Lunch Spot to Check Out: Flats

 

The other day Anthony said he wanted to go somewhere different for lunch. Between us we've eaten at just about every place in downtown York. Then we realized that there was one place we hadn't yet tried right under our noses. Well, under Anthony's nose... I don't have one anymore. About 50 yards from Anthony's office is the Valencia Room (which coincidently is where he took Heidi to the College Formal a few weeks before they started dating) and in the front of the Valencia is Flats which bills itself as an "Original Flatbread Café."

I just love the menu at this place, so much so that we've been there three times in the last week. The menu breaks down into four groups of main dishes: Pizza, Quesadillas, Burritos and Sandwiches/Wraps. They also have a nice grouping of starters and salads of which I've tried the Roasted Hummus Flatbread you see on the left. It tastes just as good as it looks! They also have wings, a tomato bisque, a side salad and the option to get an extra basket of their awesome chips with a balsamic glaze and parmesan dusted on top.

On my first visit I tried  the Killer Beef quesadilla which is fact killer. The brisket was really flavorful and tender and perfectly complemented the cheddar jack and BBQ sauce. Anthony had the Ultimate Grilled Cheese quesadilla pictured on the right which is stuffed with four different types of cheese as well applewood smoked bacon and tomatoes. There are four other quesadillas on the menu too and I'm looking forward to trying them all.

On our last trip be both tried burritos. I had the excellent beef and bean burrito you see below. The beef in question is the same brisket from the quesadilla so your really couldn't go wrong paring it with refried beans, cheese and rice. Anthony went with the Spicy Chicken Crunch burrito that gets its crunch from tortilla strips wrapped up in the burrito and set off with some mango salsa.

I look forward to going back and trying some of their pizzas and wraps very soon and I highly recommend you get on down there and check them out. In addition to awesome lunch food you also get a really comfortable ambiance to kill your 60 minutes before heading back to your desk.

Bear Market: Simply Soup

I don't know weather to eat it or swim in it!
 

It is just stupid cold here in the White Rose city these days. I don't know about you, dear blog reader, but when the cold weather gets me down I reach for soup. Since I am a really lazy stuffed panda I don't take the time to make my own and I also am not a fan of the sodium packed canned stuff. Luckily for me there is a place to get awesome scratch-made soup in Central Market.

Simply Soup has a huge variety of recipes to warm you on even the coldest day as one look at their menu will show you. When you try any of their soups you can really tell that they are made with skill and care. Everything I have tried from there has been amazing so far. Pair the soup with one of the excellent grilled cheese sandwiches they serve you get one hell of a filling and rewarding lunch.

They aren't just for lunch though, because they also offer pint and quart containers to go. If you don't know what you're making for dinner tonight and you don't feel like going out either you can get some to go like Anthony, Heidi and I do. This week we got the Chicken Noodle you see at the top of this post and paired it with a mixed greens salad. If you're having people over get a few quarts and have them simmering on the stovetop when your guests arrive. They'll think you did all the hard work and you will have the upper hand on them, and isn't that what friendship is all about?

No matter if you decide to pass it off as your own or you give the credit to Simply Soup one thing is for sure: you'll have a great meal and warm yourself up.

Bee Eye Why See: Cheesesteak

 

In doing my research for my B.I.Y.C. (Best In York City)  post about cheesesteaks I've gained almost a pound. That may not sound like a lot to you but I'm not even a foot tall so I think you get the idea that I ate a whole lot of cheesesteaks. In the end I came back to the first one I had when I started the blog back in August.

Pepper's Grille at Central Market are masters of taking tried and true favorites and putting their own unique spin on them to take them to a whole new level. Their Bacon Cheesesteak is a fine example of just how they turn it up to 11. I'll be honest: when I first heard about the bacon steak I didn't know if I would like it. I thought the bacon might make it a bit too salty. But when I had it I found that the bacon brought the perfect balance to a cheesesteak.

Just take one look at these pictures and you'll all see the care that owners Steve and Ginger put into all their creations. Everything that goes into the steak is fresh and of super high quality. The rolls come all the way from Philadelphia: aka Cheesesteak Mecca and Steve also gets his secret ingredient for flavoring the steak all the way from Virginia.

