Dining in York

[Gloria]

Traveled to York, PA yesterday a town I've been to many times but got to see it through the eyes of a local filled with pride for her home town which made me see the magical side of this very special town. The day started at the Central Market where I was introduced to everything from pulled pork crepes to teff (an ancient grain) to craft beer to artisan baking to a burrito food truck INDOORS!!! All served with great pride and passion behind the making of these products. 

Then off to Otto's before this jewel closes, then off to Farm to Freezer (brilliant) and those delicious Thai food anywhere at District Thai!!!!! Checked all the galleries and shops in the Royal District even getting to meet some of the artists! 

And finished the day off at Collusion for a hand crafted beer and I was mesmerized by the canning machine at the bar waiting to fill a "Crowler" with your beer of choice!

I left York already planning my next visit and greatly appreciating the time and talents of the artisans in York who take the time to put their love and pride in their craft and then make it accessible to so many!! York has a lot of magic to share with all of us!! Thank you to all and I look forward to seeing, eating and drinking more in the near future of what you have to offer very soon!!

-Gloria 

 

[curiouskitkatt]

On 12/30/2016 at 5:32 PM, Gloria said:

Traveled to York, PA yesterday a town I've been to many times but got to see it through the eyes of a local filled with pride for her home town which made me see the magical side of this very special town. The day started at the Central Market where I was introduced to everything from pulled pork crepes to teff (an ancient grain) to craft beer to artisan baking to a burrito food truck INDOORS!!! All served with great pride and passion behind the making of these products. 

Then off to Otto's before this jewel closes, then off to Farm to Freezer (brilliant) and those delicious Thai food anywhere at District Thai!!!!! Checked all the galleries and shops in the Royal District even getting to meet some of the artists! 

And finished the day off at Collusion for a hand crafted beer and I was mesmerized by the canning machine at the bar waiting to fill a "Crowler" with your beer of choice!

I left York already planning my next visit and greatly appreciating the time and talents of the artisans in York who take the time to put their love and pride in their craft and then make it accessible to so many!! York has a lot of magic to share with all of us!! Thank you to all and I look forward to seeing, eating and drinking more in the near future of what you have to offer very soon!!

-Gloria 

It was my absolute pleasure to be your guide to all the treasures my home city has to offer.  There is a tremendous selection of hidden gems here in York, as well as Central PA. Its heartwarming to meet likeminded persons that share my passion for both food and culture. This certainly marks one of many adventures we will venture on. 

grateful,

kat

 

[DonRocks]

On 9/23/2017 at 11:43 PM, kitkatpaddywak said:

I love to eat. This is no surprise. I also love to share spots that I enjoy with the masses, in hopes that they take my review, and visit said restaurant. York is where I grew up, and have returned to. There are plenty of some what good  restaurants. The issue I have with spots in this town is that they make a great first impression, but when I return for another meal, not so much. Does this happen in the DMV as well? Consistency is not their strong suit here. I've been to a few pop- ups that I raved  about, but it was short lived.  Am I too picky? Is my palate high maintenance? 

Asking for a friend,

kat

Kat, it's everywhere now (and has been, long before I first used the term - the phenomenon paralleled the rise of the internet), and you've fallen victim to Review Season.

[curiouskitkatt]

Downtown York Restaurant Week is returning Feburary 24th and running through March 3rd. This is a valiant effort to drive traffic into downtown. It was successful  last year, so hopeful this year the locals , as well as residents outside the city, will venture downtown for this tasty event! 

White rose,

kat

[curiouskitkatt]

Tonight I went out in for dinner close to home. I chose Thai. There happens to be  a local favorite. This spot serves many dishes that hit all those Thai notes perfectly.

I started out with vegan crabcakes that were served with sweet thai chili sauce. Mung bean cakes heavily seasoned with garlic that could have used less garlic , and more old bay. The texture was good, but all I could taste was the garlic. I was hopeful my next course would deliver better. It did. A sea bass soup filled with all the Thai aromatics that I happen to enjoy very much. A richly flavored soup infused with kefir lime, lemongrass, cilantro, thai basil, and tamarind. Fresh herbs imparted freshness to the dish, while the tamarind provided a sourness that makes the soup absolutlely perfect.  Unctuous cuts of sea bass in every spoonful with herbs and  stewed tomatos made for up for the less than impressive start  to the meal. This dish tastes like home to me. I savored every drop of the broth. Sweet & sour. 

This dish is what Thai people would likely cook at home. Knowing I could find the exact version in a restaurant, unchanged,  in the tiny rural town of York, Pa, brings me more joy than I can adequately articulate.

Today was a good day.  

kat

[curiouskitkatt]

 #yorksgotcrabs is running August 11th thru the 18th. A list of participating restaurants are listed in the link, along with deets on what dishes are available. 

Although this is not the traditional format of a typical restaurant week, it offers a opportunity to drive dining commerce  into Downtown York. Tonight I will be popping in to Paco's Tacos to try the crab tostada. They have a vegan version that has me a bit intrigued. I may just have to indulge, and try both.

 

 

#donrockwelldotcom,

kat

[curiouskitkatt]

Taco Tuesday was an epic fail yesterday. 

