On Rt. 422 in Lebanon not far from the Lebanon Valley Mall sits "The Hearth Family Restaurant", a 24-hour staple in Lebanon's culture. As I attended college in nearby Annville, I spent countless evenings there doing homework, chain smoking, chatting with friends after the bars closed. Evenings would draw not only college students, but older, slightly haggard-looking people you would never see by the light of day nor in any other location; the sort that are wrinkled beyond their years, missing a few teeth and either morbidly obese or extremely underweight. It was so busy at night you would often have to wait for a seat. A heavy cloud of smoke hung in the air at all times, despite the restaurant having a "no smoking" section. Each booth had its own jukebox, and being a creature of habit, there were artists I put in regular rotation (Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Patsy Cline were among the usual suspects). The Hearth meant cheap food at any hour with smoking allowed. That was enough for my friends and me.
Once we graduated and moved away, I had little desire to return to The Hearth - it was not the type of establishment you go to with your family, despite its name. But late last Saturday night I was invited to go there with a local celebrity of sorts (who will remain nameless to protect his identity) and one of his employees. He said, "Come to The Hearth with me. I want to eat an egg." Sold.
On my drive there I remembered one of the waitresses from my college days. She always knew what my order was: grilled cheese and a side of mashed potatoes with no gravy. She would say, "Do you want your usual?" I wondered if she was still there. As I walked in with my dinner companions the very first thing I saw was that waitress. Part of me felt sorry for her, but part of me loved that she was still there. Lebanon is the place where time stands still. As we were seated at our booth and I looked at the jukebox, this was reaffirmed. Nearly ALL the same CDs were there as when I left all those years ago.
The menu had changed - both in items and design - but as long as mashed potatoes and grilled cheese were there, I didn't care ... and they were. Our waitress, not the long-time waitress, sadly, brought us our drinks and took our order. I ordered mozzarella sticks as an appetizer for the three of us, and then my "usual". My diet is starch, cheese and sugar. Can you tell? The unnamed celebrity who wanted to eat "an egg" ordered not just an egg, but two eggs, bacon, toast and a side of stuffing with gravy. His employee ordered a grilled cheese and fries.
As we waited for the waitress to come back with our orders, I noticed for the first time how quiet it was. I looked around the space and this was not The Hearth I remembered. I was too distracted by the waitress and jukebox being the same to notice that The Hearth had indeed changed. It was redecorated, though I'm not quite sure what exactly was different - I could only tell something was. There was no cloud of smoke hanging in the air. In fact, there was no smoking at all. And despite it being roughly 1:00am, there were only two other tables occupied in the entire place. This was not at all how I remembered it (although the table next to mine did have morbidly obese people whose pants were falling off).
Had The Hearth's best times come and gone?
The waitress brought out the mozzarella sticks first and I immediately dug in ... or tried to. They were so hard it took quite a great deal of effort to cut through one with my knife. Eating them was almost not worth the effort involved. Almost. Our meals arrived shortly thereafter, and despite my request for NO PICKLE and NO COLESLAW, they were both there on the plate, with the pickle precariously close to my grilled cheese. Ahhh! There is nothing worse than a sandwich touched by an errant pickle that forces the entire sandwich to taste like said pickle. *Sigh* I decided to not let the hard-as-rocks mozzarella sticks and pickle debacle influence my assessment of the grilled cheese and mash. Thankfully, they were just as I remembered them. Starchy. Salty. Cheesy. Delicious. Not the best, not the worst, just good enough for 1am in Lebanon.
3 Stars
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Nov 26: The Filling Station
The Filling Station
320 West Main St.
Palmyra, PA 17078
320 West Main St.
Palmyra, PA 17078
- Service: speedy, slightly grumpy
- Location: on 422 (boo) but accessible from back alleys (yay) and has ample parking
- Clientele: a favorite stop for the regulars of the 422 corridor (Lebanon to Hershey)
- Prices: very affordable...and that's saying something, coming from a grad student
- Cuisine: traditional PA breakfast fare, including scrapple, of course.
- Ambience: 75% diner, 25% truck stop/gas station
- Bonus: they make over 40 kinds of donuts.
- Next time, I'm...ordering the Belgium waffle. And some donuts.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Palmyra's "The Filling Station"
Palmyra is largely considered drive-through territory by all but its residents. It is that stretch of road between point A and point B where non-resident motorists are angered by slower-than-tolerable traffic, and the only thing worth noticing is what the scary mannequins in the Cinderella Shoppe windows are wearing … or so I thought. After years of driving past/being-stuck-in-traffic-in-front-of Palmyra’s greasy spoon, The Filling Station, I decided to stop in for Black Friday brunch.
