Tag: food

Traveling Again

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

Sometimes timing can work out, so I took the opportunity to travel again for a few days up to Long Island. On the drive up, I was looking at the trees that were to my right. There were some nice shades of green, a couple of yellows and oranges, but reds and browns were sparse. It was still nice to see the scenery of the drive.

I made a stop at the Grover Cleveland Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike. I decided to order something that I’ve had a few times at this stop, the Gobbler Sandwich. This was purchased at reFresh & Co. The sandwich has gridlled bread, gridlled turkey, stuffing, gravy, and a cranberry aioli. The standouts of this sandwich are the stuffing and gravy. The bread is gridlled, which is the only thing I’m not enthusiastic about. Heating the bread on a griddle makes it greasier than if it were toasted. The bread is thinly sliced, so the butter that was put on the griddle makes the bread a bit soggy. The flavor is good, but the texture was not of my liking. I’ll still get the sandwich again, because the overall flavor is really good.

When I was on Long Island, I was able to get a couple of good meals. I had a gyro from Greek Cove in East Norwich. This has very large portions, so I was able to share about half of the gyro meat and still had a huge sandwich. The pita bread and tzatziki are both really good. The red onions have a nice crispness to them and add good flavor. The seasoning on the gyro also added to the traditional flavors. There are two good Greek places nearby – this one and It’s Greek To Me in Syosset. They both bring back fond memories of living in Greece when I was younger.

I also had the opportunity to go to La Bonne Boulangerie again, but I’ll write a separate post about that. I also had a slice of white pizza and a pepperoni pinwheel from Mario’s in Oyster Bay. The white pizza has a nice combination of flavors with the Romano, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.

When I drove back down from Long Island, I was able to look at the trees on my right (opposite side of when I drove up). There was more color on this side. There were the multiple shades of green, yellows, orange, some yellowish-orange, some vibrant browns and some dashes of red. If I wasn’t driving on the Turnpike, I would have stopped to take some pictures. Very nice scenery. My playlist was going, so I had some good music as well. I was very happy when “Sir Duke” started playing. Good sing along music, as well as the dancing while driving which was probably a sad spectacle to see.

There were a couple of stops on the way down. I stopped at the Thomas Edison Travel Plaza and got a brownie bite from Pret a Manger again. Still as good as ever. I also stopped at Chesapeake House in Maryland. I once again went to Earl of Sandwich. I asked about the Holiday Sandwich, but they don’t have that one yet. They let me know it will come the end of October or early November and will be there through the beginning of the year. I’ll have some opportunities to get it, so I’m not worried. I was going to ask for the Original 1762, but the words that came out of my mouth were The Full Montagu. I probably ordered it since I got the Original the last time. I’ve had The Full Montagu before, so I know it’s good. Roast beef, turkey, swiss, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mustard sauce. The sandwich was still good. The roast beef was easy to bite through and the combination of flavors with the turkey and the cheeses were perfect. The bread had a nice flavor, texture and bite through. The mustard sauce brings it all together. I kept the tomatoes in for the picture, but took some of them out while eating (not always my thing).

I still consider myself fortunate to be able to travel and to eat at all these places. Some of these places are repeats – but that’s just because they are good. I’m also grateful that I’m able to visit with and spend time with my family. It helps bring out the positives.

French Toast Crepes – French Twist Cafe

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment
French Toast Crepe

I happened to notice that the specialty crepe at French Twist Cafe was the French Toast Crepe. I’ve had this before and enjoyed it, so I wanted to have it again while it was still available. It was delicious, as was the pumpkin frappe that I ordered.

The French Twist Cafe has a small shop on the first floor, and you are able to watch as the employees make your coffee drinks or your crepes. The crepe making process is always fun to watch, but today it was even better.

I enjoy when someone is very structured in their processes, whether it’s putting items on a shelf, doing a training, making food, or anything else. The person making the crepe was very structured and focused on their job, which I enjoyed watching. There is a poetry to the way the food was made, and it was a captivating poem to watch.

