Just.... do it!

What we see here are traditional Scottish Oat Cakes, that I just invented.  Yeah... I went there.

I believe we should practice the occasional culinary adventurism.  Not just in choosing a restaurant that's outside the 'usual places and cuisines', but in ones own kitchen.  Take chances!  Stare risk in the eye and chuckle at it! Go ahead and put the cinnamon in the BBQ sauce once!  Whats the worst that could happen?

Here's how it worked this morning.  I love the occasional bowl of real oatmeal.  I mean the Irish steel cut oats, simmered for 45 minutes with milk and sugar, stirred till creamy.  Not the stuff in the 'instant oatmeal' packet, but the real deal.   Oatmeal that generations of hard working people began their days with.  Long cooked creamy oats that Grandma got up at 4am, to have on the table at 5:30 OMG o'clock.

This isn't about the oatmeal though.... It's about what happened next.

There's almost always oatmeal left over, and by almost always I mean ALWAYS when I make it. Why, you may ask?  Because oatmeal is a culinary building brick. A healthy one, at that.

So there I was... staring at a pot with 'leftover' steel cut oatmeal, and nowhere else I needed to be. Also, I had no adult supervision (I slept in).  That's how things happen, and stories begin.

This is Himself and I. I am Spock. Any trouble we get into was brought on by him.

Nice creamy chewy chunky steel cut Irish oatmeal....... and it appeared in my mind that I was but a few steps away from having Traditional Scottish Oat Cakes!

Now, is there such a thing as Traditional Scottish Oat Cakes?  I am certain there is.  Is there any chance they resemble what I made this morning?  I am certain they don't.  Do I care?  I'm even more certain about that....

To a cup of still warm old fashioned oatmeal, I added an egg and a 1/4 cup of evaporated milk. Also a half teaspoon of salt, and a tablespoon of sugar.  Stirred till smooth, and then a cup of all purpose flour was added to the bowl.  Followed by a teaspoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of baking powder.  The whole mess was mixed till well combined.

A non-stick fry pan, heated to medium, and a pat of butter rubbed all over... mostly for flavor. Dropped by the spoonful in two increments, three cakes are cooked at a time.  Let them go till the bubbles on top are solid and numerous before flipping, so they are totally GBD (Golden Brown and Delicious).

Serve hot, with butter and a really good maple syrup.

Yeah..... so I made oatmeal pancakes.  SHUT UP!  They are 'Traditional Scottish Oat Cakes, damnit!

The real point is I took a culinary chance and tried something new-to-me.  I could have ended up with something suitable to the leftover pot we keep on the counter to feed our chickens.  On the other hand, I could have been rewarded with deliciousness on a plate.... which is exactly what happened.

Just do it!  Take that chance!  Step out of your comfort zone and push the boundaries a little. Who says beef stew can't be served on English muffins?  What law says steak can't be rubbed down with fresh ground coffee?  Go ahead and pour the tomato vinaigrette on the sticky rice! Where are the food police who will stop you?

Firepit Kitchen + Bar... where Fresh meets Fun! (Now closed)

The Firepit Kitchen + Bar, on Richland Drive in Lancaster, serves Greek and Mediterranean inspired fare. We stopped in on a Friday night at 5:30 after dropping the littlest spawn off with the ex. It was Myself, Himself, and the Teen. We were seated immediately, but they filled up quickly after we arrived. The place is decked out in impeccably clean modern decor with warm earth tone colors and metallics.

The menu is not huge. I've noticed that's a trend restaurants are leaning towards and it is one I agree with wholeheartedly. I would rather a restaurant have 20 things they do perfectly, than 50 things they do okay. Worse, when they pre-make food and keep it on hand for days, reheating it for service.  (Enough whining.... back to the restaurant.)

Our waitress was friendly. She took our drink orders and gave us time to review the menu. Himself got a Fat Tire Amber Ale and I got a house mixed drink (lemonade, raspberry schnapps, and vodka). It was tasty and not too sweet. (The Fat Tire is what it is.  A good solid Ale, crisp and tasty with a meal).

We perused the menu at our leisure, and finally settled on the The Firepit Spread ($8) for an appie, and The Village ($9) for a salad . The Teen got a Bacon BBQ Burger ($14). Himself: The Wild Mushroom Burger ($13). 

Then, there was me... let me preface this by saying I LOVE Greek food. I love Greek flavors... but have you ever looked at a menu and everything looks so good that you just blurt something out and have to go with it because otherwise you will feel dumb? Yeah so that was a thing that happened. 

I got the Pork Flatbread with Greek Fries. Yes, that is right. I ordered the LEAST Greek flavored thing on the damn menu, mostly because I am an idiot (Insert sigh here). But hey...I got the Greek Fries right? (Insert sad face emoticon here).

The appie was tasty. It came with plenty of fresh veggies and pita points to put the tapenade, baba ganoush, and hummus on. It was delicious and definitely house made (I bit into an olive pit in my tapenade. It made me cranky, but it was still delicious!) 

Then there was the salad! It was so FRESH! Lots of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, red onion, with a house made Greek Dressing. It was outstanding! It came with pita points to soak up all the delicious Greek dressing. The dressing was the perfect amount of tang and sweet, and herbs. I should have gotten the chicken kebabs and made that remarkable salad my main dish. Alas, I did not. 