It all adds up to one of the best things you'll ever eat, and I've had enough of them that I need to get myself on a diet. There are many places to get a good cheesesteak in York but Pepper's it one place to get a true masterpiece of steak, bread, bacon and cheese. It's even better than my own!

Archi-Ted-ture: Beaver St. Masonic Hall

Did you ever have the feeling that no matter how great your were as a kid you could never measure up to the sibling who was your parents favorite? That must be how the building at 15 and 17 North Beaver St in the Market District must feel.

I often wonder if anyone even notices this 150 year old masterpiece with the jewel of York city's architecture right next door. I mean, how are you supposed to pay attention to the amazing façade of York's original Masonic Temple when there are three stories of wrap around porches on the National House right next door. Well I don't play favorites and I have noticed how amazing the old Masonic Hall is.

Built during the Civil War this Gothic Revival masterpiece sports dual entrances on either side of a bay window on the ground floor. The windows on the second and third floors are arched in a church like style. I also enjoy the ornate brickwork along the roofline and between the second and third stories. But my favorite little feature of this building is the way #17 has one more step than #15 to account for the very small slope in Beaver street.

I would guess than many of you who frequent the Market District have walked passed this grand old building hundreds of times without paying it much attention. I hope the next time you are in area you take a second to study it in person. It's the one midway between The Holy Hound and Central Market.

Bee Eye Why See: Mac & Cheese

 

When winter comes there are a few specific dishes that I reach for that warm me up both physically and mentally. One of my biggest comfort foods is macaroni and cheese and my bar is set quite high. I was lucky to land in Anthony's house for many reasons. Not only is he the kind of guy who keeps his teddy bear around for his whole life, but his folks could both really cook. Susan made awesome mac & cheese and the only box to be found was the box the noodles came in. And the cheese came in solid form not squeezed out of a pouch. None of that blue boxed crap for us.

With my storied mac & cheese history in mind let me say that not only is the Varsity Smoke Shack's version is easily the best in York City and some of the best you'll ever have. Their particular version is not a casserole style, so if that's what your into I beg you to have an open mind. The baked variety is also great, but this is a frying pan base preparation utilizing a béchamel based sauces. It is made toorder so it always arrives piping hot and bursting with flavor.

On a cold winter's day it makes the perfect side to one of Varsity's awesome sandwiches that I blogged about last month. While its on the menu as a side, two of them would serve to be a filling and satisfying meal all on its own. One of these days I'm going to get them to cut up a few strips of bacon in it and the result may make me weep. But it is the best mac & cheese you'll have in York all on its own and you should run and get some ASAP!

Teddy's Favorite Things: Soap

It's the most wonderful time of the year... even for a tiny stuffed panda. I love gift giving, and since I'm writing this blog I thought I might share with you some gift idea's from businesses right here in York PA. I know some of you are surprised that my first gift idea is soap and I hear what you are saying: "Teddy, you don't look all that clean bud, what the hell do you know about soap?" well, screw you. That's #1. And #2: I live with two humans who are the picture of cleanliness. So I know from soap. Ok?

If you're looking for fantastic locally made bath and beauty products you need look no further than Paintbox Soapworks. They have everything for the special lady or guy on your list. Both Anthony and Heidi use Pantbox products and rave about their exquisite fragrance and efficacy.

Anthony swears by the Black Bart Shaving soap; he says his face is always much smoother post shave than when he used to use shaving cream. An added bonus is that Heidi loves the combo of its leathery and smoky smell. A few bars of this stuff with a fancy barber's brush would make a great gift for husbands, boyfriends, brothers and fathers alike.

Heidi's go to are the sorbetto emulsifying scrubs. She has a variety of scents and uses them to clean and care for her skin, which she is awfully hard on these days. Her regiment keeps her skin looking and feeling like porcelain which is no easy task with all the swimming and working out she does. Package a few of these together with some Paintbox's hand creams and scent balms and you'll wow any lady on your list.

If you don't like my pairings you can just go to their Etsy page's Gift Sets tab and pick some out for your mom, sister, uncle, teacher, secretary or... you know... a cute teddy bear you might know. You can shop on-line or like their FaceBook page to find out when they are selling at pop-up retail locations around town. Tell 'em Teddy sent you!

