Thursday, September 26, 2013

Bee Eye Why See* - Latin American/Tex Mex

When Anthony told me we were going to be moving to York City I was excited to find a few new places. But there is one category of food that just can't be superseded in the Greater York area and that is Mexican food, or to be more specific Latin American food or Tex Mex. To get the best Tex Mex around you need to head to El Serrano out on East Market St (or their Lancaster location but that doesn't fit with the theme of this blog).

You really can't go wrong with anything on El Serrano's menu which is heavily inspired by the Peruvian heritage of the family who owns and operates both locations. Some times I opt for a basic dish like the Los Burros you see above, which are fantastic burritos or I go with the ever popular  chimichangas, enchiladas, fajitas and tacos.

My personal favorite dish at El Serrano is the Chuletas de Puerco which you see on the left here. Its two marinated pork steaks that come served on a sizzling fajita plate. Also on the hot plate is a quarter of a pineapple which tastes amazing when it is seared. Also, rather than having rice and beans on the side it comes with a little step-pyramid looking scoop of white rice that would seem more at home in a Chinese restaurant than a Tex-Mex place.

If you really want to experience the best of the York location be sure to go on Thursday nights so you can hear the incomparable Dante who starts to sing and play music starting at 6 PM. When he whistles "The Girl From Ipanema" it makes my food taste even better. There is no other rating I could give El  Serrano other than the full 4 Paws!

  

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Bear Market: Copper Crust Company

Sometimes a teddy bear just needs pastry; know what I'm saying? Where we used to live the only place within walking distance to get (what passed for) a pastry was a gas station/convenience store and that wasn't happening. Now that we live downtown I'm blessed with more than one place to get great pastry and one of them is The Copper Crust in Central Market.

Copper Crust ticks all the boxes when it comes to their pastry case from cakes, muffins and cookies to scones, croissants and quiche. No word on if they are working on a cronut yet but if they tried to make one I'm sure it would be awesome. My usual order is a quick everything bagel but when I want a little more I go with a bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel or croissant.

Today I tagged along to the market with Anthony as he did his weekly shopping and we decided to get a few things and share them. We got the beautiful cherry danish you see above (which fittingly has a beautiful copper crust) and a paris roll, which is the stunning cinnamon roll you see to the left. Other than the fact that I had to have Anthony feed me bites of each (they are delightfully sticky and I didn't want to spend the next 4 hours cleaning the fur on my paws) it was a perfect breakfast.

Copper Crust is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 AM to 2 PM and also make a great destination for lunch with salads and lunch versions of their bagel sandwiches. Be sure to check them out!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Bee Eye Why See: BLT

Maewyn's Gourmet B.L.T.
Next up on my list of the Best in York City is the quintessential sandwich: Bacon Lettuce & Tomato. The B.L.T. is just about the most perfectly balanced sandwich in the world, and usually it is at its best when it is at its simplest. But my choice for the best B.L.T. in York is far from simple and that is what make Maewyn's Gourmet B.L.T. so great.

Obviously the star of any B.L.T. is the B and that is no exception at Maewyn's where they use thick cut bacon that they cure on the premises. You'd almost have to call the bacon candied since it has a sweet sticky cure on it that really works perfectly with the bacon's natural smokiness. If all the sandwich had on it was this bacon with some lettuce and tomato it would be amazing, but, like I said this sandwich isn't so simple.

What takes this B.L.T. to the next level is the one part I had them hold the first time I ordered it: cheese. So I guess its more like a B.L.T.C. after all. They use a combo of Boursin and Cooper cheese that is really soft and velvety when it gets warmed up. While my arteries will hate to hear this but there is almost nothing like mayo and bacon getting together with soft creamy cheese. I really need to get back to eating bamboo for a while!

So if you're looking for a good option for lunch, brunch, dinner or late night eats to go with a few beers make your way to N. George St. and be sure to wear a little green!


 

Friday, September 13, 2013

Bee Eye Why See: Wings

York's best wings are at the corner of Philadelphia and Beaver
When I decided to do a series of posts determining the best of various dishes in York City I knew that wings would have to be first up. They're just about my favorite thing to eat in the world. When Anthony first brought me to York I used to tag along when he and his college roommates went out for cheep eats. While dollar tacos from Murph's were good what I really got excited about was nickel wing night at the West York Inn.

I'm an older and wiser stuffed panda these days so when I eat wings I'm after quality not quantity or even value. And when it comes to quality wings in York the White Rose wins paws down. That shouldn't come as surprise since the Beaver St. eatery is, if not the best, than one of the top two or three restaurants in all of Central PA, let alone York.

Wings are a tricky business, because while you have to really try hard to screw them up it also takes everything working together in concert to make them amazing. Its with this attention to detail that the White Rose make their wings exquisite. It all starts with quality products and from my experience the White Rose never cuts corners with any of their meats, cheeses or produce. But simply buying good chicken is not enough, wings have to be fried just right to ensure that they are crispy and yet not burned, and cooked through without being greasy.

The wings at the White Rose tick all these boxes. They have a little crunch on their skin despite not being breaded and are moist and tender all the way through. They'd even be good enough to eat sans sauce, but there's no need for that kind of craziness. Its in the realm sauce that the White Rose really wins me over. There's nothing I hate more than ordering chicken wings and getting wing soup, where the wings come out in crime-scene like pool of sauce.

As you can see from the picture at the top of this post the White Rose's wings are very lightly sauced. So much so that at first blush you think they have none at all. That said, they don't lack for flavor in the least bit. This approach is a big bonus for a teddy bear. Believe you me, there is nothing worse than spending an hour and a half licking crappy wing sauce off you paws.

