Monthly Roundup: August – 2024

<–Jul 2024 HOME Sep 2024 –>

I still have a lot to write up for everything I ate in July, but August is starting with our annual family trip and that will include a lot to write about. Once we are back from that, I’m hoping to diet and eat well before my birthday and the start of the new school year.

August 1
Most of the day was spent in the car, but we did stop at Mine Hill Distillery on the way to Philadelphia. There I tried Mine Hill Gin and bought a bottle of Amaro.

The real excitement was when we got to Philadelphia and did a cheesesteak taste test between Pat’s and Geno’s. It wasn’t even close. Pat’s is the winner! If you want to know why read here, but seriously just look at them.

August 2
We started our first day in Philly at Reading Terminal Market. I began with a breakfast sandwich from Market Bakery. I chose pork roll as the meat which was interesting but good. The croissant was good too, but the egg was overcooked. After that I had a lemon cream donut from Beiler’s Doughnuts. It was different because instead of curd it had a lemon cream filling, but it was delicious.

For dinner we went to Parc. The setting was enjoyable, classic bistro style. The food was decent, we had shrimp cocktail, just ok; steak tartare, good; salmon, pretty good; and creme brulee, very good. Unfortunately the service was pretty unwelcoming. It was a good visit, but I wouldn’t go back. I did enjoy the drip absinthe service with dessert. A cool touch.

August 3
We started out the morning in Philly and decided to go back to Reading Market because I saw a blueberry lemon muffin yesterday at Termini Bros. Bakery but had already had a donut. From Philadelphia we drove to DC, stopping in Delaware where we accidentally discovered the Turbo Mexico Food Truck. There, Kelly and I each had a taco to hold us over until dinner. They were excellent. I had the carnitas and Kelly had the al pastor.

For dinner we went to Rose’s Luxury. The food was great and the wine paring were very enjoyable. We got the bonus course, fried chicken, which they paired with Miller High Life in a champagne flute, because it is after all the “Champagne of Beers.” The best course was the beef ribs, they are one of the best things I eaten in a while.

August 4
Half way through the feast at Rose’s Luxury, we realized we were not going to be ready for an 11:00 brunch so we adjusted our reservation at Unconventional Diner to 1:00. It took a while to get seated and then a long time to get served. I had to call over a manager to get the ball rolling at 1:25. I really like the idea of brunch, but it rarely lives up to expectations. It felt like a restaurant built to be on Instagram, but the food was pretty good. The fries with the sexy sauce were really good and so was my burger. My wife’s shakshuka had great flavor, but instead of cooking the eggs in the sauce, two fried eggs were placed on top. Bottom line, I wouldn’t have given it a Bib Gourmand.

After breakfast, we stopped at Founding Farmers and I tired their gin. It was garnished with mint, lots of mint, but it was still a rather ordinary gin.

August 5
We went to the zoo today and there happened to be a food truck selling bbq. It was called Southern Bootheel BBQ. I asked about the name and found out the owner was from Missouri. They had a solid pulled pork sandwich, even if it was horrible over priced.

For dinner we went to Tail Up Goat. I had been there back in 2017 on my own and really loved it. The dining room was a little quiet, but the food was fantastic. We also had a couple of local beverages, even if they didn’t have any local gin. When I got back to the hotel, I tried Boodles Gin, from London, at the hotel bar.

August 6
Time to leave DC. We got some awesome tacos on the way out of town at Taqueria Habanero. Even better than the tacos were the memelas and the tres leches. On the way to our cabin in Virginia, we stopped at a little roadside shack in Sperryville, VA. It was called Burgers n’ Things, and I got a burger but no things, nothing special but it was a fun stop.

August 7
We spent the day hiking in Shenandoah National Park. We had a picnic lunch along the trail. For dinner we went to Big Meadows Lodge in the park and ate at the Spottswood Dining Room. I had meatloaf with a blackberry demi-glace. For dessert, we tried their signature Blackberry Ice Cream Pie.

August 8
There is a hurricane coming through and while it won’t stop me from eating, it is limiting my hiking. We started the day heading into town and Rudy’s Diner. I got the fried chicken. The chicken was good but the sides weren’t great. Then we took a drive and stopped at Blue Shepherd Distillery which was awesome. In addition to drinks, they have their own food truck which makes some amazing french fries and a very good hot dog. I did buy gin no 101 for the collection and also got Kelly a bottle of rum. For dinner, I cooked in the cabin. Nothing exciting, just cheeseburger sliders and we washed them down with the free bottle of wine we got at the Omni in DC.

August 9
Time to start the journey home. We drove through West Virginia and I stopped at a liquor store hoping to get a WV gin. No luck but I did grab a local moonshine. For dinner we went to Battlefield Brew Works and Spirits of Gettysburg Distillery. It was very interesting in that it was located in a old Confederate field hospital, but there was only one worker and it wasn’t kept very clean. I had a tasting and tried a their gin. It wasn’t remarkable. We had fries, wings, and buffalo chicken empanadas that sadly had blue cheese in them. Dessert was fried oreos which my son loved. We also bought a bottle of whiskey and didn’t realize it wasn’t fully sealed until it was too late. Don’t go here.

