Friday, April 27, 2012

Going Dutch

I don't know why, but it seems like this has turned more into a "food critic" type of venue. That was never my intention with this blog! Nevertheless, I find this blog gives me a forum to thank restaurant staff that have been so helpful in my travels! Most recently, I was in Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish Country. I had a number of meals there -- each one of them was a positive experience! The staffs at these restaurants were so very helpful, and that deserves recognition.

My first meal upon arriving in the Lancaster area was at Gibraltar's. I so enjoyed my filet mignon salad! Pete, the owner, was very helpful in assisting me to pick out my meal, and the chef made suggestions that ensured it was scrumptious, while it still fit my dietary requirements. Here are the pics and the links:




http://www.kearesrestaurants.com/gibraltar/

Dinner that first night was at the Greenfield Inn. Here it was manager Joanne, helping me to decide on crab cakes -- an easy sell! My waitress was exemplary, anticipating many of my needs and requests before I could make them:



(I chose the above pic in honor of my dad, a lover of jazz).

http://thegreenfieldrestaurant.com/



Breakfast the next day was at the Bird-in-Hand Restaurant. That's a scrapple and cheese omelet! The Mid-Atlantic favorite is quickly becoming one of my own. The stuffed animals in the restaurant made it the silly enjoyable experience I love when traveling:






http://www.bird-in-hand.com/index.php/places_to_eat/eat_overview/restaurant_smorgasbord//

Lunch was at Carr's. I love a good cobb salad wrap, and this one had shrimp! A favorite with a pleasant twist, and they served fruit with it! A double victory:



http://www.carrsrestaurant.com/

Dinner the second night was at Fenz. Staff bent over backwards to help me, and the lady who assisted me in picking my meal was something of a dietary counselor. Beef stew and sald for me -- and the beef stew, something I have not had much of, was tremendous:



http://www.fenzrestaurant.com/

Breakfast the next day was at Leenah's. Another old-time favorite, crab benedict! It could not have been prepared better, and I was able to upgrade from potatoes to fruit for a minimal fee. An absolutely incredible meal:








My final meal in Amish Country was in Strasburg, at the Iron Horse Inn. I was able to experience another twist on a favorite -- crab crepes! That's sugar free orange sauce, with a side salad:




http://www.ironhorsepa.com/

Finally, on the trip home, I had another old favorite in an old favorite. I made my third trip to the Americana Diner for my "usual" -- the buffalo chicken wrap. I have it with greens covered with balsamic vinigarette. I had the same server as on my second trip there, and, again, she went out of her way to give me the perfect dining experience:




http://www.americanadiner.com/

I compensated my servers well with the tips, but it is also important for me to show my loyalty with this blog. Traveling is nice, and there were many wonderful, tourist experiences. There was Kitchen Kettle, a village of nice shops in Intercourse, PA. There were the farmland tours. There was the scenic driving. And I was "railroaded" in Strasburg, experiencing the Toy Train Museum, the scenic train ride, the Choo-Choo barn, and the Railroad Museum proper. These experiences deserve their own entry. But I needed to document the restaurant experiences. These staff memebrs who help me are going out of their way, and they are saving my life in many ways with their efforts -- that is no exaggeration, because my eating, if not planned correctly, can have tremendous health implications, negatively speaking. Thank you to everyone who helped at the restaurants in this process!