Not on the Fourth of July
So for Fourth of July we went to Cowan's Gap, basically a small lake surrounded by lush pine forest, with a little sandy beach at one side, picnic tables, grills, a stand renting kayaks and paddle boats.
O it's not the Fourth you say? Got me there--we went last June 25. But I haven't properly celebrated any holiday secular or religious in years, usually settled for the weekend before or weekend after (helps explain in part my antipathy towards Christmas); either Luz or I or both work that night. Comes with a job that demands 24/7 staffing, 365 days a year--you don't live a normal calendar.
Devilishly good
First heard of Tom Cunanan, Genevieve Villamora, and Nick Pimentel's Bad Saint from Bon Appetit Magazine's rave piece back in August of last year, declaring the little cubbyhole the second best new restaurant in America.
Filipino? Second best in the country? Aside from a chauvinistic kneejerk reaction (Only second best?) I was skeptical. Then almost three months later the Washington Post's Tom Sietsema harumphed about the Michelin Guide's inclusion of the eatery as one of D.C.'s nineteen Bib Gourmand restaurants of 2016--places of good value for 'dining off the clock,' or cheap eats. The food critic opined that the Guide's definition of what's cheap isn't the same as ours (basically two courses and dessert or a glass of wine for $40, minus tax and tip). "The place deserves better," he declared, describing the twenty-four seat no-reservations establishment as a "gem, as gracious as it is luscious," and adding "Outside of a home, I doubt if there's better Filipino cooking anywhere in the country." In November the New York Times' Pete Wells wrote "I have now spent roughly twice as many hours standing on the sidewalk outside Bad Saint as I have spent inside eating its Filipino food" which sounded like the prelude to a complaint so I braced myself: turns out he considered the waiting part of the experience.
A little South in your mouth
We're not all Keystone State, all the time--we venture outside once in a while, and one of our favorite places to venture is this little corner nook on Franklin (Route 40 West) and Jonathan Street in Hagerstown MD called (of course) Franklin Street Cafe & Grill--arguably not just the best place to taste Southern/Soul food in South Central PA (not a big deal, we're north of the Mason-Dixon line) but also the best place to taste it in Hagerstown, MD (which is a big deal, a very big deal).
Comin round again
So you visit a place and eat and like the food and write about it--then what? You visit again, and sometimes, or at least these three particular times, you find something new.
Momma B's
I promised to write about local eats, and you can't get any more local than this: located on 565 Lincoln Highway East past the hospital and nestled under the neighborhood Travelodge, Momma B's owner promises always fresh never frozen meats and fishes, locally sourced, reasonably priced, simple diner fare, cooked in what may be the cleanest kitchen in town (the owner/chef/manager is willing to have you step in and take a look yourself if you like--he's that proud of his establishment).