For all these reasons White Rose has the best wings in all York City. The runner up, and makers of some fantastic wings in their own right is Big Lou's BBQ on W. Princess. At Big Lou's the wings are smoked rather than fried and the sauce is cooked on so, while they are sticky, they are not dripping with excess sauce.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Park Street Pantry

Some tasty cheese tapenade from Park St. Pantry
As much as I love shopping at Central Market there are certain specialty items that just aren't available there. What good is all that fresh produce and locally sourced meat without flavored/smoked salt, honey, spices and small batch olive oils & vinegars?

If you agree and have finished your shopping at the market then all you need to do is go out the Beaver St. exit and walk about 20 paces across the street to Park Street Pantry.

Named for the Dallastown PA street that owners (and sisters) Krista and Beth grew up on this food boutique has everything you need to spice up dinner or throw a party. On my first trip there I picked up a jar of Parmesan-Asiago Tapenade (pictured here) which was awesome.

When you walk in to Park Street its a lot like being a kid in Santa's workshop. Everywhere you look is something you want. Whether you're looking for specialty chocolates or flavored olive oil there are a ton of things take your recipes up to the next level. I especially enjoyed the samples of smoked and flavored salts they offer in varities such as Hawaiian Red Alaea Salt, Fleur de Sel, Spanish Rosemary and many more. You can also buy a Himalayan Pink Sea Salt slab that you can use to cook or serve food on.

They also feature Skillet Bacon Spread which is a kind of bacon jam or reduction that was invented by a Seattle food truck and has started to pop up nation wide since then. Park Street is the only retailer in PA that is selling it right now. It tastes just as good as you think bacon jam would and is perfect to put on sandwiches, on burgers or on a spoon and then into your mouth.

If you want to take the ordinary food you make to the next level pop into Park Street and get the tools you need to spice up your meals!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Bee Eye Why See


I hear what you're asking: What the hell does "Bee Eye Why See" mean? Well why don't you just cool you're jets and let me tell you. "Bee Eye Why See" is my cutesy way of saying B.I.Y.C. and I'm a tiny adorable stuffed panda so I know from cute.  Seriously though, B.I.Y.C. is short for Best In York City and this it the heading for my new series of posts.

In this series of posts I plan on having the same dish at multiple York City eateries and determining which one takes the blue ribbon in the White Rose City. I'm looking at putting local joints to the test on things like wings, bbq, pizza, burgers, B.L.T.'s, sweets, Cheese+Potato dishes and last but not least: specialty items such as the muffuletta sandwich.

So be sure to watch this blog and my Facebook page for these posts and find out who is the Bee Eye Why See.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Bear Market: M&M Farm

Cooking us some ground beef from M&M Farm
It may be hard for you to understand but every now and again I am just swamped with teddy bear related responsibilities. And for the last few days I have been up to my ears in teddy bear business. So I haven't been able to hang out at the Market in my usual meandering fashion over the last few days. But Tuesday was market day so I asked Heidi to pop over to the market and pick me up a few things so I could keep my Bear Market posts going.

So she stopped by the M&M Farms Stand and picked me up some hot Italian sausages and a pound of ground beef. Tuesday night Anthony and I had  the sausage with some pasta and it was pretty damn good. You could definitely tell that it was locally made as it lacked the blandness that a lot of the national brands that they sell at the supermarket sell. The main drawback was that it was frozen and it that it was not a product of M&M.

The ground beef does come from M&M's York County farm which is located down in Glen Rock. Here is where I can really rave. Once again the main difference is how much more flavorful the local grass fed beef is. We made chili with it tonight, but after we browned it we tried it before mixing it in with all the other chili ingredients. It tasted amazing just browned and drained of what little excess fat there was. No seasoning was needed to let the flavor of the meat shine through. Once it was incorporated into Anthony's chili recipe it really proved how much better local and grass fed really is.

If you're not into all this delicious meat maybe you can check out their website to buy hides and skulls, you now, for kicks. In the end getting your meat from M&M is always better tan going to a supermarket. I give them 3 paws out of 4.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Archi-Ted-Ture: Smyser-Royer Building

The old Smyser-Royer building is now York Academy
 
One of the best things about living in an old industrial city is the plethora of great old buildings. Some of those buildings are now sitting empty after years of neglect, but others are starting to be resurrected. While most of those buildings are being brought back to life as office spaces or apartments and condos today we're looking at a building who's second life has a higher calling.

For the last two years the building you see above has housed the York Academy Regional Charter School. The school is a cooperative effort between  the York City, Central York and York Suburban School Districts. The school is for kindergarten through 4th grade, and it is hopefully providing a brand new type of education to the kids who attend. The building, however is very old.

In it's previous life it was the Smyser-Royer foundry building and it churned out decorative cast iron building materials such as light fixtures that have graced buildings as near a York's own William Penn High School and as far away as the Roosevelt Dam outside of Phoenix. That dam is just one of the many excellent things named after President Teddy Roosevelt, in this teddy bear's humble opinion.

It only takes one look at how blighted the old foundry had become to know that the building could have very easily been pulled down. In a city with a thirst for developable property, that almost certainly would have happened years ago. But, luckily, here in York it was allowed to sit in reserve for years and be available to be turned into a school. It's the odd juxtaposition that exists in our city: If the economy had been better in the last few decades than many of these wonderful buildings would no longer be around to be turned into rejuvenated treasures.