I absolutely love the place and adore the food. Tony's really is a culture all its own, and to be honest, I prefer the "classic" Girardville location to the new Bloomsburg one (though both are good). That has to do more with me being a traditionalist than anything else. The Bloomsburg location serves fine food, but there's just something about the G-Ville location that gives, in my opinion, a more authentic experience. Also, if you want to meet some authentic Coal Crackers, G-Ville is your best bet.
Still, the Bloomsburg location is open for more "regular" hours, so your mileage may vary. At either place you are going to get a good, homestyle hamburger patty that's miles ahead of anything else in the area.
Anyway, I've had the Fluffburger at both. And to be honest, I never got it. It has a decent mix of sweet and spicy, I'll give it that. If you are less of a spice-a-holic, the Fluffburger might actually be more your speed.
To me, the classic taste of sauce, cheese, and butter is where it's at. That's what defines Tony's for me. I do have the Fluffburger very occasionally when I am in the mood for something different, but I also always order a screamer right alongside.
It's worth noting that the M.C. Coney in Mt. Carmel also has a Fluffburger. It's a pale imitation, if you ask me. Their sauce is more run of the mill spicy sauce. I eat there from time to time, and the food is good, but it's not Tony's.
On the whole, good to see Tony's getting some coverage. I know the Bloomsburg location had to deal with the struggle of the massive flood that hit the area back in September of last year, but it seems like they are doing well. It should be a great fit in a college town. If it were *me* doing the story, however, I'd point out the classic taste of the screamer and not focus so much on the Fluffburger. I guess the regular screamer isn't enough of a "bizarre" thing for them, though.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Ranking the McDonalds of the Coal Region- from "Eh" to Worst
This next entry is really a "best of the worst" column. Let's face it, you don't go to McDonald's looking for a good meal. You go there looking or a quick meal!
Full of salt, processed, and heavily (pun intended) contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic, McDonald's isn't a place I go to because I want to.
Except for the fries. I crave the fries. The fries are my cigarettes, but the good news is I tend to stay away from them for weeks at a time. Regardless, I do believe, but cannot prove, that McDonald's has done something to their food to make it addictive.
So here's the list. We're not ranking them by which McDonald's is the best. No, no, that would be boring. We are going to rank them by the worst, with #10 being so-so and #1 being horrifying.
So here's the list:
10.) Hometown- I can't really fault this McDonald's for much other than the default McDonald's problems. So it's here to simply place itself on the list.
9.) Frackville- There used to be two McDonald's in Frackville- one inside the Schuylkill Mall and one outside. The inside one used to be popular for birthday parties (does McDonald's even do that anymore?) but the outside one has always been more convenient. Anyways, the outside one is the only one left, and remains a popular stop off of Interstate 81. It's not horrible, I'll give it that. At the same time, it's not good- the service I've gotten there has been lacking, and their recent "upgrade" features the Most Uncomfortable Seats Known to Man. The bathrooms are also usually very, very dirty.
8.) Pine Grove- Also easily accessible from Interstate 81, it has the exact opposite problem of the Frackville McDonald's- it could use an upgrade. Also, I once got a Shamrock Shake from this location that was all white stuff on the bottom and green stuff on the top. It was quickly thrown away. Otherwise, this is a fairly inoffensive location aside from the obvious "You'll die if you eat here too much" factor.
7.) Danville- SLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Their Drive-Thru location is easily reached from I-80. Technically this isn't the Coal Region, but come on, I've fallen asleep here before my food was ready. Okay, not really, but I HAVE listened to 1/3 of a baseball game from the time I ordered to the time I got my food.
6.) Schuylkill Haven- There's not enough seating here. It's also at an intersection, and in an area that doesn't have enough lanes for the very busy traffic. The drive thru, therefore, isn't really very "convenient". Also, WHEN I SAY NO CHEESE ON A QUARTER POUNDER I MEAN NO CHEESE THANK YOU.
5.) Elysburg- about a year ago, I went to the Elysburg location and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. I received my order, and before driving off, I saw they gave me a fried chicken sandwich. I went inside and pointed out the error. They took my sandwich, and then I waited 10 MINUTES before they gave me back a FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH, THIS TIME A DIFFERENT PATTY. I didn't want to wait any longer so I sucked it up and had my arteries clogged. I haven't been back since.
4.) Hazleton (the location outside of the Laurel mall)- once I ordered a ten piece chicken nuggets here, and instead I got a ten piece box with five nuggets in it. Thanks for looking out for my carb intake, Hazleton McDonald's, but no thanks for charging me full price anyway. Also, this location routinely has people with loud and fast cars who go out of the way to show you how loud and fast their cars are. Be careful walking inside from your car, some restored hot rod might mow you down in the process.
3.) Wilkes-Barre (the "old style" one next to Toys R Us)- not enough seating, and absolutely the most disinerested employees I have ever encountered, except for McDonald's #1. They act like your request for a meal is more like a request for them to do heavy manual labor.
2.) Pottsville (across from the Fairlane Village Mall)- "I wanna go to the Playplace!" Those words, shouted by a young child, have resulted in many Coal Region families taking their kids to this Mcdonald's location. While this makes it a popular place for families, if you are just trying to eat, it's annoying to hear the yells of little Stevie trying to get his mom's attention 5,000 times because he's at the place on the top with the clear bubble that he can see through. What makes it worse is when real little kids get stuck and/or lost in the Playplace and the whole focus of everyone in the store is on the staff and parents of little Tommy trying to get his screaming mouth out. This is also the part of the entry where people will think I don't like kids. That's not true, I love kids and want some of my own some day. I just don't like boneheaded parenting that DOESN'T READ THE RULES POSTED AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE PLAYPLACE, AND THEN WANTS EVERYONE TO HAVE SYMPATHY FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO READ SIGNS. Plus, that thing has to have at least 5,000 diseases running through its plastic structure because I can bet the staff doesn't clean it as thoroughly or often as they should. Just a hunch.
And the absolute worst McDonald's in the Coal Region:
1.) Shamokin- WOW. I could write a book on my experiences with this location alone. And don't argue with them, because their attitudes are horrible. Not too long ago I ordered two double cheeseburgers plain, and I got them back with ketchup. No biggie, but I went up to the counter and asked them to fix the mistake. The counter guy mumbled, "that is plain", so I just went and dealt with the extremely super-sweet McDonald's ketchup on the sandwich. They have constant turnover here. If you have special requests, you have about a 10% chance of that request being granted. My wife doesn't like cheese. Late one night, we hadn't eaten so I swung by because it was pretty much the only option in Shamokin. Upon getting home, my "Quarter Pounder No Cheese" was a Quarter Pounder with FIVE SLICES of cheese on it. I'm fairly certain some cranky worker wanted to punish me for making a special request.
This place, again, has major attitude. I have had food just about thrown at me from the drive-thru window, and they really seem to get the most clueless people ever to work at this place.
And if you eat inside, be prepared to wait about 15 minutes to get your food EVEN THOUGH YOUR FRIES ARE SITTING RIGHT THERE BUT THE PERSON JUST STANDING AROUND DOESN'T HAVE THE ENERGY TO WALK OVER AND GET THEM.
Ugh. The only reason this place is in business is because sometimes it's one of very few options for quick food. But regardless, I've heard more than one person in Shamokin refer to this place as "Asshole McDonald's". I have to agree.
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