Family Dining – Road Warrior Dining

Food 101

Food 101 is a Foodies Paradise. From their Fresh Salads, to their Artisan Pizzas, and Gourmet Sandwiches. You can’t go wrong dining at Food 101 in Gettysburg.

Food 101 is a Foodie destination in Gettysburg, PA. They have taken comfort food classics and injected them with flavor. For months now, I have been wanting to try Food 101. They come highly recommended and now I understand why.

If you are a people watcher, you will like Food 101’s location. Sitting on the corner of Chambersburg and North Washington, you have huge windows to look out and see the tourist walk by. Inside Food 101 you will fine a clean smartly decorated restaurant.

Food 101’s menu screams, you have sampled our lunch, come back for dinner. Served after 4:00 P.M, they have selections like, Norway Lobster Pappardelle, Basil Chicken Ratatouille, and for me, the eye-catching Pork Ribeye. Intriguing on their lunch menu was the Tuna Burger, la Cubana, and my selection, the Club 101. If you are a vegetarian, they have a Vegetable Powerhouse sandwich.

Looking for something light and tasty, I decided upon the Club 101. The Club 101 has house roasted, hand carved turkey breast, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, chipotle mayo, on wheat berry bread. I chose to complete my meal with house made chips. For a little extra, I could have tried the Truffle Fries.

Food 101 knows how to carve turkey. The Turkey was sliced thicker than what you find on your typical deli sandwich. Biting into the Club sandwich the first thing I noticed was how good the turkey tasted. You would think this was coming from your Thanksgiving leftovers. Except for the Turkey was tender and juicy. You can’t go wrong with avocado on a club sandwich. The Turkey was the star, but a close second was the chipotle mayo. It added just enough spice, but not to much too distract from the sandwich.

Food 101 Strawberry Chocolate Tart — Food 101 Chocolate Strawberry Tart

Food 101 does not bake their desserts in house. But they do have a personal baker that makes all of their desserts. Unfortunately, they only keep limited quantities, so the only thing they had left when I went to order was the Chocolate Strawberry Tart. It tasted as good as it looked. I’m not a fan of Chocolate desserts, but if I was in a mood for a dessert, I would order this again.

Food 101 is definitely a place I will go back to. Looking at the menu, I see several trips in my future. I will make sure I am there after 4:00, so I can indulge in the Chef’s Selections.

Needless to say I recommend Food 101 on your next trip to Gettysburg. Have you been to Food 101 or have a favorite Gettysburg restaurant, leave a comment below.

Fratelli’s Italian & Seafood

Top notch service combined with excellent food, makes Fratelli’s in Hampstead MD, my choice of one of the best Italian restaurants in the region.

There are a lot of good Italian restaurants in this country. So, what sets them apart? To start with customer service. Fratelli’s Italian & Seafood restaurant in Hampstead MD has customer service you would expect in a fine dining establishment. At Fratelli’s the staff is over the top in their customer service. I can’t remember the last time I ate at a restaurant and my table stayed so clean. When I finished eating there wasn’t even a crumb left on the table. Customer service means nothing if the food is bad; not an issue at Fratelli’s. The couple that recommended them to me was spot on. They told me they serve the best Lasagna around. I whole heartily agree.

Out of politeness, I let the waitress run through the specials, but I knew my order before walking in the door. I wanted to see what my friends considered the best Lasagna around. To start with the portion was good sized. In my first bite I noticed the sauce had a perfectly balanced spice level. My biggest complaint when I eat Italian food is when the sauce has a strong tomato taste and not much else. This was not the case with Fratelli’s Lasagna. The next thing I noticed the ricotta cheese was not overpowering. The ricotta cheese was perfectly proportioned. My final observation was even the ground beef was season just right. After eating Fratelli’s Lasagna, I’m looking forward to telling my friends they are right; I can’t think of a better Lasagna served anywhere?

Fratelli's Cesar Salad — Fratelli’s Cesar Salad

The Cesar Salad at Fratelli’s is good, but if I have one complaint, I would serve it with shaved parmigiana cheese instead of shredded parmigiana. I realize this is a preference, but most fine dining restaurants used shaved parmigiana. I do like that the salad was tossed. It drives me crazy to have the dressing served on the side. Score another one for Fratelli’s.

Hampstead MD is home to an Italian restaurant that is fine dining, without the fine dining prices. I will definitely be returning the next time I’m in the mood for Italian food.

Have you been to Fratelli’s or do you have a favorite Italian restaurant. Leave your comments below.

Jack’s

Jack’s in Pleasant Hill, CA is a destination restaurant. They have a diverse menu, that’s sure to please.

I have to admit Jack’s was not on my radar when I went to California a couple of weeks ago. Even though I have been there countless times, I had other restaurants in mind prior to my arrival. What a pleasant surprised when the hotel I checked into was less than a block from Jack’s in Pleasant Hill. I tend to not promote a chain restaurant, in the case of Jack’s I’m not certain if you can call them a chain restaurant. Jack’s is family owned. When I was eating there on a regular basis, they had two restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, now they have four. Their web-site touts their dinner menu as Greek-American inspired. You will find everything from burgers to salmon on the menu.

Jack's Zuchini Cakes — Jack’s Zucchini Cakes

Zucchini Cakes have to be one of my favorite appetizers. Jack’s Zucchini Cakes are made with feta cheese, tzatziki, and cucumber-tomato relish. Even though they are deep fried, they are surprisingly light. Jack’s has made it a little harder to share. They used to serve three cakes and now they serve two. Adding to my disappointment, they used to be a little larger. I chalk this up to inflation, trying to keep cost down. Even still, Zucchini cakes are an excellent way to start a meal.

