Park City Diner (post Heart Walk Refuel) 9/17/16

So, after our adventures in Heart Walking, we decided refueling was in order. Off we went to Park City Diner, 884 Plaza Blvd, Lancaster PA (near the Mall for the locals). We've eaten there before, so we knew a decent meal was in our near future. More energy to go grocery shopping.

Let me start by saying the inside could be any diner in the country. A shiny silver display case for sweet treats in the front by the register, a counter area and some booths to the right, tables and booths to the left. At 09:50 on  a Saturday morning it is bustling. Loud, crowded, and yet it feels right as can be. It has that diner vibe.

(Himself speaking:  I LOVE diners.  They seem to drop all pretense of fancy, and just lay out good food with no fuss.  Shiny stainless, vinyl covered bench seats at booths, lots of good coffee, and specials meant to be EATEN.  A good diner not only hits the spot for breakfast, but invites you back in the wee hours for that after-party meal with friends, where you discuss your evenings poor choices over regular coffee with a turkey and bacon club sammich). 

We sat and waited for a friend to join us, and the server was gracious with the coffee and ice tea refills. Honestly the wait was a bit of a boon, as it gave us time to peruse the menu. At Park City they have a huge breakfast menu, with tons of Benedict types, omelets, sandwiches, pancakes, french toasts, and specials. It's almost too many choices. Check that, reverse, it IS too many choices. A solid 20 minutes with the menu is necessary.

JUST the specials.....

No... seriously.  When you decide what you are having, only to totally change it after reading yet another part of the menu, and THEN DO IT AGAIN..... there may be too many choices.

Having been there before, I was hoping to see the cannoli pancakes on the menu. Sadly they were not the special this day. After much hemming, hawing, and admiring other diners' food, I chose the Breakfast Skins. Described as potato skins with scrambled eggs, and a blend of Monterrey jack and cheddar cheese. Served with salsa and sour cream, and a choice of meats. I also ordered a single piece of challa bread french toast, with strawberries and cream.

 

The Challa was at least 1" thick, and filled the plate

To feed Himself, I chose me some country fried steak, with sausage gravy, over easy eggs, tater tots, and rye toast.   Sadly, I didn't bring a few friends to help me eat it, as Park City gets a bit CRAZY with portions.  The country fried steak arrived on a 'Platter' of it's own.  On another plate, THREE perfect over easy eggs, a double handful of crispy tater tots, and a couple slightly intimidated slices of rye toast.

Herself and I immediately asked for boxes, and put away at least half of each of our meals.  NO WAY we were going to finish that much food in one sitting!

Our friend,  who is both dieting and obviously has much more sense than us, ordered an egg-white omelette with veggie internals.  The cheese came by accident, but she ate it anyway because she's a trooper.

Fireside Tavern, Strasburg, Pa.

Sometimes, a step up is required.  Like, when Herself has a birthday.  That's a good time to stretch out a bit and reach for something a little better. Perhaps, a little fancier.  

That would be how we ended up at The Fireside Tavern recently. (Check out their menu on-line, and their pricing.  We can recommend the braised beef (stunning), and the shepherds pie. Also the Garlic mussels are a real treat.  Avoid the 'Catfish Po-Boy' like it was death warmed over, unless you like a great heap of warm pickle relish between two slabs of bread with a sad mushy piece of fish in there someplace. C:I had the veggie sandwich that visit, and left it on my plate mostly uneaten. I think the thing that upset me the most at that visit was the blatant lack of caring by our waitress. Bad food can happen, bad service is virtually unforgivable. Although a redeeming note on that visit was the spinach artichoke dip, served in a bread bowl, it was WOW tasting, but pricey at $11.50.)

The Fireside is a favorite of ours, but not every day.  We reserve it more for special occasions, or when we head out with close friends and family.  Located on the east side of Strasburg on Historic Drive, the Fireside has been there for as long as I can recall.  Yet, we only 'discovered' it within the last year or so when we needed a nice place to take visiting family.

The Tavern is upscale, but also has a pretty nice bar to boast of as well.  Multiple dining rooms, with live fireplaces as their name suggests. Also outside dining as the season permits, on the deck out front under a huge spreading tree.

I'm not going to suggest that every meal at the Fireside is a sybaritic experience in hedonism.... but they usually do a pretty good job of getting it right.  Just once, for lunch, they served us both a true stinker of a meal, most of which was left uneaten, while a somewhat shocking lack of caring was shown by the wait staff.   On the other hand, every dinner we've had there has been memorable, with excellent service and superb food (our waitress this visit was Michelle, she was a joy!).

Speaking of superb food, lets get to this particular dining extravaganza.