Bear on Beer: Liquid Hero Brewery

The first of my Bear on Beer posts was about a place that sells beer from all around the world through their 30 taps. This one is about a York spot that brews their own. Liquid Hero Brewery opened its doors less than two years ago but they have ridden the wave of craft beer popularity to a thriving business today.

When I first visited their brewpub on North St. the business was so new that they still didn't have a license to sell their beers across the bar. Such are the odd liquor laws of the Commonwealth of PA that they were able to sell their brew in growlers to take home but if you wanted a pint they had to give you a "sample" to sit at the bar with.

Anthony isn't much of a drinker and when he does drink beer he usually went for PA staples like Rolling Rock or Yuengling. So I was lucky that my first visit to Liquid Hero was with our old roommate Jon who is a craft beer aficionado. Between Jon and the owners of the brewery Josh, Matt and Christian I got a tour of all the different types of beers on offer. From ales and IPAs to hefeweizens and stouts Liquid Hero has it all. And if you don't know what you might like the brewers will happily walk you through the options and get a pint in front of you that you'll enjoy.

The brewery came about more than five years ago when it's three founders watched an episode of the History Channel series Modern Marvels all about brewing. They grew through home brewing and eventually got their fantastic location across from York's baseball stadium. The old building you see to the left has been upcycled
into a quintessential brewpub. The back three quarters of the building is where the brewing is done while the front has been turned into a cozy bar that is more like an intimate neighborhood bar of days gone bye. It's quite simply a fantastic place to have a few beers with good friends.

My only regret with the Liquid Hero is that it doesn't have a kitchen of it's own. You can have food delivered from outside vendors which is better than nothing at all but my hope is they experience tons more success that leads to an expansion that will include a rocking menu. Till then you'll just have to peruse my blog for places to go have a bite to eat before or after you have a few of Liquid Hero's great beers.

Bee Eye Why See: Pizza

I've been putting off writing this blog post for too long now. My Bee Eye Why See (B.I.Y.C. = Best In York City) series covers my favorite food items in all of the big categories. Can there be a bigger category than pizza? But here's the rub, I grew up in New Jersey, and Anthony worked in a Jersy pizza parlor when we were younger.

To say that my threshold for good pizza is high would be a massive understatement.

So I haven't really been rushing to write this post, because I really don't like eating at most of the pizza places in the area. The one that I really enjoy the most is just a few steps over the York City boarder in Spring Garden Twp near York College. Parma Pizza sits right in the middle of the main and west campuses of the College and has been slinging pizza, wings and subs for years.
Their pizza is as close to the Jersey style pie I grew up with this side of the Susquehanna.

Pizza comes down to the perfect balance of sauce, crust and cheese. If the sauces is too sweet it ruins the pizza. If it's too much like marinara it ruins the pizza, and some times it tastes like straight tomato paste and it ruins your whole day. When it comes to the cheese it's quite simple: a 50/50 mix of whole milk and part skim mozzarella gives just the right texture with out being too greasy. As for the crust all the difference can be made by hand tossing the dough so it is uniformly thin all the way around.

Parma gets close enough to hitting the mark on each point and puts out one hell of a good slice of pizza. They aren't in the city proper but they are just a few feet away so I count them as the Best In York City right now. They are totally worth the walk down the rail trail for me.   

Archi-Ted-ture:The Cherry & Gay Garage

York City is filled with a lot of amazing old buildings that architects took great pains to make a permanent part of the city. This post isn't about one of those. But it is about architecture all the same. The building you see above is nothing more than a garage or perhaps utility building for storage in it's current life. It is located on the corner of West Gay Avenue and North Cherry lane and one look through it's windows tells you that it's an afterthought to who ever owns it now.

Whenever I walk through that part of town I always take notice of it none the less. The big windows with the rounded tops always look church-like to me. Then there's the clerestory which is the line of windows above the roofline of the outer portions of the building which is designed to bring lite and air into the interior. I also love the brickwork  around the windows and the artistic relief in the top center of the wall. I'm sure it is in horrendous shape but when I look at it I can't help but think how cool it could be as a reclamation project.

The city is filled with amazing old industrial brick buildings and some of them, like the Smyser-Royer Building have been brought back to life. This poor old utilitarian space deserves the same treatment. It would make amazing loft style apartments, an artists space or a restaurant or bar. I happen to think it's location at the corner of Gay and Cherry lends itself to some great names for an establishment.

