Oct
13
Bellefonte Borough (where this blog is based) is conducting an informal, self-selecting survey of Borough residents to determine what “should be the Borough’s focus.”
We’re facing some serious financial problems in the coming year, and the Borough could use your input. Forms are available at several businesses in the Borough as well as from the Borough’s website. Just be sure to have it in by this Friday, October 17, 2008.
Oct
10
Lunch at the Cafe on the Park
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We tried a new place for lunch today, the Cafe on the Park in Bellefonte. It is a small cafe with inside seating for perhaps two dozen diners and outside deck seating for another dozen or so. There is a long counter/bar on the right as you enter. They serve an assortment of gourmet coffees, deli sandwiches made with Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, and Penn State Creamery ice cream. They’re on the former site of Boscano’s Store and apparently have been there since 2006. The decor is contemporary with a smattering of seasonal country styling.
This was my first visit to the cafe, which does not speak well for their advertising and outreach efforts. If I, a native of Bellefonte, hadn’t heard of the place until a month ago, they may have a problem. That being said, they did a bustling business whilst we were there, serving at least three other tables inside and several more on the deck.
I ordered the Double Decker Club Sandwich on wheat bread with a side of potato salad and a glass of iced tea. The club sandwich was at least four inches thick, made with three thick-cut slices of fresh bread, generous portions of turkey, ham and American cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, cucumber, and crispy bacon. I’m not a big fan of cucumber on sandwiches, and haven’t really had one I enjoyed since my time living in England and eating egg salad and cucumber sandwiches in train stations. The sandwich was awkward to eat at first, but the bread was fresh enough that it quickly compressed to a manageable thickness within a few bites.
The potato salad had a slightly tangy undertone to its flavor, probably owing to vinegar rather than mustard, considering how pale it was. The potatoes were firm and held their cube shape well. Overall, I’d order it as a side.
Finally, the iced tea was excellent. It was fresh-brewed and didn’t require any sweeteners. Previously, I’d have said the High Street Pub had the best iced tea in the area, but they’ve changed their blend and it no longer tastes the same. Congratulations, Cafe on the Park: you’re the new iced tea champ!
We’ll probably go back to the Cafe again. It is a little farther to walk, but well worth it. They are closed on Mondays, but they’re open Tuesday-Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., or as the sign on the door indicates, “Until the food runs out.”