How do I avoid sounding like an elite Yelper? I do not like posting negative reviews. The pattern I have been following about posting about my meals for the most part is that I only post the good, and forego the bad. I'm no critic, but bad meals matter too, right?  This is a situation I run into often at restaurants in York, and pretty much most of the places I have been venturing lately. I go once, maybe twice and the food is good. Not spectacular, but good. I go back with hopes that the dishes will  improve.  Yesterday was a complete disappointment on all fronts.

I arrived pretty excited to try the crab tostada that has been featured for crab week. I saw a few postings on social media, and the food appear to look amazing, hence the built up  of my anticipation of having a good meal.  I listened to the server describe the offerings, being that they were additions to the menu. I do not recall shrimp being in the tostada. More on that in a sec. The server informed  me of a few items that were not available. Umm, okay, its Tuesday, the first day of service but I'll overlook that. No guacamole. Are you serious? How can you not have avocados, and its Taco Tuesday. Ugh, I should have picked up on that as being sign of what was to come. 

The tostada arrives, and I give it a once over, and I know it's not gonna be good. The black refried beans look dry, and color of the sauce that is dripping over the "crabcake" looks like a goopy  slime, and it's finished off with  token micro sprouts.The presentation was not good, but I could overlook it if the flavor delivered. I mean some people just aren't very good at plating. One bite of the cake, I knew immediately there was some other seafood that was mixed into this. It was shrimp. I feel as if I was duped. Perhaps, I'm being a bit dramatic, but when the menu offers crab, you expect crab, not shrimp. The flavor of the other shellfish was aggressive, and the delicate sweet flavor of the crab didn't have a chance. I was still hungry though. So I ordered what I had in the past, and knew was good. The sweet potato , and the braised short rib I thought for sure would redeem this meal. Nope. The sweet potato was baked, and kinda mushy. The bits of sweet potato did not have the crispy edges that it has last time I had it. And the toppings were sweet, as oppose to savory. I think roasted peach salsa was added, Hints of cinnamon made this taste more like a sweet potato pie versus the savory taco I was expecting. The braised short rib was awful. It tasted like refrigerated leftovers that was smothered with a sweet bbq sauce. This meal left me feeling cranky. The chances I will go back are nil, and I had high hopes for Paco's. 

 

hangry,

kat

[curiouskitkatt]

I am little late to report, but DIstrict Thai is certainly one of my favorite spots in York. I completely forgot that the owner is a transplant from DC. Sopon Saronbon had previously served as General Manager at both DC Noodles, and Rice in the District. I do not recall ever dining at either spot while living in the city, but that is completely possible considering all of the dining options. 

It was a hot one yesterday, so I opted for something that was cool and refreshing. I started off with a delectable Thai Ice Tea. A wonderfully rich blend of Thai black tea mixed both with sweetened condensed milk, as well as evaporated milk. The cool sweetness hit the spot. For starters, I had Thai Summer rolls. I definitely prefer these over their fried relative, spring rolls.  The freshness of the all the herbs, combined with rice vermicelli, and tofu made my tummy hum with joy. The dipping sauce they served with it,  could have used a spot more peanut butter for my liking.  It was a hoisin sauce, I suspect, thinned with a bit a water, and a touch of lime, then garnished with crushed peanuts. For my main, I chose the the Drunken Noodles, or better known as Pad Kee Mao. The flavors achieved in this dish, by far, are my favorite combination. The chewiness of the broad rice noodles coated thickly in a saucy  mixture of oyster & fish sauce that was tossed with an array of crunchy veggies marked with fragrant Thai basil, made for delicious main. I also love how the server asked what spice level I preferred. She asked, " spicy, medium spicy, or Thai spicy." I naturally opted for the Thai spicy. My mother so lovingly describes, "for it to have flavor, it's gotta be spicy."  Mom seems to always know best. 

I won't enter the conversation about how authentic this Thai restaurant is, cause honestly  I think that conversation is rather moot. I came here cause I know they serve good food, with courteous service. A place I would bring friends and family to with the comfort knowing they will be fed well. After all, a dear friend enjoyed this spot on her first visit to York.

District Thai opens in North York, written by Anthony J Machcinski , Oct 14,2016 originally published in the the York Daily Record, provides a little bit more background on the restaurant that I hold in my rotation of must eats. If you find yourself in York, I highly recommend it. 

 

Have you eatin" yet,

kat

 

[curiouskitkatt]

Dining at Blue Moon Cafe

[curiouskitkatt]

Another great meal at District Thai!!

---

Victor's (curiouskitkatt)

[curiouskitkatt]

On 1/16/2018 at 3:04 AM, curiouskitkatt said:

Downtown York Restaurant Week is returning Feburary 24th and running through March 3rd. This is a valiant effort to drive traffic into downtown. It was successful  last year, so hopeful this year the locals , as well as residents outside the city, will venture downtown for this tasty event! 

White rose,

kat

Annual return of #rwyork is 2/25 thru 3/3!! 

[curiouskitkatt]

On 10/29/2018 at 12:02 PM, curiouskitkatt said:

Dining at Blue Moon Cafe

Closed,  December 2018.

[curiouskitkatt]

 

Curbside parking lot dining. Delish!

[curiouskitkatt]