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Review: Frank & Diannah’s Arbor Inn

sign that reads "Frank & Diannah's Arbor Inn Est. 1999"

When looking for a new place to try, there is no shortage of places to find information.

Sites like Urbanspoon, Yelp and Trip Advisor are invaluable when looking for a new place you may have overlooked.

On a recent Thursday night, I found myself searching Trip Advisor for ideas.

With 84 reviews and an average rating of 4.5, Frank and Diannah’s Arbor Inn is the No. 1 restaurant in Reading according to Trip Advisor. That’s against nearly 300 restaurants that have been rated.

That sounds like a place I need to try.

A full parking lot was just another hint that we were heading to a popular spot.

horseshoe-shaped bar with customers sitting all around it and a tv on the wall in the background

Through the doors, the Arbor Inn looked much smaller than it does from the outside. The entrance opened into the bar room, where about a dozen diners were lined up on stools with a handful of others shoehorned into tables along the wall.

On the wall were three framed articles – one of them was a recent review from the Berks Barrister, the official newsletter of the Berks County Bar Association. The writer raved about burger night, and it just so happened to be burger night tonight.

Frank, one of the two namesake owners, was doing the hosting duties, greeting customers at the door and stopping by their tables to chat during their meals.

A second couple entered behind us as we were waiting, and Frank came up to us and asked our permission to seat them first.

“We’re clearing a corner table for you, a little more romantic,” he said. “You’ll also have our best waitress. They’re all good, but she’s the best.”

How could we argue with that?

We couldn’t see the dining room from where we stood in the bar, so it almost felt like a big reveal when we were finally led through the small doorway and toward our seat.

red rose in a glass on a table for two in a restaurant

The room was small, and I don’t think they could have squeezed in any more seats. Each of the tabletops, including our own, was adorned with a single red rose in a simple glass vase to add just a little extra touch to the ambiance.

The Arbor Inn’s menu is also not very large (one page, front and back), but there wasn’t a single item that did not sound appealing. Everything had an international flare, from the Asian-spiced duck breast, Middle Eastern-inspired chicken and schnitzel done four ways.

As much as I wanted to try everything, I decided to take advantage of burger night and order the week’s burger special: the Italiano, a burger topped with spicy capicola, roasted red peppers and provolone cheese.

burger topped with peppers and onions and a bed of fries

At times, it was easy to forget that I was eating a hamburger as the combination of toppings were more akin to a pizza, or in the case of the red peppers, a meatball sandwich. But then I would take another big bite into the thick, meaty patty and quickly remember that this was no sandwich, but a burger. And an exceptional one at that.

Burgers are served with a side of fries, cooked to a beautiful golden hue and topped with coarse-ground salt. The Italiano was filling, but the fries were too good to stop eating, and I managed to force them all.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my burger, I couldn’t help but feel a little jealousy at the beautiful rib eye steak sitting across the table from me.

grilled steak atop a bed of green beans, peppers and carrots

Larry’s Rasta Rib Eye Steak is rubbed in Caribbean jerk seasoning with a pepper and onion sofrito. My wife allowed me a bite, and my jealousy increased. The steak absorbed a lot of flavor, both from the spice rub and from the sofrito, the onion in the latter giving it a little extra sweetness, making it one of the best steaks I have tried in a long time.

mixed green salad topped with shredded carrots

The entrees all come with a starter salad with house-made Asian vinaigrette dressing. Though the flavor was very good, a little salty with a hint of sweet, I found myself puckering up from the strong vinegar flavor. But watching Julie finish off hers in half the time, I am going to say that I was just overly sensitive to it.

Dessert sounded delicious—semifreddo is one of my favorite words in the English language—but neither of us could handle any more food (half of the steak went home with us) so we got our check and called it a night.

Our bill was about $40, though it would have been a little higher had I ordered an entree instead of the lower priced burger option.

I would never be able to rank one restaurant ahead of all the others that I have visited during my time on Berks County Eats. But if Trip Advisor is going to rank the Arbor Inn No. 1, I’m certainly not going to argue.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Fair
Ambiance: Good
Price: A Little Pricey

Frank & Diannah’s Arbor Inn
47 S. Bingaman St
Reading, PA 19606

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Stampede Smokin’ BBQ – MOVED

mailbox with the words "Stampede Smokin BBQ" sits in a planter outside a small building

Editor’s Note: Stampede Smokin’ BBQ has relocated to a new, permanent location along Route 10. The restaurant is now known as Stampede Barbecue. We visited for a blog shortly after it opened in June 2018.