If it wasn't against the law for stuffed panda's to play the lotto I'd be trying to win so I could buy the place and turn it into what it deserves to be. Until that time it will just be a forgotten structure across a parking lot.

Bee Eye Why See: Fried Chicken

A bear about to be stuffed with Bair's!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to writing this blog post. Nearly 20 years ago when Anthony brought me to York for college we got some fried chicken at Central Market. And that same stand is still there selling some of the best fried chicken you can find in the area. Bair's has been selling fried chicken at the market for almost as long as Anthony and I have been alive. And it's not just the name that keeps this bear heading to Bair's; their chicken is the drawing card.

Over the years I've had just about everything on the Bair's simple yet comprehensive menu. It ranges from wings and sandwiches to nuggets & strips but my go to is the Number 5 consisting of a breast, wing, leg & thigh nestled next to a huge pile of Dutch potatoes. It's totally worth the hour and a half I have to spend licking my oily paws.

The chicken is always crisp on the outside and moist and tender inside which, let's be honest, is what you're looking for in fried chicken. It is quite simply the perfect late night/post bar food, which makes the fact that they're only open till 6 kind of a bummer, but that's par for the course with the market. I'm hoping the revitalization of the Market District leads to more of these great businesses saying open longer. In the meantime you just have to get yourself to the Market by 6 PM Tuesday through Friday and by 3 PM on Saturday to get some of this awesome "Four Paw Rated" fried chicken. It is, by far, the Best In York City!

Market Watch: D.I.Y. Cheesesteak

As much as I love eating out in York City there's only so much time a stuffed bear can spend away from the apartment. But living in the Market District can even help when it comes time to whip up some home-cooked deliciousness. With Anthony out of town and Heidi off partying with the Holy Hound crew I was left to fend for myself this past Saturday. I had a visitor who I was trying to impress so I bounded over to the Market and picked the fixins for a hell of a meal. Here is a step by step of what I made:

 

I picked up a pound of these thinly sliced steaks from J.L. Miller & Sons which put Steak 'Ums to shame.

 

Then I also got a pepper from Charles Family Market and headed home to make magic happen. First I cut the pepper and cooked it till they got a bit soft.

 

 

Next I tossed the steak on top of the peppers and cooked it until the steak was browned, but still juicy.

 

Once the peppers and steak were all ready to go I nestled them in a roll and covered the mixture with a few slices of extra sharp provolone. After about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven they came out looking like this.

 

 

I know, right? I'm sure you're dying for one and the best part is all you have to do is go to the market and pick these items up and make one for yourself. Or are you more lazy than a stuffed panda? I thought so. You eat your crappy delivery cheesesteak, I'll stick with my market sourced masterwork

Bee Eye Why See: BBQ

Two Meat Platter: Ribs & burnt Ends with baked & green beans

I can't believe it has taken me this long to do my "Best In York City" post about BBQ. The York City establishment that Heidi, Anthony and I have frequented most over the last four years also happens to be the best BBQ place in all of Central PA, let alone York. When Lou Smith got laid off from the York Harley Davidson factory he and his partners Erika & Jim started selling southern style Bar-B-Que around town. They did well enough that they were soon able to open a storefront on West Princess St. and Big Lou's BBQ was born.

Brisket Platter with green beans & baked beans

One of the best complements I can pay this restaurant is that I have no favorite item there; every thing they make is awesome. They feature all the classics of southern style que: brisket, ribs, burnt ends, chicken wings and pulled pork and they are all top notch. I can only eat them one at a time (like the brisket platter you see on the left) but Anthony gets two or three meats at a time. His favorite combo to get is what he calls "The whole Farm Yard" with pulled pork, burnt ends and chicken wings. You can also get the brisket and pulled pork on a sandwich which makes an excellent lunch.

We often eat at Lou's for lunch and when we get platters we invariably end up skipping dinner all together that night. To say that Lou's generous portions fill you up is an understatement. And it's not just the main courses that keep us coming back time and again; the side dishes are worth eating all on their own. Save for the top notch Mac & Cheese and the coleslaw just about all of them have meat in them. The baked beans have ground beef  and the green beans have pork and they all have boundless flavor.