My main course was a pork BBQ flatbread with broccoli slaw on it. It was.. okay. It needed more barbecue sauce. Tasted individually, the components were disappointing, but eaten as a whole the flavours melded well. Would I run back for that particular sandwich again? No. 

The house cut fries were perfect, though. They were crispy and well seasoned. The tzatziki sauce they were served with the fries was good too; very tangy and bright in flavour. 

The Teen said his burger was really good, and his bacon was prepared exactly to his taste. He would have liked more BBQ sauce on it as well. He too loved the fries and he also enjoyed the pita points with cucumbers (It was fun having him interact with our reviewing process). 

As for me (Himself), my burger was fair. It arrived a bit skewed on the plate, and needed some assembly to become burger-ish. Now, maybe that was cute plating... or maybe it all just slipped a bit.
The mushrooms, melted cheese, and sauce (garlic aioli) all complimented the burger decently.  It wasn't in the 'best burger' running, but still a good workmanlike offering (I tasted his burger, it was pretty darn good. I should know I am a burger connoisseur! )  As herself said, the fries were good. Hand cut, fresh from the fryer, but lacking in seasoning a bit to my taste.  Go figure.

The restaurant seems to be set up in 'areas'.  A small bar area, a dining room area, etc.  There are lot's of focal points to keep the ambiance from boring patrons, not the least of which is a big cooler stocked chock full of interesting beers.

Overall I give Firepit:
4.25 out of 5 forks for flavor
4.50 out of 5 forks for atmosphere
4.75 out of 5 forks for location
4.15 out of 5 forks for service
4.4125  forks overall

Spring House Brewery ...Yeah we don't have that here...

Linky:  Spring House Brewery, 209 Hazel Street Lancaster PA.

We made dinner reservations here for a party of four at 3pm. (Beating bad weather.... which didn't really happen anyway). 
Although they were fairly busy we were seated quickly. 

They are in a slightly shady neighborhood on the south side of Lancaster City.  (LOLOLOL.... slightly shady?  As we parked, there was gunfire from just across the street.  Where WE live, that just means someone is having fun target shooting.  Where Spring House is in Lancaster, it probably means a multiple drug gang assassination). 

The building is a beautiful reworked warehouse, and has charming antique lighting. You can see the shiny metal canisters in which they brew their beer. It's rustic but modern.  (I checked for bullet holes in the windows.  None to be found... THIS visit. I like the decor.  It's trying hard to be lots of things, but I like what it turned out to be.)

We were handed a menu that didn't quite match up with what they offered online, but this is not the most unusual thing that has ever happened to us at a restaurant (BULL.... it was nothing like the on-line menu. I really hope they get around to changing what's on their website, so other folks aren't as disappointed at that as I was). When our waitress handed it to us she did mention they had gotten a new head chef in the last 24 hours, and they were out of a couple things. The 'couple things' started out as mussels, chili, and chicken wings. We were a bit flummoxed, but decided to carry on. (They didn't have WINGS, for God's sake! We were in a brew pub on Saturday afternoon, and no wings.)

Drinks:  Herself and the other Herself both got flights of five beers, both duplicates.  Of the ones I tried, three were tasty, one was.... not drinkable, and the other was okay.  The five were She-monster, Lexicon, Satan's Bake Sale, Eggnog Stout, and Goofy Foot.

I went for the Oatmeal Stout, which was rich and tasty. Really, a very nice beer for a chilly afternoon.

She came out with our drinks (they are a brewery after all). A flight of beer is only $7.50, and they have some decent brews to try. At that point she also mentioned they were out of pork tacos, and  Cuban sandwiches. (%$#@.... No wings, and now no Cubans?  Why give us a menu when you start out saying you have none of the good stuff on it?)  Ouch! "Okay we have beer, let's carry on." 

We shared the cheese plate at $12, A cup of Tomato Bisque at $4 to share, and each got a House Burger for $14.  Our friends also got a burger, the cheese tray, and a big order of fries.

The cheese appie came on a cute slate/tray thing. It had 4 pieces of crostini, 4 big cubes of orange cheddar (No better than grocery store house brand) with some mustardy-ass mustard (thank you Chris for that description of a spicy brown horseradish mustard) (And a very tasty and tangy mustard it was. I saved some and used in on my burger), a little mound of goat cheese with picked onions, and a little mound of blue cheese with apricot jam. It wasn't... bad.  Right away, first thing, why be so parsimonious with the bleepin bread?  It's the cheapest thing on the tray, so why not give us enough to actually eat all the cheese with?

The cheddar was at best pedestrian, it was my least favorite part. There could have been more pickled onions. The whole cheese tray thing was serviceable. She's being fair, but generous. Of the three cheeses represented, two were decent and one was a rubbery cheese-like substance with sorta cheddar flavor. It was cheddar I wouldn't buy at the grocery store, and certainly didn't appreciate paying that much to see it being a third of the cheese board appetizer.  Of the other two, the bleu was pleasant, and the goat cheese was store bought forgettable. Yes, good cheese is very expensive.  On the other hand.... we paid good cheese prices for 'meh' cheese.  Color me unimpressed.