Arriving in the late afternoon, we decided to eat outside.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and despite some parking lot noise, the deck outside is a relaxing and entrancing place to eat.   Upsides: Great setting, nice views, lovely breeze, nice shade.  Downsides: 

Occasional diesel pickups, and the occasional loud yuppy loudly talking about his loud job and loud travel and loud echo in his loud head.  Mostly, it's a nice experience eating on the Fireside deck. (He was decidedly more annoying than his 9 week old infant daughter. He definitely fussed louder!)

Their drink menu is decent, with a pretty darn good selection of microbrew beer as well.  I chose a solid Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, while herself had something foo-fooie involving fruit, bourbon, and lemonade (a blackberry Bulleit Bourbon Lemonade, it was very tasty and served in a "fishbowl" style glass. It was blackberries, muddled with mint and cardamon, with bourbon, ice, and topped with lemonade. An excellent blend of flavours! ).

For this meal, we shared dishes as we usually do.  Starters involved onion rings (straight up bar food) with a fair horseradish dipping sauce.... and Duck Meat Spring Rolls with a sweet chili sauce.  Yeah... I put Duck Spring Rolls in capital letters.  They deserved it.

The duck spring rolls were really very, very, good.  Tender and tasty duck, with crispy slivers of cabbage, carrot, red pepper, and maybe celery root (?). All wrapped in crispy fried wrappers.  The sweet chili sauce seemed house made perhaps (Most of their sauces are house made. That is a huge selling point to me, as sauces can make or break a dish.), and it was exceptionally good.  Maybe it was the added flavor of dining in the fresh air, but those spring rolls dipped in that sauce were remarkable (They were delicious. The duck meat inside was moist, and the combined flavour was great. If I had any complaint, it would be that they could have been wrapped tighter. When you bit into it, it had a tendency to fall apart).

We also shared a grilled romaine salad, drizzled with balsamic glaze and buttermilk dressing.  Chopped peanuts were sprinkled on, with sliced cherry tomatoes and warm crustinis.

To my taste, the grilled romaine was okay.  Not spectacular, but a decent workmanlike salad.  I'd have liked more of the buttermilk dressing on the side, as it seemed lost among the stronger flavors (In this we disagree; I found the salad to be a delight! The buttermilk dressing's creaminess cut the tart bite of the balsamic glaze, the peanuts added a nice nutty crunch, and the grill on the romaine was perfect).

For main, we tried one of the days specials; Grilled flatiron steak with Asian slaw and sweet chili mashed potatoes. 

Taken as individual components, each was really very good.  The steak, while more medium than the medium rare we ordered, was tender and had excellent flavor. I thought it might have been brined or marinated, but our waitress reported it was done simply with salt, pepper, and Montreal steak seasoning.  The slaw was colorful, crunchy, and added a nice dimension to the dish.  The mashers were smooth and tasty, and complimented the dish. (We fork wrestled a little over the mashed, they were out of this world. Creamy and rich! With a hint of spice.)

All that said..... I would not have plated it the way Fireside chose to.  There was a large pile of Asian slaw over both mashers and meat. While this leant both color and height, it effectively hid the star of the show, the flat iron steak.  Perhaps a little experimenting with plating options might be worthwhile?

Desert and coffee.......  was perfection.   

We ordered a slab of peanut butter pie to share, and thankfully only the one.  Honestly, I was so stuffed at that point, the plan was to leave birthday-girl with most of the pie, minus perhaps a spoonful.  The thought of this had Herself doing the 'Pie Dance' (Piiiieeee!) in her chair.  I'll let you work on the image in your head for a while. (It is a bit of butt wiggling with jazz hand thrown in for good measure, while singing the word "Pie!". It is a modern art, not to be appreciated by everyone. )

The peanut butter pie was smooooth, without even a hint of graininess. Creamy, rich, flavorful, and downright decadent. Chocolate graham cracker crust and sprinkled with chunks of Reeses peanut butter cups.  It was scary, scary good and the idea of not eating much was abandoned at first bite.

To be straight up with you... I growled and slid the pie over to my side of the table, daring Herself to snatch a bite of her own. (Let's be clear here, Himself ROLLED his eyes at my pie dance and desire for dessert, and then stole my pie! It was worthy of theft though as this was without a doubt the best peanut butter pie I have ever had.)  Eventually, I relented and shared. 

Somewhat (definitely) over-stuffed, a cup or two of respectably good restaurant coffee served in glass cups finished off the meal perfectly, while we sat back and enjoyed the sun going down on the Fireside Tavern deck.

Happy Birthday, Babe. (Thank-you, Love)

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly."

