Paleromo Pizza

(menu)

Alright...I'm going to confess something here.  Please do NOT repeat.  I enjoy eating in public with friends and family, but the real secret is that I am also kind of a closet eater.  Sometimes I eat in my car or at my house where no one can see.  I make bad decisions and they are tasty.

So Palermo has been on my list as a recommendation from a friend.  It's on Charlotte across from the Redner's and North End Wine & Spirits.   They do not deliver so as I was passing through one Saturday on my way to Boyertown's Octoberfest I thought it would be a great place to pick up some dinner.

I called in my order of a small pepperoni pizza and picked it up without incident.  The people were friendly and they have a large selection of crappy domestic beer for takeout. Great if that's what you're into.

What I'm into is eating pizza in my car apparently.  This is the closet eating part.  Not sure what my issue is, but pizza in the car is a bad idea and I do it anyway.  The pizza had a great smell which caused me to eat it in the parking lot of the very building where I picked it up.  When I pulled the first slice from the pie a lot of the cheese came off.  This could have been from the temperature - it was still very hot.  Maybe it should have cooled a bit before consumption, but that didn't stop me.  For the record, the second slice also lost it's cheese in transit to my mouth.

It was a little greasy, but I feel that my vehicular indulgence may have effected the quality of the pizza.  So, that being said, I will report that the pizza was good, possibly loose and greasy, but I will do my duty and go back and report again.  Let's call this a confession and not a review.  Please don't tell anyone that I ate a pizza in my car.

Carousel of Flavor

Carousel Website

Some more pics from the Pottstown Mercury

On Sunday, September 14, The Carousel at Pottstown held its 11th Annual Carousel of Flavor.  11th?  Yes, the 11th.  I have been living in the general vicinity for about 11 years and I only started hearing about this event a couple years ago.  This year I almost missed it and it was on my list of events I wanted to go to.  I'm not sure why I didn't hear about it until a couple days earlier, but it is frustrating to me that such an inclusive community event is not better advertised.  Also, their website is not very detailed or well updated.  If you're looking for a volunteer opportunity maybe you should give them a call.  Or maybe I'm dense, or maybe I blocked out the image of that terrifying rabbit on their poster.  In any case, I got word just in time this year and even though I had a few other things scheduled I was able to stop by for a couple hours.

The carousel is an historical tourist attraction in process of being restored and this event raises money for the project.  You can read more about it on their website.  Carousel of Flavor is held on the 100 block of High Street.  The street itself is closed and a couple of those big tents are set up.  Out in front of borough hall they sell tickets for $1 each to purchase food and drinks and you can also catch a trolley ride there to go see the carousel which is located on King Street across from Memorial Park.  There are vendors selling crafts and things which I did not visit.  Then there are food vendors and then a tent for beer and wine vendors.  The vendors are all supposed to offer small dishes so people can come and try several different things.  Unfortunately the items weren't that small and we only got to try a few.  Not all of the vendors are from Pottstown, but they are all in the general area from King of Prussia to Douglassville.  So as far as my 19464 restriction, I am reviewing this event and not the individual establishments necessarily...

Steve and I started with some brisket tacos from Talk's Tavern and OMG Mac n Cheese from Oscar's Catering.  The brisket tacos were pretty awesome.  They were served in soft flour tortillas with caramelized onions.  The white sauce or liquid the beef was in was very thin and made for messy eating, especially when the breeze was blowing.  Better keep your taco upwind.  The flavor was not Mexican in any way like I was expecting, but the beef was tender and savory.  Really good.

The OMG Mac n Cheese was good.  It looked like it had been baked and had been made with a roux like good homemade mac n cheese is supposed to be made.  I thought the flavor was good, but not bold.  It needed more salt at least.  I'm one of those people that like a little overdone crunch on the edges.  There wasn't any of that, maybe that's good for some people.  It was good though.  The portion was nice for the price and it was served hot.  