Barbecue is hot.

The food industry is one of trends, and barbecue has been trending for some time now.

Grocery stores have entire aisles devoted to gourmet barbecue sauces, restaurants are serving more slow-cooked and smoked meats, and entire television shows are being devoted to the art of the ‘cue.

Berks County has always been a place that is known for chicken pot pie and other Pennsylvania Dutch specialties, but thanks to the success of places like Muddy’s Smokehouse Barbecue, slow cookers have started to pop up along the road throughout Greater Reading.

Stampede Smokin’ BBQ is a place that has taken the Muddy’s model and made it their own.

red food trailer with a sign out front advertising wing specials

The bright red trailer sits along Route 23 in Morgantown, just across the Berks border in Lancaster County. The entry way is all stones, with a small patch of grass marking the parking spaces.

An actual house sits on the property, an extended front porch serving as the seating area with brand new picnic tables, oversized umbrellas serving as sun shades on hot summer afternoons.

Stampede’s trailer has been parked full-time at this spot since last year, serving up beef brisket, pulled pork, sausage, ribs and chicken.

The menu is scribbled on a chalkboard. In the center, boxed out from the rest of the items is Stampede’s specialty sandwich, the Dude.

red tray with checkered paper filled with food including a barbecue sandwich, baked beans and a bag of chips

The Dude is aptly named as it takes a hungry dude to finish a sandwich that includes heaping portions of both smoked sausage and beef brisket. After squirting it with a stream of sauce and tossing on a cup full of chopped onions, I dug in.

It was love at first bite.

The brisket was so tender, falling apart with every bite while the sausage had picked up all of the flavors from the grill, making it extra smoky and satisfying. But the sauce was what brought it all together. It was sweet and tangy and just blended perfectly with the meat to create an outstanding sandwich.

Equally impressive were my side of barbecue beans. Though they were clearly baked in barbecue sauce, the flavor was closer to that of a meatless chili thanks to the inclusion of kidney beans and a few dashes of chili powder.

label on a Charles Chips bag

I was prepared to order a side of fries as well, but once I saw the bags of Charles potato chips hanging on the side of the trailer. I could devote an entire blog to my love of Charles chips, and how “The Chip Man” used to deliver tins of them to our door each week when I was a child. As I ripped open the bag, all of those childhood memories came rushing back to me. Unlike other local brands like Good’s and Dieffenbach’s, Charles chips are light and airy, and I savored every bite.

This was, as a whole, one of the best barbecue meals I have had. And though $14 had seemed a little high when I was rung up, I can say that it was money well spent.

After finishing my meal, I grabbed one of Stampede’s take-home menus. On it are four things that the business strives to do: to provide excellent smoked meats, sides and service, to be consistent, to carry forward a good name, and to shine a light in a barbecue world.

To shine a light in a barbecue world.

A barbecue world is exactly the kind of world I want to be living in.

And after my visit, I can confirm that Stampede Smokin’ BBQ is shining a bright light.

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West Lawn Wednesdays

west-lawn-united-methodist-church

Church dinners are a tradition in Berks County, just as they are across the country.

On any given weekend, you will find area churches serving up freshly prepared comfort foods like chicken pot pie, ham and beans, and pot roast.

Some church dinners have a loyal following, bringing in people from far and wide to enjoy a meal. Whether it’s once a year, or every month, the dinners become a true community event.

But the West Lawn United Methodist Church takes church dinners to a whole new level with West Lawn Wednesdays.

I first found out about West Lawn Wednesdays during the Wilson Iron Chef event in April. The church was set up in the expo space, handing out samples of their shepherd’s pie, which was one of the best items I tasted throughout the day.

Shepherd's Pie - West Lawn Methodist

The ladies running the stand handed us a brochure and two free meal vouchers, and after seeing that the meals only run September through May, I knew I only had a few weeks to  experience a West Lawn Wednesday.

And so it was that we found ourselves in the Community Center on the last Wednesday before the summer break.

According to the brochure, West Lawn Wednesdays began in 2001 with a dinner for about 40 congregation members. The event has clearly grown.

Inside, rows of tables were filled with patrons, with many more having already passed through the doors on this night.

The menu changes weekly with two entree options, starter salad, two sides and dessert. After being shown to our seats, a group of regulars sitting with us were more than happy to point us in the direction of the buffet line.

salad-west-lawn-wednesday

Our first stop was the salad bar, which was better than some restaurants I have a seen, with plenty of add-ins and not a speck of brown lettuce to be seen.

meatloaf-west-lawn-wednesday

Next we took our trays and headed to the hot bar where the night’s entrees were meatloaf and hot dogs with mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli on the side.