 ― M.F.K. Fisher

David & Steve's Fireside Tavern is awarded: 
4.25 out of 5 forks for flavor 
4.75 out of 5 forks for atmosphere
5.0 out of 5 forks for location
4.75 out of 5 forks for service
4.6875 forks overall!  

Total ticket, with tip:  $90
 

Bacon, egg, and cheese...... things.

What the heck are these things called.  We can't wander around asking for 'Those Bacon, Egg, and Cheese things'.

Yup, I saw these things on a Facebook post.  One of those 'Look how easy these delicious Bacon cups are and here's forty eleven thousand links to go with it' posts that people share.  I fell for it... because bacon.  Quit looking at me like that.  I'm weak, because bacon, and stuff.

Anyway, one Sunday morning I was kicking breakfast ideas over in my head, and this one surfaced. I had just enough of everything to make a tray of them, and the time.

Boiled down to basics, we are lining a muffin tin with bacon, and then pouring eggs into it. Bake in the oven, and there it is.  It's almost... sorta.... kinda... that easy.  Here's how *I* made them.

First, roast the bacon about 75% done. Not crispy, but cooked through at least.  Close to crispy.  Not-crispy enough so it can be bent and twisted, if that makes sense.

I do bacon like this on a baking rack over a sheet pan in the oven at 375 degrees.  The grease drops off mostly, and it's a controlled cooking with no splatter, mess, and almost never burned bacon.  Set the timer for about 20 minutes, and then check it a few times. When it's to your liking, pull it and just set the rack someplace to cool.  

If there are bacon thieves in the house.... post a guard.

Using a non-stick muffin tin (Large muffins, not the tiny ones), grease the cups.  I use butter, because life is better with butter.  And Bacon. And Cheese.  Lets face it... these things are about life being better.

Now we are going to make circles of bread to fit the bottom of the muffin tins.  I used both whole wheat, and potato bread.... basically just using up the dribs and drabs of several leftover loaves of bread.  The ones everyone leaves behind after the last sandwich or stack of toast... and it drives me nuts.  This a GREAT way to use up those few slices of bread, or sandwich rolls, or biscuits, or....

I used a small whiskey glass, with an open end a bit bigger than the bottom of the muffin tin.  Just press out circles of bread, one for each.

Into each muffin tin, coil a piece of bacon as a liner.  Now what I did was to take one slice and use it to measure how long it needed to be, and then cut all the cooked bacon to that length.

With the tins lined, press a bread round into the bottom and make sure it's pushed down all the way around.  This leaves more room for eggs and such.

On top of the bread round, I put about a tablespoon of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.   Here, I'm pretty sure I missed a bet.  It would have been the BEST time to add some spice or herbs, or maybe a teaspoon of salsa.   Next time...

I scrambled one egg at a time in a bowl, and poured each into one of the muffin tins on top of the bread and cheese.  Try not to over-fill it, as it's going to puff a bit as it bakes.

Once all have been assembled, kosher salt was sprinkled over all, and fresh black pepper ground on with a heavy hand.  That's it for assembly.

Slide the muffin tin sheet into the 375 degree oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.  When it 'Dings', slide it out and add a pinch more cheese on top of each one, now that the eggs are partly set.  Back in, and another 5 to 7 minutes on the timer (depending on your oven and how done you like your eggs),

Remove from the oven, and let cool to below 'Lava From Hell' temperatures.  Ring the breakfast bell and get out of the way before the hordes run you over.

Lessons learned for next time:  

• Do some as sunny side instead of scrambled.
• Add fresh herbs, and more spices. Garlic, Parsley, Fennel, etc.
• Try various cheeses. Maybe a set with cream cheese, maybe with Gouda.
• That bread component... there's room to play with that. Biscuit dough perhaps? 
• It doesn't HAVE to be bacon... I suppose.  How about ham?

Freezy Barn, at the Buck

Finishing up these dogs days of summer leads to me think about my favorite summer treat, ice cream! 

Okay... so I like ice cream year round. You really shouldn't be so judgmental. Geez! 

Anyway, before I was interrupted by your judgment, I was TRYING to tell you about a local place we've found. It's called the Freezy Barn, at 35 Friendly Drive in Quarryville (the Musser's Plaza, just down 222 past the Buck). They just celebrated their one year anniversary at this location.

**A quick disclaimer before I tell you about the Freezy Barn , I am impressed by the owner. She helped me catch Orochimaru (aka Skippy) (AKA:  The vicious little rat snake we now have as yet another pet) in a coffee cup.**

Walking into the Freezy Barn, initial impressions are of lightness and cleanliness. They advertise coffee, drinks, light fare, and ice cream. 

