Hilltop Crab House Restaurant

Chester County has thousands of restaurants.  I am sure that there are hundreds, if not thousands of pizza and hoagie shops, deli’s, Chinese restaurants and Thai Noodle houses, upscale and downscale Italian places, maybe several dozen establishments that serve Cajun or Middle Eastern food, even places that deliver Yak burgers.  You can pay a thousand dollars for a meal for four with the finest wine, you can get the dollar menu at McDonald’s.  There are eateries that flash “Steaks and Seafood” in neon on the window and deliver cheesesteak and fried shrimp baskets.  You can get a boiled lobster, cooked to order at Wegman’s  and you can get Maryland crabs at Hill’s for take out.  You can go to The Farmhouse, or  Doc MacGrogan’s  and of course,  Ludwig’s  if you want a fine dining experience.   But, what if, in your heart of hearts, you want to sit around a brown paper tablecloth with your friends, laugh loudly,  throw crab shells in a plastic bucket on the floor, drink a beer or a margarita, enjoy good live local music, and wipe your Old Bay fingers on your jeans?

I have heard such places exist, like I know that there is an amusement park somewhere that smells like chocolate, and a whole town that revolves around mushrooms. 

I have to admit, my fantasy about such a place is pretty specific.  It needs to be a cross between a Texas Roadhouse and a Maryland Crab Shack, which is pretty ambitious since I have never actually been to either.  There would need to be good, live music, a bar with a tv on a sports channel, friendly waitresses, long tables for big groups, and if at all possible, a really big stuffed fish on the wall.  Or two.  and some fishnets with shells.  Yeah.  That’s the ticket.  OH, and if there could be a few beautiful Harley’s in the parking lot, well then I would know I was in the right place. Would it be too much to ask if they had a frequent, all you can eat special?  What if, in addition to both Chesapeake crabs, you had King?  And wings?  Maybe an unpretentious salad bar? 

This fantasy is fueled by movies like Honky Tonk and Road House, and further fanned by the idea that some night, at some point in my life, I would have a group of friends who shared the fantasy.  Enter Maureen and Anne.  Not only did they get my vision of the perfect way to spend an early October night, but they were available to go!  We piled in Anne’s new coupe and sped through the night, guided by the friendly voice of the GPS, on and on and on, down roads that looked like private drives through horse farms and estates, on to Rt. 41 and there, after what felt like leaving our galaxy for another, we saw it!

 Hilltop Crab House Restaurant in Toughkenamon, PA, one mile from the Pennsylvania/Delaware border on Rt. 41. It’s like they read my mind!  Beyond that, it’s like they let me write the menu!

Each item sounded better than the last, and although we were starved, I think we set a record for Entree Vacillation.  I finally settled on The Net Buster with Sweet Potato Fries with dipping sauce for an appetizer.  The Net Buster comes with mussels, clams, crab legs, shrimp and an actual lobster tail, red potatoes all steamed and served together in a big bowl.  I was not wearing anything net, so nothing got busted, but I could not finish it, especially since it also came with two sides (I chose mashed potatoes and corn, because I feel compelled to judge all restaurants regarding mashed potatoes).  I didn’t realize until it all arrived that this meant I had sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes and steamed red potatoes all at one meal, but I did not judge myself harshly for this.  Anne chose a bowl of creamy crab bisque, side salad, and the crab leg entree.  Maureen was so over come at the point of decision she just dittoed Anne’s order, and didn’t realize till it arrived that she was getting crab bisque AGAIN after having spent the previous week in Cape Cod eating it every single night, and pushed it across the table to me.  Of course, I ate that.  She rallied enough to order mushrooms stuffed with crab meat as an appetizer.  Yum! 

That bisque was absolutely the second best of my life, the first being an event that can not be repeated without the convergence of heaven and earth.  if you go, get it.  It’s buttery, creamy with the perfect amount of crab flavor.  Strictly speaking, bisque should never have actual lumps of anything in it, but this soup pushed the rules just enough to deliver an overwhelmingly tasty experience.  As I sat there, I thought of how much I would love to have just this soup with a nice crusty roll some cold winter night.  BUT then the Net Buster was delivered.

Initially, when the food arrived, there were long, long periods of silence at the table while we cracked and picked and shelled.  The term “motherlode” was muttered more than once, as long, intact pieces of crab came out of the shells.  At first I worried there would not be enough butter (like I worry there won’t be enough anything when there always is) , but Anne pointed out that there was a huge vat of melted butter right behind us at the service bar.  I devolved into a seafood eating machine, moving from crab legs, to shrimp, to steamed clams, to yes, yes an actual lobster tail.  Maureen and Anne, with heads bowed, plowed through their pounds of crab legs and corn and mashed potatoes. 

