Since my family recently enjoyed sampling two different local eateries for the first time over the past two days, I thought this would be the perfect time to start a thread specifically to highlight LOCAL restaurants (please don't start ranting and raving over Olive Garden or Applebee's). We've had a few threads in the past specifically about pizza, wings, pierogies, etc., but I don't recall one specifically just for reviewing new restaurants we've sampled.
Bobby-O's: Dupont, PA
Having lived in the suburbs of Pittston my entire life I've become quite well acclimated to my local environment. The SW corner of Main & Ziegler in Downtown Dupont has long been the home of Kalmanowicz's Market, but that went up for sale several years ago. Finally our curiosity throughout town was piqued when renovations began on the former market several months ago with a banner proclaiming that a new restaurant was coming. My regular running route takes me right through Downtown Dupont, and I was able to track renovation progress on the old vacant building on a near-daily basis. Finally I drove by one evening and saw the parking lot filled with vehicles and every table inside that was visible from Main Street filled with hungry patrons. I knew I wanted to sample this place soon, but we didn't finally get around to it until today, even though we live just a half-mile away.
We walked into the restaurant and were pleasantly surprised by the 50s decor that consisted of various memorabilia from Elvis Presley, I Love Lucy, The Three Stooges, etc. There was a jukebox against the side wall that plays 7 songs for $2. We took advantage of that to play some music from Jimmy Buffet, Bob Seger, Beatles, and a few other timeless classics. We were treated to a complimentary pickle bar (yes, I did say PICKLE BAR!!!)
after we ordered that had a few different types of pickles, peppers, and pasta salad. We were also impressed by their EXTENSIVE (and I don't take that word lightly) selection of shakes and malts. There were literally dozens of flavors ranging from Peanut Butter & Jelly to Watermelon to Cherry Cheesecake and everything in between. I enjoyed my Chocolate Peanut Butter shake. We also ordered tap water and were offered either a glass of tap water or a bottled water for an additional charge. We opted for the tap. My mother and I ordered buffalo chicken wraps, my father ordered some sort of steak wrap, and I don't quite recall what my sister and brother-in-law ordered, but they enjoyed their meals. We also split an appetizer of potato pancakes since we had a craving for them.
We were a party of five, and our bill came to just over $50, which wasn't bad at all for the food we got along with our appetizer and shakes. My buffalo chicken wrap wasn't anything to write home about. The buffalo flavor wasn't strong enough for me, and I didn't realize it would be served cold. Every other buffalo chicken wrap I've ever had was heated up, smothered in hot wing sauce, and served with a side cup of bleu cheese, which I also didn't get. I didn't care very much for it, but it was a rather healthy lunch I suppose, and at $6.99 the price was right. I plan to return with my friends from out-of-town when they come to NEPA in a few weeks so I can treat them to the shakes and sample their burgers. There were a lot of kids running amok in the place, but I wasn't irked. I'm just happy to see that Dupont, which was a relative dump for many years, rounding a corner. Bobby O's comes on the heels of other businesses opening as well that include an arcade/pool hall, bar, t-shirt shop, law firm, and renovated corner store. Another old building is soon going to be reopened as the Dupont Diner, so stay tuned for my review on that place as well!
All in all the experience was good. They could have made some improvements, but they did just open recently and have yet to work out all the kinds. A friend of mine told me that the owners moved to the area recently from NJ and got the "itch" to reopena new restaurant here because they missed operating their old one back in Jersey. Since most of the employees there had thick NJ accents I'd say that this story was probably true. Sitting at a table overlooking the street below I also saw a plethora of out-of-state vehicles passing by, indicating that our area is finally heating up as a relocation destination.
My verdict: If you're in the Pittston Area it's worth a shot. If you're a milkshake fanatic from afar who wants to sample tantalizing flavor options, scope it out as well. Otherwise it's nothing to write home about.
Smiler's: Dickson City, PA
On Friday evening we headed up to Dickson City to try a place called Smiler's along Main Avenue in the borough. Immediately we noticed one "con" of the restaurant was the lack of available parking. We didn't mind parking a block away on a residential side street, but I couldn't help but feel guilty that all of the business's patrons were hogging on-streets pots that perhaps some elderly residents otherwise would have needed for their homes. Speaking of homes, there was one beautiful Victorian-era home along the side street that runs parallel to Main Avenue to the rear of the bar that we parked in front of that I drooled over!
We walked inside, and my first thought was "uh-oh." It was a very cramped and packed typical corner bar with a blend of 20- throuh 40-somethings chatting it up, many of whom glanced at us when we entered as if they were sizing us up or something. However, my apprehensions were put at ease when we were taken to a nice table in a side room with a nice paint color on the walls. They were further put at ease when I was able to eye up our rather attractive young waiter, much to my own shame as I'm no longer single and shouldn't be letting my eyes roam like that!
LOL!
Since my sister and I were treating our parents for their 30th anniversary and giving them the Garmin we had purchased for their SUV, we decided to go all-out. We each ordered an alcoholic beverage. I thought it was odd that as a 21-year-old I wasn't carded, but I wasn't going to complain.
I enjoyed my watermelon lemonade margarita very much, and my sister enjoyed her pineapple something or other mixed drink too. My father and brother-in-law each had one beer and then ordered a pitcher of Sam Adams. My mother had a mixed drink too and loved it. Then for an appetizer we had an AWESOME crab fondue in which we used long toothpicks to stab focaccia bread pieces into the most DELECTABLE crab fondue I've ever had with real chunks of fresh crab meat---it was even better than Cooper's, and they're supposed to be the "best" in NEPA for seafood!
For our main entrees my mother and I both had awesome beer-battered fish and chips. My brother-in-law had some sort of risotto dish and liked it, my dad had a pasta dish, and I can't quite recall what my sister ate but she also enjoyed her meal. The portions were very generous. In the end the check was WAY over $100, but man was it ever worth it! I don't explore the Mid-Valley very often, but I'll be going back to Smiler's again and again. Their menu was VERY extensive, so you could hypothetically dine there once a week for a year before having to order the same thing twice.
My verdict: A must-visit for sure if you're in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. The place just looks like a non-descript home on a typical street corner, but the portions are awesome, prices are average, the service is attractive (growl!!!), and our bellies were quite satisfied. My only concern is for those who live adjacent to the place as I don't know where they park when dozens of patrons' vehicles are all up and down the side streets.
P.S. As we were leaving we saw a HUGE double-burger that some snobby woman was actually sending back because it was "too big." Are you kidding me? Why not eat all that you can and then take the rest home to eat later? Is it now "taboo" to ask for a foam take-home container, as we always do?
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NEPA Restaurant Review Thread
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