RICHARD FRISBIE - Scranton PA, a foodies paradise

 The Scranton/Harrisburg region of Northeast Pennsylvania is a foodie’s paradise.

There is something about driving across the border to Metamorous (PA) and thinking I’m leaving Texas for Mexico, but as ethnic as this trip is, it’s not a Spanish trip. The oncoming trucks are taking Amish buildings to market, and the ethnicity is Polish and Italian. This is a food tour of Pennsylvania and it started in Scranton.

The Scranton/Harrisburg region of Northeast Pennsylvania is a foodie’s paradise. The mixes of nationalities offer unusual opportunities to taste the various specialties each group is known for. From hot wings to perogis to pizza, some of the Nation’s best can be found here. Then for dessert you can go right to the farm for the best ice cream, and hit an authentic Irish pub on the way home for after-dinner drinks. Between meals there is always the beautiful architecture of Scranton, a long list of museums to visit, and the fabulous shopping the region offers. 

    It is a good day that begins with an ice cream sundae. Imagine a bucholic setting a few short miles off Interstate 81, with barns and cows on a hilltop surrounded by corn fields. Then add an ice cream parlor and homemade ice cream from the milk of the cows outside.  As luck would have it, we found such a place. Manning Farm, on Manning Road in Dalton, serves up a Baskin Robbins assortment, meaning twenty something flavors, but better because they are all made on the premises using the same recipes for generations. So what that it was only ten in the morning. Two scoops of ice cream, (I chose Vanilla and Oreo) topped with strawberries is a nutritious breakfast. At least that’s what I told myself. Then we drove over hill and vale through the gorgeous countryside admiring the prosperous looking houses of the obviously rich suburbs of Scranton.   

    All too soon it was lunch time. It so happens the best, or the second best hot wings in the universe, world, or Pennsylvania (depending upon who is telling the story) can be found nearby in Jermyn at the Windsor Inn. Don’t be fooled, the building on the corner of Route 107 and Washington Street has little curb appeal. It looks more like a bar you’d reconsider entering than a family dining establishment. Looks can be so deceiving! It is really a family place with grandmas bringing granddaughters, and local summer camps giving the kids a welcome night away from camp cooking. Sue and Andy Whitiak run a real nice place that consistently wins awards for customer satisfaction and for their great hot wings.

    The sauces for their hot wings come in four levels: mild, hot, extra hot and super hot, and each is also available with garlic. I tasted all but the super hot. My tongue needed to be ready for future tastings, and not for a transplant. The extra hot was plenty hot enough, especially with the garlic. Authentic chicken wings are joined on the menu by boneless chicken tenders, and chicken nuggets, lightly breaded and fried, all with your choice of sauce. To gild the lily, I tried their homemade perogis (sort of Polish potato and cheese dumplings) deep fried and served with the same sauces. They were all you can imagine, rich, tasty and oh so filling. When lunch was nearly over, I had some of the blue cheese dressing that was served with the wings to help put out the flames in my mouth. The ice cold mug of a local brew, Yuenling (pronounced yinling) finished the job perfectly, and quenched my thirst! With the fire extinguished, it was time to work off some of those calories, so my next stop was Nay Aug Park in Scranton proper.

    It’s only Vietnamese sounding, but Native American (Lenape) in origin. Whatever they call it, it is a diverse green retreat in a spreading urban area. Walking the trails revealed a lovely rose garden, two huge swimming pools, one with a beach and two giant water slides at least 3 stories high, a wildlife sanctuary which was really more of a rescue area for abused and neglected animals than a zoo, a handicap access tree house and a heliport.  There was even a mine, and hiking trails with a paved running lane through the area as well. What really captured my interest though was the Everhart Museum in front of it all. Big and grand looking, this old fashioned-concept (by that I mean not specializing in any one thing) museum will celebrate its centennial next year.

    Mr Everhart was a wealthy man and amateur taxidermist. He collected and stuffed all kinds of animals, but his specialty was birds. The museum has over 3000 in its collection, with about half on display at all times. It is really a smaller version of the American Museum of Natural History: with dinosaur skeletons, dioramas and Africa and ancient Egypt represented, with the addition of a great art collection too. When I was there the current show was the traveling exhibition of  Hudson River School of Art that SUNY New Paltz showed last February. It was great to get a second, more intimate look at it. One could easily spend the day in Scranton and never leave Nay Aug park!

    That was a luxury I had to leave for others to enjoy. It was a hot Summer’s day and after all the activity I needed to freshen up before dinner. Accommodations in the area are varied, from inexpensive motels to destination resorts like the Inn at Nichols Village in nearby Clark’s Summit, and the grand antique architecture of the beautifully restored Lackawana railroad station in the heart of downtown Scranton. I splurged and went for the old world charm of the Radisson Lackawana Station Hotel Scranton, but it wasn’t too much of a splurge, my room was only $99 a night!

   The Radisson Lackawana Hotel is a preservationist’s dream. The old railway station, with its stain glass domed ceiling, amazing tile work and exquisite wood paneling and trim, creates an old world charm that modern corporate box-like hotels can’t possibly match. For my money, historic register hotels and boutique hotels, both with their own little quirks and compromises, offer the best experience when you travel. This visit was no exception. The minor inconveniences such as not enough plugs, or no vent in the bathroom are nothing when compared to the old-fashioned beauty of the Radisson. The fact that it is within walking distance of many other architecturally significant buildings and good restaurants in Scranton’s  gorgeously revived downtown is another reason to stay here.

    A short drive south got me to Old Forge for dinner. Here the Italian population congregated, creating a handful of neighboring restaurants vying for top honors for their pizza and Italian fare. The Arcaro & Genell Old Forge Restaurant wins hands down for their “Old Forge” pizza. Naturally I ordered the wrong pizza! It was so busy the waitress didn’t have time to guide me in my selection. I ordered a delicious thin crust pie with an excellent cheese and tomato sauce topping. Later, when the diner rush slowed a bit (I’m told it is always busy) she served a salad and another of those local brews while explaining that the Old Forge pizza is a thick and chewy square, closer to a Sicilian style than the ubiquitous round American pizza. Next time I’ll be sure to try it.

    It was late enough to call it a day. The schedule for the next day was as full as this so a good night’s rest was in order. To be continued . . .

Radisson Lackawana Station Hotel Scranton http://www.radisson.com/scrantonpa
Inn at Nichols Village http://www.nicholsvillage.com
Windsor Inn http://www.hotwing.com
Everhart Museum http://www.everhart-museum.org
Arcaro & Genell Old Forge Restaurant http://www.arcaroandgenell.com
Lackawanna County Historical Society http://www.lackawannahistory.org

For more information on Pennsylvania , please visit http://www.visitpa.com 

Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:

RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food 
It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we’ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- just click the orange “Connect” button on the upper left-hand side of this page --- I look forward to hearing from you.

BIO - Richard has been writing culinary travel articles for more than five years as a columnist for his local newspapers, and as a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. His most recent addition to that list is a wine column called “Fruit of the Vine” for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE publications and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.

You can read all of Richard's articles here  http://rfrisbie.gather.com/
or find him with the other Food Correspondents, plus celebrity chef content and plenty of other Foodies at  http://foodtalk.gather.com