We all remarked that the mashed were real and really good.  The sweet potato fries were sweet and not too thick, perfectly cooked with a delicious mustardy dipping sauce.  The stuffed mushrooms were amply stuffed with LUMPS of crabmeat and a nice sauce, but not a lot of bready binder, like you get at some places.  A little cup of butter was thoughtfully tucked in the basket. 

We agreed that The Hilltop Crab House Restaurant really delivered everything we needed:  great food, exactly the right atmosphere with  awesome live music and dancing, a dining room full of families cracking crabs and a bar full of locals.  Go!  Spend the evening!  You will love it!

The menu, available on line, includes salads, sandwiches, seafood specials, steak, wings, battered onion rings and more.  

YMMMMY (out of a possible YMMMMMY)

Bring: Cash and credit/debit cards accepted.  They will split tickets, but only two ways. You might want to bring your own small, sharp pair of scissors - they don’t have these and I find them perfect for opening shells.  They will give you hammers and pincers, but no sharp pickers.  A bib or an old shirt would be perfect!

Directions:   8980 Gap Newport Pike  One mile north of the PA/Delaware line on Rt. 41.  Click “Directions” for map.

Ample portions, around thirty dollars a person. 

Family Friendly Dining Room, casual bar.

Casual Atmosphere, whatever you are wearing is fine.

Service was pleasant and efficient!

Video of Live Band:  (This video does not do the music justice - really good)

http://mysite.verizon.net/bizztntr/

A LONG Way for Chinese Take Out!

My friend Gavin Snyder is in China right now for Schramm, Inc.  a company with a long history in Chester County.  Schramm Rotadrills are used throughout the world for water well, oil and gas, mineral exploration, mining and geothermal purposes.‎  It’s a great job for a guy with an adventurous spirit and an open mind.  I love getting his emails with his observations and experiences and he’s been keeping me informed, meal by meal.  He’s given me permission to share some with you:

“The other night I had a hot pot meal with the drilling crew. Everyone at the table  has their own hot plate with a pot of hot water. They bring out tons of platters of food (meat and veggies of all types) you put what you want in your pot of water and cook it. They also give you a bowl of dipping sauce and you put in spices that you like. It was awesome. I would highly suggest trying it. It was the best food I had yet. My translator that is also a tech from our dealer in china is making my trip so awesome.”

Of course, I had to ask questions - and you can tell what was on my mind, from this reply:

“Traveling the world is great. I’m trying to keep an open mind.
Yes, they have fried chicken. Lol
Yeah its a bit different. Tonight I had a hot pot meal again. Tonight’s was a little different. 1 pot for the table. It was still really good.
It’s hot here as well. 80-90s. The drive is amazing. The hills are very different. The roads are great.
I have also been on some long train rides to and from my last customer.
Well have fun. I sure am.”

‘I eat like a king for every meal. The pics were of my lunch. All of it was just for me. That’s how it is every day. LOL I love it over here.’

This looks like a LOT of meat - I’ve never been served a huge portion of meat in a Chinese restaurant here, and I’ve always thought of Chinese food as being more about vegetables than protein, but Gavin was served these huge portions of what looks like cold cuts and roasted beef.

“Chicken and corn with peas. And corn. I also had duck but didn’t take a pic till after I started.”

NOW that looks like the fried rice we get here!

And of course, no matter how interesting the new things we discover are, we look for those things we all have in common:

Yup.  Chinese coca cola!  Coca Cola actually sells MORE of our classic American drink overseas than they do here in the States!

CHEEP CHICKEN MONDAY! DON’T MISS IT!

If a food is the best of it’s kind, and manages to deliver VALUE in terms of the money factor- well, then to me, it is more than a food.  And if on top of that, the food is commonly available and non-pretentious, liked by most people, satisfying and easy to eat, then it’s got to be CHEEP CHICKEN from Acme.

How can you afford to eat anything else on Mondays? 

Two huge breasts (well, that will get this found in the search engines) two meaty thighs, (again, one for the web crawlers) two legs and two wings for 5.99.  You read that right.  Five dollars and ninety nine cents.  It’s fresh at any time of day because of the volume they sell, and for an extra dollar or two, you get too many fat tasty steak fries, and a package of Hawaiian Rolls.  Add a container of Mrs. Ron’s coleslaw and you have a complete meal for four, for way less than ten dollars. 

