Harrisburg Road Trip | Chevy Cruze Diesel

So, when Chevy offered up a free Cruze diesel for a week, I couldn't say no. Turns out it was the very same car that Gizmo Guy over at Philly.com took for a test weeks before.

Fueled with a sense of patriotism, I took the diesel on a road trip to this fine state's capital city.

If you've never been to Harrisburg, maybe you should take a Saturday to make the 1.75 hour trip. There's some amazing architecture and probably one of the best state capitol buildings in the country. (I welcome challengers.)

I will say it runs smoothly, has plenty of interior space and is great on gas mileage. Too bad gasoline prices took a recent dip and diesel holds steady at close to $4...

If you make it to the 'burg, check out the Atomic Warehouse for retro housewares & furniture and vintage clothing and vinyl. It's got three levels stocked with merchandise - I heard the second floor is wholly dedicated to lampshades and is accessible by request only, apparently the floor manager/owner is very peculiar about granting access, so you better look the part.

Lots of clocks and ashtrays too...

If you're in the mood for a cheap draught and college ball or some pool, head over to the G-Man downtown. The Gingerbread Man is a local establishment (there are 3 in the Central PA area: add Carlisle and State College) whose aesthetic takes you to a different time.

Like the 80s. With interesting decor, it reminds you that smoking is still allowed in restaurants outside of Philadelphia.

Look for a couple more Harrisburg destinations in the coming days - I've got your lunch and dinner covered.

Chevy Farm-to-Table Dinner | Bartram's Garden

5400 Lindbergh Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19143
(215) 729-5281

So maybe you are more cultured than I (probably), but I had HEARD of Bartram's Garden, yet failed to actually ever make it there. When Chevy invited me for a Farm to Table event with a pre-dinner, curator's tour & talk about the history, I was excited. Even though it meant traveling through West Philly.

The curator, Joel Fry, walked us through the original house before dinner (which was uncharacteristically lit with torchiere lamps by way of orange extension cords from the nearby modern buildings), and presented a slideshow going deeper into some of the history of John Bartram. Let me tell you, it's some old stuff – people were WAY cooler/tougher/more interesting back in the day. Now get back to Twitter, nerd. This took an unexpected aggressive turn. Let's get back on track.

The event was put on to showcase some of the big players in the local food movement, and one fat guy who will eat just about anything *a hem*. Catered by Devine, all of the ingredients were sourced relatively locally and listed on the menu, which was a nice touch.

The table was set with local cheeses from Valley Shepherd Creamery in RTM and some non-local crackers.

The aged Gouda and creamy Cemembert were the winners for me.

THAT is some blue cheese.

The "butlered horderves" started with tiny burgers, and a special sauce dip. I definitely did not stop at one.

Complete with tiny pickle and tiny tomato garnish. I will say, it was a bit odd having to dip a burger sidelong into a similarly tiny ramekin full of special sauce.

That said, it was too cute and the dip actually reminded me of a Big Mac. Yum.

There were some hollowed out potatoes with a ratatouille filler. Delicious.

Probably my favorite dish of the night was the mushroom tart with a blend of wild 'shrooms in a crispy phyllo dough dish.

Delightfully mushroomy.

Carmelized apple on toast with brie was another that came in the onslaught of hand-delivered appetizers.

Here, the lucky reader/winner from our contest shows off the bread basket.

Here was a salad picked THAT MORNING, from the onsite garden. Amazing. It was topped with a Yards Pynk-based dressing. (Note: the only booze served came on a salad.)

The butternut squash lasagna had more of the mushroom filling from above, and ate like a meal. At this point, I was thinking about how I should NOT have had multiples of every appetizer that came through. But I powered on.

It's so nice having the mushroom capital of the world right at our back door. Didn't you know it's Kennet Square?

Sweet potato puree was not my favorite, but seemed to be somewhat popular.

The brussel sprouts and roasted salt and pepper potatoes were great, if for no reason other than we got to watch one of the other diners try the sprouts FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. She was not sold on them. I'm pretty sure she almost spit it out.

Next was flank steak with Chimmichurri and creamy horseradish sauce.

Now that looks like a meal. On top of another meal.

Cooked to a nice medium.

Although usually not a dessert guy, the apple turnover with Bassett's vanilla ice cream was probably the best thing all night. What a wonderful end to an overly filling meal.

Next time you need something to do, go historical and check out Bartram's Garden. And sample some local fair at the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal. You will not be disappointed.

Quisqueya

345 N 12th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 366-1063

And so, after that disappointing not-lunch/one taco at aforementioned Union Taco up on Girard, my buddy and I still had a hunger for something, anything more, and because they wouldn't let us BUY anything until after their opening charade that ended after 2pm that afternoon, we didn't have a choice but to go elsewhere.

A quick drive down 7th, a right on Callowhill and 5 blocks west put us at Quisqueya.

It was one of those "what's that, let's try it," slam-on-the-breaks sort of deal, and there we were - inside this bizarre, empty diner that serves 'Spanish + American' food. Which apparently equals Latin American food.

The chafing trays at the buffet counter were pretty much empty. There was one dude at a booth not eating and another dude across the expansive dining room in mesh shorts and a hoodie looking pretty content with his rice, bean and meat platter.

The lunch special is whatever they have available in those trays for $8 from 11-3, M-F and so we heard what he had to offer. Today there was chicken, pork, beef and fish - which, I imagine is the every day selection, but there was no way to know because there is technically no lunch menu cooked to order, only dinner.

Anyway, it's a pretty good deal because you get a ton of rice, some beans, the protein, fried plantains and a side salad.

I went with the beef, my companion the fish - tilapia I think. The beef was ready to go in a scoop, but the fish took some extra prep time, fresh off the flat top I assume, and then we were on our way.

The proportions were a bit off, there was A LOT of rice and very little meat & beans to match the pile.

That said, the beef was meltingly tender, lean and delicious. It didn't look that appetizing, but it was full of flavor and tasted like some Peruvian spiced, slow-cooked short rib meat.

It fell apart with the slightest touch of my fork, with no strange bits or gristle to interfere with the meat itself. I imagine they cook it for hours to render any fat because this was spot on.

The plaintains were there too. Not much to be said of them other than they added another gritty texture, same as the beans. They had a little sweetness, but I'm not a huge fan, so they just sat on the side.

Just like the salad. If you can even call it that. I thought maybe there was a burger hidden somewhere and these were the toppings. But alas, they supplied a little container of creamy Italian dressing that also went untouched. A not unfortunate loss.

Here's the fish. I heard it was good, but he had the same complaints with regard to the ratio of rice to everything else.

All in all, if you're in a pinch, in the neighborhood and have a hankerin' for some Latin American comfort food at the right price, give it a try. You (probably) won't regret it?