I could go on and on about this place, but suffice it to say I give them my highest review: Four Paws. You really shouldn't just take my word for it, you should head down to Lou's and forget that you've every been to a BBQ chain restraint. There's no need to thank me.

Bear Market: LettUsKnow

Anyone who reads this blog knows by now that I love eating at York's central market; so much so that I've put on a few pounds since we moved to the Market District. It's a classic conundrum: you want to eat at the Market, but you don't want to have a big sloppy burger or giant piece of pastry for the fourth day in a row. So what does an adorable little (but not quite as little as I was a few months ago) teddy bear do for lunch on a Saturday?

Salad.

I know, I know: total cliché. The vegetable eating panda, but I was badly in need of some guilt-free sustenance and thanks to one of the market's newest stands I can have it. LettUsKnow just opened in the last few weeks but the concept is so perfect that I can't believe it hasn't been done there before now.

When you step up to the salad stand you have an infinite number of salad outcomes available to you. You start with a choice of greens such as spring mix, romaine, iceberg, spinach and baby arugula before moving on to your accoutrements. Step two entails picking 4 toppings from a list like apples, cilantro, cheese, broccoli or peppers. In step three you add the "crunch factor" with croutons, nuts, seeds or tortilla strips. Now you pick from one of almost two dozen dressings before moving on to optional add-ons.

The add-ons are proteins and cheeses like ham, different styles of chicken, shrimp and turkey or blue cheese, goat cheese and feta. When it's all put together you have a custom salad for right around $7 and when you're done you don't have to feel bloated and/or guilty. I highly recommend LettUsKnow and couldn't be happier that they have joined the market family.

Bear on Beer: Holy Hound Taproom

In the first few months of the blog I've posted a lot about things to eat in York and I've even posted a bit about some of the buildings around town but up until now I haven't posted about where one can imbibe downtown. I'll be calling my series of posts about York's watering-holes "Bear on Beer" which my not be as impactful as "Blonde on Blonde" but Dylan was Dylan and I'm a 9 inch stuffed panda.

There are many fine places to have a few pints in downtown York but as far as I'm concerned there is none finer than The Holy Hound. Following the model of the craft beer taproom the hound has 30 taps that feature rotating craft beers from around the world. Each night patrons can scan the two large chalkboards for what specialties are on offer ranging from IPA's, Porters, Ciders and Stouts among others. When a keg runs out the staff rings an old bell that was still in the space from a time when it housed a boxing ring. It all adds to the experience, part of which is the building itself.

The bar is situated on the ground floor of the National Building which has a long history of it's own and of which I will be doing one of my Architecture posts soon. But, more than the building is the location; right at the corner of West Market and North Beaver streets the bar has doors that open on to both streets. People can circulate in and out and to drink and smoke on the streets when the bar gets a bit too raucous.

You can have a great time just bellying up to the bar and trying a few new beers (the staff is very knowledgeable and happy to help) but there are also many event driven reasons to make your way to the Hound. One glance at the bar's events page shows that in addition to craft beer, live music is also on tap at the Hound. Every Monday the band Free Breakfast plays live and on Fridays and Saturdays there is a heavy rotation of area bands like Mike Miz, (right), and Sabrina Duke (as seen through the crowd in the large picture at the end of the post). And the best part is you get all this great music with no cover!

In addition to the live music is another tunes driven evening, where DJ Ronn Benway spins records, including your favorites. It's Bring Your Own Vinyl Night and it happens every Tuesday. Dust off your favorite LP's and bring them on down to the hound and Ronn will work them into the set-list among his own voluminous collection and other customer provided suggestions. Part of the fun is hearing your song played, but the real blast is hearing a crazy song and trying to determine who in the bar brought it in. It makes me wonder if there will be a bar 25 years from now where forty-somethings bring their old iPods.

The bar has a limited food selection, but it has a bunch of perfect snack to go with your beer. I love the brats and the Pork BBQ but if you don't see something you like they allow outside ordering from select partner businesses. No mater why you go to the Holy Hound you'll drink good beers, hear good tunes and have good times. On weekends the crowds can be big but it's a great vibe and a fun crowd. I couldn't be happier to live 100 yards away and call The Holy Hound my neighborhood bar!