Or a picnic.  Because starting in April when you have an occasional perfect day to a rare day in June, picnics in various parks are how I prefer to spend lunch on Mondays.  The quick friendly service at the Deli Counter at any Acme means more time in the park and less time waiting at a crowded restaurant.  Fried chicken travels well in warm weather, too, and that is why it has always been a picnic staple.  I put a warm, wet washcloth in a baggie and that is all the clean up you need. 

But let’s talk about the chicken.  First, look at the picture with the chicken in the bag.  Do you see any grease on that bag?  NO!  And that is your first clue that this chicken is different from what you might get at KFC.  Even the breasts - the hardest part of a chicken to cook perfectly -  are moist (oh my how do I phrase these things without innuendo?)  I like thighs better, and these thighs never disappoint.  The drumsticks are the perfect size for kids, easily eaten with fingers while swinging on the swings.  Each piece is Lancaster Brand chicken, not scrawny, unidentifiable franken-chicken. The hallmarks of exceptional fried chicken are: crispy, balanced breading, meaty pieces rendered of fat with crunchy skin, and moist flesh.  Acme exceeds on all these points, and not just occasionally - whatever they are doing is consistent, so you know you are going to get the same product every time.

The Pink Drink

Several weeks before Christmas 2008, I made homemade cranberry liquor, gave some away at Christmas and put the remaining jars in the barn to rest.  And completely forgot about them til last Saturday when we had a barn sale and my daughter-in-law found them while looking for more stuff to sell.  We cracked a jar open, fished some shot glasses out of a sale box and drank some. It was excellent - smooth, fruity but not exactly refreshing on that 85 degree afternoon, but when we added it to some pink lemonade and ice, it was transformed.  Shirley’s Pink Drink now will be our official drink of summer 2010.  You can buy cranberry liquor, or you can make it like I did. 

Here is the process, excerpted from my original blog post at The Domestic Episodes of a Rodeo Princess (dec2008)

“First step: research. I read about fifty recipes on line, all of which seem to be cut and pasted from an original one.

16 oz Cranberries1

1 1/2 cups vodka

3 cups of simple syrup - equal parts of sugar and water, heated until the sugar is completely dissolved

1/2 lemon or lime peel

1/4 orange peel

Optional: 

1 stick cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

I quadrupled this, which is why I have leftovers in the barn. 

Second step: buy the ingredients and amass the tools. (I even buy a new vegetable peeler because I realize that the one I have is not very sharp, and I bought it in 1978). DO NOT get any of the white stuff in the mix because it will taste bitter.  I have to go to the Liquor Store to buy the vodka. In Pennsylvania, you have to buy wine and liquor (except rubbing) at a special state owned store, with state employees, during restricted hours. I am explaining this for out of state readers, because this system exists NO WHERE ELSE in the world.  If you want beer or malt beverages, that’s another store. But not on Sundays, at all. I think that this is a holdover from our Quaker heritage, not that I know many Quakers who don’t bend an elbow. I googled the subject but got more complaints about the system than information on its history. However, Pennsylvania was also the location of the Whiskey Rebellion - moonshiners fighting government regulation of home stills. However, here I am at the liquor store, buying three huge bottles of vodka. I can read minds, so I know that everyone in the store has noticed what is in my cart and has decided I am an alcoholic. I fight the urge to explain the purchase to the clerk, because A.) I know he thinks I am an alcoholic B.) I know he doesn’t care. I trip going out the door and feel that everyone has confirmed their suspicions. I have been to the Liquor Store about four times in my life and felt this way each time. More pointless self loathing.

Third Step: Mulching the cranberries and pouring the vodka in the big jars. Add the simple syrup. Close up and wait for a while - maybe two-three weeks, or as I did, 18 months. “

The cranberry mash is great over lemon sorbet, or vanilla ice cream or pound cake.  Strain off the liquor and use in cocktails or serve as cordial in small glasses.  I like to keep it in the freezer, but this stuff does not spoil. 

Jimmy John’s Piping Hot: Seventy Years and Gone

I regret to inform you that Jimmy John’s burned this morning.  I know no details.  I’ve only seen one picture.  I’m not connected to the family that owns it now, although I think it’s someone from my High School.  I am crushed.

I went to Jimmy John’s with my first boyfriend, my second boyfriend, many other boyfriends,  and then with husbands one and two.  I took my son there many many many times and when he had kids, I took them there.  I used to stop there on bad days and good days because for me, a Jimmy John hot dog was a celebration and a cure and a reminder.  I would eat in - even all by myself, because I loved looking at the pictures on the walls.  Tom Mix Death Car.  American Flags.  Jimmy John outside the original little stand.   There was one picture of an auction outside a farmhouse that I really liked.  I used to bite into a meaty hot dog, chew through the skin and wonder what happened to all the people in that picture.  What happened to the stuff on the lawn?  What was a good price for an old chair, when it was just a sort of a used chair? 