I politely declined the hot dog, but was happy to have them fill up my plate with the rest of the options. Like any good church dinner, the food tasted like it came right out of a grandmother’s kitchen. The meatloaf, topped in brown gravy, had a nice flavor with just enough onions and spices mixed in. The potatoes were light and fluffy and the vegetables also came out beautifully.

The only disappointment was the announcement that the Rita’s Water Ice had not arrived as planned and there would be no dessert.

We all paused mid-meal as the pastor said a short prayer and invited everyone to the group study classes that would begin after the meal was finished at 7:30.

And though we received invitations from some of our neighboring diners, we never felt pressured to stay for anything beyond the meal.

While our coupons we picked up from the Iron Chef competition provided us with two free meals, we would have gladly paid the $7.50 per person that was being charged (for families of four or more, a $25 flat rate makes it even more reasonable).

Entering last year, the West Lawn Wednesday program had earned more than $60,000, all of which went to benefit the church’s various mission trips (from as close as New Jersey to as far as Tanzania) and to provide food for other outreach programs in Reading and Berks County.

And judging from the full dining area and delicious food, I suspect that number will continue to grow as a year of meals begins.

Check the schedule for West Lawn UMC dinners on their website.

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The exterior of Emily's facing south on Route 10
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Review: Emily’s – CLOSED

The exterior of Emily's facing south on Route 10

Editor’s Note: Emily’s is now closed. The last day was New Year’s Eve 2024. The space is now Emily’s Event Venue, though they do offer public events on select Fridays.

A romantic dinner means something different to everyone.

For me, it’s pretty simple. It’s a special night out with my wife where we splurge a little for finer food, drinks (she drinks, I drive) and the ambiance of a nice restaurant.

So when it came time for our third anniversary, I was charged with finding a place for a romantic dinner for two.

Fortunately, Berks County has no shortage of restaurants that could be considered “romantic,” and on this occasion, that led us on a short drive south along Route 10 to Emily’s.

The historic building that Emily’s calls home has stood along Morgantown Road for nearly 200 years. At one time, the restaurant served as a local post office, a history that is celebrated in the uniquely appointed Post Office bar room, with PO Boxes lining the shelves and “Mail Pouch Tobacco” scrolled across the far wall.

Backyard area with bird feeders and a small creek

We were led past several intimate dining rooms, through the bar and out the back door to the creekside porch. Our table was along the rail overlooking the backyard, which doubles as event space for receptions and parties, evidenced by the worn out grass where a tent would generally be set up. A family of bright yellow finches enjoyed their own supper at the four feeders set up along the creek, which was merely a small trail of water as it trickled past the building.

flatbread cut into triangles topped with lamb sausage and cheese

We started our dinner by sharing an order of lamb sausage flatbread. The triangular flatbread pieces were topped with two kinds of cheese (Fontina and Mozzarella), caramelized onions and red currant syrup, garnished with fresh herbs.

The first thing you notice is the chunks of sausage, but the first thing you taste is the red currant. Red currant is a variety of European gooseberry, and when pureed into the syrup, it provides a very sweet flavor. Mix that with the slightly spicy lamb sausage and the mild cheese, and the ingredients combined for one of the best appetizers I have had.

white plate with red designs holding a mixed green salad

In between the flatbread and our main course we were served our house salads, which were offered with one of four homemade salad dressings, including raspberry vinaigrette. It was thicker than I had expected with a beautiful purple color and just a hint of sweetness to balance out the sour of the vinegar.

Emily’s has more than a dozen entrees and several more pasta options that include everything from chicken and ribs to duck and scallops, but it was the Two Peas in a Pasta that caught my eye.

pasta topped with cream sauce, peas and prosciutto

The namesake peas, spring peas and snow peas, were tossed with fettuccine pasta, prosciutto and leeks in a parmesan sauce. The sauce was thick and creamy like an alfredo, but with a lighter flavor. The prosciutto, which was chopped into tiny pieces, added a little bit of salt. Instead of being served al dente, the peas were cooked soft so that as I twirled my fettuccine, a pea pod would often find its way onto my fork as well. It was heavy and filling, but also very good with excellent flavor.