Next, we visited the beer and wine tent.  One of our favorite bars, Craft Ale House was serving beer.  They were pouring local Pottstown brews from Sly Fox (one of my favorite hangouts in Pottstown) as well as Dogfish Head Punkin.  The owner, Gary and his wife Melissa were pouring and Patrick was there from Sly Fox talking up the crowd and helping with the taps.  Tilted Kilt and Pub 990 had beer in the beer tent too, but it was Rolling Rock and Miller Lite if I recall accurately.  That's not really my kind of beer - I guess it's good they had something for everyone.  Manatawny Creek Winery was there pouring wine which I did not try that day.  They do a decent job for a local PA winery.      

After a beer or two I was on to Grumpy's where I was greeted by Sheila, one of the owners.  They had a Sloppy Thanksgiving Sandwich that was an open-face turkey sandwich.  It had cranberry sauce, filling and a think slice of turkey all covered in a turkey gravy.  I love that salty/sweet/tart thing you get when you mix all those flavors together.  It was pretty traditional and the flavor was good.  I had to find a seat so I could eat it with a knife and fork, but that wasn't much of a problem.

Steve decided on the Hot Beef Slider from CD's Place.  There was more than one example of a pulled pork slider among the food vendors and I think that's a pretty typical offering for walking around and eating outside.  I'm sure they all varied in style and quality as well, but the beef slider was something I don't normally see.  It was really good too.  It wasn't barbecue flavored like a lot of pulled meats are so that was a plus in the unique department too.  It was juicy and tender the way things get when they have been cooked all day.  The bun was standard.  CD's does catering, they might be worth a look.

The participating restaurants were apparently tasked with decorating their tables which I didn't see much of.  Some of them seemed to be really into the event and excited to be there and meet people while other restaurants didn't make much of an effort to be creative or even show up on time.  

There were also a lot of desserts at the event.  I imagine part of the reason for that is because they can be made in advance and they don't need to be kept hot or even cold for most of them.  I'm not much of a dessert eater so I didn't try any, but if you have a sweet tooth I bet you would have been satisfied here.

Next year I am going to try to skip breakfast and sample more food.  As an event I think it is a good format.  There is no charge to be there so all types of people and their dogs and their babies could attend.  The tickets were only a dollar and the food selections were as little as 2 tickets so you could spend as little or as much as you wanted really.  Anytime I get to stand outside and drink is a good time too.  Love the fresh air and chatting.  

Mannino's Pizzeria & Eatery

(menu)

#11. This is turning into a takeout tour. So, in this area there are several restaurants that are shaped like cups, like soda cups. From a little looking up, it sounds like they were built in the 1940s as outlets for a local dairy to sell milk and ice cream. There are two others in the area. One of them is on Charlotte Street in the North End of Pottstown and it is operating currently as Mannino's. I ordered a small Vegetarian Stromboli over the phone. The guy that took my order asked me to hold a couple times. I understand he was new. Nothing bad, but it was a little confusing. I ordered sauce on the side. He assured me that all strombolis come with a side of sauce.

The inside of the restaurant had some sit downs tables and a counter up front where I went to pick up my order. It was clean and the man who brought my order was nice. They had a wall of fridges filled with takeout beer. Nothing very exciting, but a couple selections that could be considered craft beer. They were all labeled on the wall above the fridges with prices.

My stromboli was affordable and I was considering measuring it, but I was really hungry. I'm going to call it 10 - 12 inches. The side of sauce was a nice size. Usually you get those tiny cups. This was more substantial. I like lots of extra sauce.



Upon internal inspection there were lots of veggies including broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms & peppers. The flavor was really excellent. There was a lot of mozzarella cheese but that didn't mask the fresh flavors of the veg, especially the bitter flavor of the dark green broccoli and spinach. The broccoli was still firm too which added texture.

Maybe a half-eaten piece of stromboli isn't the most appetizing image so I apologize, but I thought this picture showed the veggies the best. I really enjoyed this stromboli and I'm ashamed to admit how much of it I ate. I will tell you that both ends were mostly bread, but I'm not sure if there is a way to make a stromboli without that happening. Looking at the menu and thinking of the upcoming colder season, I think I will be making use of their delivery services soon. Yum...

Tornetta's Pizzeria

(menu)

#10: Double digits, more takeout.  I stopped by Tornetta's on my way home one afternoon.  I have been to Tornetta's plenty of times and they were also my go to delivery place when I lived in Gilbertsville.  Maybe it's cheating to get takeout from a place I'm so familiar with, but I did say every place in Pottstown.

