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NEPA Restaurant Raves, Bear Creek Township, PA (2026)

05/12/2024

Location #10 of our 52 in 52 series! A day off brought a trip for some breakfast at the White House Diner in Forty Fort. This little place has been in business for over 75 years, so it's worth checking out.

French toast is my favorite breakfast carb and I'm a sucker for chicken and waffles, so I absolutely had to try their Chicken and French Toast. The chicken was fried perfectly and the French toast was nice and eggy -- the perfect combination! You would be hard pressed to find chicken and waffles around here that could better this dish. I also needed to get a side of bacon, because, well, it's bacon. It was nice and crispy. I love bacon in all its forms and cook styles, but this hit the spot and went perfectly with the sweeter dish.

I had to leave sooner than originally expected, but was able to do so due to the attentive service. I'll be back again due to that and the solid food.

The atmosphere is like an old-school, small-town diner should be -- nothing fancy, but everything very clean and kept.

After a very good experience, we will be back for more!

Food: 9
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Adult Drink Selection: N/A

Overall: 8.7

04/02/2024

Location #9 of our 52 in 52 series! We recently went to Marianacci's Restaurant/Pa. in West Wyoming. Around since 1972, this Italian restaurant now offers an Italian market, as well.

To start off, we went with a feature appetizer - fried provolone. It was done in the stle of fried Mozzarella, but provolone often gets overlooked, so we has to jump on it. It was melty and gooey, with just the right crunch and some delicious, garlicky marinara-esque sauce that would be amazing on pizza! My wife got a side salad and I got French onion soup that was not as salty as the usual, but the herbs made up for that. It was very delicious, so much so that I recommended it to my sister-in-law, who ended up joining us. Our daughter got chicken nuggets (which were more like tenders) that she enjoyed. My wife tried the spaghetti with Carbonara -- they offer a variety of pastas (all of which are housemade!) with your choice of sauce. It was creamy and flavorful. My sister-in-law had cheese ravioli, which was good, also. My dish was crab and shrimp ravioli, which was covered with a nice sherry wine cream sauce and packed with seafood goodness. Each of these was enjoyable alone, but we all shared a bit to get a well-rounded experience.

Vanessa did a nice job of keeping us happy with refills and gave suggestions when asked. She was busy, yet attentive, which hits the mark every time.

The atmosphere is comfortable and home-like, which is great for an Italian restaurant.

Some solid cocktails and wines are available with few craft beers, just not enough to merit a top-level score.

After a very solid experience, we will be back for more!

Food: 9
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Adult Drink Selection: 8

Overall: 8.5

03/19/2024

Location #8 of our 52 in 52 series! Last Tuesday saw a quick lunch from Thai House in Edwardsville. A takeout-only spot that is perfect for a quick bite that doesn't attack your arteries.

I was solo on this one, so I got two appetizers to try and a lunch special for my main. I had the Poh Pia (Thai spring rolls) and the pork Thai dumplings. The spring rolls were crispy, but not greasy with sweet and sour sauce that was thin, yet flavorful. It had a lot of honey flavor. The dumplings were smaller than I expected, but boy, were they packed with pork and flavor! The crispy garlic on top was just a perfect crunch of tasty goodness. I will absolutely get both of these again. For my lunch special, I had the Dunken Noodles, which was an ode to my favorite Chinese restaurant of all time that is now closed. They were flavorful, but I'd go with chicken next time instead of beef. It was still good, but not chicken drunken noodles good. I also got a cookies and creme bubble tea that was gone before I got over the bridge back to Wilkes-Barre.

The woman who took care of me was polite and the kitchen assembled my order a lot faster than expected for the lunch hour.

I hope they offer sit-down service soon, as it is a neat place with the potential to do even more in sales.

Your basic, non-alcoholic drinks are available, and the bubble tea menu is quite large.

Food: 10
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Adult Drink Selection: N/A

Overall: 9.3

03/12/2024

Location #7 of our 52 in 52 series! Today's breakfast was at Something Special Bakery in Kingston. It is a breakfast and lunch place on W. Walnut St.

My wife got the House Plate with eggs (your choice), bacon (choice here, too), and home fries. I had the Bistro Sandwich with bacon (choice) and I added tomato. The potatoes were tasty and the eggs cooked very well. My wife enjoyed the sourdough bread option, too. All of their breads, pastries, etc. are baked in-house. The croissant for my sandwich was crispy, flaky, and buttery and the sandwich as a whole hit the spot -- no hot sauce needed.

Our server was friendly and polite, and not overbearing. She let us enjoy our breakfast and was ready when we were.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and well-lit. The local artwork for sale on the walls is a great touch and way to help out neighboring artists.

Your basic, non-alcoholic breakfast drinks are available, and they have lots of lunch options that we will have to come back and try.

Food: 9
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Adult Drink Selection: N/A

Overall: 9

02/26/2024

Location #6 of our 52 in 52 series! Last Friday night's unexpected date night was at Diamond City Vault Bar&Grill in downtown Wilkes-Barre. This former bank has been a few things over the past few years, but let's hope this one sticks.

