Jun
26
What Borough Council giveth, it can taketh away.
After an unnamed vendor threatened to sue over his exclusion from the Farmer’s Market, the Council voted to take back control Tuesday. Producer-Farmers, who had been given control of the market in February, were angered by the decision.
Association members Lois Stringer and Whitney Duley said they were shocked and disappointed to receive notification of the vote Tuesday morning.
“I guess there’s nothing we can do,” Duley said. “I thought it had been going extremely well. We got some new people, and we got some really nice products in.”
I hope things resolve for the best. Personally, I insist on knowing the origin of the veggies I eat. I’d love to see everyone label their produce with the state and county of origin.
Better still, Borough Council could enforce their own producer-only ordinance and tell this litigious vendor to get lost.
Feb
6
According to an article in today’s Centre Daily Times, Bellefonte Borough Council has ceded control of the Bellefonte Farmers Market to the Bellefonte Farmers Market Association. The Association has been adamant that the market remain producer-only, and it would appear they now have to power to make it so.
One only hopes Councilman Beigle and Mayor Goldman are still willing to shop there.
Jan
21
Farmers Market Debate Reignites
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The debate over whether Bellefonte’s Farmers Market should be producer only reignited Monday night at the Borough Council meeting. The issue was tabled for now, but if you feel passionately one way or the other contact your Council member.
The Council is expected to pick up the issue again at its February 1, 2010 meeting.
Dec
15
The Governors’ Pub is Open
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The Governors’ Pub is now open! They reopened on November 21st, and I went there for lunch the following Monday. I’ve been there for lunch twice now, including this afternoon for lunch.
The Centre Daily Times ran a brief item on the opening this weekend.
I often judge a restaurant by the quality of the iced tea it serves. On that basis alone, Governors’ Pub is a hit! It isn’t the best restaurant tea I’ve ever had (that title is still held by the former High Street Pub, whose tea required no sweeteners and was delightfully smooth and had a hint of fruitiness), but is is a far cry from the teas I’ve had that taste like they’ve been filtered through cigarette butts.
Our waitress, clearly new at the job, held her own while managing at least six tables of lunch customers.
I very much enjoyed my Hasting’s Stacker, a sandwich made with turkey, provolone cheese, tomato slices, coleslaw, and french fries, all on generously thick slices of what appeared to be a cross between pumpernickel and white bread. Served with a side of fries or coleslaw (I had fries), it is a bit pricey for Bellefonte at $8, but was well worth it.
I’m looking forward to trying the Governors’ Pub for dinner sometime soon. I’m particularly interested in seeing their wine list. I’m hoping we’ll see great things from Governors’ Pub. For now, I’m glad to have a nice place to eat lunch downtown again.
Sep
4
High Street Pub Reopening?
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Not necessarily, but today at lunch I saw a bright orange sign in the window of the former High Street Pub. I was across the street and couldn’t read the names, but it seems it will soon reopen as The Governors’ Pub. The new proprietors have applied for a liquor license transfer. I’ll try to stop by this weekend and check out the details.
I’ll post more information as I find it. As of now, I can’t even find a website for the new venture. Nonetheless, I’m hoping for good things. I’m so optimistic, I’m creating a new tag for this post, The Governors’ Pub.
Aug
1
In Search of Red Beets
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I stopped by the Bellefonte Farmer’s Market this morning. First we went out to brunch at the Café on the Park at around 10:30. I haven’t been there in months, and my mother had never been there, so we thought it would be nice to take her out.
I was looking for red beets at the farmer’s market. I did see one vendor with them priced four beets for a dollar. That seems a bit steep considering that I’m looking for at least a bushel. One of the other vendors may have had beets earlier, and since we arrived as everyone was closing up at close to noon, it is likely I missed them. I’m going to try again next weekend at Millheim since we’ll be over in Penn and Brush valleys for the annual Farm Tour.
Jun
2
Bellefonte Repeals Farmers Market Limits
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Bellefonte Borough Council voted 5-4 last night to repeal the ordinance that had limited vendors at the Farmers Market to only those who grew their products locally. The change takes effect for the 2010 Market.
I’m pretty sure this amounts to a distinction without a difference. As I understood it, the original reason for the limitation was to promote local agriculture. I don’t think we’ll see growers trucking produce in from California, Florida and Mexico all the way to Bellefonte. I don’t think we’ll even see growers show up from beyond Centre county. What we will see is a number of vendors who otherwise have been unable to sell their goods. If the net effect is a wider selection of locally-grown produce, and increased access to a market for area growers, then the change will be for the better. Again, I don’t think we’ll see much change next year, and any change we do see will be positive.
Mar
29
Brunch, and a Closing
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We made it back to the Cafe on the Park again this morning. We arrived at around 10:15 a.m., right before a large group of people walked in. We found a table for two in the back and waited. We don’t normally make it out that early on a Sunday, but we’ve both been up early each day this weekend.
I again ordered the quiche, having the bacon and Swiss cheese quiche. I was lucky to get the last slice. If they had run out, my backup plan was to try their baked oatmeal special. (It is oatmeal with eggs and brown sugar, baked in the oven like a custard and served hot with a small pitcher of fresh cream.)
I don’t have much to offer in terms of new insights into dinning at the Cafe. It is just a simple, family-run eatery that does brunch really well. If I could, I’d encourage everyone to try it at least once, and if you like it make a regular thing of it. Local restaurants are having a tough time of it lately, with the contracting economy and people choosing to cut dining out from their budgets to try to make ends meet.
In fact, I understand the economy has claimed another local casualty in the High Street Pub. I’m not sure when it closed its doors, but it appears dark and I’ve heard from several people that they’re closed. (I have not, however, been able to confirm this with anyone connected to the Pub.)
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.”