I think my love of vintage cars will always be tied to the smell of hot dogs. In the late sixties and early seventies I remember sitting in the parking lot of Jimmy John’s in a brand new Shelby Mustang, right before we tore off to race on the by pass.  If you had a car or could snag a ride you would make a circuit from Big John’s (Market and Westtown) to Gino’s (West Goshen Shopping Center) to Jimmy John’s (202 South of West Chester), to Betty’s Ice Cream down to the Charcoal Pit in Delaware. If you didn’t have a curfew, you might cruise all the way back to Exon Crossroads to the Guernsey Cow and Howard Johnson’s.   We just chugged through the parking lots in our Impalas and Malibus and Falcons and  Judges and Barricudas, and Javelins, looking for friends and cars and a little trouble, not much.  Gas was 25 cents, and these cars used about a gallon to turn the engine over. You always got your gas at the Scott Station on the way into town.

Years later, with my husband Charles the train guy, we put quarters in the slots to make the trains go. We tapped on the glass and made our toddler see the train. As he got older, he could put the money in the slot himself, and he learned to be patient and share while standing in line in front of the big train layout.  I liked the little push me/pull you car, but it never stopped between the lines to give me a free hot dog or whatever.  I didn’t care. 

I always ordered two, and a small order of fries.  One hotdog would get just ketchup, the other relish, ketchup and saurkraut.  I never ordered anything else on the menu.  It just never seemed right.  The last time I was in, I was in line behind some people who ordered cheeseburgers.  I wanted to tap them on the shoulder and say, excuse me, you eat hot dogs here.  Jimmy John’s was the kind of place that made you feel proprietary. 

I hope they can rebuild.  I will try to like the new place.  I will be back for the hot dogs.  I I am kicking myself for not writing about them before this, but I was waiting.  That should be a lesson to us all. 

Montesano Brothers: Philly Italy in ChesCo

Montesano Brothers

Italian Market and Catering

55 Seabolt Way

Chester Springs, PA

Phone: 610-458-8065

Fax: 610-458-7080

“Where do you want to eat?”  I ask my daughter-in-law.  If I don’t have a craving, she usually has one, so I know she’s going to come up with something great.

“Well,” she says, “If I could eat anything in the world I want right now, it would be a Montesano Brothers HOT ROAST BEEF  dipped in au jus with house provolone & horseradish cream.” 

DONE.  Now, you want one, don’t you? 

What a cool place this Montesano Brothers is!  The things that are important here are what you notice.  There are family pictures all over.  The fresh meats, cheeses, salads and coffee that they serve are proudly displayed and smell so good.  While you wait just a few minutes for your freshly made sandwich, you can browse through the flyers and boards advertising special events like the Titanic Dinner and the Cooking Classes.

So we order a roast beef (7.99) and an Italian Hoagie (6.99).  The roll can make a good hoagie bad, or a bad hoagie passable - the rolls Montesano serves are perfect and available to purchase, loose.There are no size options, which is fine, really. If you just want a massive cold bologna and cheese missile to shove in your mouth, go to Wawa.  You are going to want to save room for the fresh filled cannoli (2.99), old fashioned Tiramisu (4.99) or maybe some New York Style cheesecake (4.99).  

Montesano Brothers also does catering and Pig Roasts.  How many times have you asked who does one, really?  For me, this question comes up annually.  So now you know.  Love to hear comments from people who have had one

The menu includes breakfast sandwiches, hot sandwiches, soups, salads, panini, Illy coffee, cappucino, lattes and espresso, and sodas.  The deli has imported Italian foods and drinks. 

YMMMMY (out of a possible YMMMMMY)

Bring: Cash and credit/debit cards accepted.

Directions: Montesano’s is off Park Road about 1/4 mile from the traffic light at Little Conestoga.  Make an immediate right onto Seabolt Drive.  They are the brick building behind Eagle Eye Associates’ gray and white building.  WORTH THE TRIP.

Very satisfying meal around 15.00 each. 

Family Friendly with tables to eat in, or you can take out.

Casual Atmosphere, whatever you are wearing is fine.

Service was pleasant and efficient!

Egg-zackly! What To Do WIth All Those Eggs

Easter Monday you might find yourself standing in the kitchen holding  a basket of hard boiled eggs with jelly beans stuck to them, wondering what to do. 

