The owner brought out a small sleeve of Daisy sour cream to add “it’s what we do in Georgia” — so we tried it both with and without sour cream — which, TBH, didn’t add all that much. I loved the hint of acidity of the broth, perhaps provided by a squeeze of lemon (?).
Next up was the imeruli khatchapuri, kinda the grilled cheese of Georgia. It was alright — a little too buttery for me, in that it was steadily dripping out of the khatchapuri.
We also tried a couple of Georgian sodas, pear & berberi, both of which were far too sweet for us. I couldn’t quite compare the berberi soda to anything I’ve tasted before, save for a popular, viscous cough syrup I grew up with in Germany (not an endorsement by any means ).
Last, but certainly not least, we each took a slice of cake home with us. My friend got the pistachio cake, I got the chocolate honey cake for late-night consumption. I prefer the regular honey cake over the chocolate version.
Oh, this area has nothing on Lancaster, which might as well be a piece of Philly in the middle of nowhere. We visited last spring en route to FL and ate very well. I’d love to have another reason to return
so how do you think this rates as Georgian food? We sometimes pass this way en route from Brooklyn (where there are a lot of Georgians) to Ohio. Do you think its worth a stop? We have not found any super choices in the Bellefonte area recently. (I am interested in whether your Turkish bakery has branched out yet to full meals…
Kitchen Garden has been offering lunch for a while now, but no dinner yet.
I hesitate recommending Georgian food to someone living in Brooklyn, where there surely is an abundance of Georgian restaurants (?).
Bonfatto’s for good Italian (again, Central PA will hardly be able to compete with the multitude of cuisines you have access to in a big city), or The Parlor for good brisket sandwiches & smashburgers.
People also love Titan Hollow, The Governor’s Pub, and Four Ways Pub Eatery.
Jeez, I haven’t been to Bonfatto’s since the 1970s. Great sandwiches though if I recall. My sisters always like to go to Jim’s Italian when they are in Bellefonte to visit.
And can’t forget Hofbrau pizza.
Still the same owners, AFAIK. They are one of very few places that make proper Italian-Italian pasta, i.e. al dente, not drowning in sauce or covered in buffalo chicken tenders
Very good ciabatte, too, but a bit on the pricy side. OTOH, the pasta mains are ginormous and easy to share.
Jim’s Italian is also still around, but after hearing how sweet their sauce is I am not inclined to go. Old school Italian — pasta especially — is in my wheelhouse, so I don’t tend to go out for it.
Hofbrau is a major favorite in the area, for sure!
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