On the other side of the table, my wife enjoyed Emily’s pork rib cap steak, marinated pork steak topped with chorizo sausage and smoky lime aioli, served with a mixed vegetables and wild rice.

pork bites topped with aioli with dirty rice and green beans

The pork was cooked tender with just a little bit of fat remaining. The heat of the chorizo was tempered by the sweetness of the lime and the rice, which was tossed with walnuts and cranberries, the latter providing a hit of sweetness in almost every bite. With the two meats, it was like eating two entrees at once, both of which were very good.

tall glass filled with brownie covered in chocolate syrup and whipped cream

In true romantic fashion, we decided to share a dessert to end the evening. Even though neither of us were hungry anymore, we couldn’t pass on the chocolate parfait, a tall glass layered with chocolate mousse and brownie. The brownie was crumbled so that you had a little bit of the cake in every bite. It was very rich, but so delicious and satisfying.

With entrees that ranged in price from $15 to $30, our $60 check (which also included a mixed drink for my wife) was on the lower end of a meal for two at Emily’s and worth every penny.

It was a slower weeknight so we sat and enjoyed the cool evening air for a few minutes after our meal. The finches were fighting for space on the feeders as the sun was just beginning to set. As we sat, full and content from our meal, it was the perfect ending to a romantic night out.

And I was already looking forward to our next romantic dinner.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Excellent
Price: Reasonable

Emily’s
3790 Morgantown Rd
Mohnton, PA 19540

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Review: Ozgood’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

Exterior of a restaurant with a witch's hat dome and a sign that reads "Ozgoods Neighborhood Grill & Bar"

The building is hard to miss as you drive west into Robesonia. Between the maroon paint with green trim and the tall spire above the entrance, Ozgood’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar is unmistakable.

Ozgood’s location has served as a restaurant since the 1930s with the White House Restaurant operating on the spot. Once the White House left, it seemed nothing could replace it: the Furnace Creek Inn, the Furnace Inn, the Toll Gate Inn and the Blue Velvet (which I vaguely remember from my youth) all came and went before Ozgood’s came to stay in 1997.

Robesonia was built as a company town, and there are reminders of that on every wall. A large painting of the iron works hangs in the corner with enlarged postcards of the furnace surrounding the dining room.

Stained glass lamps hang throughout, casting a dim light on every table. For a little brighter experience, Ozgood’s offers an outdoor patio and bar along the slow trickling Furnace Creek.

Ozgood’s menu is lengthy and includes a long list of hearty entrees like steaks, burgers and an entire section devoted to pretzel sandwiches. And of course the menu at a “neighborhood grill and bar” wouldn’t be complete without a beverage list to match.

bowl of creamy chicken soup

Despite the summer heat, the soup du jour, a chicken, potato and herb chowder, sounded too good to resist. The presentation would have been beautiful, if not for the two packs of Club crackers that it was served with. However, that did not take away from the soup itself, a thick, creamy chowder with big chunks of potato and a delicious blend of herbs (parsley, dill and more).

Then it was on the main course, a one-pound chopsteak smothered in onions and mushroom gravy called “The Worley.”

plate with a chopped steak smothered in gravy with a side of fries, assorted vegetables and a dinner roll

One pound is a lot more than it sounds on a menu meaning about half of it was still remaining on my plate when I had finished, but that was not to say it wasn’t good. The steak was cooked perfectly and the gravy was good, though it could have used one or two more ladles of gravy to cover the large piece of meat.

My sides for the day were “shoestring” fries and mixed vegetables. Though called shoestring on the menu, the fries were more like McDonald’s than the shoestrings at places like Austin’s. They were still good, just not what I was expecting. Meanwhile the vegetables were very tasty thanks to being cooked in a generous amount of butter.

Every weekend, Ozgood’s has a certain theme for their specials, and on our trip, it happened to be shrimp weekend.

plate with fried shrimp and crab-stuffed shrimp

As such, my wife decided to try a little bit of everything with the shrimp sampler platter. The sampler included shrimp done three ways: fried, broiled and stuffed with crab. All three were good and done just right, but the crab-stuffed was her favorite as the crab added even more flavor to an already good piece of shrimp.

Unfortunately the generous portions left no room for dessert, but we still left satisfied. Our meals were a little pricey, coming in at more than $35 for the pair, but we certainly felt like we got our money’s worth out of them.

Nearly two decades after Ozgood’s ended the musical chairs of restaurants in Robesonia, it is trying to do the same in Kutztown, where it recently opened a second location in the former TC’s Food & Spirits building.