They started out be putting the batter on the crepe griddle and using the batter spreader for even distribution. Once this was done, they waited until the bottom was a nice brown and then they flipped the crepe over.

Next, they cracked two eggs on top of the crepe. They then started lightly spreading the eggs all around. The best way for me to describe this is as a light scramble. Not to get the eggs fluffed, but to combine the yolk and whites to add a nice layer on top of the crepe. Once this was complete, the cinnamon sugar mixture was swirled on top of the eggs. A swirl of maple syrup was next, but before that, the employee made a slight adjustment to make sure everything looked good. This is something that is going to be on the inside of the crepe and not visible to the person eating the food, but it’s something that makes me really appreciate how much someone truly enjoys what they are doing. To me, it is artistic to consider the aesthetics of something being done in the middle of the process, even if it won’t be seen or viewed in the final product. It’s an attention to detail during the creation of the food that makes me appreciate it even more. Once the swirl of maple syrup was put on, the crepe was folded in half.

After about 10 seconds (just my guess), the crepe was ready to be folded into thirds. Powdered sugar went on top, then a maple syrup drizzle, followed up with three dollops of whipped cream on the side. It was a beautiful piece of work, which I hope you can see in my first photo. But more importantly, the crepe was delicious. The combination of the eggs, cinnamon sugar, and maple syrup truly gave this a French toast flavor to the tastebuds. And adding in just a little bit of whipped cream on some of the bites gave it a tinge more sweetness, which worked really well with the cinnamon.

The crepes and the coffee drinks at French Twist Cafe continue to make me go back for more. The employees who work there give it a family feel, and their care and dedication in everything they do makes for an even better experience.

This was definitely a great way to start the morning. Stay Positive!

Kismet Cafe – Eldersburg, MD

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

This morning I took a short drive to another place that I frequent, Kismet Cafe. I have always just gone there for a coffee drink, but today I decided to try one of their bagels as well. The last couple of times I went there, I noticed some of their cream cheese flavors, which is what made me decide to try them.

I’m not the biggest fan of bagels. I will get them every so often, but it’s not normally a food I crave. When I walked into Kismet Cafe this morning, I knew the coffee drink I would be getting: Pumpkin Spice Kismeccino Frozen Coffee. I perused the bagel options and one definitely stood out for me: Challah bagel. So I ordered that, toasted and then had to decide on the cream cheese. There were some good options, but it was ultimately between garlic herb and bacon horseradish scallion. I opted for the garlic herb today, but might try the other one in the future.

The Kismeccino was a good coffee drink. The flavor blend of the pumpkin was nice and the overall consistency was good, with just a little iciness to it. The bagel was really good. The outside had a nice crispness to it, and the inside was very light and not too chewy. It was not like the bagels that I’m used to eating. The garlic herb cream cheese was also really good. There was a definite flavor explosion, but it was not so overpowering that I couldn’t enjoy the bagel. I will get this cream cheese again, but I will also try the bacon horseradish scallion (if they have it).

I didn’t realize it until it was too late, but they have also started baking pumpkin bagels. I might try one of those in the near future. I already know which specialty cream cheese will be a great complement: honey walnut. So I’ll take a future trip here and know that the food will be worth it. I already knew the coffee drinks were worth the visit, but it’s good to know that I can enjoy their bagels as well.

Stay positive and enjoy the day!

Enjoying New Freedom, and Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

Earlier in the week, I thought about a possible destination for Saturday, and I followed through with it. I took a scenic drive up to New Freedom, Pennsylvania. The drive was beautiful. I passed by some cows and some horses, which were so close that I would have been able to pet them if I was walking next to the road. I took the long way, so there were some parts of the trip where there was only 1 1/2 lanes, so I was fortunate that I was the only one on the road. There were also some spots of gorgeous scenery.

There was one part of the drive where the road was winding quite a bit, but then there was a curve to the right and it was the perfect visual spot. The road opened up a bit and there was a slight valley and then a low mountain full of trees. Seeing those trees along my sightline made my eyes happy. I was fortunate enough to drive through some small towns and very out of the way places.

