In today’s world it’s pretty hard to find any penny candy. Every once in a while you’ll see something for a penny but not that often. I’ve often wondered why we even still have the penny. Growing up in the 1960′s I was fortunate enough to live in numerous locations. Some people may consider that to be a drawback, but I never did. My earliest memories of my childhood involve my next-door neighbor Gary, my cousin Jon and my grandfather. Each of them loved candy. I didn’t live far from a convenience store of course it really wasn’t called a convenience store than, it was just a small store. Many hot summer days Gary and myself went to the little store and purchased a small ice cream cone or some penny candy. Jon didn’t live far from me, but when you’re in elementary school five miles away might as well be on the other side of the world. Cousin Jon had something better near his house, a full-service drugstore. Although his drugstore did not have hand dipped ice cream cones, they made up for it by having small selection of toys, including caps, smoke bombs in July and of course a large candy counter. Who today would let their little kid go to the store without adult supervision? It really was a different world.
Cousin Jon was always much better with his money than I was. He always managed to save whatever loose change he had, and we would head to the store for a candy run. If our grandfather was there money was not really an issue as he did not hesitate tossing us a quarter or two, to go have fun with. Even my next-door neighbor Gary shared in the wealth when my grandfather was in town. In either location the quest for candy was always a good time. From Tootsie Rolls to Smarties, there was really no greater joy for me than a small paper bag filled with candy. Today I was driving and we decided to stop in Tannersville, Pennsylvania and I noticed a small store that was identified as a candy store. I went inside the small store which was really just a little bit bigger than the typical bedroom. They had a tremendous amount of candy, all different variations, some classic favorites as well as some new candy that I had not even seen before. I talked to the girl about some of the candy that she had for sale.
I’m guessing she was 17 maybe 18 years old. I told her about the large assortment of candy that I had picked up. We began talking about the candies of yesterday. She had the classic miniature Hershey candy bars for sale, you know what I’m talking about the real small mini candy bars. I asked her if she knew where they were made and she said “Hershey, Pennsylvania”. I told her I was sorry to inform her that they were not even made in the United States of America. She looked at me in disbelief. I told her to check the box as they are made in Mexico. Then we moved on to another classic called NECCO wafers. I asked her if she knew what NECCO stood for? She was unaware of the New England Confectionery Company. A candy still made with pride in New England. I looked around the store just a little bit more and I came across a ring pop. And I had to say to her “Do you know where the classic ring pop is made at?” She had no idea. I explained to her that are made in Scranton Pennsylvania. On a nice cool day you can smell the ring pops cooking for blocks around the plant.
I’m not sure what the young girl thought about my rambling on about her candy. She at least was polite and entertained me with our conversation. I purchased a small selection of some classic candies from the squirrel nut zipper to the classic ice cube. If I had to identify one item that truly represented the best candy of 1970, it would have to be the Smarties. They were always affordable, flavorful and for a penny you received a small portion of candy that was even enough to share with your best friend or even your cousin.
Many years have passed since Jon and I snuck off to the pharmacy to buy some candy. I’m sure it was my idea. Cousin Jon always liked a little bit of candy, but he never really had the passion for it that I did, and still do. I can blame my mom for keeping it from me when I was a child. I’d ask for Cap’n Crunch and I would get Cheerios. Keeping candy from any child ultimately created the beast that lives within me. My next-door neighbor Gary and I went our separate ways in the summer of 1974, when I moved to the other side of town. We saw each other on occasion. We all thought we would be best friends for life. Cousin Jon and I lost our grandfather shortly after the World Trade Center fell. In his later years it was a great privilege for me to get to take him for ice cream, doughnuts or whatever he wanted. Although cousin Jon lives about 700 miles away from me I still think of him often. When we were just little kids the three of us became blood brothers. In today’s blood-borne pathogen contaminated world I guess kids don’t do the blood brothers thing anymore.
As I’ve gotten older my lust for candy still has not subsided. Last week it was my find of the “Bun” candy bar, from Minnesota. I purchased the entire remaining lot of candy bars. Today, I’ve eaten enough candy to be ashamed of myself. From the candy store to the chocolate store followed up by a stop at a convenience store I had never been to before. I have exceeded my daily intake of sugar, I am most certain.