August 10
Last day of family vacation. We woke up and toured Valley Forge then started on our way home. We stopped for some cheesesteak pizza at Ice House in Potstown, PA. It was really good and the server was really nice. A surprisingly good stop. After some mini golf, we stopped at Silverback Distillery and bought gin no. 102 as well as some honey rye. Then as one final vacation treat, I stopped at Lewis’ Drive In in Smithfield, PA and had a cheeseburger before the long drive home.

August 14
Today was a CSA day. We haven’t made good use of our CSA this summer because we have traveled so much. Part of this week’s share was pick your own cherry tomatoes. I turned those into a salad with fresh basil and feta. We also had chili which I made a couple of days ago topped with onion, cheese, and a fried egg.

August 15
Continuing to try to use up CSA, I made cubanelle peppers stuffed with chicken, tomatoes, and onions for lunch. For dinner I made corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and steak topped with micro greens.

August 17
Today we went to Kelly’s Roast Beef for the chowder quest. It was terrible. Even worse than the chowder was the fried shrimp. Don’t get that, ever. Fish sandwich was ok. It will be a long time before I go back to Kelly’s. Tonight, I went with Michael to Short Path and tried their Acadia Gin. I should have taken a picture of the bottle but I didn’t.

August 18
I made a really good salad tonight with mostly farm share ingredients. The salad included, lettuce, carrot, tomatoes, onions, feta, lamb, and a homemade greek dressing.

August 20
I made risotto with an eggplant and some tomato from my farm share. It turned out really good and of course it was made even better because it was topped with a lamb steak.

August 21
It’s been a couple of months since I went to Brother’s, but today I did and got a roast beef sub which is always good, but I also got a pizza roll for the first time. It was solid, but not the best I’ve had.

August 23
We went to Beijing for dinner tonight. It’s quickly becoming my favorite Chinese restaurant. We got the peking duck again which was still very good, but we also got the green beans with pork which were amazing. They really do vegetables well at Beijing.

After dinner we went across the street to Rancatore’s for ice cream. The line was long but well worth it. I got the roasted peach which was perfect. I want to get it again before the summer is over.

August 24
I made a wonderful dinner tonight. I reverse seared an extra thick NY Strip. I served it on top of swiss chard from my CSA. Then I topped it with a corn-tomato salad, also from my CSA. After dinner, I went with Sophorn and Sotheara to have a drink. We stopped at The Keep and I tried a new gin, Retha Oceanic Gin. It was quite good.

August 30
Kelly and Thomas gave me alligator chorizo for Fathers Day. It was frozen, so I saved it for a while. Tonight I used it to make a corn-poblano jambalaya. Spencer and Georgina came over and everyone really loved it.

August 31
It’s my birthday weekend and we are heading to the Berkshires. We started with a stop in Hopkinton at The Donut Stand. Unfortunately we got a late start and they have a very limited supply of donuts left but we did get a good breakfast sandwich. We also stopped next door at the Vin Bin and got the strangest potato chips I’ve ever had. These things taste exactly like a fried egg! Seriously if you have a chance to try these eggs, you need to. You may hate them, but you’ve got to try them.

Next we went to Berkshire Mountain Distillers where I had a gin flight, trying four new gins and buying gin 103. Finally we went to Roberto’s Pizza in Sheffield and got some chowder and pizza.

Best of the month
I know the worst thing I ate this month. Kelly’s Roast Beef was just terrible, but let’s try to forget about that. The beef ribs at Rose’s Luxury are in the running for the best. so is the tres leches with pineapple at Habanero Taqueria. Everything at Tail Up Goat was delicious too. A lot of people pick on Pat’s for being too touristy, but I loved that cheesesteak.

I finally got to use up some farmshare once we got back from vacation. I made stuffed cubanelles again. I’m getting good at that. I also made an eggplant risotto topped with lamb steak. That was an excellent meal. Last but not least, alligator jambalya was quite the crowd pleaser.

Overall my three best dishes were:
Beef Ribs at Rose’s Luxury
Risotto with Lamb at CCL
Pineapple Tres Leches at Habanero Taqueria

hungrytommy links:
Mine Hill Amaro – rest of the bar (new)
Pat’s King of Steaks – travel bite (new)
Rose’s Luxury – Michelin (new)
Unconventional Diner – Michelin (new)
Tail Up Goat – Michelin (new)
Taqueria Habanero – Michelin (new)
Gin no 101 – the collection (new)
Blueberry Lemonade Moonshine – rest of the bar (new)
Old Hero Caramel Bourbon – rest of the bar (new)
Gin no 102 – the collection (new)
Alpha Series Honey Rye – rest of the bar (new)
Kelly’s Roast Beef – chowder quest (new)
Short Path
Brother’s Roast Beef
Gin no 103 – the collection (new)
Roberto’s Pizza – chowder quest (new)

Return to the Roundups