They have a huge cow mural on the wall, and the back wall is a real

photograph of trees that takes up the entire wall.  There's lots of natural wood accents.  It isn't my style, but it is very cute and fun (You have to go through the woods to get to the bathroom!). Along the right side wall there are little country gifts you can buy, and nature photography done by the owner. The photography is pretty amazing, she does some outstanding work

We have been there a few times now to get ice cream, and Ice Cream is what I want to talk about in this post, because Ice Cream. 

I understand one can't talk about ice cream in this end of Lancaster County without mentioning Pine View Dairy. P. V. D. has excellent ice cream and milk products, and before anyone gets up in arms, this post is not a knock on Pine View, it is just to share a viable, excellent 'other' option (that is open on Sundays!)

Sunday Sundaes... Nom Nom Nom. 

I can say the time we decided to review, I had the Cookie Monster ice cream. It is a shockingly blue concoction of super rich, creamy vanilla ice cream with crushed Oreo's and chocolate chip cookie dough in it, and it's very good. I had it with the chocolate chip cone, which I could have done without honestly. My own fault really, every time I get a pretzel cone or cookie cone I am dissatisfied, they always feel stale. In the future I will stick with waffle or sugar cones, because those are fresh and delicious. 

The servings are huge! The prices are fair, and the staff is so friendly (even the teenagers!) This will definitely become a  go-to place for me locally. I look forward to trying their homemade soups, baked goods, and paninis! 

Himself speaking:   The place is nice, cute, eclectic to a degree, and the ice cream is good.  The best ice cream in the county?  No, not really.  Is it good?  Oh... Very good.  Their chocolate is so much richer than PVD's, it's in it's own league.  The Cherry vanilla is a serious win as well.

My opinion, for what it's worth.... Freezy Barn is a cool little local ice cream place, with great people, and good ice cream.  We'll happily be back many times.

Freezy Barn is awarded: 
4.75 out of 5 spoons for flavor 
4.00 out of 5 spoons for atmosphere
4.00 out of 5 spoons for location
4.5 out of 5 spoons for service (the lady helped me catch a snake, for Pete's sake!)
4.3125 spoons overall!  
 

Commonwealth on Queen, Part II

Yeah, we went back to Commonwealth on Queen in downtown Lancaster.   It's a story regarding how we ended up there, but we'll just leave that to the dustbin of history.  Better that way. We were supposed to go to Rachel's Creperie, but himself hates the city, and driving around the city, and being near the city, and well you get the idea...

To recap:   This cafe kinda joint is at 301 N. Queen St., Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  They are open Monday through Friday, 8 til 4.  Saturday, 8 til 2:30.  Sunday, 9 til 2.

We stumbled in around 10am on Saturday morning, seeking a bite before heading out on a road trip to Mordor (aka New Jersey).  Herself expressed a wish to go back and try the eggs Benedict (which of COURSE she didn't have), and I was amenable. 

We were seated at the exact same table as last time... and this happens often, no matter where we go.  What is it about us that says 'Put Those People In The Special Place'? (It really does happen a lot. It is weird.)

To share, we ordered a sticky bun, as is almost traditional for us. We like to fence with forks over the plate, frightening the other diners and fighting over the last scraps.

Ha... well..... no fighting over this one. It was a might bit....well.... 'Cute' is the word I used.   'Tiny' might be an appropriate word.  Perfect for a small bite with a cup of coffee for breakfast before works perhaps.  Certainly not something to be split amongst several people. 


I should be clear... it tasted good.  The icing was simple but tasty, and the bun was nice.  A bit 'delicate' in flavor, but nice. It was good. I would have liked a pinch less cream cheese icing and a heavier cinnamon flavour, as it was advertised as a cinnamon bun, NOT a sticky bun.

As always, she can speak to her own food, thankyouverymuch.  I'll talk about the brekkie I had.

The menu listed a Chorizo sausage gravy over a cornbread biscuit. Add a poached egg or two for $.00.   That sounded.... good.

I have no problem saying something could be done better with a dish, a meal, or the restaurant itself.  On the other hand, I have no qualms waxing poetic when something is right. Especially when it's really damn right, like this Chorizo sausage gravy plate.

My first bite was a chunk of the sausage, speared with a fork and tasted with some trepidation.  I LIKE Chorizo, and could not bear the thought of it being mistreated.   The first thought.... where is the flavor?  That sausage has a serious, significant, and very in-your-face flavor, and the first bite didn't explode in my mouth as I expected.

I wondered... did they cheap out on the sausage?  Was it some off brand that's Chorizo in name only?  Something in a plastic pack hung in the grocery store next to the Kielbasi and 'smoked turkey sorta sausage like substances'?