During the Last 25 years I have lived throughout the United States and places that had wonderful seafood. In San Diego seafood was fabulous headed north to San Francisco and it was just as wonderful, to the great Northwest where the salmon was fabulous. Then the East Coast or Boston truly had the best clam chowder I’ve ever had. Crabcakes in Maryland, some wonderfully fresh caught fish and shrimp in the great Gulf of Mexico and the Keys. I won’t even talk about the places outside of the United States where we have had excellent seafood. But now I live in Scranton Pennsylvania, not a huge seafood capital by any means. There is a wonderful place and Southside where you can buy good fresh seafood called Southside Seafood but sometimes I just don’t feel like cooking.
And that brings me to my next review on top of Montage Mountain, Doc Magrogan’s Fish Market-Raw Bar. The restaurant has been located in Scranton for some period of time but for some reason I just never had eaten there. Last week on my Friday lunch a friend and I decided to give it a try. The interior of the restaurant was very nice, hostesses and wait staff were fabulous. The restaurant had the type of atmosphere where you could go for a quiet evening with your significant other or go hang out at the oyster bar with your buddies for a few beers after work. The attire was casual, but you would not feel out of place in a suit. The restaurant was kind of similar to Joe’s Crab Shack. I would think of this restaurant as a step up from Joe’s as it had a formal feel. Docs takes great pride on its fresh catch of the day which includes fresh Atlantic salmon, yellowfin tuna, Cape May scallops, mahi mahi, American tilapia, jumbo shrimp, and their fresh catch of the day. Their fresh catch can be prepaired one of three ways blackened which was my favorite, the Asian seared, or grilled or broiled. Each item is served with either mashed potatoes, rice and fresh vegetables.
I took another friend there for the dinner menu, which is very similar to the lunch menu. The portions are just a little larger than the lunch menu, and the price is just a little higher for dinner. My friend complained because he did not have a dinner salad. Personally I felt as though we received more than enough food to make up for the fact that we didn’t get a dinner salad. If you’re looking for a restaurant to give you so much food that you can hardly walk out this is not the place you would like to go. The portions are not huge, and again I feel they are adequate for the normal person. I do not particularly enjoy taking half my meal home to eat the next day. I like being able to eat my food as prepared, and leave feeling satisfied with a good dinner. This is the spot and portion size for me.
For an appetizer I had their fresh made coconut shrimp. They were cooked again to perfection. Seafood is a lot like steak when it’s overcooked it’s just not that good. Everything was served hot and cooked wonderfully. My friend had the salmon, and he said it was very good. The vegetables work perfectly as they are cut into nice size pieces and cooked to perfection. This fresh vegetable mix is served with most entrées. I had their Cajun rice the first time and their coconut rice the second time and both were very tasty. I had the shrimp prepared Asian seared style and the second time blackened style. I liked them both, but if I had to pick one which I liked better it would have to be the blackened style shrimp. They were a good sized shrimp and very tasty as well. My friend had a varying selection of fresh raw oysters from different parts of the country. They were from the raw bar, that you’re able to look at just inside the entrance to the restaurant. Something I cannot comment on as I prefer my food actually cooked. But my friend gave the oysters a thumbs-up as well.
So at the end of two meals at Doc Magrogan’s I left happy and most of all satisfied. My second meal trip only sealed the deal as this being truly a great restaurant. Their appetizers range in price from $5-$17, their dinners range in price from $7-$20. Numerous soups were available including what I am told is a great new England clam chowder. Personally I would recommend the docs fresh catch flown in fresh and selected and handful a on-site. In closing I would have to say this is the best seafood I’ve had in the Scranton market in sometime.
Doc Magrogan’s is located in three locations; West Chester Pennsylvania, Dover, Delaware and Moosic Pennsylvania.