Minus the ATM machine and a few other modern touches, The Filling Station looks straight out of The Wonder Years. A long counter stretches across the front of the L-shaped diner, with a seated area to the side. Patrons seat themselves, and despite the holiday weekend there were plenty of seats available. I chose a table, opting for a better view of the clientele than the counter would offer.
Each table has several menus, so there’s no waiting for the server to bring them. As I perused, the server came by to take my drink order and I went with my standard glass of water and cup of coffee. Being a vegetarian often means having only a few options on a menu, particularly in this part of the world, but I was pleasantly surprised by the number of vegetarian-friendly choices, especially on the breakfast portion of the menu.
Because it was eleven o’clock in the morning, I was torn over whether to order breakfast or lunch. As a grilled cheese aficionada, I was tempted to order my standard diner fare to be able to compare it to the countless grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve consumed around the world, the best being those made at the now-defunct Horn & Horn Family Restaurant in Lebanon. Once I settled on breakfast, it wouldn’t take long to come to my final decision: one egg – scrambled with cheese melted on top, wheat toast, and hash browns.
The hurried and not overly-friendly server took my order and left after answering my question about the difference between hash browns and home fries, giving me time to observe my fellow diners. Minus a group of young people – undoubtedly high school students who had the day off or college kids home for Thanksgiving – it was what I’d expected: senior women in pastel polyester pants with seasonally-themed sweatshirts, senior men in plaid flannel coats wearing hats indoors, overweight people with hairstyles a decade (or two) old. Perfection.
There was no jukebox and to my recollection no music was playing, which meant the background noise was the glorious cling-clang-clatter of metal flatware on ceramic plates, spoons stirring mediocre coffee, and diner chatter, including the gentleman behind my table ordering the “Belgium” waffles, as the menu says. I never did get to see whether they come shaped like Belgium …
My food arrived in short order and was prepared just as I’d requested, although the scrambled eggs, like many things in Palmyra, seemed to be larger than expected. The wheat toast came pre-buttered on one side, which, although fine with me, could be problematic for those watching their weight/cholesterol. A quick glance around the restaurant indicated it probably wouldn’t be an issue. The scrambled eggs were perfectly salted and the cheese perfectly melted. The hash browns were a quarter-inch-thick rectangle that was clearly frozen with its other rectangular potato cousins just moments before hitting The Filling Station frying pan for my order. Delicious.
Try though I did, I was unable to finish my meal. I suppose that means The Filling Station lives up to its name. Fast (albeit not particularly friendly) service, decent menu selection and good food at cheap prices make this a worthwhile stop, so long as expectations are held in check. In short, would I come back to sample their grilled cheese? Definitely.
3 stars.
Minus the ATM machine and a few other modern touches, The Filling Station looks straight out of The Wonder Years. A long counter stretches across the front of the L-shaped diner, with a seated area to the side. Patrons seat themselves, and despite the holiday weekend there were plenty of seats available. I chose a table, opting for a better view of the clientele than the counter would offer.
Each table has several menus, so there’s no waiting for the server to bring them. As I perused, the server came by to take my drink order and I went with my standard glass of water and cup of coffee. Being a vegetarian often means having only a few options on a menu, particularly in this part of the world, but I was pleasantly surprised by the number of vegetarian-friendly choices, especially on the breakfast portion of the menu.
Because it was eleven o’clock in the morning, I was torn over whether to order breakfast or lunch. As a grilled cheese aficionada, I was tempted to order my standard diner fare to be able to compare it to the countless grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve consumed around the world, the best being those made at the now-defunct Horn & Horn Family Restaurant in Lebanon. Once I settled on breakfast, it wouldn’t take long to come to my final decision: one egg – scrambled with cheese melted on top, wheat toast, and hash browns.
The hurried and not overly-friendly server took my order and left after answering my question about the difference between hash browns and home fries, giving me time to observe my fellow diners. Minus a group of young people – undoubtedly high school students who had the day off or college kids home for Thanksgiving – it was what I’d expected: senior women in pastel polyester pants with seasonally-themed sweatshirts, senior men in plaid flannel coats wearing hats indoors, overweight people with hairstyles a decade (or two) old. Perfection.