And if the new location is serving the same good food as in Robesonia, Ozgood’s will have another success story to brag about.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: Reasonable

Ozgood’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar
319 E. Penn Ave
Robesonia, PA 19551

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Review: Dino’s Wings & Things

strip mall storefront with an orange sign with white letters that reads "Dino's"

Along with burgers and fries, there may be no more popular sports bar food than chicken wings.

Every restaurant has the own unique take, tossing them in ever more original sauces and seasonings.

And while dozens of Berks County restaurants are tossing wings on a nightly basis, there are very few that are doing them as well as Dino’s Wings and Thing’s in Temple.

Dino’s is more sports shrine than sports bar. Photos and memorabilia from all of the local sports teams dot the walls, but it is the sport of kings that holds the throne at Dino’s.

Before lending his name to his wings business, Dino Iacarrino was stepping into the ring in the local gyms, where BoxRec.com lists his career record at 5-2 with one knockout. Along with autographed posters of Muhammad Ali and “Raging Bull” Jake LaMotta is a faux Sports Illustrated cover showing a young Dino in training.

three bowls with various wing flavors and a basket of french fries

And while he may never have become a champion in the ring, Dino has established his business as a champion among local eateries.

So we sat down in a booth, Muhammad Ali standing tall over a fallen Sonny Liston on the wall, with diamond plating accenting the orange paint.

The service was surprisingly quick as our food was delivered in less than 10 minutes (our waitress was assisted by two adorable little girls who were tasked with bringing the empty bowls for our bones (and who were both excited to use the spray bottle on the dirty table behind us).

With 24 wing flavors on the menu, decisions are difficult, but we managed to narrow it down to three flavors for this trip.

bowl of wings covered in ranch dressing

First up was the creamy ranch. The wings were dripping with a thick coat of ranch dressing. Maybe it’s me, but I would say the dressing tasted a lot better on the wings than on any salad I have had.

bowl of wings covered in bbq sauce

For the second choice, we went with the standard barbecue. Dino’s BBQ sauce is very sweet with just a little tang on the back end, definitely a winning combination on a wing.

bowl of wings coated with Montreal steak seasoning

Last, and certainly not least, we went with one of the more original flavors: Montreal. As you may guess, the wings were loaded in Montreal steak seasoning, which gave them a salty and spicy taste that was my favorite of the three.

But as the name suggests, Dino’s Wings & Things is more than just wings. Other “things” on the menu include massive subs, six-ounce burgers, fried sides and a host of appetizers that include fries topped with 19 different topping options like chicken parm, cheese steak, and the mac daddy (fries topped with a six-ounce burger, American cheese, onions, pickles and Thousand Island dressing.

basket of fries coated in Old Bay seasoning

But when you’re loading up on wing flavors, a simple order of Old Bay fries is perfect. Besides, you need something to soak up all the extra sauce from the wings.

For our 18 wings and Old Bay fries, we paid just under $20.00, but if you are looking for a little better deal, Dino’s offers 25- and 50-wing samplers. You can also stop in on Wednesdays and enjoy all-you-can-eat wings for $10.99 or visit on Thursdays for build-your-own burgers with bottomless fries for $8.99.

About the only piece of boxing memorabilia not hanging in the dining room is a championship belt, though you could argue they deserve one. Because while Dino may never have been a champion in the ring, Dino’s has certainly earned a place as a champion of wings.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: Very Reasonable

Dino’s Wings & Things
5306 Allentown Pk
Temple, PA 19560

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sign over a strip mall space reading "Thaiwat Thai Restaurant"
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Review: Thaiwat

Asian-inspired statuette holding a sign that reads "Please wait for seating"

Never judge a book by its cover.

In the two years since I started Berks County Eats, I have found that old cliché rings true more often that not.

While many chain restaurants lure customers with their elaborate exteriors, the real draw to restaurants is the food, no matter what the outside looks like.

I’ve found amazing food in roadside trailers, former factories and fire companies. But one place I keep finding myself is strip malls, spaces I once believed were reserved for chain sandwich shops, cookie-cutter Chinese restaurants and average pizza.

But I have been proven wrong over and over again.

The Berkshire shopping plaza in Wyomissing doesn’t look like a place for a foodie, with a Wal-Mart, Taco Bell and a Burger King, but take a closer look.

In the Redner’s strip mall, tucked between Jake’s Coin Laundry and Sally’s Beauty Supply, is Thaiwat, a small restaurant serving authentic Thai cuisine.

menu page that reads "We welcome you to Thaiwat" with a brief history of the restaurant

The menu tells the story of the tiny restaurant, which literally means “Thai temple.” It’s only appropriate then that Buddha stands guard over the dining room from his perch along the back wall.