Jack's Fish and Chips — Jack’s Fish and Chips

I have a new favorite Fish and Chips. No need to find an Irish pub if you live within driving distance from Jack’s. The portion size was surprising. Jack’s serves three large fillets of Alaskan Cod dipped in their beer batter. The cod was light and flaky. They serve it with lemon and vinegar or tarter sauce. I found I didn’t need either. I’m not certain my picture does this meal justice, but their Fish and Chips now tops my list.

Jack's Buffalo Chicken Salad — Jack’s Buffalo Chicken Salad

Given that Jack’s was so close, I actually ate their, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One of my favorites in their salad section of their menu is their Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad. There is no need for an appetizer. I’m certain you will not walk away hungry. The Buffalo Chicken has just enough heat for those of us that like it spicy. But it’s not too spicy, for those that can’t take the heat. I would highly recommend this for anyone who likes chicken wings and looking for a hearty lunch.

Jack's French Toast — Jack’s French Toast

The French Toast breakfast was just ok. Nothing to write home about. Maybe it’s because I have been spoiled by restaurants back home. My first complaint was that the scrambled eggs did not seem fresh. They appear to come out of a premixed container. The French Toast was good, but they have served better. Brunch used to be more of an event at Jack’s. Now it is good, but if I still lived their, I would look for another breakfast spot. Don’t get me wrong, if you are looking for a family breakfast, Jack’s should be on the list.

With four locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, it should be easy to find a Jack’s to visit. I was impressed with the quality of the food and that they have kept the cost down. If I make another journey to the Bay Area, Jack’s will be on my list. Have you been to Jack’s? What is your opinion? Leave me a comment.

Gettysburger

Not your just your run of the mill burger.

Gettysburger should be on every foodies list of places to visit. It shouldn’t be surprising that restaurant that specializes in hamburgers has really good burgers. Gettysburger Company in Gettysburg Pennsylvania seems to be a step above other Gourmet Burger joints.

Dry, no way. From my first bite of their Western Burger, juices from the burger flowed down my hand. Fortunately the waiter anticipated this and left me a stack of napkins. The combination of BBQ sauce and Cheddar cheese was not overpowering. The toppings complimented the burger. The 8oz patty is flavorful all on its own. Some restaurants make up for so so burger patties with condiments. This is not the case at Gettysburger. They have 17 different burgers on the menu, it may take you a minute to decide which burger to try first.

While you are trying to decide, try their wings as an appetizer. Pictured is their large wings. They could be considered a meal all by themselves. When selecting a sauce, I tend to go with hot or spicy. Their sauce was manageable, accept maybe for people that are sensitive to spicy food.

Gettysburger has a full menu of comfort food items, if you are not in the mood for a burger. Their Chicken Cordon Bleu sounds good, but so does the selection of wraps, if you are looking for something on the lighter side. Your kids might enjoy their Sidewinder Fries.

Gettysburger Company is one of those restaurants you will want to go back to, even if it is nothing more than trying the different burgers on their menu. When you are in the mood for a burger and don’t want a humdrum fast food burger, go to Gettysburger in Gettysburg, PA. If you have been to Gettysburger or have another favorite burger restaurant, leave me a comment in the comment section.

C&D Bar and Grill

Melt in your mouth Filet Mignon awaits at C&D Bar and Grill.

Talk about a pleasant accident. I was told about a family owned restaurant I had to try in New Oxford Pennsylvania. When I got there, the restaurant had a sign on the door saying they were closed for family vacation. Disappointed I looked around and saw C&D Bar and Grill. Not knowing what to expect, I discovered Fine dining in New Oxford.

C&D states on their website they are a casual fine dining restaurant. Looking at the menu, I was struck by the fine dining selections, but looking around the restaurant the clientele was families. Not exactly what I would expect at a fine dining establishment.

It is the little things that matter when you are eating at a restaurant that claims to be fine dining. The first thing I noticed was that they not only bake their own bread in house, but they also bake their own croutons for the salads. A simple salad can be an indication of how good a restaurant is. I chose a simple Caesar salad, but I saw on the menu, a Spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette or a Nicoise as fine dining options.

C&D Filet Mignon 2 — C&D Blue Cheese Filet Mignon

I don’t know that I have ever had a Filet Mignon that melted in your mouth. That was until I tried C&D’s Roquefort Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon. There is a powerful combination of the Roquefort Blue Cheese and Cabernet demi glaze followed by the melt in your mouth filet Mignon. The chef at C&D has mastered a powerful flavor explosion that comes in every bite. Given how satisfied I was with the filet Mignon, I am interested in going back to try their Blackened Sirloin and New York Strip. C&D has a full seafood selection. A dish worth trying is their Sesame Crusted Tuna, it has Asian leanings, with its stir fried vegetables, drizzled with a ginger soy sauce and sriracha aioli.

C&D has become one of my new favorite accidental discoveries. If the restaurant was open that I intended on visiting, I would have never discovered this gem. C&D puts their signature on every dish. Their Baklava is a fine way to finish a meal. Their twist is cinnamon sprinkled on top.

C&D Bar and Grill, in New Oxford Pennsylvania needs to be on your places to try. Whether it is date night or a family outing, you will not be disappointed. Have you been to C&D Bar and Grill; do you have a favorite steak and seafood restaurant, let me know in the comment section.