Square One Coffee Dynamite Dill Gelato di Babbo Café Saint-Amand Stoudt’s Brewery Mexitaly The Belvedere Inn Isaac’s Famous Grilled Sandwiches Flinchy’s
Custom Cup
Our own little Lancaster roaster is hitting the big time with beans being sold at major stores like Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting, Callow Hill and Philadelphia’s South Street. “Boston is the next big thing for us,” says owner Jess Steffy. She and her husband Josh will be guest roasters at some well-known Boston cafes coming up, which they’re excited about.
But they’re still sticking to their roots and staying small. From starting as a stand at a farmers market in Bird in Hand roasting one pound at a time, to Josh Steffy and his wife Jess purchasing Square One Coffee in 2007, their biggest batch remains only 15 pounds. Small batch roasting, or “craft roasting,” as Jess calls it, allows them to serve ideal roasted coffee which is at its peak only 48 to 72 hours after roasting. Nothing on their shelves is ever over five days old. “You can’t get fresher coffee anywhere,” she adds.
Another difference at Square One, besides the fact that they manufacture their own water with reverse osmosis and other filters, is literally an event—once a month “coffee cuppings” where coffee lovers can learn to taste the characteristics of different roastings and origins of beans. You can also try different origins any time with Square One’s new coffee bar and pour-over coffee, a method that, Jess explains, “turns more flavor out of the coffee.” (See how it works and learn more in a video shot on location at www.SusquehannaStyle.com’s “Our Favorite Things: Exclusive Online Content.”
The Steffys and Square One are also making a difference in the world, leading a movement in coffee known as “direct trade,” which means that farmers see more of the money than with “fair trade” coffee. “The world is getting a lot smaller,” explains Josh, who adds, for example, they have farmers all over the globe using Skype. “And importers are becoming much more transparent, because they have to be,” he says, which is also a positive push. Other myths they hope to debunk about coffee include the belief that oily beans are better or that dark roasts have more caffeine; beans that are oily often are over-roasted and dark roasts like espresso actually have less caffeine, the owners say. Some things to sip on.
Square One Coffee | 145 North Duke Street, Lancaster | 717-392-3354 | www.squareonecoffee.com.
Picky Pickle Eaters
Take fun flavors like jalapeno garlic and dill horseradish, and of course the classics like Sweet 'n' Mild and Garlic Dill, paired with the fact that these pickles are locally made in Lancaster, and you can easily see why these fast became our favorite pickles when we discovered them at the PA Farm Show last year.
Anne B. Williams founded The Original Pennsylvania Pickle Company in 2004 and has been producing her premium pickles using family recipes ever since. The proof is in the pickle—and the ingredients, like whole cloves of garlic you can see in the jar.
And for adventurous pickle people, Dynamite Dill does a seriously hot habanero dill flavor. There’s even ice cream with pickles! Midnight Cravings combines cinnamon ice cream, dark chocolate chunks and cinnamon-clove pickles—all in one easy-to-grab quart from the freezer.
Visit www.dynamitedill.com for a complete store list
Crazy Cool
The flavor combinations at Gelato di Babbo are as sassy as their maker, Kim Zanni, who’s Italian through and through—and passionate about her product. From sweet potato casserole and sunflower to key lime white chocolate and chocolate caramel with sea salt, Zanni’s willing to try anything once. And surprisingly, sometimes they become customer favorites. She changes the flavors at her small shop in Lititz every week, but keeps some in the case that customers can’t live without them. These include some variety of coffee and one standby flavor like chocolate or peanut butter. But it’s the adventurous pairings, like avocado and pineapple (trust us, it's buttery smooth and tasty) and the popular chocolate Guinness, that keep customers coming back for something new every week.
Another product plus, Zanni uses local ingredients as much as she can, whether it's growing lavender for her honey lemon lavender gelato or driving to an Amish goat farm for the milk to make her saffron flavor. She also takes requests for flavors and even does custom wedding combos.
Gelato di Babbo | 635 South Broad Street, Lititz | 717-626-8878 | www.gelatodibabbo.com
French Revolution
Gettysburg’s not all battlefields and war stories. There’s quite a culture of art and cuisine amid the history. One entrepreneurial couple is making it their business to expand the area’s offerings. Brendan Synnamon, whose last name originated from France as Saint Amand, and his wife Jaime, who runs their restaurant day to day, are particularly pleased with their decision to share their ancestors’ cuisine with the town they call home. In fact, says Jaime, the restaurant, which will be open two years in September, “has exceeded our expectations.”
“We focus on what we can do homemade,” she says. Some of their specialties include soups and sandwiches made with meats that are roasted, sliced in-house, and served on fresh bread from Pomona’s in Biglerville. The aubergine pesto sandwich with eggplant is the most popular, the couple agrees, as are the French dip, Croque Monsieur and Madame.
“This is the place to be on Sundays,” says Brendan. The café’s omlettes, cinnamon rolls and French toast are just a few favorites.
Dinner is available Wednesday through Saturday evenings featuring French classics like coq au vin and onglet au poivre, seared hanger steak with a black pepper crust finished with a cognac cream sauce.
The stars of this small town café are pastry chef Natalie Altman and her ever-changing array of desserts. Whether it’s homemade lady fingers that encase layers of cappuccino cream, chocolate cake and Bavarian cream, or a classic strawberry tart, we recommend checking the dessert case before you order so you can keep your eye on the prize of the pretty little things.
