I’ve got two places that are TOTALLY worth the drive. One you can only get during lent:
1 - Ferri’s Pizza - Moscow, PA - This is an Italian Restaurant, a coal mining museum, and a ladies store all in one.
I’m near Toms River. This place is 2 hours and 50 minutes ONE WAY for me. If I pick up my friend it adds another 10 minutes.
I would NOT go here for the regular pizza. I tried one once and it was kind of like those Ellio’s pizza you get in the frozen section, but thicker. I didn’t really care for the normal pizza.
However, during lent they make a potato pizza that is amazing. It’s basically a pierogie on top of a pizza. I usually eat one tray there and take a few to go home and bring to friends or relatives. Everyone I’ve given it to loves it.
That’s a full tray in the picture. I think 12 slices will run you $20.50. They also have half trays. Three kinds of onions, cheese, spices, and obviously potato.
This little old lady used to live next door. She’d shuffle her feet across the parking lot with a bowl of “mashed batatas” and tell them to make it on top of a pizza crust. One day they took a taste and liked it so much they decided to make their own version.
When you walk in you’re greeted by a bunch of coal mining stuff. A lot of it I believe he salvaged himself.
After that you’ll run into a small section selling purses and some other ladies stuff. After that the dining room.
While you eat they usually play a coal mining video and/or some 80’s movies.
If you ever meet the owner he’s quite the character. Nice guy, though. I believe I saw his daughter once (beautiful). One time he overhead me asking if there’s anything I should do or see before I leave… I mean I did drive roughly 3 hours to get there. I then got a 20 minute long discussion on why city slickers come out to the middle of nowhere looking for entertainment. I said we come because of his potato pizza. I just figure there also might have been something I should see before I went back home… like maybe the world’s largest fork or something… or maybe just a beautiful place to look at… or maybe a big market with foods to buy or an indoor fleamarket.
I’m not sure I think it is cash only, but they have an ATM there. Don’t quote me on that. Oh, and if you go before lent? The week before I believe he makes a Reuben Pizza and also a hot dog pizza.
2 - Senape’s Pitza - Hazleton, PA
This place is about the same distance as the previous place. I’ve been eating this “pitza” since the 80’s. My Grandmother had a friend where she worked that grew up in Hazleton. She would bring back this cold pitza. Eventually they weren’t working there any more and my Aunt and Uncle would take the trip up every year or two. They’d bring back a trunk full because everyone in the family wanted some. Now my Aunt/Uncle are older and I make the trip every year. I usually buy about 20 boxes. I believe it’s 12 slices for $5.
One year my Aunt/Uncle took a drove up and a big snow storm hit. They were stuck in a hotel in Hazelton for a few days and since everything was closed all they had was a trunk full of pitza to eat. Normally it’s eaten cold, but to get some variety they would put it by the heater in the hotel room.
You can get them warm at the bar, but skip that. Go to the bakery and get them. They are shelf stable, so you don’t have to refridgerate them if you don’t want. In fact, if you let them sit a day or two they gain more flavor, but I can’t wait that long. I devour a box or two on the ride home. I tried putting them in the trunk once as opposed to the back seat, but it didn’t work. I pulled over and started eating.
There’s also a brand of iced tea I usually stop for called Farmer’s. Only sold in the Hazleton area.
There’s other places that make a similar pitza, but I’ve only tried Longo’s. There’s Carmen’s also.
Oh, warning the bakery is closed on Sunday I believe. You can also find these pitza sold in convenience stores and gas station type stores.
3 - Tony’s Lunch, Girardville, PA
I only said two places above, but I’m throwing in a third one. Again, the same distance as the above two. Tony’s Lunch used to be open for lunch. The town was a coal mining town, but a lot of that business went away, so Tony’s only opens up at 8PM until pretty late… just when people are getting out of bars and what not.
When you get into Girardville, it’s some tiny little town, very dark at night, doesn’t look like anything to do. They serve hamburgers and cheeseburgers, if you want topped with marshmallow fluff and Screamer sauce. I actually don’t like their hamburgers much… as in I would not eat one by itself. I just didn’t like how they were cooked, but put the fluff on top and the Screamer sauce and that’s a different story.
Normally I don’t like marshmallow fluff, but something about the two flavors complements each other very well. I’m going to get this on a cheesesteak next time. I would recommend extra screamer sauce. They do NOT let you get sauce on the side, because they don’t want to run the risk of someone taking it home and figuring out the recipe.