The second bite involved sausage, the gravy, and a slice of the cornbread biscuit.  THERE was the flavor!  It had been transported to the gravy with tender loving care and skill.  Taken as a whole bite of the dish, and it's clear Commonwealth has managed to elevate sausage gravy to a whole new level.

The Cornbread biscuit is a perfect match for this gravy. It's flavorful in it's own right, and stands up perfectly to the wonderful savory Chorizo gravy.

The poached egg on top was correctly done, and in the right kind of pan too.  Not water logged or bland, but with it's white just firmed up and the yolk just barely left soft.  Sliced open on top of dish, it added a perfect richness to an already exceptional dish.

On top, just an added dash of spice and herb to blow it over the top. Smoked Paprika I believe, and it simply shoved this meal headlong over the flavor precipice. 

Yeah.... I liked this dish.  A lot.  An awful lot.  I WILL be having this again, and I WILL replicate it at home. Towards that end, an egg poaching pan has been added to the Amazon want list, right at the top. (I got two bites of this dish, one of sausage and one of biscuit, it was delicious. Himself always grumbles about how there is no "flavour" in most restaurants sausage gravy, he likes garlic and loads of black pepper. This dish really delivered that. I also want to recreate cornbread biscuits at home!)

In other news, the coffee is still meh.  Decent, nothing to wow over.  This time I had the plain basic 'drip' coffee, and uncovered something I just don't care for very much.  Yes, it's a bottomless cup of coffee.  Have as much as you care for.  As long as you don't mind leaving your breakfast and waiting in line for the coffee urn.

Maybe it's elitist of me, and maybe I lack patience.  I simply do not want to get up from my restaurant meal to go wait in line like cattle, in hopes there is cream in the server and coffee in the pot.  I want it brought my table, preferably in a carafe so I don't have to wait for my next cup at all.

In other news, did I mention just how good the Chorizo sausage gravy over the cornbread biscuit is?

I had an honest moment of deep sadness as I contemplated my empty plate,  deeply desiring another piece of biscuit or toast to gather the last precious drops of gravy.

I fought down the urge to lift my plate and lick it clean.

At this visit I had the Sunshine Daydream Rijuice and the Meadow Sandwich. I will talk about the juice in a moment. 

The sandwich is grilled wheat bread with avocado, egg, goat cheese, arugula and dressed with lemon oil. Let me start by saying I don't always LOVE eggs. The whites always have to be well done. If they are at all runny, they turn into a nope. 

What they did here was amazing! It seems like they cook a sheet pan of scrambled eggs, then cut rectangles out and grill them. It gives them a unique texture that works well in a sandwich. The arugula was peppery, the lemon oil bright, the avocado buttery, and the goat cheese creamy. I ooohed and aahed my whole way through the sandwich. It was really something special. 

Now about Rijuice; they are a local Lancaster County Cold Pressed juice company. I had the Sunshine Daydream, made with apple, lemon, and ginger juice. It was so good! 

Knowing I would be blogging about it, I did some research into the company. Juice is apparently a big deal to them. It is about $5.00 a bottle retail (Or $6, at Commonwealth). The company also offers whole juice cleanses. There may be a blog post about that in the future. I will be reaching out to them. 

So Commonwealth on Queen, this visit you get: 
4.75 out of 5 forks for flavor 
3.75 out of 5 forks for atmosphere (it was very loud, echoey acoustics in there,when they are busy!)
3.25 out of 5 forks for location (still in the city = poopy parking, but we got a good spot!)
4 out of 5 forks for service
3.9375 forks overall   

BBQ beans...... Do they get any better?

It's summer, and we like to entertain.  Friends and family on the patio for food and good times.  That means 'Outdoor' food.  Barbecue, grilled goodness, PIES,  long simmered pots of chili or beans, big bowls of salad, PIES, cornbread, pitchers of Sangria, and did I mention PIES?

Here I'd like to talk about a relatively easy recipe for spectacular BBQ beans.  Honestly, these are a meal to themselves.  Compared to canned baked beans, even 'doctored' beans, these are so much better it's almost scary.

I say easy, mostly because the bulk of it comes from cans.  Dried beans are cool, and can taste good, but man..... opening cans is easy.  Lazy people like me really appreciate easy.  It's also a great way to boost flavor profiles and variety without much fuss.  Being able to short-circuit much of the work by using canned products saved lot's of time, as is fitting for Summertime outdoor meals.  

Go ahead... tell your guests you slaved over these beans.  They'll never know.

This works best in a big cast iron dutch oven.  A classic bean pot would work as well, but avoid a thin skinned pot.  There's nothing wrong with doing it in a casserole dish in the oven either, although I find the dutch oven on a burner is best.

Yes, the cans pictured here are a partial ingredient list.  Yes, I can hear that concerned expression all the way through time and space.  Trust me here... this works.