For starters, we got the crispy brussel sprouts. They were definitely crispy, bringing out a nice nuttiness from a vegetable we would eat more often if prepared like this! They were hopped with bacon and blue cheese crumbles -- we couldn't eat them fast enough! My wife has the crispy chicken sandwich. It had house slaw and hot honey on a great brioche bun. I went with the W.B burger that had brie, onion, bacon jam, and brandied apple -- different and very tasty! Both entrees had frsh cut fries. I love super crispy fries, but these were so good that I didn't miss the crunch. There's something about fries served in a little fryer basket that take it up a notch for me, too.

Our server was friendly and helpful, while allowing us time to ourselves -- a nice blend. My one request would be to always make sure the server is signed in to the POS so that diners can give credit where credit is due.

The feel of this restaurant is terrific. It's retro with a lot of the brick and of course the old Vault, but it has nice artwork to compliment the historical appeal of the place.

The cocktail selection is great and at an even better price! There are some craft drafts, but there needs to be more variety to get a 10 from a craft drinker like me.

Food: 9
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 10
Adult Drink Selection: 9

Overall: 9.25

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02/08/2024

Location #5 of our 52 in 52 series! Sunday afternoon's lunch was at My Little Mexico in Wilkes-Barre Township. It's located in the strip mall across from Price Chopper. Family owned and operated, this place reminded my wife of a place you would see on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

The complimentary chips and salsa were very flavorful, with a bit more spice to the salsa than most places (I'd equate it to a medium) and nice seasoning on the chips. We got guacamole which was nice and chunky and had good acid to it -- we'd definitely get it again. Our daughter got a plain cheese quesadilla (her usual when we eat Latin cuisine) that she enjoyed. My wife got tacos birria, which she declared the best version she has had to date. The meat was juicy even without the consomé, which itself was very flavorful. I had the Bistec Ranchero, which was simply amazing! It had a delicious salsa verde and perfectly melted cheese. Steak in this style is often overcooked and dry, but this was neither. I can see myself getting some quick takeout from here just for that item.

Gabriela was our server and was helpful, friendly, and quick to respond to any requests. The owner even came over to say hello, which is always a nice addition to any meal.

There was a solid selection of Mexican beers, but we would have liked a full drink menu to make our choice a little more challenging.

Food: 10
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Adult Drink Selection: 8

Overall: 8.75

02/03/2024

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02/03/2024

Location #4 of our 52 in 52 series! Last night's dinner was at Mylana’s Italian Ristorante in Hanover Township. This place used to be a bar and has been renovated to be a quaint restaurant with a nicely-sized bar.

Reservations are needed, so call ahead. There is plenty of room at the bar, but dining room seating is limited. It's nicely decorated and is great for fun conversation with friends and family.

My wife got a martini (generous pour) and I had an old fashioned. Our friends got a draft beer and a martini. The bartender was friendly and makes a mean cocktail. We had crab bisque, Italian Wedding soup, and the charcuterie for appetizers. The bisque was creamy but not too thick -- a buttery delight! The Italian Wedding was solid, and the charcuterie had good meats, cheese, and spreads, as well as deliciously fried eggplant and fried Italian long hots. For dinner, my wife had chicken piccata with asparagus and I had the Brazilian lobster francese special. Both were very good -- for me, the lobster was great and paired very well with the preparation. Our friends had chicken francese and chicken marsala and both were very much enjoyed. The cannoli was good, but my wife (and I) prefer the custard variety.

Our server was attentive and helpful and gave us plenty of time to enjoy the company of friends -- we didn't feel rushed at any point of the meal.

The adult beverages that we enjoyed were definitely tasty, we just wish they had more beers and wines available.

Food: 9
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Adult Drink Selection: 9

Overall: 9

01/27/2024

Location #3 of our 52 in 52 series! Last night's dinner was at Sambuca Italian Grille & Bar in Scranton. A nice little place that has been in the downtown for close to 20 years.

You enter through the bar that is roomy while also having hightop tables. When entering main dining, the first thing we noticed was the piano player, which is a super-cool touch! He played some fun songs, including some of his own, cracked jokes, and also interacted with the crowd while not being intrusive at all.

My wife and I each got a martini (Dirty Gin for her and Honey Nut Cheerio for me) and both were delicious. As an appetizer, we got Eggplant Melanzane, which was light, had great flavor, and a delicious vodka sauce. My better half had a Caesar salad with probably the best Caesar dressing we have ever had. I went with the gorgonzola salad that had a nice, tart raspberry vinaigrette. For our entrees, she had the chicken special, which featured thin chicken breast and portobello mushrooms in a port wine sauce, topped with gorgonzola. It was very earthy and deep, a worthy special. I had the Pollo Sambuca, which is the same thin chicken breast with shrimp and mushrooms in a creamy sambuca sauce. It was very flavorful and slightly sweet. The anise is there, but not distracting. This was a solid meal!

Our server, Thellenza, was attentive and informative. She made sure we understood all of the specials and took care of anything we asked. The rest of the staff is also helpful, too, and we were never in need of anything for long at all.

The adult beverages that we enjoyed were definitely tasty, we just wish they had more of a wine and beer selection.

Food: 9
Service: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Adult Drink Selection: 8

Overall: 9.25

NEPA Restaurant Raves

05/12/2024

04/02/2024

03/19/2024

03/12/2024

02/26/2024

02/08/2024

02/03/2024

02/03/2024

01/27/2024

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