They say it is hard to get a good pizza in Pennsylvania. As for me, it has been difficult to get good coffee! Diners aside, which put out competent coffee similar to what I can get here in New Jersey, the Keystone State’s cafe scene seems to be a bit lacking. Justin and I were…
Author: Greg Caggiano
Restaurant Review: Huck’s Tavern (Lancaster, PA)
I have reviewed Huck’s Tavern once before. It was a culmination review based on many visits with my parents that included mainly stops for drinks and snacks, and one actual meal. I have always enjoyed my experiences in the bar/restaurant inside the Fulton Steamboat Inn. It is still my favorite hotel to stay at in…
Travel PA 2019 Part 2: The Old Candle Barn
One of our first stops after getting breakfast at Dienner’s when we arrived and satisfying my urge for Pennsylvania Dutch scrapple that I cannot get back home was the Old Candle Barn in Intercourse. I had been here many times as a child. Our house was decorated in country at one point. I remember trying…
Restaurant Review: Vic’s Wayside Inn (Ronks, PA)
For years, I drove past Vic’s Wayside Inn thinking that from the outside it looked like a stereotypical locals only bar where everyone would turn around and look at you when walking in. Maybe even the music would stop too. As Justin and I entered, I still thought that would be the case. But I…
Travel PA 2019 Part 1: Finally Exploring Lancaster City
With a couple of restaurant reviews from this recent trip already up, I wanted to tackle Lancaster City. As I have said, I’ve spent my entire life visiting Lancaster (since I was in the womb). When I went with my parents, we always stayed in the country and hardly ever ventured into the city. I…
Restaurant Review: Himalayan Curry and Grill (Lancaster, PA)
I once read somewhere that New Jersey is second only to India and its surrounding area in terms of where you can actually get quality Indian food. After a few experiences I have had in Pennsylvania, I started to believe that was true…until now. Justin and I wanted to explore Lancaster City. Even though I…
Restaurant Review: Revere Tavern (Paradise, PA)
I’ve been to the historic Revere Tavern many times over the years dating back to when I was a child. However, I had been there only once since I started food blogging, and my review of it was based on a holiday buffet a few years ago. While the food was excellent, such a review…
Restaurants We Miss: Zinn’s Diner (Denver, PA)
This morning, I was looking through some old Lancaster County travel brochures I collected as a child. I’ll be leaving for a three-day trip there tomorrow. Most of them were from the early 2000’s. I then discovered I had a brochure from Zinn’s Diner, marked 2002. This place closed the next year after a 53…
Takeout Joints Vol. 10: Chinese/Asian Part 4
We wanted to make an attempt to celebrate Chinese New Year this week, and what better way to ring it in than with Americanized, MSG-laced takeout? My normal go-to, especially since I moved, has been Number One Chinese in Hazlet. However, our last order there encountered a small problem: there was a piece of metal…
This is What’s Going on at Hazlet’s Former Park Tap and Grill
While it will forever be known as the location occupied by Park East, a lively bar and grill overshadowed by rowdy crowds and numerous police incidents, Hazlet has seen a slew of restaurants come and go at the intersection of Keyport-Holmdel Road and Route 35. Having lived literally up the street for 23 years, I…
Lidl IS Worth It
I cannot think of a more perfect business to have been built in the ashes of that dreadful Red Oak Diner. Despite months of protests and multiple appearances from a gigantic inflatable rat, consumers pour into Lidl, Hazlet’s new supermarket, in droves. As a mild fan of Aldi and regular disgruntled shopper at Shop Rite,…
Gabriella’s Italian Steakhouse Coming to Middletown
Spring is a time for renewal, and the same can be said about restaurants. This cold winter, we have already seen the coming and going of several. Some are chains, others are small businesses. This spring, there appears to be a wave of even more new restaurants arriving to our area of Monmouth County. The…