There was no jukebox and to my recollection no music was playing, which meant the background noise was the glorious cling-clang-clatter of metal flatware on ceramic plates, spoons stirring mediocre coffee, and diner chatter, including the gentleman behind my table ordering the “Belgium” waffles, as the menu says. I never did get to see whether they come shaped like Belgium …
My food arrived in short order and was prepared just as I’d requested, although the scrambled eggs, like many things in Palmyra, seemed to be larger than expected. The wheat toast came pre-buttered on one side, which, although fine with me, could be problematic for those watching their weight/cholesterol. A quick glance around the restaurant indicated it probably wouldn’t be an issue. The scrambled eggs were perfectly salted and the cheese perfectly melted. The hash browns were a quarter-inch-thick rectangle that was clearly frozen with its other rectangular potato cousins just moments before hitting The Filling Station frying pan for my order. Delicious.
Try though I did, I was unable to finish my meal. I suppose that means The Filling Station lives up to its name. Fast (albeit not particularly friendly) service, decent menu selection and good food at cheap prices make this a worthwhile stop, so long as expectations are held in check. In short, would I come back to sample their grilled cheese? Definitely.
3 stars.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Filling Station
http://www.fillingstationonline.com/
This popular restaurant can be found in the charming village of Palmyra. Upon arriving, immediately I was made aware that I was an "outsider." The majority of the clientele was clearly composed of regulars, and although they were not rude, they were not openly friendly, either. There was no wait for a table, however, and I was pleased with the prime seating. I was a bit disappointed by the local ads on the place mats; their entertainment factor was somewhat short-lived. I did not see any involving funeral homes or the bowling alley.
The Filling Station's brunch menu was quite robust and I had trouble making my selection. The "Belgium waffle" dish was enticing, as were the "hotcakes." Eventually I settled on the "egg and meat muffin sandwich" with a side of hash browns. The server promptly took my order, though not as amicably as I would have liked. I wished to discuss with her the finer points of hash browns versus home fries but she seemed in a hurry. I was offered my choice of meat on the sandwich, and I settled on bacon.
My dish was served in a timely fashion. However, when the meal was presented to me, I was immediately disappointed to discover that the sandwich was on a regular English muffin, not a meat muffin as I was expecting. Once I moved past this initial letdown, I was pleased at the overall presentation. The sandwich was stacked evenly and the hash browns were in a perfect, rectangular, deep-fried block. Delightfully, it was just as pleasing to the palate as it was to the eyes. The bacon was perfectly crispy and the cheese divinely melted. The block of hash browns was fried to an immaculate golden color with a taste to match. I was pleasantly satisfied with my choice.
Overall, I found the atmosphere at the Filling Station to be a bit lacking, and the menu to be somewhat misleading. Despite this, the food was savory and I did not leave wanting. My only regret was not sampling their tempting donut selection.
3 stars
This popular restaurant can be found in the charming village of Palmyra. Upon arriving, immediately I was made aware that I was an "outsider." The majority of the clientele was clearly composed of regulars, and although they were not rude, they were not openly friendly, either. There was no wait for a table, however, and I was pleased with the prime seating. I was a bit disappointed by the local ads on the place mats; their entertainment factor was somewhat short-lived. I did not see any involving funeral homes or the bowling alley.
The Filling Station's brunch menu was quite robust and I had trouble making my selection. The "Belgium waffle" dish was enticing, as were the "hotcakes." Eventually I settled on the "egg and meat muffin sandwich" with a side of hash browns. The server promptly took my order, though not as amicably as I would have liked. I wished to discuss with her the finer points of hash browns versus home fries but she seemed in a hurry. I was offered my choice of meat on the sandwich, and I settled on bacon.
My dish was served in a timely fashion. However, when the meal was presented to me, I was immediately disappointed to discover that the sandwich was on a regular English muffin, not a meat muffin as I was expecting. Once I moved past this initial letdown, I was pleased at the overall presentation. The sandwich was stacked evenly and the hash browns were in a perfect, rectangular, deep-fried block. Delightfully, it was just as pleasing to the palate as it was to the eyes. The bacon was perfectly crispy and the cheese divinely melted. The block of hash browns was fried to an immaculate golden color with a taste to match. I was pleasantly satisfied with my choice.
Overall, I found the atmosphere at the Filling Station to be a bit lacking, and the menu to be somewhat misleading. Despite this, the food was savory and I did not leave wanting. My only regret was not sampling their tempting donut selection.
3 stars
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