#11  PENNSYLVANIA – Tortilla Chips and Dips

 

On occasion, I’ve come into our kitchen in the morning and a half filled bag of tortilla chips, left over from the previous night, has stared at me from the counter as I prepare the coffee. I think to myself, maybe I’ll just have a chip or two while the coffee is brewing. Two chips become three, and then four, and then I lose all control and the bag is empty before I know it. It’s a pretty satisfying breakfast and it does provide some fiber. So it was with great pleasure that I found tortilla chips on the breakfast menu of our stop in Pennsylvania.

On Orange
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

AMBIENCE:  On Orange is, guess what!, on Orange Street in downtown Lancaster. This was our first urban breakfast experience of the tour. The building dates back to the 1850s, but the inside feels anything but old. It is more reminiscent of a hipster’s studio apartment, with plenty of original artwork and colorful furniture. The restaurant has two floors and since we were there at the opening bell and the first customers, we were seated on the main, upstairs floor. This was preferable as the upstairs has plenty of natural light whereas downstairs, which you need to visit if you need the bathroom, had a subterranean feel which may be nice for a candlelit dinner but not breakfast.

5 out of 5 stars.

FOOD:  I ordered the tortilla chips. It was no surprise that I wasn’t going to get a bag of Tostitos. Rather these chips were pumped up, souped up, and made over into something that didn’t belong in a bag. The dish was called Chilaquiles. I completely butchered the pronunciation when I ordered. The waiter said with a wry grin, “Oh you mean the blah, blah, blah”. Okay.  Apparently, there are as many versions of Chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican dish, as there are versions of say, lasagna. On Orange’s version had tortilla chips simmered in a spicy red chili chorizo sausage sauce, avocado, queso fresco, and topped with two eggs. Possibly, this was a Puerto Rican version since Lancaster’s population is 30 percent Puerto Rican. It also came with awesome rye toast.

I thought the dish was very tasty. It wasn’t as spicy as I expected, but then again biology says that as you age your taste buds decline in size and numbers. I really fear the day when spicy red chili chorizo sausage sauce tastes the same as Cream of Wheat.

The Healthy One ordered “The Old Stand By” which was two eggs, roasted tomatoes, bacon, and multi-grain toast.

She said that everything tasted great. I got to try a piece of her multi-grain toast which was as delicious as my rye toast. The bread is from the Le Bus Bakery in Philadelphia and gets the Breakfast Across America Certificate of Excellence.

The meal ended with a nice surprise and I suggest that breakfast places across America consider this practice. We were presented with two small oatmeal raisin cookies freshly baked from a nearby bakery.

4 3/4 out of 5 stars

COFFEE:  The coffee was extraordinary. This makes the second place in a row where I could drink their coffee all day. I was told the coffee was the Star Barn blend from the Lancaster County Coffee Roasters.

5 stars out of 5

SERVICE: The service was efficient to say the least. This is one of those places that had a specialization of labor that would make Henry Ford proud. Person A showed us to our table. Person B asked if we wanted coffee. Person C brought the coffee to the table. Person D took our order. Person C brought the food to our table. Person B refilled our coffee cups. Person D checked if we were happy. Person A brought us our cookies. Person B presented us with the bill. Person D took our payment. Persons A & D were very friendly. Persons B & C didn’t have much to say. Everyone was dressed as if they were going to a Springsteen concert.

  

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

COST: $28.17 with tax. A very good value.

THREE FACTS ABOUT LANCASTER:

 

1) Lancaster was once the capital of the United States – for one day. The Continental Congress convened in Lancaster on September 27, 1777 a day after the British marched into Philadelphia. The delegates decided that the 60 miles between Lancaster and Philadelphia was not enough and the next day moved another 20 miles to the west to York.

2) Peeps were invented in Lancaster.

3) Lancaster is home to Franklin and Marshall College. The college sports teams are known as the Diplomats. Both athletes and non-athletes are affectionately known as Dips.

 In 1853, Franklin College named after Benjamin Franklin, merged with Marshall College, named after John Marshall, Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.  There are statutes of these two gentlemen on campus. The statue of Marshall is a fairly conventional representation of the famous jurist, pigeon poop and all.

On the other hand, located about ten feet from Marshall, is Franklin’s somewhat strange and unconventional personification.

The statue is known as Ben-In-A-Box. According to one article, late at night, students urinate at his base as an initiation of sorts. At first, I could not believe that this blasphemy could take place. I then examined my picture more closely and saw that all the grass around the base of the statue was dead. My conclusion: Dip Drips Did Drop!

Upon further research, I discovered that elsewhere Franklin gets little respect. For instance, the Ben Franklin statue on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania is also constantly being used as a toilet.

BURN THOSE BREAKFAST CALORIES OFF:

Walking around Lancaster and the campus of Franklin & Marshall College.

September 4, 2016

NEXT UP: The Southeastern States. Check back in November for reports.