Decorative wall panels helped make the restaurant feel more like a building in Thailand than a Berks County strip mall.

For those who are new to Thai cuisine, a guide in the front of the menu illustrates the differences between common Thai spices like sweet basil, galangal and kaffir lime.

large glass of Thai tea

One of the most common spices used in Thai cooking is ginger, which is found in most of the dishes on the menu ,including the traditional Thai iced tea, which is made from tea, milk (or cream) and ginger for added flavor. The dairy made it a lot thicker and creamier than any iced tea I have tried before, and the spiciness of the ginger gave it a completely different, but completely enjoyable flavor.

There’s also a guide to Thaiwat’s heat scale, where one pepper is a “stimulating kick to the lips and tongue,” two is a “tingling sensation and spreads a hearty glow,” and three is a “raging fire represents the exotic flavors of Thailand.”

stir fry with chicken, peppers, carrots and onions

For my meal, I opted for the “Evil Jungle Princess.” Despite its foreboding name, it only registered a single pepper on Thaiwat’s scale.

The dish consisted of spiced chicken and a vegetable medley tossed in red curry with coconut milk. There was definitely some heat in the curry, but the coconut milk helped cut the spice, giving it a delicious sweet heat.

All of the entrees at Thaiwat are served with Jasmine rice on the side. For our party of two, a super-sized rice ball was brought out to split between us.

stir fry with beef, peppers, carrots, and green beans

While the red curry heated up my plate, Thai basil leaves were the main spice in my wife’s dish, appropriately called “Thai Basil.” The dish featured beef, green beans, carrots and ginger with a gentle, yet flavorful, spice. The sauce was more broth-like, but all of the ingredients, especially the rice, soaked it up well.

“Good things come to those who wait,” is another cliché that seemed appropriate on our trip. There was only one server working during our visit so service was a bit slower, but it was well-worth it when the cook (yes, the cook), brought our meals out to our table.

Thaiwat also offers vegetarian entrees, duck prepared three ways, Thai noodle dishes and curry. And everything is very reasonably priced with no entrees above $20.

The book that Thaiwat is writing is a small piece of Thailand just outside Reading, with good food in a unique atmosphere. But you would never know that from the outside.

Just remember, when it comes to restaurants, don’t judge a book by its cover. Judge it by its food.

Thaiwat may have some of the best food in Berks County.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: Reasonable

Thaiwat
1145 Berkshire Blvd
Wyomissing, PA 19610

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Review: G.N.A. Ristorante – CLOSED

sign above a tile awning that reads G.N.A. Ristorante Pizzeria

Editor’s Note: GNA closed in summer 2025. The location is currently for sale.

Location makes a big difference when it comes to the success of a restaurant. Finding a place that is in the right neighborhood, is the correct size or has the right ambiance can be difficult.

Sometimes you get it right the first time, but sometimes a restaurant has to adapt, and that can necessitate a change in location.

For G.N.A. Ristorante, West Reading was the right place, but it took a move of three blocks down the street before they found the perfect location in 2006.

I can remember the old restaurant – a pizza parlor that happened to sell great pastas. The room was simple, with a handful of Formica booths and some small tables. It was simple, but always packed with people, especially those standing in line for take-out.

G.N.A.’s current location is much more elegant. The walls, with their partially exposed bricks and simple painted vines, make the building look and feel much homier.

The take-out area has been partitioned off from the dining area, which is, itself, divided into four separate seating areas. To the left is the pizzeria, with high-cushioned booths to fit six and smaller tables in the center.

In the middle is the bar, with its high-top bistro tables and flat screen TV’s. To the right a more refined dining room. Floral centerpieces sit atop table linens in the light of the large picture windows. The seating continues outside where metal bistro tables are adorned with green, white and blue umbrellas.

The full menu is offered in all of the dining areas so we opted for comfort and took our seats in the pizzeria.

Much of the menu is standard Italian restaurant fare: hot and cold sandwiches, pizza and Stromboli, and all the familiar pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna and baked ziti.

But they do offer many unique items like veal-stuffed tortelloni, salmon in a champagne, tomato and basil sauce, and homemade fettuccine and tagliatelle pasta.

lamb shank atop a bed of ravioli

Looking for something a little different, myself, I went with the Gamboncello D’ Agnello, lamb shank sautéed in olive oil and Chianti wine served with beef braised ravioli.

