Esaan Lancaster Dispensing Company Accomac Inn Subway Café Iron Hill Brewery
3B's Ice Cream Waltz Vineyards Helena’s Café & Creperie Tomato Pie Café
Esaan
York spoke and we listened. Our readers have been telling us we had to visit their new favorite for Thai, and we now know why. From the upscale bistro ambience to the owner herself, Jai Delp’s charming Esaan (pronounced “ee-sahn”) is warm and inviting. But let’s face it, it’s the food that keeps people coming back. Jai’s peanut sauce is even sold with kits for making your own pad Thai
at home.
“People have been telling her for years to open a restaurant,” says Jai’s husband, Sam Delp. Two years ago, she did just that.
Traditional items like coconut chicken soup, curries, stir fry and noodle dishes are all her recipes, in addition to updates like flat iron steak with a curry reduction over the Thai classic—green papaya salad.
Sam explains the five flavors of Thai as salty, bitter, hot, sour and sweet, along with four textures: creamy, crunchy, chewy and soft. It’s the combination of all of these that makes Thai food a favorite.
Esaan // 30 N Beaver St, York // 717-718-9300 // www.esaanofpa.com
Lancaster Dispensing Company
When you go to a new town, you want to go where the locals go, and this place is it. Out-of-town marketgoers easily stumble upon it on the corner of Market Alley and find out for themselves.
Opened in 1978 by Bradley DeForge, who now co-owns the establishment with Judy Ross, “DipCo,” as it’s called by those in the know, was ahead of its time in vegetarian offerings. Their famous veggie chili, Bradley says, sells just as much as the meat version.
DipCo is known for its “express lunch” soups and sandwiches. Judy’s soup specials rotate daily and run the flavor gamut from cream of mushroom to pepper jack cheese and ham. Bradley’s favorite is Thai chicken noodle. The Reuben has been on the menu since opening and other popular sandwiches include the Dagwood—ham, turkey, salami, Swiss, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mayo stuffed between three layers of rye or pumpernickel bread—and a Susquehanna Style staff favorite, the LDC veggie sandwich (pictured above).
Weekly specials are Monday taco night, Tuesday burger night (includes over 10 varieties of black bean and turkey burgers in addition to Angus beef), Wednesday wing night (get the house blend sauce of sweet and sticky hot barbeque) and a fish and chips special on Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays, enjoy live entertainment from local musicians. And if you go, be sure to have a Stoudt’s Market Alley Amber, brewed specially for the Lancaster Dispensing Company. Judy’s wine list (look for the large chalkboard) is also worth consulting for oenophiles.
Lancaster Dispensing Company // 33-35 Market St, Lancaster // 717-299-4602 // www.dispensingco.com
The Gas Station
Since its opening in February 2010 (formerly the beloved Al Mediterraneo), The Gas Station has become crowd-pleasingly popular
for its hip vibe and good food at good prices. It’s still the same chefs just making more casual food priced accordingly. “All the top chefs in New York are opening gastro pubs [like this],” says general manager Stuart Delves, who moved from the Big Apple to run the new restaurant/bar.
In addition to staples like “Al Med’s” famous wood-fired pizzas, burgers, ribs and fish and chips, The Gas Station offers anywhere from 3 to 10 daily specials where the chefs like to play with higher-end foods, he explains. “And desserts by Chas Malloy are still as popular as ever,” rotating daily on the wall-sized chalkboard menu, along with other specials.
But what you may not have on your dining-out radar is their new Sunday brunch menu. All items are a reasonable $10.95 and include a bloody Mary or mimosa. There’s the Pressure Gauge: shrimp, grits, sausage, bacon and cheddar; Petrol: short ribs with fried potato skins, bacon, caramelized onions and truffled Mornay sauce; Two Stroke Eggs Benedict; High Octane Huevos Rancheros; and Fender Panettone French toast, among others. There’s even a kids’ menu with a Chevy Temple and Nutella banana pizza.
The Gas Station // 288 E Main St, Hummelstown // 717-566-5086 // www.thegasstation.us
Accomac Inn
Summer and fall are the perfect seasons to take a trip to The Accomac Inn if you haven’t been for a while. Not only for the river views from the screened-in porch, but also for the on-site garden, which is lush with ingredients that make their way into specials like inventive cocktails.
Accomac Inn // 6330 River Dr, York // 717-252-1521 // www.accomac.inn.com
Subway Café
Known as the Subway Café since 1948, the building has stood since
1930, even after flood levels marked high on the walls from 1936. Their secret to success? “Our prices are good, our food’s great, and we have a very loyal following,” says assistant manager Scottie Hoke.
By 11:30am on a weekday morning this place is hopping with regulars, from a young couple enjoying a lunch break together to a group of retired ladies and a foursome of businessmen in suits. The group of women, who all graduated from John Harris High School together, meet once a month for antipasto and pizza. $5.95 gets you a personal pie, six slices of the crispy crust pizza Subway Café has come to be known for. Finish it off with their signature fishbowl of beer (that’s 32 ounces) and you’ve had the authentic experience. Hoke, who seems to know every customer who comes in, says they’re also known for their salad dressing—a cross between Greek and Italian—as well as their new eclairs. Homemade lasagna on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays also draws those in the know.
