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Road Trip: Au Bon Lieu – Hershey

brown sign with white lettering reads "Authentic French Crepes Au Bon Leiu Bistro"

About once a year, Julie and I find ourselves in Hershey for a quick getaway.

We don’t go to the park (too hot, too crowded), but find plenty of other things to do — a Paul McCartney concert, for instance.

By skipping Hersheypark, it also gives us a chance to visit the downtown area and discover new dining spots. On this trip, we found Hershey’s only French creperie, Au Bon Lieu.

man in a small prep area separated by a pane of glass works a crepe station

Au Bon Lieu is not easy to find. It’s set back from the road, almost hidden behind the Chocolate Avenue Grill.

Even after finding the parking lot, we weren’t sure we were in the right place. The creperie shares the parking lot with the much larger, Phillip Arthur’s Cafe, and the only thing to distinguish it is the stained glass Eiffel Tower in the window.

woman poses in front of a mural of the Eiffel Tower

It’s a small shop, maybe 10 tables total (a few of them were pushed together for a large group). The walls are beautifully painted, the one behind us sporting a large Eiffel Tower on a pink and purple background.

We grabbed a table in the back corner of the room beneath a speaker playing a mix of Beatles and Wings songs, this being the day after Paul McCartney’s concert at the Hersheypark Stadium.

hand draws a star on a chalkboard-topped table at Au Bon Lieu in Hershey

With only two crepe griddles, wait times can vary depending on the number of customers. But Au Bon Lieu helps you pass the time. On every table is a small dish, filled with pieces of chalk. Guests are encouraged to doodle as they wait for the crepes.

Each of the menu items are numbered 1-95, and we were asked to write our own orders on the pad while the chef worked the grill for the other guests who were already in the queue. The number system is a little deceiving, however, as there are “only” about 50 options.

I went sweet. Julie went savory.

crepe dusted with powdered sugar to create the outline of a heart topped with strawberries

My sweet crepe included Belgian dark chocolate (sorry, Hershey) inside with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar on top.

While making the crepe, the chef took a large block of chocolate and pressed it on the crepe, spreading it around as it melted. He invited Julie to come over and taste a spoonful of the chocolate, and she was more than happy to indulge.

The presentation is absolutely stunning. It’s in sharp contrast to the room, which was more than a little unorganized.

Our “server,” a friend of the chef who was just helping out, thought the sweet crepe was going to Julie and had the chef put a little heart on it (a nice touch for all of the ladies). Usually, men would get the Batman symbol.

It tasted as good as it looked. The dark chocolate was thick and semi-sweet. There may be nothing better than warm, melted dark chocolate. The strawberries were fresh and sweet. It was a perfect sugary start to the morning.

white plate with a crepe topped with a fried egg and leaf of lettuce

Julie’s savory crepe featured mozzarella cheese inside and an egg on top (plus a piece of lettuce for garnish). She compared it to a lighter version of an egg sandwich, with the crepe replacing the bagel or English muffin.

Her crepe was a little heavier than mine, though both were enough to get us through the morning. And for the two of us, it was only $15 for two crepes and our two drinks.

For Julie and I, our yearly road trip to Hershey was a memorable one. And Au Bon Lieu was a memorable meal.

It was a sweet day, and we didn’t even visit the park.

Au Bon Lieu
110 W. Chocolate Ave
Hershey, PA 17033

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Road Trip: The Chocolate Avenue Grill – Hershey

logo for the Chocolate Avenue Grill in Hershey, PA

Berks County Eats crosses the county line to bring you some of the best dining both near and far. This edition takes us an hour west of Reading to Hershey, PA. 

For those of us living in Central Pennsylvania, Hershey is a favorite destination in summer.

A day in Hershey usually includes an afternoon of roller coasters and water rides. A stop at Chocolate World to ride The Ride and get your free candy sample is a given.

But if your trip to Hershey never takes you outside the entertainment complex, you are missing out.

Earlier this month, Julie and I decided to take a day off together and make a road trip to Hershey. But instead of doing “the usual,” we took the opportunity to explore parts of town we had never been before.

flowers growing in the garden outside the Chocolate Avenue Grill

We started our day with a morning stroll through Hershey Gardens. The gardens sit high upon the hill overlooking town, tucked between the Hotel Hershey and the Milton Hershey School’s Catherine Hall.