My first destination was New Freedom, PA. I planned on going to the New Freedom Rail Trail Cafe. The last time I was there was about 2 1/2 years ago, when I was looking for houses (ended up getting one in Maryland, but there were some in Southern Pennsylvania that almost won me over). When I arrived at the cafe, there was a lot of hubbub going on. The town was setting up for their Fall Fest. I got there too early to stick around and see it, but I did go to the cafe.

I had wanted to get the Boxcar Tourist, but they had a special menu for Fall Fest, so I had to improvise. I’ve had the Boxcar Tourist before, and it was really good. It’s sausage gravy on biscuits with a fried egg. I ended up getting a pumpkin spice muffin and a hazelnut/chocolate coffee drink. The muffin was good. It was a bit heavier due to the pumpkin and had a slight spice flavor. I enjoyed it, but would have liked a little more nutmeg or cinnamon in there. The coffee drink was really good. I know I’ve been getting the pumpkin drinks everywhere, but I had a Nutella type coffee drink on my mind, so that’s what I went with. I ended up heading out after I was done, since I didn’t want to wait another hour or so for the Fall Fest to start. It looked like it was going to be pretty fun, though, just based on all the setup they were doing.

My next destination was The Markets at Shrewsbury. This is another Amish Farmer’s Market that is only open Thursday through Saturday, which is why this was on my agenda for today. This Farmer’s Market is huge. It looks bigger than the one in Annapolis. Although there are some similarities with the products, there are some distinct differences. I did enjoy visiting and plan on coming back again. I bought some items at the bakery, and will go back for more when the weather is cooler and the food that needs to stay cool will make the 1 hour drive back home.

I know that this picture isn’t clear, but I’m okay with that. It’s a huge building and I couldn’t capture everything at once. But I like how the sun is shining on top and the rays are coming down over the building.

These are some pictures from inside the building. The first one is just to show how deep this market goes. The other two are pictures I took at the bakery. I was tempted to buy some donuts, but was already full from the pumpkin muffin and had some other desserts in mind for purchase. There are a lot of vendors to choose from, which is why I plan on visiting again. Now, onto the bakery treats.

This first one is called Angel Food Flips. My pictures don’t do it justice, but it definitely tastes better than it looks. You’ve got the nice texture and consistency of the Angel Food cake in a taco shape, with what I believe is a whoopee pie filling on the inside and then drizzled with chocolate. This was something I haven’t seen before, so it was definitely worth the trip.

Next up is a Homemade Butter Cake. I’ve had Butter Cakes before, and they can be hit or miss. I’m not just saying this because they don’t have chocolate in them. 🙂 This Butter Cake was fantastic. The bottom layer was cooked perfectly and the top layer was a little gooey, but not so sticky that you couldn’t enjoy the bite. There was also a slight brown butter taste to it, which helped make it a more well rounded taste. Sweet, but not too sweet.

The last thing I got was a Chocolate Coffee Cake. They had several options for coffee cake, but I wanted to try this one. Sometimes a chocolate coffee cake can be too dry, especially on the chocolate layer. And when you have a huge amount of crumb topping like this one had, there is a tendency for the crumb to dry things out. This was not the case with this treat. The chocolate cake layer was moist. The crumb layer was nice and crisp on top, but it maintained it’s moisture underneath. I was able to bite through the entire coffee cake, instead of having to crunch through the top and have a crumb disintegration issue. Hopefully, you’ll understand what I’m trying to convey.

Today involved a lot of eating, but I’m okay with that. It was good food, good scenery, and good people. And as an added bonus for me, when I was driving up in the morning, “Always” by Atlantic Starr was playing. It’s been a while since I heard that song, so I was quite happy to sing along to it. And since it was a 1 1/2 lane road and I was the only one on it, it’s better that there was no one around to hear or see me while I was enjoying the music and enjoying the ride.

There are days when I get to just drive around, and I really enjoy them. I get to see places and scenery that not everyone else has a chance to see. I get to eat things and try things that others might not be able to experience. So I appreciate and enjoy these opportunities while I still have them. Stay positive!