To be fair, We Two Fat Foodies are willing to drive hours hitting up specialty shops for meat and cheese to make a snack tray at home.  I get that not every restaurant can go that far.  I understand.  I also understand that a place trying real hard to be upscale and trendy needs to go that extra mile.  Meh just doesn't cut it.

The tomato bisque was a nightmare, it was grainy in texture and had too many dried herbs in it. It wasn't creamy or rich like I would expect a bisque to be. Personally, as we ordered the tomato bisque I was cataloging in my heads the ways this could have gone.  The best, made from scratch, with love, by someone who knows what they are doing.... yeah, that was a long shot.  The worst... from a can, and dolled up a bit with some fresh herbs, a bit of cream, and a dab of butter.... that was what I expected.  What we got was, I think, something someone tried to make good, but had no idea what a tomato bisque is.  It was like asking a vegan to cook you a perfect New York strip medium rare, and please make up a nice steak rub for it.  They might understand what you asked for theoretically, but when it comes to actual taste it's going to be disappointing.  I had a spoonful. It wasn't worth a second taste.

My burger was good. It was a decent sized, perfectly cooked, maybe a little under seasoned. It was on a nice grilled brioche bun, it had fried onions on it, and more of that orange cheddar. I added some of that mustardy-ass mustard.   Yeah, the burger was decent. They didn't screw with it trying to be special, and that's probably the best thing they could have done.  They nailed the 'medium' we asked for, and the onions helped.  Herself mentions the cheese above, but honestly?  I didn't notice it even had cheese on it.  The flavor was okay.  I added some of the mustardy-ass mustard, and got at least a tiny bit towards the Cuban I'd really wanted to eat.

The fries looked to be hand cut, and once-fried. A bit of what tasted like sea salt, and otherwise unmolested.  Decent fries. Nothing exciting, but a few steps above fast food.

In my opinion the place has potential, and we have agreed we tried them on what was obviously an off day. We'll give them another chance, and I only hope they can better impress us next time because frankly this visit was anti-climactic.

We are going to go back.  They get another chance.  Why?  Because they told us up front it was a new chef.  When I asked, they admitted it was his second day there.  Yeah, I was kinda cranked the entire menu was reduced to one side of a card, and they should have given us crayons to cross out all the stuff they didn't have on even that tiny menu.  Pretty much every single thing I was looking forward to eating, they didn't have .

They get another chance because we can understand a new chef stepping into a situation that may have been bad to begin with. It takes more than a day or two to get a good kitchen working at speed.   They get *one more chance*, after a few weeks, because we want to see if the chef can pull it together, or the place is going to fold in sadness and sorrow.

That, and the Oatmeal Stout was pretty damned good.  I'll go back just to have that again. 

Overall I give Spring House Brewery:
2.75 out of 5 forks for flavor
4.00 out of 5 forks for (internal) atmosphere
3.75 out of 5 forks for location (plenty of parking, and easy to get to, but we heard gunshots...sooo?!)
3.15 out of 5 forks for service (very attentive at the beginning then it got lax)
3.4125  forks overall, good enough to give them a 2nd shot, once the new chef settles in 

Bacon.... with a kink

Bacon.... has a special place in our hearts.  Like chocolate, coffee, whiskey, and beer.... it seems to strike a chord deep within our souls.   Perhaps it represents survival in the face of adversity. An energy rich food that stores well and blah blah blah.

Mostly, it just tastes really darn good.

Most of the time, we just cook up some bacon by whatever means we are used to, and then snarfle it all up.  Yeah... it makes it to the breakfast plate, or onto a sandwich, usually... but some of it always gets snatched up as 'testing' or 'delivery charge' or 'Because I'm the Dad' (or because I am cute!).

Sometimes, in advanced cases of Baconosity, we'll use bacon as a flavoring in some delicious dish. Crumbled into the mix for a great burger, perhaps.  Used in a creamy salad dressing, to disguise the fact we are eating food that food eats (vegetables honey, they are called vegetables). Something like that.

What we seldom do is change the bacon itself.  We don't treat it like any other meat, using spices, rubs, or marinades to help it's flavor explode.  Why should we?  Bacon is... bacon.  It IS flavor. That's it's nature.  It doesn't need help, and it's flavor is already explosive enough.

Yeah, about that..... I'm not one to let the bear sleep when there are so many perfectly good sticks laying around. (You sure do love to poke the bear!)

Towards that end, here's something I've been working on.  A rub for bacon.  Just like a rub for ribs, and serving the same purpose.  Flavor accentuation, and creating a memorable food experience.

The rub is fairly simple. 

• 2 Tablespoons of light brown sugar
• 1 Heaping teaspoon of Ancho Chili powder
• 1 Level teaspoon of Vic's Garlic Fix
• 1 Level teaspoon of Onion Obsession
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

The spices came from The Spice and Tea Exchange in Lancaster.  You don't HAVE to buy your spices there.... but you know you want to.

Mix well, and hand rub onto thick sliced bacon.   I chose slab bacon I sliced myself, and do the rub down in a big mixing bowl.  Just work the rub in till every slice is well coated.

