Evening of Fine Food and Wine

So mom has made her food blog debut #3 after attending our very first Evening of Fine Food and Wine at the Scranton Cultural Center last Sunday. We learned this is one of the cultural center's largest fundraisers! It was essentially a food bloggers dreamhouse with the plethora of food to try, all from LOCAL restaurants, and catering businesses.If any of you are interested in a night of great food, meeting great people, touring our very own cultural center, and supporting a large operation that needs our support...GO to the this event! Mark your calendars for next year (April 29th 2012).

Mom and I started the evening by walking into the ballroom, greeted with a glass of wine and an array of appetizers. We tried to "pace" ourselves, but good food, good wine? Please, we dug right in. Mom's favorite appetizer: assortment of spreads, pita, and bean salads from City Cafe (love them), ONE of my favorites was from State Street Grill. They had a wonderful cold Asian pasta salad. Other choices included ravioli, vegetable kabob, soup, stuffed mushrooms (those were fantastic too), and so much more.

For the "entree," we broke into groups and the real fun began. We were on our food/wine adventure to 5 different rooms, each of which housed a chef with their team, a glass of wine specially paired with each dish (thank you sommelier), and a demo kitchen. We watched each chef prepare their dish (I know..crazy fun). Then we tried each dish! I swear I felt like I was a judge on Top Chef (minus the critiquing). The restaurants that provided the entrees were Carmen's at the Radisson, Fire and Ice on Toby Creek, The French Manor, the Hilton, and Patsel's. Yes that means Jean had 5 glasses of wine. More importantly, that means mom had 5 glasses of wine. By the time we hit Patsel's mom couldn't tell what she was eating. She thought the tuna was "very soft steak."

My favorite entree was from Fire and Ice. The chef prepared a Cabernet marinated NY strip steak bruchetta. Oh my gosh. This is totally up my ally. The steak was cooked perfectly, the bread was soft (and freshly baked), and the wine it was served with gave me an appreciation for the art of pairing food with wine. I tried a sip of the wine before the brushetta was in sight and, yuck-o was written all over my face. Tasted like the wine was "smoked." However, once paired with this dish I loved it. Loooved it. The chef from Fire and Ice was also great. You could tell he loves what he does, and loves sharing his knowledge. When he started talking about mallard reaction on steak I got excited. Props to all the chefs and teams for the entrees.

So dessert time came. Mom and I were deffinetly full of food, and wine, but a couple desserts never hurt anything (I am a 30 day-to-be dietitian I swear). I was so happy to see Zummo's offering desserts! I enjoyed their trail-mix biscotti. Mom is a fan of the hard, crunchy, break your teeth, biscotti, but this one was pretty soft (some may say, a little 'dry'), and filled with dried fruit. Their coffee is also fantastic, obviously. Other than forgetting to ask for decaf and staying up until 2 am that night, no complaints! Unfortunately I was so incredibly loopy by the time dessert came around so I have no idea who else was sponsoring the desserts. I tried a great red velvet cake, and a delicious poached pear, but where they were from? I need help with that.

Going out and supporting our community feels great. Meeting people is even better. And doing all the above while learning about the greatest restaurants in our very own backyard that have not a cinch of commercialism is what it's all about. Most of all, I cannot wait for Jessica and I to take a trip to Fire and Ice for a full meal!

Your LIfe is About to Change.

What if you found out that you had to quit gluten and dairy right now- like, this instant? Your health depends on it.  If you are like me and love you some crusty delicious bread (and I have no doubt that you ARE, what being a loyal foodie/reader of this silly little pet blog) this could be the challenge of a lifetime.  You might feel like your life is going to change drastically- and you'd be right.  You couldn't just saunter into all of the fantastic restaurants listed on this blog and order whatever you crave that day... you have to be careful, you have to be that dreaded consumer- particular.

Celiac disease is the name of the game- and according to Pubmed health it is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. But, for many with this disorder it doesn't end with those foods, very often you need to lose the dairy too.  This disorder was largely un-catered to in this area, and there was very little knowledge until recently.  Others, who don't have Celiac disease, may chose to forgo the gluten and dairy for holistic or ethical reasons or ( to finally get to the personalized reason), to help internally heal and fight other types of infection that feed and thrive on those delicious little wheat germs.  Mark Hyman, MD is a practitioner of “functional medicine” (a holistic branch of medicine), the founder of the UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, and the guru behind the series of best-selling “Ultra” self-help books. He argues that the cause and the solution for many psychiatric disorders begins with what we are putting in our bodies. I won't list all the details on our blog (snore!) nor will I say whether or not to get you should get holistic (I'm a stinkin' music teacher!, but you should check it out his thoughts here. 

