Okay, Diego, here’s a post about a restaurant in Harrisburg you’ll never visit. At least, I wouldn’t recommend visiting.
The restaurant is The Zephyr Express, named for and designed to feel like the dining car of a passenger train. I know that because I read their website, not because I could tell from the inside. I guess now that I think about it I see what they were going for.
We visited Zephyr last night, after I followed a link from Dine Indie, a cool, new (to me) website listing independent restaurants. Zephyr’s menu looked interesting — especially the Ahi Tuna and the Herb Crusted Blackberry Chicken. The website didn’t ooze excellence, but it all looked intriguing.
And it was intriguing, and they were attempting some interesting things, but, unfortunately, as we left the restaurant I said, “Well, that was a Harrisburg-caliber restaurant,” and, fortunately, Harrisburg-caliber no longer cuts it around here.
The caprese was made from grocery store plum tomatoes that had been refrigerated. Maybe our fault for ordering caprese at the end of September. The Zephyr bread was good, not in a fine dining kind of way, but in a family-style greasy cheesy kind of way. They were out of the Capicola Stuffed Chicken, which was the first thing I ordered. The Ahi Tuna was pretty good, but the seven pepper crust was so intense I couldn’t actually taste the fish. The rice pilaf that came with it was overcooked to the point of being completely inedible. However, the asparagus was pretty good, even though asparagus is out of season. My dining partner had the day’s special, which was something along the lines of tequila chicken over fettucine. It was good, but not great, tasting a lot like you’d expect chicken with melted cheese on top to taste.
So what I’m saying is the meal wasn’t a complete failure, but it was nothing special. However, it was almost four times as expensive as the meal we had at Skewers a few days earlier.
Granted, we did make a meal of appetizers and soup at Skewers, but we still left stuffed, and the food was much much better. Their lentil soup, by the way, is maybe the perfect cold remedy. It’s basically a thick broth with just enough substance to be satisfying, and employs a nice spicy (but not too spicy!) kick at the end to help clear those sinuses. If you’ve got the head and chest congestion that’s been going around, go get some soup at Skewers. Even if it means driving up from Baltimore.
So how long is the drive? because I could use some lentil soup once in a while, especially if it is going to make me feel better (i think i am alergic to the fall, it sucks because it is my favorite season)…
well, thanks for not recomengin this restaurant, if i ever go to harrisburg i know where not to eat. and keep it up Julia, a lot of people are counting on you!
HARSH!! Maybe you just had a bad night, but I generally like zephyr. The chili is kickin on a cool day.
Zephyrs is the second reincarnation of that name the previous did resmble dinning car well slightly. Very in concsistent there but I have had great meals there. Of the three new Middle eastern/Morrocaan Places Kabobs may be the best by far. I finally made it there yesteday for lunch and was really im pressed. The owner was very friendly even suggesting that i call next time and he will stat cooking for me.
I love Harrisburg BUT reluctantly must agree with your critique of it’s culinary scene.
A great eating town if there can be such a thing is not to far from you my currently-in-Maryland pal…Frederick and the family Snow had ventured there again just last Saturday for the IN THE STREETS festival. wow! Eight blocks long very organized each block themed and though they did have stands selling corndogs(GREG was happy about that)chicken fingers and funnel cakes there were many many other options all reasonably priced. In our visit there we had stuffed Grape leaves, Lamb stew fantastic chilli, spicy spanish style rice(tad dry but flavorful went well in chill) Smoked turkey leg, hot apple cider and fries among others. I was intrigued by the aspagurus fries and many skewers from different ethnic mixes. My schedule was tight or I would of begged you to come along.
I agree that Frederick is a great eating town. I would love to join the family Snow anytime they’re heading down that way!
I wonder if we will go anymore this year we have been twice in four weeks. If you hear of events that might appeal to G or B let me know.