To cook, this rubbed bacon requires baking on a rack. This keeps it from sticking or burning, and lets it crisp up oh-so beautifully.  30 minutes at 375 worked for this batch, but that can be varied to get your desired level of crispness. Unlike frying bacon in a pan, roasting on a rack gives you plenty of safe leeway before it all goes to crunchy burnt.

We like to let it cool before eating, so the brown sugar rub crisps up nicely.

Not only is it a favorite here, but the %$^$!#%^ parrot will fly across the house to steal every bit she can!

Barberet Pastry..

This is not a review, but just a heads up.

If you live within.... say..... 100 miles of Lancaster, and enjoy a well crafted French pastry, you might wish to visit Barberet at 26 East King Street.

Here's a few pictures to..... pique your interest:

A Walk Around the Block; a walking food tour of one block in Lancaster

It was a cold windy Saturday in December. 

Himself and I decided to head out to a friend's charity market thing. Already on the way, we found out... not only had she left, it closed in an hour! 

Refusing to give up, we decided to go on a walk and try some new places we had heard about in town. We parked near Central Market, which had closed a half hour earlier (Of course... sigh), and began our walk. (Herself fails to mention the near Arctic conditions, with blasting freezy winds and the occasional polar bear stalking us) First stop...

Super Bread Colombian Bakery 47 North Queen Street Lancaster. There we had an empanada each with the house made salsa, split a Coconut bun, and I had a cup of some of the strongest coffee I have ever had. The whole thing cost about $6.00?! It was wholesome,

homemade and delicious. The shop is small and clean. It is set up a little weird, and we caught them towards the end of their day, they closed at 5. The baked good selection was slim, but that coconut bun was outstanding. It was a soft glossy bun, with a creamy coconut filling swirled through. The empanada was piping hot with a crispy shell, the inside was a filling of meat and potatoes. The salsa was very fresh, and a perfect compliment. I was very impressed. We will definitely hit them up again, and maybe try some of the other offering they have.   

A goodly snack, or quick meal.  The place seems authentic, and the food sure tastes like it is.  It's not a fancy place even by small street shop standards, but the food is good and the folks there are nice. It's the kind of place I wouldn't have been shocked to find on anycorner, in PR.

Our next stop was the Tea and Spice Exchange that we blogged about last week. (We actually stopped in there again today.) It's a

great little locally owned shop! When we were in today they were drying orange peels for the citrus salt blend (And it smelled $#@!%#$ fantastic!)

After we warmed up there, we stopped by Cocina Mexicana for a taco or two, and a Mango soda. Another place we have reviewed, and enjoyed. This visit I had one of the daily special tacos (Chicken in a green chili sauce) and the Al Pastur (Pork and Pineapple), hands down my favorite taco here!

Finally we finished up at Sugar on Top, a small coffee and doughnut shop, for our sweet treat.This is a locally owned franchise, with the main office in Strasburg, PA. Here you can have a fully customized cake style doughnut. They have some that you can choose from pre-made, and you can get some from their recommended combination. They are honestly the best cake donuts I have ever had! 

They have vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet; Go for the chocolate! They also sell scrappies, donuts that didn't pass quality control (I like these.  Always willing to munch the underdog...lol). Those are pretty outrageously tasty too. The donuts we had this day were Maple Bacon on a vanilla cake doughnut, and a Chocolate Cannoli doughnut. The Maple Bacon doughnut was tasty. It's a vanilla doughnut they covered with maple icing and then dipped into a crock pot of crunchy bacon bits. The cannoli doughnut was a chocolate cake doughnut with

cannoli filling, a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips and a dusting of powdered sugar. They are rich, sweet, decadent, happiness in your mouth! The coffee here was good, nothing fancy, but a good hot cup of coffee.  We will keep going back!

To be clear on the doughnut thing.... Herself was the driver on that. I was there more for the hot coffee, and the getting out of the freezing wind, and the not being frozen solid on the street.

The doughnuts were nice, though.  

 

The Spice and Tea Exchange....a little spice of life.

Saturday afternoon, and we decided to head into town.  The *plan* was to go visit a craft show at Farm and Home, but half way in we realized it was closing up soon.  

Plan B was going to Market, for a basket of Noms to include Chorizo sausage and some cheeses.   We parked near the Market, and moments later were tugging on the locked door... as Market was closed.... and once again demonstrate our stupidity.   (Deep heartfelt sigh goes here).

That left us standing in an alley by Market, totally at loose ends, and nothing to do but enjoy the howling arctic winds that were so busily sucking the souls out of pedestrians like us.

As it happens, on the drive in Herself had identified several places she wanted to visit .  Mostly by wildly pointing and making OOK OOK sounds as we drove through town.   Given our situation, Herself pointed out it would be a good opportunity to take a walking nom-nom tour of said places.  So be it..... off we tromped, shivering and growling.  Well.... mostly she shivered and I growled.

All that leads to our finding something special as we trekked our trek.  Midway through the walking feast, we came upon The Spice and Tea Exchange at 20 West Orange street.  