Doc Magrogan’s Fish Market-Raw Bar
7011 Shoppes Boulevard
Moosic, PA 18505
570-342-3330
A recent trip to the University of Scranton brought me to the new cafeteria located just off Mulberry Street and Monroe Avenue. This new building was constructed a few years ago and houses the mailroom, the cafeteria, the bookstore, some conference rooms and of course one of my favorites Chick-Fil-A. If you’ve never eaten at a Chick-fil-A restaurant and you like chicken you should really try Chick-fil-A. It’s not the most complicated menu in the world as the chicken breast is their primary meal. They do have salads and of course those great waffle fries and a couple wonderful dipping sauces. Of course I can’t forget their chicken salad and lemon meringue pie. I’ve eaten at this restaurant throughout the Midwest and to our south and was very happy when they put one of these so close to downtown Scranton. Inside the cafeteria you’ll find the traditional cafeteria food such as soups, pizza, salad, hamburgers, hot dogs and all the other things you would expect to find at a college cafeteria. But for my friend and I our trip to the University brought us to eat at Chick-fil-A. I’m a great fan of their chicken nuggets as believe it or not they’re actually made from chicken breast. They’re not chicken that’s been blasted off the carcass of a chicken bone and then flushed with ammonia, no this is actually 100% chicken. I know it’s a novel idea, there french fries are made out of potatoes and their chicken nuggets are made out of chicken. What a great idea. Make food out of what it originally came from and serve it the way it’s almost healthy. If you would not like fried chicken you can get a grilled chicken breast served piping hot on a fresh made bun or even on top of a crisp green salad. Maybe you might be interested in a chicken salad sandwich or a chargrilled chicken sandwich or even a chicken wrap. Whatever you want to order you can get freshly made lemonade to go along with it. If you head to Allentown you will find two Chick-fil-A restaurants, one located in the mall and the other is a standalone restaurant just south of Interstate 22, their chicken nuggets are outstanding and I love the various sauces that they have including a Polynesian sauce and a great honey mustard. My friend had the chicken sandwich, as you can see in the photograph and we had the waffle fries and I had the chicken nuggets. Don’t get me wrong at one time I loved the McNugget. But I just don’t any more. When you bite into it you see that meat that’s all light and foamy looking should we really be eating it? I don’t know. I do know if you like a chicken breast sandwich you will not find a nicer breast sandwich than the Chick-fil-A sandwich. The cafeteria is open to anyone there is ample parking near the University of Scranton. It is near the library. Standalone restaurants are not open on Sundays and they support numerous nonprofit agencies. As I’ll we say he’ll have to give it a try and see if you like it or not personally for me it’s a good choice. The college bookstore has some nice items related to the University of Scranton as well as a fair selection of textbooks, sweatshirts, T-shirts, snackfood, etc.
University of Scranton
Denaples Center Cafeteria
Corner of Monroe Avenue and Mulberry Street
900 Mulberry St.
Scranton, PA 18510
Kelly's Pub and Eatery
Kelly’s Pub and Eatery
1802 Cedar Ave.
Scranton, PA 18505
570-346-9758
Kelly’s did a tremendous amount of to go service while we were sitting there. So feel free to call ahead and order your food to go.
http://www.kpehotwings.com/
When you’re exiting the Viewmont Mall directly across there is a small strip center called the Fashion Mall. During the last 20 years the strip center has housed numerous retail establishments from eye doctors to banks to just about anything you could ever think of. Traditionally they don’t seem to be very successful in that location. Is it due to the location? Seems like a good location for me. Across from the busy mall, easy in and easy out, what more could you ask for.
So my thought was maybe it’s just successful businesses haven’t been started there. I know that TCBY has been in business there for some period of time, and doing well and there is a nurse’s uniform store that’s doing well also. I was happy to see this Italian deli open and I had to pay it a visit. Unfortunately I’ve been behind in my writing. Like most people the wintertime stinks! Ultimately we needed lunch and we ended up at Giuseppe’s Italian Deli, and was amazed when I went inside. They had a very nice selection of food including breakfast and lunch menu. Numerous salads, and sandwiches, from the club sandwich to Panini, they had it all just about covered.
The restaurant was nice and clean the menu was ample. Most of all I met the owners of the establishment and they seemed very hospitable. I know you’re thinking well it’s a restaurant, they should be hospitable, but you know that isn’t always the case, some places you go to and you wonder how on earth they ever get to stay in business, but I don’t think Giuseppe’s Deli has to worry about that.
They’re providing quality food in a nice environment at a reasonable price. My friend had a Panini, it was nice on fresh bread and I had a turkey sandwich. All Boar’s Head top-quality meats were served. Everything was fresh, bread was excellent and I look forward to coming back to eat again as it is a much better alternative than what’s around the mall. Sometimes you just are in the mood for a nice clean sandwich place and your choices are kind of limited in that area. You can go to the mall get a slice of pizza or the Mcbox located just up the road and have some food that’s really not good for you, and really isn’t that appetizing. I will have to recommend you try Giuseppe’s Italian Deli. In the city of Scranton and the surrounding area there is competition in this market in each section of the city. Each part of town has its own favorite, whether your in West side, Greenridge or Dunmore. This will be a Dickson City favorite! Giuseppe’s has freshly made desserts as well as the classic peanut butter and jelly for your toddler.
Giuseppe’s Italian Deli also provide delivery between the hours of 11 AM to 2 PM to the nearby area, with a $20 minimum order. Their telephone number is 570 – 871 – 4805. Open seven days a week. Monday through Saturday 10 AM to 8 PM , Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM. Call ahead for convenient pickup. They also offer catering!
http://giuseppesitaliandeli.com/