The one-mile trail takes you through the rose garden, the arboretum, the Japanese garden and the butterfly house on a floral world tour.

Our afternoon took us downtown to the Hershey Story Museum. The family-friendly attraction chronicles the life and work of Milton Hershey and his chocolate company through interactive exhibits, like hand-wrapping Hershey kisses (I failed miserably) and the Chocolate Lab, where visitors can create their own sweet treats (for an extra fee).

In between stops, I wanted a true taste of Hershey. Passing over the Chocolate World food court and seeking something a little heavier than the museum cafe, we pulled in to the Chocolate Ave Grill.

The Chocolate Ave Grill opened in 2007 in what was once a fast food restaurant, though you wouldn’t know it if not for the distinctive layout of the dining area that wraps around what was once the counter.

It would be easy for a Hershey restaurant to go overboard with a chocolate theme, but the Grill is more subtle. The wall lamps at each table, vaguely shaped like Hershey Kisses, are the only real reminders of where you are (except for the chocolate-colored restrooms).

a cup of lemonade a cup of iced tea from the Chocolate Avenue Grill

Needing a little sugar rush to get through the afternoon, we both decided to treat ourselves to a sugary drink—peach lemonade for Julie and mango iced tea for me.

The full menu is quite impressive. Dinner options include blackberry BBQ chicken, beef brisket flatbread and lobster risotto. At lunch, the menu is more narrowly focused, but still offers plenty of options including eight signature sandwiches, 10 different wraps and a collection of Philly Hoagies.

There is also a section of burgers, chicken and portabellas where you get your choice of a half-pound hamburger, portabella mushroom patty or chicken breast in one of six combinations.

Some are familiar, like the smokehouse with BBQ sauce, bacon and cheddar, but others were a little more creative.

One of those was the Tuscan: fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes and basil pesto on garlic herb focaccia bread. As much as I would have liked to have tried it on a burger, the chicken breast sounded a little more manageable on this day.

chicken sandwich and fries from the Chocolate Avenue Grill

I made the right choice. The chicken breast—not a chicken patty but a whole breast—was the perfect base for this delicious sandwich. It soaked up the flavors of the pesto so that every bite was seasoned beautifully. And the Roma tomatoes were juice and fresh, but what really made the dish was the mozzarella.

Even though it said fresh mozzarella on the menu, part of me was still expecting to see pizza cheese melted over my sandwich. Instead, it was as advertised: fresh cut chunks of mozzarella layered on top of the sandwich to provide a creamy texture and a little bit of sweetness to a wonderful sandwich.

The only thing I was wrong about was my thought it would be more manageable. It wasn’t. The chicken breast was just as big and equally filling, leaving me with half the sandwich to take home.

Julie did the same thing with her sandwich as well, cutting it in half and saving it for later. Also opting for chicken, Julie went with the Italiano: grilled onions, tomato sauce, provolone and pepperoni on a white bread roll.

chicken sandwich topped with onions, cheese and marinara sauce on a plate with fries from the Chocolate Avenue Grill

Her toppings were exploding from the sides of the sandwich. Tomato sauce dripped over the edge, grilled onions and pepperonis fell onto the plate.

It ate like chicken Parmesan on a sandwich, with excellently seasoned chicken serving as the base. And the addition of pepperoni was perfect because pepperoni makes everything better.

Both of our sandwiches were served with a side of fries. They were very good, done Boardwalk style with skins left on for a little extra flavor. If that’s not to your liking, you can substitute chips, pasta salad, coleslaw, fruit or a side salad instead.

In addition to being a little healthier than hamburgers, chicken sandwiches are also a little cheaper (about $1 less than the burger or portabella). Together, they were just a little more than $20 plus another $5 for our drinks. Not a bad price considering we essentially got four sandwiches.

Hershey is a road trip worth making, no matter what you have planned for your day. But next time you make the drive west to the Sweetest Place on Earth, remember that there is much more to Hershey than the park.

And there is so much more to eat than chocolate.

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Food & Festivals: Pennsylvania Farm Show

butter sculpture depicting a family with an older brother pouring milk for a younger brother

Berks County has more than its fair share of festivals, especially those with agrarian roots. Between Reading, Kutztown and Oley, there are plenty of opportunities to showcase our farmers, gardeners, bakers and seamstresses.