Walking in the front door of the building (which used to be my bank), we were hit with a wall of scintillating scents.  Not ten steps into the store, we were also hit with a Very Perky young clerk (her name was Gianna, and she was adorable) who was quite willing to show us every facet of the store while burying us in a flurry of .... 'perkiness'. The attention was nice, yet we just wanted to look around and take it all in on our own, which YoungPerky (Gianna!)was kind enough to allow us to do.   On the other hand, I was left with the impression overwhelming help was just one voiced question away.

First, to the right as one walks in.... the Wall-O-Spice-Blends.  Each aptly named blend includes a big jar of the mix which a customer can open, breath in, and even taste a pinch of I assume.  Alongside each large urn, small jars of the mix, and one ounce bags as well.  The majority of the blends seem to run about $5 an ounce.  To put that into perspective, I think the one ounce bag of English Roast

Rub I bought will likely do two or three large roasts (which I'm deeply looking forward to!)  If I'm paying $20 for a hunk of meat, another $2 to give it outstanding flavor seems fair.

Moving on, there is the Wall-O-Salts, which is crammed with rare, unusual, and interestingly flavored salts.  Salt is such an important seasoning in our food, but so often gets left to only one or two types.  Table salt and kosher salt rule the roost, yet there are SO MANY other choices.  Not just herbed and spiced salts, which Spice and Tea Exchange has plenty of, but the more unusual varieties of natural salts out there.  Each has it's own addition to the plate.

Naming something as 'Salt' seems straightforward, and most folks are only aware of the iconic blue-box table salt, or more often the nameless salt shaker.  But.... it's just not like that.  Salt is a natural mineral, and it's flavor depends on it's source and environment.  Small 'impurities' change the flavor greatly.  It's a bit like calling that big thing in your back yard a 'tree'.  Yes, it's a tree.... but there are thousands of kinds of tree, and they can be wildly different.

Speaking for myself, I think there may be striking value in the idea of 'finishing salt'.  That little sprinkle of an unusual salt or salt mix that lends a final touch to the dish.  Towards that end, I'll be heading back to his shop to build myself a selection of salts to do exactly that.

Past the salt cellar and seller (See what I did there?),  we find exactly what we'd expect.... the Wall-O-Pepper.   There, a multitude of 'peppers' from around the world.  Not just the black pepper we all spent a lifetime buying pre-ground, flavor-reduced, and cheap-cheap.

Happy we were to see an entire row of various Paprika's, including a sweet Hungarian Paprika we were out of, and both of us relish.  I think the variations on that theme alone are worth creating dishes just to explore the spice.

Plain black pepper, or it's brother Tellicherry, are in attendance in abundance.  The difference between the pre-ground crap found in the grocery store, and pepper that's been freshly ground right over the plate..... that difference is like the spread between a busted down Chevy Cobalt and a perfectly maintained Rolls Royce.  Just plain black pepper, and it's variations, can utterly change a dish.  There are pre-loaded pepper grinders on the shelf in every grocery store, and they are not expensive.  One can also choose to buy their whole pepper at a shop like The Spice and Tea Exchange, and use their own grinder.  Whichever.... there is simply no excuse for using that flavorless pre-ground stuff anymore.  

Joining the peppery goodness on the back wall are all the bulk spices.  Un-ground, un-defiled, and whole for the most part.  Displaying maybe ten times more variety of spices than an average home might have on hand, the store has a fair selection of needful things. Not everything, but certainly enough to vastly expand the flavors most people encounter in their lives.

Between the whole spices and the next wall of goodly tastiness, we encountered the owners of the store, Mike and Judy Gitomer.   They graciously talked with us about the store and how they came to own it.  Along the way they shared their enthusiasm for what they are doing.

See..... The Spice and Tea Exchange is something of a rule-breaker for Herself and I, being the first chain store we've ever reviewed here.  It's a franchise operation, with locations around most of the country.  That said, Mike and Judy have made it their place in every way.  Yes, the displays, layout, and even the lighting are all probably part of the franchise specifications, but it's the people who make the shop come alive.  Only open a few months so far (they have been open since July. They both work other jobs, but have really found a passion in this!), these folks are already making their mark.  The store was Busy while we were there.

Lancaster needs a shop like this, where people with an interest can satisfy and expand their palate.   Yes, the last time I looked there is a spice and tea shop in Market.  That said.... Market is open only a couple days a week, for limited times, and gets a might bit crowded for our taste.  To counter that, Spice and Tea exchange is open 7 days a week, with a nice spread of hours that allow real working human type people to get there.

We were in town on *our* schedule.  The Spice and Tea Exchange was open.  Market was closed.  SoSadTooBad Market.... you lose.

Back to the walls of interesting things at the store, we completed the circumnavigation with a short wall of flavored sugars (I will be getting some of those sugars, to make and bake with!), and a Big Wall of Teas.  Lot's of teas. Many, many, lots of teas. All's the teas.   With myself not being a heavy tea drinker, being happy with the occasional pot of Black English Breakfast brewed in my percolator, the selection here was impressive.  Flavored and herbed teas seemed to be the best part of them, but my eyes lighted on some old favorites as well. Another visit, and I'll try a nice Ruby Oolong perhaps.

