The annual Greek Food Festival will be held at the Greek Orthodox Church in Scranton from Tuesday, June 2nd, thru Saturday, June 6th. The event will be open daily from 11:00 am. to 8:00 pm, so be sure to come down and bring your appetite!
For more information, or to call ahead to place orders, please call 570-342-0566, or fax your requests to 570-342-9722.
This past Friday, Jenna and I decided to bask in the 77 degree sunny afternoon by taking a drive to Lackawanna State Park and enjoy some good food. After work, we decided to hit up Caravia, in Clarks Summit. Caravia is a small Italian grocery store with a great deli selection and organic foods. It’s located in the Abington Shopping Center (between Blockbuster and Brown’s Gym).
After you place your order (deli is towards the back), be sure to take a walk around the small shop and check out the grocery items for sale. Caravia has a great selection of pasta, cheeses, and sauces that you’re not going to find at the big chains. They also have a ton of fresh fruit and vegetables.
The deli has a menu of “signature” sandwiches you can choose from, or you can just create your own. I went with the “Fat Paulie” hoagie, which included Ham Cappicola, Prosciutto, Genoa Salami, Provolone Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers, Mayo and Balsamic Vinegar. Jenna had the “Capri”, a vegetarian sub with fresh mozzarella cheese, pesto sauce, mayonnaise, tomatoes and basil. She also got some freshly cooked asparagus with bleu cheese (most of it was gone before we reached the park).
With 2 drinks, both sandwiches (one was a 12 inch and one was a 6 inch), and the asparagus, the total bill came to $16 and change – not super cheap, but not expensive either.
Lackawanna State Park is about a 15 minute drive from Caravia, (caution – it will feel like hours with the incredible aroma of 18 inches of sub resting on your lap the whole way). What a great day for a drive!
We got to the Park and found some picnic tables to sit down and eat. Snapped a few photos of the beautiful scenery below also (did I mention it was a great day out?) Now on to the food…
My “Fat Paulie” met all my expectations. I have come to the conclusion that no sandwich is complete without adding some grilled red peppers – it adds an entirely new flavor to the hoagie. The cheese was fresh, the bread was soft and full (not hard and chewy like other “fresh baked” bread I too often come across). Could have went for a little more meat on the sub, but there was no doubting that it did the job.
Jenna went with the “Capri” on seven grain bread – which she found to be “delicious”. With the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, it’s a great light hoagie for a hot spring day. Asparagus is one of Jenna’s favorite vegetables, so it was no surprise to hear her raving about Caravia’s version the whole car ride home. Let’s summarize it as “simply incredible”.
What a great way to kickoff the weekend. Now is the perfect time to go out and enjoy the weather before it starts getting TOO hot and buggy out there. The park was surprisingly quiet and serene – a few canoes out on the water and some dog walkers - makes for a great place to enjoy a picnic.
The food was great and the price was average. Taking fresh made sandwiches on a picnic without the chore of having to pack a lunch beforehand is definitely the way to go (when you can afford it!).
Until next time…
TasteNEPA recently updated the look and feel of tasteNEPA.com. The biggest change is the new, vibrant colors used in the header and navigation - with summer approaching, we’re bringing out the brightest colors we can! (You can see the old design here).
If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably discovered our tasteNEPA Blog! We’ll be regularly updating our blog with news about the site, what’s going on in Northeast Pennsylvania, and any news on upcoming restaurant openings or food fests.
Our most exciting change is the new way to browse restaurants. While only a minor addition, we’ve now added a “checkbox” feature to browsing by locations. Previously, you could only select one town at a time. Now, you can check off the towns you want to see restaurants for, and view them ALL AT ONCE. Spend less time finding a restaurant, and more time ENJOYING one!
This Saturday, May 16th is Scranton’s WingFest to find the best wings in Northeast Pennsylvania. Here are the details:
Date: Saturday, May 16th 2009
Time: 2:00pm to 7:00pm
Place: Sno Cove Waterpark (click here for directions)
Fee: $10 Adults (includes 1 beer sampling and 1 wing sampling)
Children 12 and under are free
This year’s event includes live music from Jugdish and Fuzzy Park. Restaurants participating in this years event will be judged on their wings in 3 different categories: People’s Choice, Most Creative, and the Hottest Wings. Be sure to check it out!
As the last remains of winter slowly recede, we’re once again reminded of warm weather, spring flowers, and great food! With the hot sunny days of summer on the horizon (as far away as it seems), some of us are dreading the bikinis and summer skirts that we’ve been able to hide from all winter.
That being said - there’s till plenty of time to get in shape for the summer! TasteNEPA is looking for your favorite healthy foods and restaurants in Northeast Pennsylvania. Send your best healthy recipes to info@tastenepa.com, and go on www.tastenepa.com to review your top healthy restaurants.
In these tough economical times, its can be tough to stomach the restaurant bills that used to seem so cheap and affordable. With jobs being lost and prices going up everywhere, some folks may not be willing to go out as much these days. The good news - restaurants are now making it VERY affordable to go out to lunch and dinner.
Keep an eye out in your local newspapers/clippers magazines for coupons and sales. Many local restaurants are offering great deals such as buy 1 dinner, get 1 free, 10-20% off dinner, and even daily lunch and dinner specials.
You are currently browsing the Scranton Restaurant News blog archives for May, 2009.