PBC: Poconos Brewering Company (Mt. Poconos, PA)

Interesting fact about restaurant: After PBC built their brewing room, they discovered that Pennsylvania law says that if you brew your own, that's the only beer you can carry. So, PBC decided to contract with another brewery to produce the Pocono Brewing Company "Ball & Chain Lager" as well as a "Black Ghost Porter."

Beverage:

Old Bastard- This is a new offering from Pocono Brewing and is not the same beer as the PBC Pale Ale that was brewed several years ago. On draught, it arrived at the table in a pounder glass a clear gold with a very thin head that faded to a ring after several sips. Light aroma of flowery hops and malt. Flavor was a bit light but balanced between malt and hops with some lingering hops bitterness at the finish. Very easy to drink. Poured hazy dark straw toward copper with off-white head. Tasted crisp, caramel malty, with a nice solid hop element that integrated well with the malt.

Ball & Chain- My dinning partner for the evening tried this barrel aged- (apparently this is xtra gold aged in wine barrel with rose hips and elder flowers.) the pour was super murky yellow orange and the bottle was an unexpected gusher. it smelled fantastic! VERY floral even a bit sweet, but earthy...the flowers dominate the smell, can't really describe it other than strong flower with wonderful sweetness...almost potpourri in taste. Overall, this was a super awesome treat. It tasted delicious and was a major highlight of the evening and of our conversation.

Samuel Adams: Cherry Wheat-5.30% ABV Appearance - Cloudy yellow body. Medium white head with medium retention.Smell - Moderately strong maraschino cherries up front. Slight undertones of wheat beer. Smells delicious. You've really got to be in the mood for it though.
Taste - Wheat front end. Corny musk body. Cherry finish... though somehow still dry. Little weird. Pretty much no sweetness. A bit of earthy musk and astringency throughout. A strange astringency kills the beer for me. Overall - Had high hopes for this beer, because I like a good sweet fruit beer once in a while. But this was just dry, astringent, and kinda weird.

Food:

For our evening meal we split the Pesto burger with homemade french fries. The pesto was homemade (lots of basil and Parmesan cheese with pine nuts), which this in itself is enough to make me go back purely because it was really, really good. The rest of the charbroiled 8 oz. burger with red onions, lettuce, tomato, jack cheese, red sauteed bell pepper. Ordered medium well and received medium well. (Rave review of burger!!!) PESTO, PESTO, PESTO...I would go back just to get that pesto....so good!

Service: Slow, came back to check on the table only once and had a slow wait time for a greeting or drink order.

( 3 Stars) American (Traditonal), Bar

Poconos Brewing Company

RR 611
Swiftwater, PA 18370 (570) 839-3230

http://www.poconobrewingcompany.com/

Ham & Eggs in the Pan (Swiftwater, PA)

While visiting Pennsylvania over the weekend, I decided to try the local fare. I dropped into a charming place around midday for some brunch. It is called Ham & Eggs In the Pan. A charming place right off highway 615 as you are driving through Mt. Poconos. After asking for the house recommendation, I sided with their Ham, Egg, with a white cheddar cheese sandwich on a brioche bun and a cup of coffee. It was warm, cheesy, and everything that I wanted it to be. The ham was well cured and not too salty but still consisted of the fresh finely cut piece that always makes me want more. I would have recommended a side garnish to pretty the plate a bit, but at $4.50, I was not complaining.

My partner on the other hand went with the Spanish omelet, which consisted of tomatoes, green bell peppers, white onions, jack cheese with a side of Rye toast. For an extra dollar, I asked the waitress to throw in some of their home fries on the side. It was crisp and clean, with finely cooked vegetables and a slight bit of salsa mixed into the omelet. The salsa was not over powering, but more of an interior garnish. (In future, ask for it on the side if you like your omelet hot and dry.) $8.75

Coffee: Standard, but good. I do not take coffee lightly. Everyone has a different way of preparing a house blend and it is important for the wait staff to understand that customers pay attention to coffee. If you have really good coffee, that alone can bring you good, consistent, and friendly business.

Service: Excellent- Hot coffee kept coming and wait staff was very attentive. Our server helped to make a balanced meal which was enjoyable and comforting.

Take Home: Ham, sausage, turkey, or even bacon!!!Cured and smoked on the farm!

(Stars 4): Breakfast/ Brunch/take-out

Ham & Eggs in the Pan

HC1 Box 101 off highway 615

Swiftwater, Pennsylvania 18370

570-839-6492.

Bueno y Sano (Springfield, MA)

Best way to describe Bueno y Sano is good, fresh Mexican food at an affordable cost. As you can see from my plate above, my chicken quesadilla is overflowing with mouth watering goodness. The quesadilla itself is made with three different cheese and minced bbq chicken with sides of black beans, mexican rice, and pico de gio. An additional side of sour cream and guacamole to top of this appetizing meal and let your taste buds do the talking. Consistent to California mexican restaurants, it is the closest to authentic Mexican I have yet to find so far on the East Coast.

Dinning area is small, but situated cozily with bright vibrant colors offsetting original artist's paintings from the community hanging along the walls. It helps to give the location a more authentic and relaxed atmosphere. Waitstaff is personable and are quick to help you with suggestions. (Plus!) They have a large menu of a variety of different dishes and I look forward to my next selection

This is a standby for exceptional Mexican food and can't wait to try the rest of the menu.

(4 Stars) Mexican- Take out or dine in

Multiple locations:
880 Sumner Avenue, Springfield MA
(413) 301-0976

Hours: 11am - 9pm
www.buenoysano.com/

Route 33- Pizza House: (South Hadley, MA)

Right off highway 33 (name of establishment) it is a regular pizza place which specializes in take-n-bake, pick-up, and delivery.

FOOD: The Large California: Black Olives, red bell peppers, cheese, fried eggplant, and buttermilk ranch. After waiting 35 min in the pizza parlor my food, I discovered when I went home still needed to be cooked a bit because the center was still pretty wet. The eggplant was awful and cold while the mushroom were wet and smelled a bit.- Didn't finish my slice and ended up trying to cook it more in my own oven, which helped- but I ended up picking off the majority of the toppings which were still not good.

Service: Average for a dine-in/ take out pizza place. However, I did notice some of the waitstaff in flip-flops and open toed shoes. Can we say health hazard! Ekk!

(Stars 3) Pizza, dine-in, take-out, delivery

Route 33- Pizza House

2080 Memorial Drive

South Hadley, MA 01075

413-535-2002

Delivery 7 days a week

Hours: 11am-10pm