The nice thing about traveling is it makes it easier to find new restaurants. If it is a completely new place that you have never visited, every restaurant will be new. Of course, I still want to eat at the good, great and excellent ones. That is where friends and relatives come in. They may know the local fare and where to go and where NOT to go.
On my recent two week automobile trip, I drove from Florida to Boone North Carolina as a first leg.. I have friends that summer in Boone that gave me a tour of the area. I then continued from NC to Hamburg Pennsylvania. I was too tired to drive anymore so I stopped and had dinner. On to Middlebury where I tried a new restaurant for me, that has been around in Middlebury for 34 years, but it was after I left in 1979. I then met a friend in Rochester Vermont for lunch. Another new place.
Four new restaurants in two weeks. It is better than the one a week average, but I was nine weeks behind. I got me some catching up to do.
Town Tavern of Blowing Rock North Carolina
My friends Chuck and Shari live in Melbourne Florida in the winter, and spend summers at a home they bought in the Boone area of North Carolina. I plan to do a post on my visit there, but this post is about new restaurants. We went to the Town Tavern in Blowing Rock.
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| One side of the menu at The Town Tavern (held nicely by Shari) |
First, let's talk about the name of the town. It is not a joke. Blowing Rock is a tourist attraction which is a view of the Blue Ridge mountains form a rock outcropping. Legend has that an Indian jumped and the winds returned him to the Rocks...You need to look it up. The town has about 2500 people and is very nice. Touristy for sure!
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| My first beer - Hoppalachia IPA from Granite Falls Brewing |
Our waitress was named Haley and was very nice. She took our drink order. Shari ordered a Miller Lite draft, Chuck got a Jim Beam and ginger ale in a tall glass, and I ordered a local brew called Hoppalachia IPA from Granite Falls Brewing. The beer was good and I had Haley wash the bottle after I was done so I could take it home.
Haley mentioned that on Mondays wings were $0.35 each in groups of 8, 12 or 16. If you got 12 you could try 2 sauces. There are sixteen sauces on the menu. All three of us were up for wings so we each ordered twelve with two sauces. I ordered a side of fries because I was on vacation, also I had ordered a hot sauce and would use the fries to cool my mouth. I also ordered a second beer, the Boone Creek Blonde from Appalachian Mountain Brewing (AMB) Company. I did not know it came in a can...
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| Thirty-six wings, six sauces, fries, 2 bleu cheese, 1 ranch, & an AMB Blonde |
The sauces are presented in the photos...
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| Shari - Jamaican Jerk & Smoked Honey Mustard |
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| Chuck - Teriyaki & Bourbon Glaze |
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| BJ - Thai Red Chili & Mango Habanero |
We shared all the sauces. I ate most of my twelve but Shari was able to take almost a dozen home. But we each got to try six flavors. From the great service by our server Haley, the new, unique cold beers, and the variety of wings that were all delicious, I give the place a 4 (Excellent). I know I will be back on my next visit to stay with Chuck and Shari. Ten more sauces to try...BTW, I see that Shari posted that they already have taken others for the great Monday wing deal.
Pappy T's Restaurant of Hamburg Pennsylvania
From Boone, I just had to head north through the corner of Tennessee to get to Interstate 81 in Virginia. I made it to Harrisburg PA where I got onto I-78. It was early but I was tired, so I stopped in Hamburg across from the Cabelas. I stayed at the Microtel Inn & Suites. Attached to the hotel was a small bar and restaurant called Pappy T's. I had left my camera in the room so I have included some photos from their website...
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| Location of my next Restaurant |
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| Looking at the hotel entrance and half the bar at Pappy T's |
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| Looking across the bar (on right) and gaming tables at Pappy T's |
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| The bar at Pappy T's |
Let me just say up front, this place reminded me of the Billy Joel song Piano Man. Hamburg is a German community in the middle of Pennsylvania where people like to eat, drink and feel Mary...I felt at home as the people around me were playing the video trivia, I was drinking Labatts Blue on draft and the best part, the list of specials had something I love. I had to order the Sirloin Tip Shepard's Pie with garlic mash potatoes. I also got a side salad with ranch dressing. Everything was great so I give the place a 3. The place was jamming for a Tuesday, but the service was good and the food was great! I would have sat at the bar but there were no chairs available. So, do they call the people here Hamburgers? I did not dare to ask...
Green Peppers of Middlebury Vermont
I asked my brother Tom where I could get lasagna. Tom suggested we go to Green Peppers. I know I had a pizza from there 20 years ago, but as we walked in I realized I had never been in the actual restaurant. I did not bring my camera again so I have included a few from a quick Google search.
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| Front of Green Peppers - the door is not used and you have to go out back to enter |
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| Location (Grand Union is now a Shaws, how old is this picture?) |
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| Dining Area at Green Peppers. |
Tom ordered the Chicken Parmesan and I wanted to a cup of soup and the meat lasagna. Our entrees came but I had to tell the waitress I never got my soup. She felt bad but I did not want it anymore since my lasagna was there. The lasagna was great. I was drinking water and no one ever checked to see that the glass was empty. I had to catch the waitress to ask for more water. Foof - great, service - poor. I give the place a 2 (good) and Tom and I did go back. Again, the food was great but the service was not so great. Next time we will order it to go!
Rochester Cafe of Rochester Vermont
The final new place I hit is in the small town of Rochester Vermont located amidst the Green Mountains on route 100. My friend Joe Widli lives in Tunbridge. We had talked on Facebook and I said I would love to see him when I was up. He suggested he could drive to Middlebury but I told him we could meet halfway. Rochester was the town and the Rochester Cafe was the place.
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| My friend Joe Widli in front of his truck in Rochester Vermont |
Joe recently had surgery and is currently not working. We played baseball together for a long time. I was a pitcher and Joe was my great catcher.
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| Rochester Cafe from across 100 |
As you can see the place doubles as a country store. The restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch. We were there for lunch...
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| The Rochester Cafe is open |
There was a pretty good crowd inside. The town only has a population of 1,139 people. They had a menu and a blackboard with specials.
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| Inside the Rochester Cafe |
Both Joe and I ordered the pastrami club which was on the blackboard specials. There was some kind of sauce, I think horseradish mustard. I ate half of it before I remembered to take a photo. It was extremely tasty...
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| Pastrami Club sandwich with fries at Rochester Cafe |
We drank iced teas with our food and enjoyed the ambiance of the place. It was quaint not because they were trying to be that way, it was quaint as defined. I give the place a 3 (great) and would definitively go back. I would recommend anyone over that way to give it a try.
So four restaurants in two weeks puts me at 29 for the year. 23 more to go!
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