The basics:
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 cans Pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can dark kidney beans
1 or 2 cans butter beans
1 large can of Bush's baked beans, any flavor
1 can tomato paste
1 large sweet onion
2 Jalapeno peppers
2 fat pork loin chops, plus 1 more to grind up
1/2 pound good bacon from the meat case.
1/4 pound butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup spicy mustard
1/2 large bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's hickory BBQ sauce
Spices and seasoning to taste:  Salt, pepper, chopped garlic, hot sauce.

Now, these beans are going to cook all day, real slow.  That means get them going in the morning right after making coffee.  Right AFTER coffee.... because priorities.

Start with that dutch oven on a burner, warming on low.  Toss in half a stick of butter.  Yes... HALF a STICK.  I said these are tasty, not healthy.  Save the other half a stick, as it will come in soon.

Dump all the cans of beans into a strainer, rinsing the cans to get all the beans out.  Run water over the beans as you gently stir them, getting all the canned-beanie-goo off.  Once they are rinsed, dump them in the dutch oven.

Now add the can of tomato paste and half a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory BBQ sauce.  Also add the can of Ro-Tel tomatoes without draining it.  (We want that wonderful tomato-chili juice).  Now dump in a quarter cup of brown sugar and a quarter cup of mustard (Your Choice!  I like spicy brown).  Just dump it all in there. Don't bother stirring.  That comes later.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, start your favorite mid-sized fry pan on medium high.  Any kind of fry pan will do, but if it's not cast iron, I don't want to know you.   Now dice a sweet onion into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks.   Drop that other half stick of butter into the pan, and as soon as it melts dump in the chopped onions.  Stir to spread, and then leave them the hell alone.

Alone!  Let them brown in peace!  Why does everyone insist on stirring the onions?  Just leave them the hell alone til they begin to brown a bit!  Use those minutes to wash some dishes or feed the cat or something.

Once the onions begin to brown, dump onions and butter into the pot of beans.  Save the pan, you'll need it.  While you are dumping things in here.... there's one more can to open.  That would be a large can of really good store bought baked beans.  Yeah.... I went there.  The thing is, there is flavor in that can we need.  Just do it, okay?  Trust me. Just close your eyes, and pour in that can of Bush's beautiful beaniness.

There is MEAT in these BBQ beans.  LOTS of meat.  I'll explain what I put in, and you do what you think is right.   We trust each other here, and I know you will do the right thing.  You will.... right?   Right?!

I like to use about half a pound of ground pork and bacon to begin with.  Just to *begin* with.  I grind it myself from pork loin and meat-case bacon, about 60/40 mixed.  Spin the food processor til it looks nicely ground up, and then move it to that fry pan I told you to keep handy.  Saute the ground pork/bacon mix till it's nicely browned, and then dump it all into the bean pot.

Take about 1/4 pound of that bacon, and fry it til almost crispy.  Do this on medium low heat, and the spatters will be kept to a minimum.  Me?   I roast mine in the oven... but that's another story.
After you pull the bacon and rest it on paper towels, put a couple nice fat pork loin chops into the pan and just let them go.  After ten minutes or so, when they have gone golden brown on the bottom, turn them and let them go another ten minutes on medium low. They should cook through, but still be juicy.  Not hockey pucks.... got that?  There's no coming back from hockey pucks.

When Pork loin and bacon have cooled, slice them into small chunks, no bigger than 1/2 inch.  Once again.... dump it all into the bean pot.

Now get yourself a couple Jalapeno peppers, and clean them,  Lose the seeds and ribs from the inside, and dice them small.  You know what happens next..... dump them into the pot.

At this time, go ahead and stir enough to distribute the tomato paste evenly.  add enough liquid to make the beans just a bit soupy, but not too much. The beans will simmer better all day with some liquid there, and we will deal with thickening them later.  As for what liquid, water works, although some decent Lager beer is better.

Everything in, we are going to lid the dutch oven and get on with our lives.  Leave it to simmer on low, giving it a gentle stir every hour or so.  We want to be gentle so the beans will retain their structure. Add liquid if you need to, but you probably won't.  Don't sweat it if it looks too soupy... we'll get to that later.

Along about lunch time, flavor adjustment happens.  By then, the beans have simmered long enough that a really good flavor meld is happening, and you can get a good taste for what's needed. I'll usually add kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper, both to taste.  Typically I'll also add some Crystal hot sauce, just a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a tablespoon of chopped garlic.  For Us-Uns, that's usually all that's needed.

About an hour before you expect to begin serving people, pull the lid off the pot.  Just let them simmer, and they will thicken nicely.  Avoid the urge to stir them, and simply let them be. One gentle fold before serving is enough.  They'll be tender, almost silky, in texture.