I suppose it's a little gluttonous to order a pizza all by yourself, even if they don't know you're going to eat it in one sitting.  You do get more pizza per dollar with the larger sizes, but I went with a small pepperoni pizza for my conscience.  I even threw in a house salad to convince myself further.  I ordered over the phone and they said it would be 20 minutes.  It was a little more than 20, but close.

The salads at Tornetta's are pretty excellent.  Better than you would expect from a pizza place.  Their House Misto salad is a mix of romaine and iceberg lettuces and comes topped with cucumber, tomato, red pepper, red onion and sweet peppers.  I'm not a big fan of sweet pepper, but I appreciate that this is not your typical container of iceberg with a couple shaved carrots on top.  The ingredients are fresh and the dressing was good - ranch in this case.  The description of the salad says it contains olives but I honestly don't remember there being any in there.  

I have seen Tornetta's do a better job on the pizza.  It was cooked well, but it looked like someone picked up the box sideways and let the ingredients slide off a little.  The pepperoni was bunched up together leaving sections without any.  I rearranged the pepperoni and ate the pizza.  I like the sauce on their pizza, it isn't too sweet.  The pepperoni was decent, but nothing special.

Overall this was not Tornetta's best performance, but based on past experience I will definitely be back.  I think they make the best buffalo chicken around which you can get on a sandwich, on a pizza or in a stromboli.  I'm getting hungry thinking about it.  Their takeout beer selection is excellent with standard brands and a selection of craft beers that is impressive for the size of the place.  For Eat In you can order single beers, but most craft beers have to be purchased by the six-pack or in the large bomber bottles.  Their history of delivery service has been consistently good.  Not the most glowing review for today, but they are definitely on my recommended list.

Ice House Steaks & Pizza

(menu)

I have to say I was skeptical.  I know Ice House for it's pizza, wings and 40's, not breakfast.  Apparently they have been serving breakfast for a while now, though and the donuts were highly recommended so we had to try it.

It has been years since I made a trip to Ice House.  They deliver so it's not even necessary to make the trip if you want their food.  Since I was there last the building has been renovated.  They have nice seating in booths and spots at the counter to sit as well.  Check out their About Us section on their website for some historical information about the restaurant and building (It was an old Ice House believe it or not).  The donuts are a nod to the first restaurant that was in that space.  We got there during the week at about 10am.  The restaurant was full, but not crowded and there was no wait.

Let's start with the donuts.  They are your basic, small-ish, plain, powdered sugar or cinnamon donuts that you would normally get from a box in the grocery store, only these are way better.  We tried a powdered sugar and a cinnamon because, really, what is the plain one for?  These donuts are cooked fresh every morning and I hear that if you get there early they are still warm.  Ours weren't warm, but they were moist and kind of melt in your mouth.  If you're a sweets fan, don't miss these.

I ordered the Grilled Veggie Skillet - trying to change it up a little from my customary veggie omelet I guess.  You get a choice of toast, biscuit or English muffin - love the choices there - and I went with the English muffin.  The muffin was cooked on the flat top with some butter and not just toasted so there was good flavor from that.  The skillet itself was good with a variety of veggies.  Spinach and mushrooms are my favorite.  The potatoes are mixed right into the skillet so I couldn't order them crispy like I normally would.  I think this caused the dish to lack some texture.  Something crunchy in there would have really made it for me.

Steve ordered the King Street Sandwich with a side of thick cut bacon.  It was not a disappointment.  They delivered a sandwich you would expect from a place that has been serving and delivering "Steaks & Pizza" for years.  This was the small, 6 inch one.  It also comes in a 12 inch version.  The bacon was good, but since it was 'thick cut', you only get two pieces.  As a side it runs $1.99 so double up if you want.

The final surprise was the orange juice.  They have a pretty rockin' juicer where the oranges go in the top and it magically makes great orange juice.  It's like Willy Wonka meets oranges.  The juice was great and not over priced like a lot of fresh squeezed juice can be.

Definitely check out the Ice House breakfast, you won't be disappointed!