Rather intelligently, I think, the proprietors sell quite nice small tins for storing spices.  Just the right size for an ounce or two of spice mix, with a clear insert in the lid so one may see what's inside.  The clear plastic insert takes writing from a sharpie well so it can be labeled.  These tins sell for a just few dollars, being a reasonable counterbalance to the premium prices the spices bring.

Also rather intelligent of them, and I suspect the franchise company has a hand in this, they maintain a rack of free recipes cards on hand.  Full color, professionally done, and designed to highlight the spices the store sells.  While we were there, they had several of these recipes done up and available for tasting.  I very pointedly refused to taste the bourbon glazed pecans.... as I know a drug dealers trick when I see it.  "Psstt..... Hey Buddy!   Ya wanna try a free taste of this amazing stuff?" (Ermagherd! They were soo good. They were Bourbon Bacon Glazed Pecans. I could have eaten the whole bowl.)

Take one each of the  free fancy recipe cards, put them in an album, and they'd make a fair cook book.  For free.  Yeah... sure..... free.  All you need are $ome of the $pices to complete each dish.

I'm a fan of flavor.  Sometimes the dish is about the ingredient, like a grilled steak.  Using seasoning on a grilled steak is done to accent the steakiness of the steak.  It all starts with a really good steak.  On the other hand, sometimes the dish is more about the seasoning and spice.  Chili is a good example.  Yes, the ingredients need to be good and handled correctly, but they are there to uphold and display the spices involved.   

See the difference?  An unseasoned steak can still be a great steak with lots of steak flavor.  An un-spiced Chili..... well..... it just ain't Chili.

Life is like that.   Sometimes, it's all about the spice.

Mike & Judy GitomerMik  

Mike & Judy Gitomer

Ciro's Italian Bistro; They aren't afraid of flavor!

So... at the last possible minute, Himself and I changed dinner plans. It was 5pm on Saturday evening. We were supposed to go see a friends band play and grab a late dinner... and review a new restaurant. He decided he didn't want to go to the original place, and instead wanted to try a restaurant his eldest man-child recommended.  

Ciro's Italian Bistro, 605 Richmond Square (Off Fruitville Pike above Lancaster). They advertise as family owned, Authentic Italian food with heart. Everything is made in house, and 'Mama' makes a limited variety of homemade desserts each day. They also make Gelato in house.

We found the restaurant easily. They are located in one of those cute "old-fashioned" style planned communities that have become popular locally, with businesses on the bottom and apartments on the upper floors.

We got to the restaurant at 6pm on the nose and the place was noisy, bustling, and busy. Fortunately, there was no line. There was, however, a small kerfluffle at the greeters station when we first arrived. An older (but not quite elderly) woman was shrieking at the greeters that she "Could not sit where they had seated her because there were wretched children making sounds at the table behind her and she has sat there before and knows how dreadful that spot is and they have to fix her seat, NOW, NOW, NOW."  It was a disturbing and unbecoming scene for sure. I was concerned it would set the tone for our meal, but I'm pleased to report it did not. Frankly I hoped they sat the unpleasant woman outside, so other diners did not have to listen to her shrill voice. It was far worse than a family with kids would have been! 

The slightly embarrassed hostess offered us a seat at the bar or at the bistro table closest to the door. We chose the table by the door instead of the bar and we were seated almost immediately. (Given their wait list for reservations was 3 hours in, I was happy). There were two disadvantages to where we sat. 1) They do not have a waiting area, so as they got busier and the wait list grew, people were basically milling around our table while we were trying to  eat. 2) I HATE high top bistro stools. I max out at 5 foot 3 inches (Maybe ( I might have been being generous!).  Herself is a short bit of cuteness). I sit on those things and my legs dangle. This particular one had no mid-height foot rest, so my legs just dangled the entire meal. By the end of the meal, my feet were asleep and my butt hurt. ( Cute butt that it is).

Himself here.  One thing I really like to see is an open air kitchen,

where diners can see the food being prepared.  I know some folks want that to be out of sight, but I'm fascinated to watch a well run commercial kitchen in operation.  A place that can maintain the cleanliness and professionalism to pull that off is already WAY ahead of the game in my view.   Ciro's not only has the kitchen, but the pizza prep/oven area and bar right out there for the world to see.  My respect for that.

We were almost immediately greeted by our waiter, Robert. He was quite friendly and got our drink and appetizer order and left us with the menus to peruse. For drinks, Himself had the Sam Adam's Winter Lager on tap ($5.00), and I had an unsweetened ice tea ($2.25). For an appetizer we ordered the Antipasto Rustica ($11). It was a delicious blend of prosciutto, sharp provolone, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and an olive blend (with spicy cornichon pickles). It was pretty amazing. We were also served warm herbed bread with olive oil for dipping. 

On the subject of drinks.... they serve city water, with lemon to hide the chemicals.  Blech.  I asked him to just take mine away.

A good antipasto is an open canvas for a chef.  Wide open for wonderful tastes, or crashing failure.  Ciro's chef managed to put some excellent flavors on the plate, and keep it tightly pulled

Antipasto Rustico

together in a way that made sense.  The flavor range was wide enough to challenge the palate, and incite interest in the meal to come.  Exactly what an Appy should do.

