Rice & Noodles catered my wedding. I'm serious. It was delicious—and affordable. Even my aunt enjoyed it.
There are two kinds of restaurants in the world: the ones that are all atmosphere with no substance—like musical theater with great sound and bad singing—and the ones, consistently understated, that grab your attention with the first bite.
Rice & Noodles is this last, best kind of restaurant. Regardless of the crush of people picking up to-go orders or waiting for a table, you can expect delicious, fresh, healthy Vietnamese food—"just like we eat at home," says Vy Banh.
In addition to the phở (
listen), banh mi, coffee and egg rolls that have become American standards, Rice & Noodles makes their own flan, ice cream and impossibly complicated macaroons.
It all goes back to Vy's grandmother learning French pastries in Saigon. The family had 13 restaurants in Vietnam until Saigon fell in 1975, and started again with three restaurants in New Orleans until they flooded in 2005.
Now rumor has it there will be a second location in Lancaster on Orange and Prince. I don't know how to say it in Vietnamese, but ¡Que le vaya bien!
http://riceandnoodlesrestaurant.com/dine-with-us/
In college David Hommel majored in ice cream.
Well, not exactly. But he did take Penn State University's renowned Ice Cream Short Course.
The result has been a dazzling parade of 30 exotic flavors through downtown Lancaster display cases, in every season of the year. Kind of a frozen fireworks display, before Frozen meant spellbinding princesses with big eyes.
David's "standard" flavors are molasses, toasted coconut, dark chocolate, cherry vanilla and ten others. Which should give you an idea of the rotating flavors—things with names like Zombie Nuts, Aztec Hot Chocolate, Spicy Praline, Holy Mole—and actually those are just four signature recipes that marry something spicy hot with something cold and sweet.
Yes, they also have vanilla, strawberry and milk chocolate. Collectors editions. And "we always have one peanut butter flavor, one sugar-free flavor, three sorbets and three sherbets," they say.
As Margaret Mead might say with her mouth full, "Never doubt that a small collection of exceptional dairy products can change the world."
http://carmenanddavidscreamery.com/
The Whip is gold at the end of a rainbow of Chester County horse country. Who would expect to find authentic English pub food stationed somewhere between Coatesville, Cochranville and Kennett Square?
At The Whip I learned that black and white puddings are breakfast sausage, but Yorkshire pudding is a kind of puff pastry best enjoyed with roast beef. I learned that Scotch eggs are deep fried and delicious. And I learned that what Cork and Cap (Lancaster, Pa.) calls rarebit is more like melted Velveeta.
The Whip is not pretentious. It is a pub. You can get $2 pints and games on TV.
But during the summer you can enjoy a mouthwatering brunch beneath the trees by Doe Run. And in the winter the fireplace, dark wood and beer-only bar are everything you need to make cold feel like a charming counterpoint to your cozy cosmopolitan life.
http://www.thewhiptavern.com/twt_menus.
When I tried H-N-T's asparagus fries I was transported to a firelit cabin in pine woods with snow falling. Yes, they were that good.
The pork belly melted in my mouth. I had a rye Manhattan that made ordinary cocktails seem like Smirnoff Ice.
Was it young love, or beginners luck? Subsequent trips have not fared as well. The pork belly was too salty. Asparagus fries went away for the summer. The popular "Cuban cigars" tasted like diner food.
I keep going back, mostly to sit at the curved copper-top bar. Two dozen beers on tap, and always something interesting.
In July bartender Steve Wood saw my restless post-gin expression and asked if he could make me a whiskey drink. I said sure. Turns out he's a bit of a wunderkind with the beer cocktail (see Fly magazine). The impromptu concoction he delivered was a delicious stout-laced twist on what he called a boulevardier.
The intermittent reward is a principle of behavioral conditioning. With occasional treats as good as Wood's cocktail, I'll keep walking in the door.
http://www.hungernthirst.com/
When I moved to Lancaster, On Orange was called Wish You Were Here. "Wish My Food Were Here," my friends quipped. "Wish I Were Elsewhere."
When Melissa Watro took over in 2010 I tried it again—and haven't stopped going back.
On Orange is the best kind of brunch place:
- Friendly service
- Coffee brought promptly
- Familiar food with a twist
In Central Pennsylvania it is one of the few places you can get a spicy
breakfast dish. Two, actually: the Indian omelet and the chilaquiles.
There are sunny seats upstairs, cozy corners downstairs and tables on the back patio in warm weather.
The hearty whole-grain toast alone is worth the trip.
Some restaurants are all attitude and no good food. Others just give you what you pay for. On Orange impresses with simple quality. It's the perfect start to a Lancaster weekend.
http://onorange.wordpress.com/menu/