The lamb shank cast a large shadow as it more than filled the plate, the thick bone protruding off the side. Lamb shank can be a tough cut of me, especially if not cooked properly. But this was braised perfectly, creating a very tender, very moist dish. With the addition of the subtle sauce, which featured small bits of carrots and onion, the meat took on a flavor similar to a pot roast, but with richer flavor.

On the side were four of the beef braised raviolis, which had a complex flavor from a mix of herbs and a heavier presence from the Chianti. I wish this variation of raviolis was a menu item of its own so I could get a full order of them on my next visit.

tuna sandwich toasted with melted cheese

The beauty of the G.N.A menu is that while I was enjoying a true culinary experience, my wife was sitting next to me with a tuna melt.

Dating back to the days at the old restaurant, G.N.A.’s tuna melt has been one of my wife’s favorite sandwiches. She has never been able to pinpoint an exact reason, but she has yet to find a tuna sandwich that can match it, with its warm, toasted roll, melted cheese and flavorful tuna mix.

With such a wide variety on the menu, G.N.A. also offers dinners in a wide range of prices. While my lamb shank was one of the higher priced items at just over $20.00, the small tuna melt came in under $5.00.

When a restaurant finds the right mix of great food with the perfect location, you get a place like G.N.A., a place that offers whatever dining experience you are looking for with an excellent food selection to suit every taste.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: Reasonable

G.N.A. Ristorante
421 Penn Ave
West Reading, PA 19611

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Road Trip: Shady Maple Smorgasbord

Maple-leaf shaped sign with the words "Shady Maple Smorgasbord"

Berks County Eats crosses the county line to bring you some of the best dining both near and far. This edition takes us 23 miles southwest of Reading to East Earl, PA.

I think everyone has a birthday tradition.

For myself, and many people who live within driving distance of Lancaster County, that tradition includes a birthday feast at one of the best buffets in the entire country.

Every year on May 30, my wife and I make the short drive south to East Earl to join the throngs of thousands that pour into Shady Maple Smorgasbord daily.

East Earl, a community of just over 1,000 people, doubles in size during the evening dinner rush. That’s the way it has been since Shady Maple expanded its smorgasbord more than a decade ago to create the glorious food paradise it is today.

The only exceptions are on holidays and every Sunday when the restaurant is closed, perhaps so we can all atone for committing the deadly sin of gluttony during our visit.

people standing in line to fill up their plates at a buffet

It’s easy to get lost among the food, which is why signs point the way to both the east and west buffet. Combined, there are 10 islands, four carving stations and three drink stations. A pair of dessert stands bookend the room. Walking from one end to the other is nearly impossible as you bob and weave your way around a hundred other people, all seemingly waiting in line for the same thing you are.

But with limited stomach to work with, scoping out the entire buffet is a must. Otherwise you may miss the carved-to-order prime rib or the ICEE machine.

As much as I appreciate a good salad, the two stations full of greens are off-limits during my visits. I can get a free salad with a meal anywhere.

plate with a cup of tomato soup, dinner roll, meatball and a piergoi

Instead, my first plate included a cup of tomato basil soup, broccoli, a pierogi and a sweet and sour meatball. The soup was a beautiful shade of light orange, a result of the added cream that gave it its rich flavor. A heaping helping of peppers and onions came along with the pierogi, but it could easily stand on its own. And the meatball was more like a miniature meatloaf, packed with spices in a ketchup-based barbecue sauce. I also added on an onion biscuit, just for good measure.

plate with a slice of roast beef, carrots and potato filling

Plate number two was all about the meat as I took a slab of beef brisket and a heaping helping of roast beef. A fistful of carrots and a drop of bread filling helped balance out the plate. The brisket was a featured meat at one of the carving stations. Unfortunately the heat lamps at carving stations rarely keep meats hot, and this was no exception. It was lukewarm, and the fact that it was oven-roasted made it taste more like an ordinary slice of beef. The actual roast beef, however, was amazing. It was tender and moist, everything the brisket was not.

A plate with sweet potatoes, baked beans, dried corn casserole and mashed potatoes

My third plate was my “healthy” vegetable plate. It featured baked lima beans, which were done in a very nice, thick barbecue sauce (I wish I that for the brisket); mashed potatoes; mashed sweet potatoes, which were topped with raisins and nuts; and some of the best (and wettest) dried corn I have ever tried. All the juice you see on the plate was from the dried corn, and it was excellent.

a plate of pecan pie next to a bowl of soft serve raspberry and vanilla swirl ice cream

Dessert was a (small) slice of shoofly pie and a dish of raspberry and vanilla soft serve. The wet-bottom pie was alright, but it had obviously been chilled which hurt the filling a little bit.