That's it.   It *sounds* like a lot of work, but it really isn't once you think about it.  This big 'ol pot of BBQ beans is worth every minute.  Your guests will be shocked how good these are!

Postscript from Herself: Do you love your partner? Do you want to spend loads of quality time with them? Then please use beans sparingly in your life. Let's not hurt each other... okay?

Post Postscript:    Ha!  This morning Herself bargained her making me breakfast, against me agreeing NOT to eat anymore beans today.  I call that a win.

RD's American Grill..... where kitschy meets tasty.

It really doesn't look like much on the outside. Just a country restaurant along the two lane highway.  I'm pretty sure I've been to this same restaurant in at least five states, each an individual expression of some persons desire to... well.... open a restaurant.

The thing is, RD's actually does it well.  The food is GOOD.

This place is on the southern end.  I'm talking past Tanglewood a mile or two.  That's way past Buck, and way, way past Willow Street.

By the way.... what the hell is with Willow Street?  Most towns name a street after the town.  Willow Street named the town after a.... a.... a street? (You complain about that, but disregard the fact that there is a town called The Buck?! Or is it just an area?)  (It's not 'THE Buck... it's just Buck. Sheesh.)

Forgive me.  I'm writing this while halfway through a large glass of bourbon, on an empty stomach.   Yeah, It's been THAT kind of week. (It was definitely a week, and have I mentioned how adorable you are when you get a lil bit tipsy?)

Anyway,  RD's is in the building which used to be occupied by Valley View restaurant, a place I ate at a few times over the years.  It was kind of Meh, and it's kind of okay it's gone now.    MORE-anyway: just follow 272 South out of Lancaster, and keep going for 15 minutes or so til your GPS says whoa.  That will be 1426 Lancaster Pike, Quarryville. (NO... I don't know why they call it Quarryville.  It's nowhere near Quarryville. It's just random craziness as far as I can tell).

 The interior is super kitschy.  As in: "Oh, that's cute... hang it in the restaurant".  Posters of baseball stadiums, license plates (lots), random signs, what have you.  The thing is, it all seems to work.  Mostly. 

They have a chalkboard by the entrance that has random quotes, it is cute. Usually very clean, although they currently seem to have some roof / vent leakage issues. The bathrooms are very cramped (no handicapped access) but are clean and serviceable. (The men's room is huge, and clean enough to eat in. They could put another table in there for private dining if they had too.  You only say the lady's room is small because you want to loiter in there and play with your phone for hours on end. So there.)

We usually hit up RD's for breakfast, and I'll say without reservation.... they serve one of the best no-nonsense down to earth country style breakfasts one can get in the Lancaster area.

There's nothing fancy, and no pretense.  I'll break this gently... The Foods Are Going To Touch Each Other On The Plate.   Nothing will be stacked artfully, and you can just plain forget the concept of 'garnish'.    Good Food meets plate, they put it on the table with a smile  (That one waitress we got this time, we have had her before and I always feel like she is fake. But she is very knowledgeable! The other one is very genuine though, and sadly I did not get server names this time).  If you want fine dining, this ain't it.  This is the kind pf place where the patrons wear t-shirts advertising their favorite dairy farm.

Who needs fancy garnish, when the food is really good?

This visit, Herself and I had breakfast... our favorite meal at this joint.

She had a breakfast Quesadilla, and I had The Southern Boy.    She can talk about hers, and I'll explain what made my breakfast mess so freaking good.  It's not pretty, but damn, is it good.  

Eggs as you wish, but I request sunny side which they do properly.  It also has a home made biscuit smothered in sausage gravy, and.... a slice of ham.  HAM I tell you... HAM.

Not any ham, but real Virginia Country Ham that RD has shipped in from Turner Ham in Virginia.  This ham is so good it turns Herself into the Hamburgler.  I no more than said "Would you like to..."  And her hand snaked out and forked up a big chunk of ham.   No, not hamburgler.  More like a hamasaurus, complete with snarling. (O.M.G. that ham is so good! They also explain when you order it is real Virginia ham, not like other hams... maybe they had someone complain once, that person was stupid. Like really stupid! This ham is ham nirvana!)

The sausage gravy is basically good, but needs seasoning, which is on the table anyway.  I personally like some garlic in my sausage gravy, but hey.... this place is feeding normal people.  On the other hand, the biscuit is a flat out winner.  Not too flaky, but flavorful and perfect to hold up to the heavy gravy.

The eggs?  What can I say?  They were eggs.  Cooked right, but just plain eggs.  On the other hand... how many places can't do a proper sunny-side to save their lives? That said, with my side order of Rye Toast I was able to suck up some yummy yolk and build myself an eggy sammich that went nicely with the rest of my hearty breakfast.