Getting to the POINT (you know I like to drag my feet) Someone who I love very dearly has recently had to adopt this diet because of a late-stage lyme disease diagnosis and in a moment of less-than clarity I declared I would try it too- to encourage and support him.  Scary right? I'm easing into it- but he doesn't have that luxury.  So, we're trying out new meals and learning about some of the alternative flours and cooking aids.  Check out Manifest Vegan once you get the itch to cook outside the box- I just made their yummy Basil Gnocchi- (I've never made homemade pasta EVER and being me, I choose to start with gluten free!) Check it out! (Also pictured nutritional yeast which adds a tasty flavor and packs a punch nutritionally, and some of the alt flours).

I have to give a shout out to Everything Natural in Clarkes Summit and Wegman's too- they do a great job with providing our community with gluten-free alternatives.  Also, if you're jonesin for some delicious gluten and dairy free treats we have The Grainless Baker right in Lake Ariel. 

Eataly

Take a trip with me to Italy…excuse me, I mean EATaly in the heart of Manhattan. As you know Jessica and I blog to enjoy and support local businesses in our surrounding NEPA area, however I am taking a hall pass (or EZpass…haha) to NYC and am going to share with all of you my experience at this fantastic Italian market.

While in NYC yesterday my mom and I decided to eat dinner at Eataly. My mother, born in Sicily, naturally loves Italian food and clean, fresh flavors. We experienced a food dream that gave me a different appreciation for the diversity of Italian cuisine and brought mom back to her roots. After a cab drive from hell we entered our Italian heaven and were immediately immersed in parmiagiano reggiano, pizza, pasta, pancetta, fish, basil, tomatoes, gelato, biscotti, and chocolate. I would describe Eataly as an authentic Italian market that stays true to traditional Italian cuisine in their 5 different eateries and allows for customers to purchase traditional grocery items such as pasta, fruit, vegetables, cheese, fresh/cured meats, fish, oil, vinegar, herbs, baked goods, and other items diehard Italians just “couldn’t live without.”

No one could experience ALL Eataly has to offer in one visit, but mom and I tried to soak in as much as we could by spreading our dinner out amongst 2 of the 5 eateries as well as a special stop at the gelato stand for dessert. First we ate at “Il Pesce,” or The Fish. I had a bowl of “zuppa de pesce,” fish soup with spicy tomato crostini, and mom ordered “crudo di congole,” stuffed clams, basically. Both our dishes were outstanding. The fish tasted incredibly fresh. Fresh fish tastes so clean, and pure. Ah, delicious. The couple next to us ordered a whole fish each, which also looked outstanding. But, instead of a whole fish, mom and I continued our food crawl and had to visit a second eatery “La pizza & pasta,” where we shared a 10” pizza called La Verace TSG.

La Verace had tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, imported olive oil from Sorrento, and fresh basil leaves. This pizza had a very thin crust, and tasted like burned toast with the texture of perfectly cooked dough. Ok, that doesn’t sound terribly appetizing but it tasted great. Quick cooking in high heat allows the dough to stay soft whereas the outside achieves a charred flavor. The picture doesn’t give the favor justice (thank you iPhone). Out of the 5 eateries La pizza & pasta was the busiest! Naturally, this is America, pizza/pasta hungry hungry hippos. Plus, this is probably the most affordable.

Our waiter at La pizza & pasta was straight from Sicily. After he and mom had a little Italian conversation I learned (in English) that he moved to Brooklyn to work for Eataly for one year. So, as my mom said…"they import the olive oil…AND the people!” Authentic, thick Italian accent absolutely made me feel one step closer to Italy. So, kudos to you, Eataly…you’ve thought of everything.

Okay, gelato time. While waiting on line deciding what flavor to order I heard mom say, “ah, they have brioche jean!” These brioche looked like dinner rolls to me, but “brioche” is a sweet egg bread that is traditionally served with gelato or sorbet inside. So gelato on a brioche is like our ice cream cone here in America. Who would have known? Mom ordered pistachio gelato and enjoyed it in her brioche (which I tired and was delicious!) and I decided on lemon sorbet. Very nice ending to our meal. I posed a picture of other desserts you could enjoy.