After dinner, Shady Maple encourages their guests to work off their dinners and shop off some dollars in the expansive gift shop, located beneath the smorgasbord. The store is as large as the buffet, filled to the brim with everything from wind chimes and bird houses to Elvis collectibles and Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks.

If you’re looking for a little taste of Shady Maple to take home, the farmer’s market offers a large selection of fresh produce and many of the smorgasbord’s famous desserts.

Even if you don’t have a birthday coming up, Shady Maple is worth the price of admission. Dinner buffets vary depending on the featured entrees, but average around $20.00 per person. If you do happen to be celebrating, all you need is your ID and a paying guest and you’ve got your very own birthday feast on the house.

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menu board with back blackground and yellow lettering
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Review: Schell’s & Schell’s Dairy Swirl

Retro roadside sign that reads "Schell's Hot Dogs Bar B-Q"

It was in 1955 that Ray Kroc teamed up with the McDonald brothers, rewriting the history of the fast food restaurant.

From the humble beginnings in San Bernardino, McDonald’s became the benchmark for American fast food, leading a multi-billion-dollar industry.

But despite the dominance of fast food giants, local quick service restaurants continue to thrive in a niche market.

In 1952, three full years before the McDonald’s revolution began, one of Berks County’s favorite fast food spots opened it doors.

Menu board at Schell's in Temple, PA

Not much has changed in the six decades since Schell’s began selling hamburgers and hot dogs along 5th Street Highway in Temple. The prices have gone up a little (you can’t get fries for 15 cents anymore), but the menu is largely the same: burgers, dogs, grilled cheese, fried chicken, fries, onion rings, and my personal favorite, hamburger bar-b-que.

Two hamburger BBQ sandwiches, two orders of fries and two milkshakes on a tray

Hamburger bar-b-que is so simple to make (four ingredients: ground beef, ketchup, mustard and brown sugar), yet I find it hard to top Schell’s. A tip for first-timers: to cut down on the mess, eat your sandwich upside down. The thicker top half of the bun will absorb more of the juices.

Of course, what fast food meal is complete without a side of fries and a milkshake? The crinkle fries are crisped to perfection and pre-loaded with plenty of salt. Schell’s offers four flavors of milkshakes from its soft serve machine: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and my personal favorite: raspberry. The shakes are nice and thick, and though they won’t do much to quench your thirst, they are delicious.

Barn-shaped building with the words "Schell's Diary Swirl" and an ice cream cone in neon lights

Those with a sweet tooth may want to forgo the shake in favor of some frozen treats. Just across the parking lot is one of the sweetest places in Berks County, Schell’s Dairy Swirl. (Rather than skip the shake, I decided to make an ice cream-only trip later in the week).

If you aren’t sure if you still have room, inside the barn-like building are large pictures of sundaes, ice cream cones and banana splits, just to get you a little hungrier.

soft serve ice cream in a cup overflowing with bits of bananas

I went with a banana split arctic swirl, the equivalent of a Dairy Queen Blizzard. Watching them make it is the best kind of torture as they slice up a fresh banana and add it, along with the remaining ingredients, into a cup of vanilla soft serve, then mix it all up into a delicious mess.

ice cream sundae with crushed nuts, whipped cream and a cherry

Sundaes are another favorite at the Dairy Swirl. My wife’s peanut butter sundae was loaded with peanuts and peanut butter sauce, and piled high with whipped cream. Maybe it was piled a little too high because half of the whipped cream (as well as the cherry on top) fell to the floor as she tried to eat it.)

And the fun doesn’t end with dessert. After you finish the last spoonful of soft serve, 27 holes of miniature golf are waiting to challenge even the most experienced putters.

hole on a miniature golf course with a water fountain

Schell’s course is not just nine holes longer than a standard course, it’s far more difficult. The slopes and patches of “rough” and “bunkers” that surround the holes can be frustrating for those looking for a low score (like myself), but immense fun for anyone who doesn’t take their game too seriously.

The next time you’re thinking about picking up some fast food, skip the drive-through lane and head to Schell’s. The prices are just as reasonable, but the food is so much better. Besides, I’ve never seen a Burger King with mini-golf.

So whether you go for a quick dinner, a creamy dessert or a round of golf, Schell’s is a sure hole-in-one.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: Very Reasonable

Schell’s
4625 N. 5th Street Hwy
Temple, PA 19560

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