Café Saint-Amand | 48 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg | www.cafesaintamand.com
As American as...
Stoudt’s American Pale Ale is one of those good ole beers that goes with everything. We love this brew for its stand-up values and hard-working hops.
The brewpub, restaurant, shopping village and antique mall at Stoudt’s are a destination unto their own and well worth the trip—the new Wonderful Good Market, an artisan creamery, bakery and specialty foods store and café, is a foodie’s dream of an addition to the microbrewery and its array of tasty beers.
Check their site for exceptional live music and special events.
Stoudt’s Brewery | 2800 North Reading Road, Adamstown | 717-484-4385 | www.stoudtsbeer.com
The Best of Both Worlds
Mexico meets Italy in the form of gourmet brick oven pizzas, stromboli and monster burritos at Mexitaly in York. Fusion fearers, not to fret: Straight up Italian and Mexican specialties abound, from fresh fish tacos with pico de gallo and a unique ginger slaw to recently added panini and pasta.
Marietta resident Greg Skirboll, the owner of Mexitaly, says, “Food’s been in my family forever.” From his grandfather’s roadside food stand in Sicily to his mother's Italian fine dining restaurant—even his brother is a chef. After several trips to California, his intent was to open a burrito joint, but “I couldn’t turn my back on what I know,” he says. Six years ago, Mexitaly came to be a new word in the vocabulary of his restaurant's many fans.
“We have people that love a little bit of everything,” says Skirboll. “Everyone has their own obsession.”
The most popular, he says, are the handheld Mission-style burritos. But the pizzas with gourmet flavors like spanikopita with shrimp and scallops, chicken pesto, and scampi are equally adored.
Mexitaly | 1170 Haines Rd, York | 717-600-8226 | www.mexitaly.com
The Belvedere Bunch
Known for its ever-changing, always-inventive martini menu, it’s just as much about the people behind the bar that make The Belvedere scene the place to be in Lancaster—whether it’s a special occasion night out or a weeknight evening enjoying one of the new happy hour specials at the downstairs bar, such as $1 Kobe burger sliders on Mondays or $5 select appetizers on Wednesdays. Then again, anything that chef Steven Drake comes up with in the kitchen is extraordinary, though we often crave classics like the Belvedere’s grilled Caesar and steaming pots of garlic and wine mussels that permeate the air with each order that comes from the kitchen.
Michelle’s Bang-a-Tang-Tini: Rang Tang vodka, limoncello, club soda and sour mix
Kelly’s Watermelon Crawl: Watermelon Pucker, Midori and sour mix
Jamie’s Cucumber Mojito:
part of his “Mojito Madness” menu
Dean’s Bernini: named for a regular customer and his special request: 3 Olives Bubble Gum vodka, a splash of Sprite and cherry juice
Red-Headed Shirley: The classic shot and Crazy Shirley’s namesake
Taste the Rainbow: Made with 42 Below vodka, Dragonberry Rum and—you guessed it—Skittles
Scottie’s Remembering Atlantic Shores: Fresh strawberries, simple syrup, banana liquor and 42 Below vodka
Corey’s Coconut Banana Split: Godiva chocolate and banana cream liquors with coconut rum
The Belvedere Inn | 402 North Queen Street, Lancaster | 717-394-2422 | www.belvedereinn.biz
Susquehanna Valley Sandwich Obsession
Let’s face it, the Susquehanna Valley is obsessed with Isaac’s sandwiches; they even have 19 locations throughout the region to keep up with our demand!
We all have our favorites. Maybe even one you get every time. Mine’s the Larkspur, one of the many vegetarian options, which is a grilled flatbread filled with spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, Muenster and cheddar cheese with ranch dressing. Our editor-in-chief, Donovan Roberts Witmer, has a Lancaster County native pick. His is The Mallard: One of Isaac’s famous pretzel sandwiches piled with roast beef, bacon, mushrooms and melted cheddar with Ikey’s Sauce—a mild horseradish sauce. But people flock to the famed pink flamingo for more than just sandwiches. Locals love starting off lunch with their famous pepperjack tomato soup or broccoli salad with peanuts and golden raisins.
Isaac’s famous grilled sandwiches | 19 locations in South Central PA | www.isaacsdeli.com
Chief Chili’s Home of the Hot Rocks
Dawson Flinchbaugh is one of those restaurant owners who customers come to see as much as they patronize the restaurant for good food and drink. He’s a lively character who walks in to our interview having just been skydiving wearing a Flinchy’s shirt that says, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” Also known as “Chief Chili,” Flinchbaugh has been running the state chili championship at the Kipona Festival for over 30 years. The secret to his award-winning bowl: lots of Yuengling lager. The beer adds a bitter flavor you can taste along with chunks of prime rib and lots of ground beef.
The restaurant’s namesake is Dawson’s son, Matt Flinchbaugh, whose high school nickname was Flinchy, so when his family decided to open a restaurant in 2003, his nickname became synonymous with the restaurant’s claims to fame. The most notable signature: Flinchy’s Hot Rocks, where customers can cook their steaks and seafood to their liking, each bite as hot as the first, on volcanic stone right at the table.
Flinchy’s | 1833 Hummel Avenue | Camp Hill, PA 17011 | 717-761-9000