Varsity Smoke Shack

With Anthony having to go up to Harrisburg for work over the last two months we haven't been able to go out to lunch together during the week. We got to reverse that trend on Wednesday, because he had an unexpected weekday at home thanks to a car accident. Luckily he was ok so we got to have lunch from one of our absolute favorite lunch spots in York: The Varsity Smoke Shack.

The Varsity is located about 100 yards from our front door which makes for a quick walk to pick up our grub, but it has another added bonus: when the wind is blowing the right way we can smell the glorious odors wafting down the alley from their smoker. No matter if it's beef, turkey, pork or ham they dish up some fantastic meat from their smoker.

On our most resent visit we opted to split the Philly style Italian Roast Pork with Sharp Provolone and Broccoli Rabe. Anthony has had this style sandwich at locations in New Jersey and Philadelphia, including the world famous DiNic's, and he says the Varsity version really holds it's own against the Philly versions. Even thought the sandwich is so good we don't always get the same thing  because the menu features so many great items.

Another menu item that pays homage to a regional classic is the Chicago style Italian Beef sandwich that comes dripping in delicious beef au jus and topped with spicy and tangy giardiniera. Like a great bar band, the Varsity isn't just about covers. Their originals are great too, like their from the pit sandwiches. Their homemade sides like Mac & Cheese and Potato Salad are a perfect complement and help ensure that even if you share, like Anthony and I did, you'll walk away full and satisfied.

In two weeks when Anthony is back to working in downtown York I'm sure he and I will go back to eating lunch together around town again, and when we do, the Varsity will be high on our list of places to go. It should be high on your list too. They get a full 4 paw review from this stuffed panda, and after I eat there I am always waaaaaay more stuffed.

Bee Eye Why See: Burgers

This is York's best burger and the contest wasn't even close.

One of the only problems living in the epicenter of the reemerging scene in York City is that it can
hard to convince yourself to leave the neighborhood. I regularly find my self deciding to just stay in the Market District for a meal rather than leave it to get a comparable meal elsewhere. But that's when the difference is between a B+ and a B-. When you're looking at the difference between a B+ and an A+ you'd b willing to go pretty far out of your way.

Luckily for me this A+ is only 5 blocks away at the Roosevelt Tavern on the corner of Penn and Philadelphia. The Roosevelt is a hallowed York institution and they have a very impressive menu that you can eat in their beautiful dining room, but I hardly ever do. And it's not because they refuse to seat stuffed pandas in there. It's because when I go to the Roosevelt I sit in the bar and order they best burger in all of York.

The Dry Aged Skyblu Farms Burger is a masterpiece on a plate, simply stated. Skyblu is the 2013 winner of the York County Agriculture Business Counsel's "Best Farm Family" and one taste of the quality of their product and you can understand why. When you take that superior ground beef and dry age it and cook it to perfection you could just eat it plain and be in heaven So when you top it with high quality bacon and gouda cheese and nestle it in a brioche bun you are beyond heaven.

This burger isn't just delicious it is also massive. While they say it is 9 ounces it seems way bigger to me. Maybe the high quality of the meat means that it shrinks far less when it's cooked or maybe they chef is just generous. Either way with the fries added in it is a very filling meal. And the real kicker is the price 6 days a week you get this awesome burger and fries for ten bucks, and on Thursday it will only set you back $7! Why would  you ever eat a value meal at a burger joint when you can get the Skyblu burger for about the same price?

When you consider the superior quality and the amazing price it's easy to see why I'm willing to walk out of the Market District to get York's absolute best burger.

Bee Eye Why See: Coffee Shop

It's a good thing Heidi gets decaf or I'd be wired!

Since we moved downtown Heidi has been leaving the apartment at the same time every afternoon. I used to think she was going to see one of the boyfriends that she and Anthony are always talking about, so I climbed into her laptop bag last week to see where she was going.

Turns out, she has been spending her afternoons working at a local coffee shop called The Green Bean. Now, I'm not what you'd call a coffee drinker, I come from the place brought you tea after all, but you know what they say: when in Rome. So I had a couple of pulls on Heidi's Decaf Iced Coffee with Toffee Nut Syrup and a splash of half and half, and let me tell you: my eyes were opened. I know what you're thinking: "Teddy you don't have any eyelids so your eyes are always open" but I was speaking metaphorically. Don't be difficult.