We know from experience that RD's does a really spectacular sticky bun.  Home made, sweet, sticky, tender... all the things that makes a good sticky bun so special.

This visit, however,  no sticky buns.  They had NO sticky buns.  I'm serious... NO sticky buns.  I was nearly to my feet and leaving when Herself calmed me down and talked my back from that edge. (But seriously, their sticky buns are house made and amazing, light and fluffy, not dense like some other places, and they grill it with butter. *sigh*)

The nice waitress suggested we get a cinnamon-sugar pancake to split, instead of the NOT AVAILABLE sticky bun.  We gave it a shot.

Honey Darlin... it was a very nice cinnamon-sugar pancake.  Not quite as good as I make at home, but really very nice.  What it was NOT was a replacement for a sticky bun!  Good try, and thanks, but....no.  The table syrup could use an upgrade too.  We favor dark amber pure maple at the house... try it. (REAL maple syrup makes a huge difference. It is easy to complain about the price, but you use less, so it lasts longer. And the flavor cannot be beat! So keep your brown flavored sugar water, thank you very much!)

Onto a very, very important topic.  Coffee.  COFFEE.  The Stuff Of Life. 

RD's serves a bloody good cup of coffee.   Their hook-up is Lamont Coffee out of West Chester, and it's locally roasted and blended.  Smooth, full flavored, sultry... it's everything that McDonalds coffee never, ever, is. (It is really good coffee and our waitress was very knowledgeable about where the coffee and ham came from, which was cool.)

For breakfast I had the breakfast quesadilla. Now that in theory does not sound exciting, BUT they manage to make it amazing! It is a four tortilla, grilled with eggs, shredded cheese, sausage and bacon. It is grilled in a touch of garlic butter, so it has a toasty crust. It is served with salsa that they make with fresh ingredients. The whole dish is so flavorful! I really want to try the Country Eggs Benedict though next time, it has that tasty Virginia Ham, and instead of Hollandaise it has Sausage Gravy!

We've tried the lunch BBQ at RD's as well.  For basic BBQ, it's pretty darn good.  Not flawless, But I'll happily eat it again and again. (It wasn't bad, I found it a little gamey. I also wish they had some squirt bottles of house made sauce) The pulled pork is juicy (No mean feat in itself) and the Beef Brisket is very tasty.  The Chicken leg is no slouch at all, and a couple would make for a fine meal by themselves.

If you go for the BBQ, a definite win is the Combo platter.  At least, til you find what you like.  The combo will feed two nicely, with the iceberg wedge salad to go along (Really good stuff, with Bleu Cheese and bacon!). (The fries, homemade chips, and beans are outstanding! I also loved the wedge salad. The teen had the fries with cheese sauce, and it was real cheese sauce, not the kind from a number 10 can.)  (Oh yeah... the BBQ Beans are GREAT!)

Not a bad price, for a very respectable breakfast:

The menu at RD's:

Overall I give this restaurant:
RD's Breakfast  
4.5 out of 5 forks for flavor
4 out of 5 forks for atmosphere 
4out of 5 forks for location
3.75 out of 5 forks for service
4.0625 forks overall 

RD's BBQ (Lunch)
3.5 for flavor
4 for atmosphere
4 for location
4 for service (better waitress this day, although she was slow on the beverage refills)
3.875 forks overall 

 
 

Healthy breakfast? Bah.....

Speaking as himself, here's what I think:  Breakfast is not *Meant* to be healthy.  It's meant to generate an interest in living, after being forced to get out of a nice, warm, comfy bed and face the world.

Yes, that's coffee's job too, but breakfast plays a big part as well.

Breakfast should be something that makes one go  "Hmm... I guess this was worth getting up for.  Gimme some more!"   Not a Martian protein shake full of sadness and sorrow, but something tasty and satisfying.  Twigs and rocks with almond nut juice dribbled over them do not a breakfast make.

Breakfast should be made of fat, and carbs, and meat, and more carbs, and more yummy things like that.

Breakfast should be.....
 

Pancakes and sausage
and biscuits with gravy

Toast that's been buttered
and bacon that's wavy

♫ These are a few of
  my faaavorite things! ♫

Poached eggs and ham steaks
and fried eggs so sunny

French toast and muffins
and hashbrowns so yummy

♫ These are a few of
  my faaavorite things! ♫

Scrapple that's tasty
and warm grits with ham

Sweet buns so sticky
and French toast with jam

When the dawn breaks..
When the clock rings..
When the sleep is gone..

♫ These are a few of
  my faaavorite things! ♫