Herself took great pleasure in arranging the treasures in various ways assured to assault her taste buds.  A bit of toasted bread, a sliver of Prosciutto, several bits of artichoke, a bit of red pepper....   pile it on and drool. 

When Robert came back to get our order, we asked for the Grilled Romaine and Prosciutto Salad ($11)  to share, and a dish of Beef Tips Gorgonzola with Penne ($24 We thought, and this is where it got strange, and we are stupid).  See.... here is where our idiocy comes to sit with us at the table. We saw at the top of the menu that you could order meals "family style" So we, as a team, decided to do that and share the dish. So I say to Robert, "We would like the Beef Tips Gorgonzola, family style for 2 with two plates, so we can share it."  I apparently sounded very confident because darling Robert never questioned my sanity. We will get back to this. (The man never even cracked a smirk... dammit....).

Half the salad, as we shared.

We enjoyed our salad. It's essentially a wedge salad with a twist. Grilled romaine with chopped (and sauteed) thick prosciutto chunks slathered on top, with a lemon Gorgonzola vinaigrette. Very tasty! With grilled chicken it could easily have been a meal, but we were smart (ish) and shared the salad sans chicken.  A point.... the salad dishes were chilled.  Nice touch... nice touch indeed.

Robert brought to the table a dish of (Fresh grated... and large) parmigiano-reggiano cheese. I'm excited, because I think thats a very generous gesture. He must have gotten the "Carolyn likes cheese memo." 

Robert brings out our entree, with a straight face. It is an enormous tureen, a trough if you will, of pasta and beef tips in a Gorgonzola demi sauce. It had roasted red peppers, sauteed onions, and mushrooms in it. 

Rich and flavorful, and enough to feed FOUR TO SIX PEOPLE with healthy sized portions. It came in at $72! Apparently in this instance "family-style" doesn't just mean plated so you can share. It means enough to feed a family. We are idiots and brought home two full containers of leftovers. We did ask Robert how much is in a regular sized serving, and he said about half 1/3 of what we got. So the "regular" portion sizes are fair.

When Robert carefully levered this huge pile of tasty steak and pasta onto our little table, I actually asked him how he managed to do that with a straight face.   There was honestly enough food for four people to feast, and six to make a decent meal.  Try as we did, we barely put a dent into it.

The steak was nicely done, to medium.  The pasta was done with a deft hand, and nicely al dente. Red peppers and mushroom rounded out the plate, but the sauce is what made it.  Gorgonzola cheese left it very, very rich.    The kind of sauce one likes to clean up with leftover bread..... if there was belly room left.

After the main, I perused the dessert display case, and chose mint chocolate chip gelato for myself, and Art had a cannoli. The cannoli was delicious (I snagged a bite!). The shell was perfect and fresh. The cream filling creamy and rich. My gelato was very tasty as well, a nice refreshing mint flavour. All of these items are made in house, and that is very impressive to me.

An expensive mistake, ordering 'family style', but all-in-all a fantastic meal at a restaurant that will become a go to for us.

Overall I give Ciro's Italian Bistro:
4.85 out of 5 forks for flavor
4 out of 5 forks for atmosphere
5 out of 5 forks for location (plenty of parking, and easy to get to!)
4.95 out of 5 forks for service 
4.7 forks overall 

Cocina Mexicana (TACO TACO TACO!)

"Seriously Dad... this place has the best tacos in Lancaster!"
"Okay, sounds good.  Where is it?"
"It's at mumble mumble near Prince and mumble"
"We'll give it a try..."

Seriously, my #1 son.... you were just trying to keep it for yourself, weren't you? (Super greedy, my dino loving friend. Super greedy.)

We finally just googled Cocina Mexicana, and made plans to stop there on a Friday after work. It's NOT at mumble mumble Prince and mumble, but in reality resides at 47 North Prince.  Near the Fulton but on the opposite side.  Yes, there are many, many interesting dining choices within a block or so, and this joint fits right in.  Excellent food, great service, and friendly atmosphere.

We got there around 5:30, having parked a few blocks away to enjoy the walk. Normally cities, any cities, make my hackles rise.  Too many rats in too small a maze.  That said, walking Prince Street in the Yippy section on a Friday evening feels safe and comfortable.  Sure, there's lots of rats out and about, but they are friendly and fun loving rats. (I don't mind walking around the city, if I am on my way to a destination. I am just not a city dweller by nature. I like woods and quiet, and less crime)

#1 son held forth on the food, how nice the owners family is, and etc blah blah.  My brain shut off after the word TACO began echoing around in it.  Having grown up thinking Taco Hell is what Mexican food was all about, it came as a shock later in life when I was introduced to the honest Mexican cuisine.  It was love at first bite.  Tacos may not be the epitome of that cuisine, but I'll damn well go out of my way to find a decent one... or a decent five maybe. (One of the girls I went to university with was from Mexico and I learned that I love well done, REAL Mexican food. A lot.)