As I sipped on Heidi's drink and nibbled on her peanut butter cookie I began to realize that I was missing out. So I asked her a simple question: is this the best coffee shop in the city. Her answer was a resounding yes. There are only a few other options but after trying them all out multiple times Heidi settled on Green Bean as York's best.

She says that not only is the coffee great, and the ambiance condusive to work (which for her is smut writing) or just catching up with friends, but, you are always well taken care of by Vanessa and Jen. As and added bonus, since the shop sits across Beaver St from the Police Station you're always bound to see a few of  York City's finest.

So if you're looking for a place to have a cup of joe (hot or cold) and some sweet treats the best place to go in York is the Green Bean. You might even see Heidi and I there, because I'm hooked now!

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!

  

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!

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!


 

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.
 

Bear Market: Peppers Grille

The next stop on my blog tour of  York's Central Market is Peppers Grille. In the month that we've lived downtown I've had occasion to visit Peppers a pawful of times for both breakfast and lunch.

The natural order of things is to start with breakfast and I've had a few breakfast items from Peppers. The first thing I tried was the beauty you see above. It is a maple bacon wrapped cinnamon bun topped with cream cheese icing. Yeah, that just happened. It goes without saying, but the combination of bacon, icing and a cinnamon bun is epic but this one really rocks.

Bacon is a real theme at Peppers. The other breakfast item I had was a breakfast BLT and like the menu says, it's just what you think. The breakfast part is a fried egg added to a regular BLT and it was a fantastic sandwich. They also have egg sandwiches breakfast favorites like pancakes and french toast. The item I haven't tried yet that I'm dying to is the brisket omelet and I think that says all you need to know.



Peppers Grille on the North side of the Market

As for lunches I've had a few of them as well and you won't be surprised to find out bacon featured in them as well. First up was a Bacon! Bacon! Burger which is chock-a-block full of bacon. It's in the ground of the patty and on top as well. I got mine sans cheese and I think that's the way to go. The bacon is really the star and it shines extra bright.

My second lunch there was the Big Bacon Steak with sautéed onions. Again, the name says it all for this cheesesteak with onions and small pieces of bacon mixed throughout. The flavors were great and the roll was perfect for the presentation and enjoyment of they whole experience.

Peppers is one of my early favorites for best of the market right along with Mezzogiorno. I give them the full 4 paws, not only for the food I've tried there but for their whole approach. You simply must try them out!



Lady Bug Baking Company & Cafe

The big bites are Anthony's but I ate plenty too

In addition to my "Bear Market" series of posts where I blog about business in York's Central Market I will also be posting other reviews/opinion blogs from time to time under the label "Brought to Bear."

When Anthony and Heidi moved us into York's Market District one of the first places I noticed in our neighborhood was the cute little yellow shop at 33 N. Beaver called Lady Bug Baking Company & Café. And when I say cute you have to remember that I know of what I speak. I am, after all, an adorable stuffed panda.

In my pawfull of visits to Lady Bug I have tried a nice sampling of their sweet treats and one outrageously delectable lunch sandwich which you can see me pictured with above.

This sandwich is the "Madison" which is house-made mac & cheese, 4 strips of bacon, spinach and marinated tomatoes on a hoagie roll which is then pressed on a Panini machine.

Yeah that's right. Mac & cheese. And bacon. On a sandwich. Brilliant!

Thankfully Anthony picked this up and brought it home to me, because it was almost as big as me and I don't know how I would have gotten it the 150 yards back to the apartment. But as good as the sandwich was, what will really keep me walking down to Lady Bug is their baked goods.


I have had coffee cake, a few types of cookies and samples of the cupcake and brownie you see here. Not only have all of them been delicious I have also been impressed that the prices are more than reasonable for such high quality products. This value allows eating sweets at Lady Bug to be more of a regular indulgence than a special occasion visit.

One look at their website will also show that they make some very intricate and beautiful cakes for birthdays, weddings and other occasions. If they look that good while tasting as good as the treats I've samples in the shop they will be a wonderful addition to your event.

When you find yourself downtown and are looking for lunch or a treat be sure to visit Lady Bug. Either get it to go, or walk back to their great little dine-in area in the back and tell 'em a tiny stuffed panda sent you.