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!