Yeah, Cocina Mexicana has this covered.   Hell yeah..... that's some good tacos right there.  And everything else too, mostly.  For a tiny hole in the wall shop, they put out some awesomely good food.  I remain convinced that somebody's Grandma is in the back, cooking up a storm.  Only Grandmas and 5-star chefs cook that good. (Also they do amazingly well on their Restaurant Inspections! A huge plus in my book!)

We got there early, and had choice of tables.  That turned out to be a good thing.  Right about the point when I posted "Why isn't this place packed?" on Facebook, the deluge hit.  Every table was full within minutes.  Perhaps there is some hipster dinner bell that I've never heard.  It stayed full til we left, and we didn't dawdle as we knew the table was valuable space to a small place when they get busy.

Starters:  We ordered the Guacamole ($6.25, they run a market price so this could vary), and Chalupas Poblanos ($5.25).   The Guac needs no introduction, except that this was really quite good.  Herself is a Guac eating machine, while I barely enjoy a bit now and then.  The Guac from Cocina Mexicana..... yeah, I can eat that.  It comes with fresh warm tortilla chips, and many a chip died in battle as we struggled over that bowl.  In the end, I conceded the battlefield to herself, and ate my Chalupas.

Not that I got the dirt end of the stick.  The Chalupas Poblanos were tasty, and I thought I could happily make a meal out of them.  Especially as they made a superb platform for trying the three bottles of sauce brought to our table.  A mild hot sauce, a medium green chili sauce, and a 'hot' sauce.  All three were good, with nice flavor.  The mildest one being my favorite, but even the hottest one had good flavor and moderate heat. (They were "okay" I didn't love them, and was nervous that this is what the whole meal would be. I found them not super flavorful.)

Look.... if you are hunting a fancy dinner, try El Serrano (and that's a different review).  Cocina Mexicana is not fancy.  It's exceptional food, with just enough decor and color to let you know what to expect.   Yes, the sauce comes in plastic squeeze bottles.... and that is PERFECT for what this place is.

For mains, we ordered Tacos.  Before you ask, yes, there is a taco song running in my head.  It goes:  "Taco taco TACO!  Taco taco TACO!".    Don't judge me.  It's been a weird life. (Yes he sings this little ditty aloud, and frequently.)

I ordered a Chorizo taco ($2.50) and a Lengua (beef tongue) taco (also $2.50).  Herself can tell you about her own tacos herself.

On both of mine, I asked for sour cream and Pico De Gallo.  The pico was super fresh and memorable.  I'd happily bring home a bucket of it and put it on everything, except maybe ice cream.

Of my two tacos, the beef tongue was a clear winner to my palate.  Not to cast shadows on the Chorizo, as it had a true Chorizo flavor and made for a great taco.  It wasn't that fake Chorizo found in the grocery aisle next to the mystery meat 'Kielbasa', but a decent Mexican sausage and full of flavor.

The Lengua was my first foray into beef tongue territory, but won't be my last.  It was tender, flavorful, and turned a good taco into a great taco.  Drizzled with a bit of mild sauce, it exploded on my palate and left me wanting more.

So I had the Al Pastor (pork and pineapple) 2.50 and the Arabes (Pork with Cilantro Sauce) 3.25, I added cheese and sour cream to both.Holy crap, they were so flavourful and delicious! The pork and pineapple was just the right amount of sweet with spicy! And the pork with cilantro was mouth magic. Yummy!

After all this, we barely had room for afters.  Still, we felt it our duty to our readers to make the effort. Yeah..... that's it.... our duty. That's the story we are going with.

Actually, Herself saw Flan on the menu, and not even the hounds of hell could have kept her from ordering it.  I was happy to ask for Sopapillas as a sweet treat.

Her Flan, which we shared, was tasty. Smooth and creamy, with caramel undertones. (It was not homemade I suspect, not as creamy as I like in my flan. I gladly shared it with himself, to make it go away)  My Sopapillas.... meh.  They were the warm/fresh tortilla chips with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of honey.  Enjoyable, but not the puffy fried dough version I was expecting. (I was a little bummed that they were not the puffy fried dough I was expecting, but they were still tasty. I would get those again before the sad flan!)

So.... how good was the meal?  How about 'I have a new favorite place for Mexican food' good?  Their menu is far more extensive than just simple tacos.   I can see us returning often, and dropping the starters/afters in favor of various mains to share.... as we eat tacos, of course.  We will be going early though, as it gets real crowded, real quick.  Watch for us at the corner table, chortling with glee as we chow down. (I will definitely eat there again, gladly. I look forward to trying the meals, on top of more tacos.)

Post Script:   We decided to get four more tacos to go, expecting the ride home to settle our meal a bit and make more room. You would have too.... you know you would have. (The tacos do not travel well, the fresh tortillas don't hold up great to travel and get kind of soggy. )

On a side note, this is a VERY affordable place, if you do not get a million extra things. You could walk out having spent $10-15 and have a happy full belly!

Overall I give Cocina Mexicana restaurant:
4.25 out of 5 forks for flavor
3.75 out of 5 forks for atmosphere
3 out of 5 forks for location (city = poopy parking, although if the Fulton is not having a show, you can park in the lot right next door!)
4.75 out of 5 forks for service
3.9375 forks overall