But all of our festivals pale in comparison to the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

The eight-day event is held annually at the PA Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Dauphin County. For many Berks Countians, January is not complete without the annual pilgrimage to the state capital and one of Pennsylvania’s most beloved events.

There is no right or wrong time to visit the Farm Show, but if you visit on the weekend, arrive early. Parking fills up quickly, and it gets really cold, really quick when you stand outside waiting for the shuttle bus to take you to the Farm Show Complex.

As a lifelong Pennsylvanian, I am ashamed to admit that last year was my first ever trip to the Farm Show. Walking in for the first time, it can be overwhelming.

To the right is the food court and exposition hall. To the left are the arenas and a seemingly endless maze of animal stalls, exhibitors and family living contest entries. It’s an immense complex. If you took all of the buildings, the barns, and the grandstand area of the Reading Fair and put them all under one roof, you would be close.

For me, the most overwhelming part of the day is figuring out where to eat. There are far too many delicious options for one appetite (it took a pair of visits of two years to try everything I mention in this blog).

Here are a few recommendations from our visits:

skewer with four fried cheese cubes at the PA Farm Show

If you’re craving something deep-fried, the mozzarella cubes are an excellent choice. Four supersized mozzarella sticks are battered, skewered and fried until light tan. The cheese oozes out with every bite. It’s creamy, it’s crunch, and it’s perfect with a little bit of marinara sauce.

bowl of lamb stew from the PA Farm Show

Many items at the Farm Show are ones that you won’t find regularly in restaurants around here. One of those is the lamb stew, a savory bowl of lamb, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms and carrots. The stew eats like a chili, with a broth that thickens from the coarsely ground lamb. Every bite is meaty, but it doesn’t feel heavy because the lamb is so lean.

baked potato topped with butter and pepper with a plastic fork sticking in it

Rarely do I ever order a baked potato when I go out, but I decided to skip the fries in favor of something a little “healthier.” The photo does not do justice to how big this potato is (the bowl is about the size of my hand). Served with your choice of sour cream or butter, the potato is simple, but somehow better than any I have had in a long time.

beef sandwich on a hamburger bun

Another option for a hearty lunch (or dinner) is the hot roast beef sandwich. Like most sandwiches at the Farm Show, the hot roast beef is served on a Martin’s potato roll. The thin-sliced beef is packed onto the roll with nothing else. I opted to drown mine in barbecue sauce (personally, I love how barbecue sauce and roast beef taste together).

butter sculpture depicting dancing cows

Probably the Farm Show’s most well-known item is the milkshake. Last year, the Farm Show celebrated 50 years of serving milkshakes, going so far as to make it the basis of the 2014 butter sculpture.

half-and-half milkshake in a plastic cup with vanilla on the bottom and chocolate on the top

Milkshakes come in three varieties: vanilla, chocolate, black and white—a mix of the two with one flavor layered atop the other. At times, it seems like everyone at the show has a milkshake in their hand. For as popular as the milkshakes are, and how much I heard about them ahead of time, I have to say they were really a let-down. The shakes are soft-serve, milk and dry mix thrown together in the machine to create something that’s basically a Wendy’s Frosty, only thin enough to use a straw.

While the food is a great reason to visit, there are plenty more reasons to stay.

cowboy riding a bucking bronco at the PA Farm Show

The large arena hosts a variety of events throughout the week, starting with Saturday’s opening ceremonies, and including junior rodeo, horse demonstrations and competitions, and the Circuit Finals rodeo to close out the week.

cooking at the demonstration stage at the PA Farm Show

Inside the Main Hall, you can taste samples from dozens of Pennsylvania food vendors and view live cooking demonstrations on the PA Preferred stage. Each year on opening day, the stage is the site of an Iron Chef-style cooking competition that pits three of the state’s top chefs against each other.

The hall also houses exhibits from Pennsylvania government departments, as well as businesses. It is also where you will find the family living competitions, including the results of baking contests, sewing competitions, and some of the largest vegetables to come out of Pennsylvania soil.

With all of the daily events, it is easy to make a day of it. And if you have the time, it is well-worth the drive.

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