After we ate, we shopped. Foccocha bread, olive bread, homemade ravioli, Lidia Bastianich’s sauce, Italian candies, chocolate, and porchetta for my brother Louis. A trip to Eataly is a gift that keeps on giving with the ability to enjoy special items that are difficult to find elsewhere. I really wanted to buy this t-shirt that says, “you are what you EATaly." Guess how much it was…$58. For a t-shirt. That I would wear to the supermarket. No thanks.

I made the spinach and ricotta ravioli with Lidia’s sauce for dinner tonight. So delicious!

When we visit Eataly again, I think we’d love to try the vegetarian eatery, and the wine/cheese bar, buy more foccochia and fresh pasta…but most of all just enjoy a little Italian escape from mom’s childhood, to my love for this culture and food.

Mom and I are making our next stop back in PA on Sunday to “An Evening of wine and food” at the Scranton Cultural Center, where we’ll try foods from all our local restaurants in Scranton. Looking forward to sharing our favorites with all of you!

Patsel's

ATTN world- my mother has made her food blog debut! This afternoon we shared a fabulous lunch at Patsel’s, located in Clarks Summit. We haven’t given Clarks Summit the food love it deserves (as Jessica would say), so here is the first of many remarkable restaurants that deserve our fine attention. Patsel’s is owned by a couple from Waverly, PA and opened in August of 1999.

I’ve always heard people say, “cooking is a form of art,” which I think is absolutely true! Well, not only is the food at Patsel’s art work in plating, texture, and taste, but the restaurant itself is a piece of art. Mom has been to Patsel’s with her lady friends once before and she just raved and raved about it, so of course we made a trip to the infamous Patsel’s ourselves. I was definitely the youngest customer, but was in great company of tables filled with polyester suit wearing ‘adults.’ Just kidding, but really Patsel’s screams “Grandma lunch date” all over it.

A once meat market is now a uniquely designed restaurant. 11 years in the making of floral wallpaper patterns I would never, ever put together, hand carved doorframes, hand painted window frames, bold colors, polka dot walls, beading, tool, and frog statues in every other corner and window. Initially I had thought the owners had gone to every elderly person’s home in the tri-state area and incorporated all the inspiration from these homes into one place for a throw up of gaudiness. That thought only lasted about 7 seconds. After the initial shock, I was in love with the attention-to-detail design. It’s the definition of commitment, because for this type of design, you can’t sort of…fudge, or half do it. The design was committed from the front door to the plates I ate off of. If I haven’t sold it already, Patsel’s is a place to visit to see art in its most whimsical state.

As for the food…we both ordered off the special’s menu (which for me is a rule of thumb on a no-brainer good meal). Mom ordered cup of Asian vegetable soup, and an eggplant parm sandwich with a side salad and fresh fruit. I had the shrimp risotto. All the food was great! Absolutely no complaints. Not sure if my father (or other men I know) would be satisfied with the portion of the meals (i.e two jumbo-4-bite-shrimp in my risotto), but the portions were perfect for us ladies. More importantly, we had room for dessert, which mom and I accomplished quite well. List of desserts tried (yes I need bullets for this):

· Key lime crème brulee with coconut biscotti

· Warm pear strudel

· Sticky toffee pudding****my favorite

· Lemon ricotta cannoli**** mom’s favorite

We got the sample platter of desserts, so don’t worry…we’re not 500 lb (yet). All desserts were SO good.

At the end of the day, our lunch at Patsel’s was fun! We shared great company, fun environment, fun atmosphere, and fun food (wish I got a drink…I’m sure they’re fun too though). If you go: firstly, take your mom, make sure you go to the bathroom (just do it), order a special and the sticky toffee pudding, and finally, try a martini…and let me know how they are.

PS: get a coupon for Patsel's from restaurant.com :)