Because I am a factoid nutcase, first here are some tips and facts about hard boiled eggs first:

1. The fresher the egg, the harder to peel.  The ‘bubble’ at the top of the egg is formed as moisture escapes through the shell and is replaced by air.  The bigger the bubble, the older the egg, but also, the easier it is to peel. Here at the farm we do not wash eggs, but store them yucky, because they stay fresher that way. 

2.To peel a hard boiled egg, place a towel on your kitchen counter, smack the egg firmly on to the towel and roll it back and forth so that the cracks spread.  If you buy your eggs at a regular grocery store, you should have a pretty easy time removing the egg from the shell without a lot of nicks.    Save the not so perfect eggs for egg salad (recipe below) and use the perfect ones for pickling or deviling or both.

3. If your egg salads and your deviled eggs have a grey ring in them that sort of makes the yolk look dull, your egg isn’t bad, but your cooking method is. The greyness is caused by a chemical reaction between two natural elements in eggs:  sulfur and iron. The egg has actually “rusted”.  Put your eggs in a pot big enough so that they are in a single layer, covered with COLD water.  Place them on your heat, bringing them slowly up to a rolling boil for two minutes.  Shut off the heat, and let them sit for 12 minutes.  Pour off the hot water and cover the eggs with ice.  Let cool for half an hour.   Now they will peel perfectly, with no grey.

4. Interesting but useless facts:  Sixty percent of the  75 billion eggs commercially produced in the US are used at home, by consumers.  Forty percent are used by assorted food service and producing industries.  Over 300 BILLION eggs are produced by the Chinese.  Eggs are one of the most popular foods in the world because although fragile, they store well for a couple of weeks without refrigeration in most climates, they are protein dense and hormone free, and are easy to cook and inexpensive. 

The Resurrection of the Pickled Egg

I was first attracted to pickled eggs because they are a beautiful color.  I wanted nail polish that color, maybe a blouse.  But good ones are also tangy and a very satisfying snack - the additional flavoring being added by spices and beet juice, rather than fats, oils or sugars, so a pickled egg has the same calories as a regular egg, but is Fancy.  Good pickled eggs have been soaking in this recipe for at least four days, and the whites are pickled pink all the way to the yellow.  Any remaining white is a sign of SHAME. 

Pennsylvania Dutch Red Beet Pickled Eggs

2 15 ounce cans beets - sliced with juice

1 small onion, thinly sliced

12 hard cooked eggs, shelled and left whole1

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

some fresh dill sprigs

BIG mouth old fashioned mason jars, (plastic containers may become stained)

Remove beets from beet juice, and put aside.  Heat the beet juice, vinegar, sugar in a pan and stir.  Bring to just a boil til all ingredients are incorporated. 

Pack eggs loosely in jars.  Pour Beet liquid over the eggs, put in a sprig of dill, and place lids on jars.  Each day for three days, make sure lids are secure and invert jars, to make sure all surfaces of eggs are drenched in juice. You may store these in the fridge or counter top - the acidity of the juice should prevent any bacteria from forming.  Use within a month, though. 

Classic Egg Salad

For each 6 hard cooked eggs, mash them with 1/4 cup mayo, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Optional:  minced onion, pickle relish, chopped celery, olives.  Best if used immediately, store in fridge.  Serve on toast or in big red pepper halves. 

The BEST Deviled Eggs - Simple is better~

Cut whole shelled boiled eggs in half.  Gently pop yolks out into a bowl, reserve whites.  Mash yolks with 1/4 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon back into egg halves and arrange on platter, sprinkle with paprika. 

For a delightful variation, use pickled eggs instead, and add 1 teaspoon fresh horseradish.  Garnish with parsley. 

Really Good Macaroni, Tuna and Egg Casserole

1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1/2 cup red onion

1/4 chopped green pepper

1 cup milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (if you have read previous blogs and have been freezing your restaurant leftovers, this is when you can use them)

1 large can or bag drained, flaked tuna

3 hard boiled eggs,  coarsely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Bread crumbs, crispy fried onion strings or old potato chip crumbs (again, if you have been gleaning your restaurant bread stuffs, this is the time to use them)

Butter a casserole dish and coat with bread crumbs, onions or potato chips.  Put butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onions and peppers. Cook until onions are softened. Add flour, milk and soup; stir until thickened. Add vegetables, tuna, mixed vegetables, chopped eggs, and cooked macaroni. Taste and add salt and pepper. Put this in prepared casserole, bake for 30 minutes at 350, or until bubbly and browned.