Open Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm; Friday 11am-10pm; Saturday 4-10pm // Subway Café // 1000 Herr St, Harrisburg // 717-412-7128
Iron Hill Brewery
There is some serious brewing going on at Iron Hill and the region has taken notice. A list of house beers like Ironbound Ale and Pig Iron Porter satisfy a broad range of palates, but it’s the seasonal Belgian Ales beer gurus flock here for. “Mug Club” events turn out tons of fans for the release of each new beer. Some seasonal varieties include Belgian Pale Ale, a copper-colored session ale with large amounts of English Stryian Golden Hops, and a Belgian Tripel golden ale with complex plum-, banana- and spice-balanced bitterness. Check the website for monthly releases to plan your visit.
Iron Hill Brewery // 781 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster // 717-291-9800 // www.ironhillbrewery.com/lancaster
3B’s Ice Cream
Who says summer love doesn’t last? One thing we know is that the Harrisburg area’s love affair with 3B’s ice cream is synonymous with summer. And the area couple that runs the small chain turned their summer jobs and romance into a career and life together on their old stomping grounds. Josh Rissinger began working for 3B’s at age 14, his wife Kelly at age 16, and they still love it.
Owned by Claude “Bugs” Weiss since 1969, the 3 “B’s” come from the names of his wife and sons, which all begin with a B. When the first shop opened on Peters Mountain Road, he made his own ice cream, but with four stores total now, as Kelly points out, “We’d have to have our own dairy to keep up with the 50,000 gallons a year we sell.”
Most of the ice cream comes from Galliker’s Dairy in Johnstown, which even creates special flavors for 3B’s, including chocolate pretzel and blueberry freckle, which is vanilla ice cream with blueberries. Take away vanilla and chocolate and Kelly says their most popular flavors are butter pecan, chocolate peanut butter, raspberry and peanut butter. She’s a fan of the new mocha cookie flavor and nutty Milky Way, which is chocolate ice cream with caramel swirl, chocolate chips and cashews.
3B’s Ice Cream // 2199 Colonial Rd, Harrisburg // 717-545-6355 // 4701 Derry St, Harrisburg // 717-564-2271
Waltz Vineyards
Waltz Vineyards touts “the wines that will change your mind,” and that’s exactly the word on the street when it comes to these PA wines. No overly sweet wines here; their list boasts sophisticated chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, rose, cabernet and merlot. And then there are, of course, the views. This fifth-generation farm is simply stunning and the tasting room, where private events can be held, stacks up in comparison. Regular festivities include a Midsummer Lawn Event July 9 featuring the ever-popular Rue de la Pompe’s acoustic vintage swing with wood-fired pizzas by Forno Inferno.
Waltz Vineyards // 599 Old Line Rd, Manheim // 717-664-WINE // www.waltzvineyards.com
Helena’s Café & Creperie
We have a soft spot for Downtown Carlisle's newest addition to the dining scene.
Behind the scenes, Helena Twigg, Helena's Chocolate Cafe and Creperie's namesake, individually hand-dips dark chocolate ganache and tops it with ginger to replenish the tray of disappearing truffles in a case of about 20 varieties.
Pick up a pack of 2, 4, 8, 12 or 24 filled with flavors such as strawberry balsamic, PB&J made with Harrisburg’s famous Zimmerman's peanut butter, mango, coconut, cappuccino and Helena’s personal favorite, chewy caramel with sea salt.
While you're there, you must have one of the delectable desserts handmade by Ross Morris, chef of Carlisle’s beloved Italian restaurant, Trattoria Piatto. (We heard he's famous for his carrot cake, which we confirmed is definitely noteworthy.) Specialty breads from Philadelphia are available on Saturdays and have folks flocking too.
But it's the crepes—both sweet and savory—that heighten the experience at Helena's. Try a simple butter and honey crepe or the "A la Greque" buckwheat crepe filled with spinach, feta and a touch of dill and lemon. Other varieties include Nutella and strawberries, chocolate raspberry and the vegetarian breakfast crepe with egg and gruyere (or try it with ham if you like).
Helena’s Chocolate Café & Creperie // 46 W. High St., Carlisle // 717-254-6453 // Tue-Sat, 7:30am-4:30pm
Tomato Pie Café
Across from Lititz Springs Park, a green and yellow Victorian café (the former locally famous Glassmyers) holds unique local treasures inside. There’s the specially brewed Tomato Pie blend of Square One coffee, Lititz Pickles served with sandwiches at lunch, “whoopie poppers” dipped in Wilbur Chocolate and, of course, the café’s namesake, tomato pie. So just what is tomato pie?
Owner and mother of the family that runs the café, Karen Fisher, explains that she got the recipe from a friend’s bed and breakfast in Iowa and made it her own. It’s a homemade crust filled with herbed chunks of fresh tomatoes, topped with a secret blend of cheeses—and deliciously unlike anything you’ve ever had.
Daughter Emily says the herb scones her mom used to make, which they serve alongside each dish at the café now, were always her favorite growing up. Customer favorites include the maple spice French toast and a Susquehanna Style staff recommendation, grilled brioche with cilantro sweet potato puree and mascarpone.
Vintage jazz and servers in derby hats and vests give a 1930s feel, with cute quirks like conversation cards on each table. An outdoor area, called the “Tomato Patch,” flourishes with different varieties of tomatoes for extra fresh pies this summer.
Tomato Pie Café // 23 N Broad St, Lititz // 717-627-1762 // www.tomatopiecafe.net // Mon-Sat, 7am-9pm. BYOB, 3-9pm