Palazzo 53

Happy belated Thanksgiving- I hope and trust that we all filled ourselves to the breaking point, and then added a little more for good measure. If you ask me, the turkey and gravy are just there to justify the ritualistic gorging on my mother's chocolate cream pie with homemade whipped cream-  but to each his own.
There's a new Italian show in town friends- so, in true Jessica fashion, I also overate on Wednesday night with my good friend, Candice, and my new friend Brooke at the newly opened Palazzo 53 in Pittston. 
Palazzo is the foodchild of Chef Chris Barcia (Formerly of Bazil, Pazzo, Gelpiaz & Christopher's).  Candice knows Chris from when he was the head chef at Bazil (Clarkes Summit), and so she gets credit for this find. I will say this, I really really loved Bazil when it first opened- fresh, delicious, wholesome pasta with homemade sauces- great seafood, good wine, good service- the whole deal.  The only problem for me was that as a mere mortal teacher, the prices were a little (or a lot) steep.  It's one of the "special occasion" stops.  That said, I was disappointed to hear that the head chef had left, because I was such a fan.  Enter Palazzo 53.
The restaurant is brand spanking new- if you've read the blog, you know commentary on decor isn't my forte- but I will say this, it seems to pull off a variety of things- It's inviting, and still quite stylish - and thank you food gods, the music isn't awful like the majority of local hotspots (Blu Wasabi, I'm calling you out).
The menu is essentially what you found at Bazil (Sorry Chris, gotta call a spade a spade).  However, all of the pasta portions are available in half sizes, which I think is just delightful because it of course allowed for a larger sampling pool.  The prices are appropriate for what you're being served, but still probably will fall under the "special night out" category for the majority of our readers. 
Lets get to the food!

Brooke and I  started our meals with the special soup of the evening- a cream basil seafood bisque, think amped up New England chowder.  The seafood chowder head in me loved loved loved this soup.  It was a delicious pairing of ingredients, and most importantly it was loaded with garlic, which to me is an instantaneous  upgrade.  Next on the list, the baked clams.  Served with a light breading- these clams were prepared well- the real treat on this dish (as I think is often the case for Chef Barcia) was the white buttter garlic sauce which really hit the nail on the head.

Next- a half portion of Spaghetti Carbonara.  Recipes for Carbonara can vary, however- traditionally, carbonara sauce is made with a grated Italian cheese (often Pecorino or Parmesan) egg yolks, a fatty pork and black pepper.  In the United States (although not in Italy) it is quite normal to see the addition of cream and vegetables.  What's very cool about Carbonara is that the egg yolks are added at the end, to the pasta and cooked by the heat from the pasta.  Now- the point of that diatribe is that, this Carbonara was ridiculous. Ridiculously good! It was cooked without the cream, but with peas, pancetta and onion- and the pasta was served al dente (if you ask me, the perfect way). Highly recommended!

Finally, main course time.  Brooke and Candice- being the more reasonably minded pair at the table split the Chicken Francaise entree and I ordered the Linguine Calamari Fra Diavlo half portion. In all honesty, I'm a Fra Diavlo head- if it's available, I'll order it. I like the spicy plum sauce, the basil, the GARLIC- and it's a slam dunk for me generally.  That said, it wasn't the highlight of the evening for me.  I did mention to the server that I would like it spicy, and it wasn't.... and the sauce seemed to be lacking something- it was good, it just wasn't great.  The Francaise was really good- the chicken was tender and juicy and the sauce was spot on.  However, when the plate was split, they seem to have lost the sides.... I think.  In all honesty, Candice did ask if it came with a side and our server said she didn't think so.  I'm betting they were plated separately and didn't find their way out- but who knows.  In all fairness, the server is still learning the menu- and I feel certain that once things are buzzing along, little things like this will be cleared up.
Dessert time.  Being as stuffed as we were, we thought it was only reasonable to order the "light" dessert to share.  All of the desserts are made in house at Palazzo 53, and we decided on Strawberry Zabaglione.  Zabaglione is a whipped cream, with egg and dry marsala wine- served with fresh strawberries.  It is a light, delicious, creamy treat.  Again, there are many variations- and it can be served hot or cold- if hot, it skips the cream- but ours was chilled and quite delicious.  As we were finishing up, Chef Barcia brought us out a few more treats to sample- Chocolate Cake, Cappuccino Crème Brulee,  and Tiramisu.  Truly stuffed, we couldn't work our way through the majority of these desserts- but, I did sample each one.  The cake was moist and rich, the tiramisu was made traditionally with the ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone and flavored with liquor and cocoa.  The Crème Brulee was excellent- with a thin crisp top and a rich cappuccino flavored cream inside.
Overall, it was a great experience.  Once they find their legs, I think this will be one of the most buzzed about restaurants.  It's not far from Scranton, the food is good, the people are good- and it's definitely worth checking out.  I don't know about you, but I could really go for some Spaghetti Carbonara right about now....

