Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Watch & Warrant

Watch & Warrant (***)

2 E Main St Luray, VA 22835

The hubby and I decided to do something a little different, so we took a ~2hr drive to check out Luray Caverns in (as you may have guessed) Luray, Virginia. I think that I was supposed to visit these caverns when I was a kid (back in the 80s), but we did not for some reason. I wanna say that I was supposed to go with my church or with my school.

I'll say that the caverns were way better than I would have imagined. Actually, I'm glad that I went as a 40 something year old man instead of an 7-10 year old child, because I do not think I would have appreciated this natural wonder as a kid. While all of the nooks and crannies were amazing, Dream Lake (below) absolutely took the cake.

The above picture for Dream Lake does not do this section of the cavern any justice. But upon coming to this part of the caverns, you would think that you are seeing stalactites and stalagmites. However, the stalagmites are merely a reflection (or a "dream") of stalactites through the very small still body of water. Simply amazing.

After viewing the caverns and the three museums next door, we headed to "downtown" Luray to get some bites. To be perfectly honest, we went to the first place that had a decent food AND beer/cocktail menu. Sorry, but I needed a drink because there were quite a bit of kids in the cavern. Not hating, but kids will be kids . . . . and their voices were amplified in the caverns.

Fish & Chips

I keep it pretty simple and went with the Fish n Chips. I'll say that the fish was quite tasty. I think it's because they used halibut, whereas most places serve tilapia (yuck). Since the bartender was bragging about making delicious Manhattans (essentially a whiskey martini), I went with one instead of being "normal" and having a beer (in particular an IPA) with the dish. Unfortunately for me, the bartender used WAY TOO much vermouth, and the Manhattan wasn't that delicious. That said, the restaurant redeemed itself with it's excellent beer selection...as well as the service.

Speaking of Luray and surrounding areas, I wouldn't mind going back to the area for long weekend to hit up some spots on the Blue Ridge Whisky Wine Loop . . . I do enjoy a fun map. ;)

If you look at the Luray area on the bottom left of the fun map, you can see the restaurant described in the this edition of FPOTW.

FOOD PICS OF THE WEEK - Park Lane Tavern

Park Lane Tavern (***)

1250 Fordham Dr Virginia Beach, VA 23464

I came for a beer but stayed for the fish n chips.

I will say that enjoyed my experience at Park Lane Tavern, which is a British-inspired pub. The hubby and I had to lol for a little bit because the ceiling of the tavern has a huge painting of the European Union’s flag.

was like, I thought that the UK was not a part of the EU any longer. Perhaps, Park Lane Tavern did not get the memo, or they are hoping that the UK will rejoin the EU. Actually, maybe the physical vibe of the restaurant is British, but they have cuisines from other EU countries.

Anywho, on to the food. While we were deciding on what to eat, the waitress told us that the day’s special was fish n chips. Once I heard that I was sold.

I’m gonna say that this was the BEST fish n chips that I have eaten in a very long time. OMG, the fish was fried perfectly (ie the breading was not soggy as hell and the fish was nice and flaky) and the fries had just the right amount of salt on them. I’m glad that I gave Park Lane, as an establishment, a second chance. A couple of months before this visit, the hubby and I had brunch at the other location in Hampton. That experience was a hot mess for the following reasons:

• The food kinda sucked. I get really annoyed when restaurants screw up simple things like eggs.

• The Hampton location is way too large for the amount of staff they have. As a result, the service was very slow.

Food Pic of the Week

Treadwell Park (***) 

1125 1st Ave New York, NY 10065

So simple yet so basic.

A friend and I took a “stroll” to our old neighborhood (UES) where we completed our postdoctoral training. We grabbed some bites (and beverages) at Treadwell Park. Since it was an easy breezy Friday evening, we decided to grab some nachos and chicken waaaaaaangs.

Pork Nachos

Sorry for the blurry pic. I think my phone’s camera had some grease on it.

OMG, these pork nachos were everything and more. Normally, nachos do not do much for me because most places use crappy cheese and stale nachos. Also, most nachos dishes tend to make me super gassy the next day (yes, TMI). I do not know, but it seems like this restaurant took care and placing slabs of pork on each nacho chip. For example, every nacho had an adequate amount of cheese, guac, and pork. Most places’ nachos tend to have a plate of nachos with everything thrown on the nachos, then the nachos are baked until they are a nice gooey (sometimes disgusting) mess. However, Treadwell Park is fancy, so you will not have that problem.

LOL moment at Treadwell Park:

Most folks know that I’m not a huge fan of super sweet drinks. Why dilute the fun of a cocktail with extra sugar? Frozen margaritas are the exception. I ordered a Modern Farmhouse cocktail, which is prepared with Interboro gin, Old Duff Genever, lemon, chamomile, honey, and Ayinger Brau Weisse. Being complicated, I asked our waitress if she could tell the bartender to make the drink without honey. Lord, I think the staff had a mini-conference about my beverage. Five minutes later, three staff members came to the table and asked me (a few times) if I was sure that I did not want honey in the beverage.

Some statements/questions raised by the staff:

• Are you sure?

• Positive?

• You know that the drink will not be sweet?

• We will not be able to refund you if you don’t not like the drink.

It turns out that our first waitress was training that evening so the other two staff members were just confirming that she got the order right.

All in all, I definitely will be sure to make another trip to Treadwell Park the next time I’m on the UES . . . if it is still there. For some reason, restaurants do not last very long on 62nd St. and 1st Ave. Perhaps, the space is too large, which makes it hard for the owners to keep up with more likely expensive rent in the area.

Random Thought:

Writing this post has made me realize that I am very behind in writing my Yelp reviews, and I better upload a few reviews before Yelp revokes my Yelp Elite status.

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