Palazzo 53

53 South Main Street

Pittston PA, 18640

(570)299-7571

Hours

Tues - Thurs: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Fri - Sat: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm

The Alpine Restaurant

Okay- call off the hounds. I'm alive- I'm well, I'm just... swamped! Life caught up, my summer in the sun ended abruptly and the real world came knocking.  Trust me, this doesn't mean I stopped eating copious amounts of locally produced food, it just means that I've been resembling some sort of sloth-like creature in my "free" time.... working for a living is HARD, sheesh :-) 

Enough about me! Now that I want to write a blog, I'm not sure which place to write about- after all, I've been to quite a few newbies (for the blog at least).  I think that The Alpine is a good place to get back on the food-blog horse though.

Located in my lovely home away from home (H to the Onesdale), the Alpine is the area's Premier German-American Restaurant.  My family has been going to The Alpine ever since we moved to NEPA from NY, and it is a particular favorite of the men in my family.  That said- it has something for everyone... almost everyone- if you are a Vegan or Vegetarian, you might want to skip right to the dessert menu.  Which as a vegetarian for many years, I did- and that was alright by me! For the more carnivorous of our readers though, check this: all of their sausages and prime meats are home made, and cured on site, and they are mega delicious. 

For my meal, I opted for the bratwurst lunch special, served with (go on, guess...) mashed potatoes (bliss!) and a side of apple sauce (cole slaw is a choice too).  But- if you need holding over, they also offer tasty appetizers such as Baked Brie with Fruit, and Smoked Salmon with Capers, Cream Cheese and Toast, among others.  Before the meal, warm homemade rye and pumpernickel bread was served, and as a girl that likes an excuse to eat butter and carbs- this was a great start to my meal.  The bratwurst was grilled (I had the option to broil, but come on...) and really tasty- moist and flavorful, and mild. Yum! But, as always- the main event for me were those mashed potatoes.  They were buttery and sweet, and I don't know if I've mentioned this... but I really think mashed potatoes done right are the food of... well, at least my potato loving/Irish gods.  When I finished tearing through that, I was good and full.  But anyone who's anyone knows that you can't visit The Alpine without eating dessert, because it's Ridiculous.  Some examples include Krocant Baskets which are Honey Almond baskets painted with dark chocolate filled with assorted mousses and Eclairs which they describe as traditional pate a choux baked to golden brown, filed with creamy vanilla custard. But what did I have? Only the world's most outrageous peanut butter pie.  Seriously people.  With a graham cracker crust, a layer of rich chocolate gnash, and a peanut butter mousse that is topped with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle- this peanut butter pie cannot be duplicated or recycled (big thanks to Missy Elliot for her coining of that epic lyrical set). 

So my suggestion? Bring your man here if you want to show him who really loves him! Bring your lady here if she needs a chocolate intervention- Single? Bring yourself and/or a friend here because you love yourself! It's good stuff!

Business Hours:

Monday                 Closed

Tuesday           11:30-4PM

Wed/Thurs      11:30-8PM

Fri/Sat             11:30-9PM

Sunday            11:30-5PM

1106 Texas Palmyra Highway
Route 6 East of Honesdale
Honesdale, PA 18431

Downtown Deli

The Downtown Deli sits on the corner of Spruce, and Penn Ave, and interestingly enough, the sole appearance of this eatery is what drew me in like a magnet to metal…or (more realistically) an Italian girl to the smell of baked bread. I come from a house where I could hardly fit my mouth around some of the sandwiches my father would concoct, so each deli I visit has much to live up to. I’ve visited the Downtown Deli several times in the past couple of weeks, and not only would I single handedly write vows and marry each of the sandwiches I’ve ordered, but the sense of warmth from the staff and owner is none like any other.

Options are the name of the game at this deli. Homemade roast beef or turkey, or the traditional Boar’s Head? Dining inside, outside, or delivery? Hungry for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Sandwich, salad, or (get this) eggplant lasagna?! Yes, clearly this deli is much more than “ham and swiss on a Kaiser.”

Close family friends from Italy are visiting the States this month, and what better way to say “hello America” than a good ‘ol thick juicy hero. The boys ordered two of the specialty sandwiches: Buffalo Bill (chicken cutlet with buffalo sauce, and bleu cheese dressing), and (interestingly enough) The Godfather (basic Italian hero). I ordered the tuna melt, done very well.

After only opening three months ago, there are still some folds to iron out. Such as, not serving only breakfast food on Sundays, please! If we demand it, they’ll grant it.

So, since I cant marry a sandwich…maybe they could cater my wedding? Buffalo Bill for all!!!

Downtown Deli, 300 Spruce Street, Scranton PA

570-871-4137