I have this thing I like to do, it’s driving around with no real destination in mind just point the car and go. It’s almost a form of meditation and something I find very relaxing. This can often lead to some exciting finds and great food. Awhile back I was driving past Suffern, NY and found myself entering New Jersey. About a quarter mile from the state line I came upon an ice cream place that had two lines going all the way into the parking lot, of course I pulled over!
Earnie’s Ice Cream located at 78 Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah, Nj , is the place. It has an amazing following and generations of people were waiting in line. They have so many choices including shakes, sundaes and ice cream sandwiches . There are over 20 flavors of soft serve as well as very interesting flavors of hard ice cream, like Jolted Cow (coffee flavored) or Unicorn Delight, that has bubble gum in it. Not for me, but I did try their toasted coconut with coco dusted coconut shreds.(try saying that fast three times!) I’m not a fan of the many flavor soft serve thing because they use mostly fake flavors squirted into the soft ice cream and blended . However many seemed to be ordering it. The staff was friendly and helpful answering all my questions. If you want to give it a try you’ll have until the middle of November before they close for the 2019 season.
Two weeks ago I crossed the bridge to Tarrytown to pick my son up from the train. We were hungry so we headed into Sleepy Hollow looking for a Chinese restaurant I had heard about a few years ago. As fate would have it, the restaurant was no longer in business , so we headed back towards Tarrytown and into a restaurant we’ve passed a hundred times. Finally deciding that we should try the Indian food restaurant called Swagat. Located at 19 North Broadway in Tarrytown, Swagat is one of those finds that you’re glad you found. Their lunch buffet was only $10 per person and gave you at least thirteen different selections to chose from. Things like Sag Paneer and Chicken Vindaloo and most other popular Indian dishes. I think between us we tried everything they had to offer and nothing was disappointing. Being a buffet you have to expect some of the dishes to not be as fresh as some of the others and you may have to ask for more of one dish if its low. This is also one Indian restaurant that doesn’t skimp on the naan, both plain and garlic flowed freely. Topping everything off with a very nicely spiced rice pudding. I’ll certainly be going back soon and if lunch is any indication, then I’m sure dinner will be equally as excellent.
Today wasn’t an aimless driving day but it was a change of plans leading to an interesting find. I use to shop for groceries at Fairway in Nanuet, Ny but they closed their doors a couple weeks back. This left many Rockland residents having to find a new place to do their shopping. I decided to go back to an old place, that I loved going to, when my son was young, Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers, Ny. It’s a hard place to describe but it’s basically the theme park of supermarkets. However the whole place might rank for a separate post all by itself.
What I want to tell you about is their outside grill. It serves your basic hamburgers and hot dogs, but two items caught my eye, the lobster roll and the live Maine lobster dinner.I had to try the lobster dinner. For $19.99 you get a small lobster maybe 1.5 lbs, corn on the cob, fries and a drink ,plus melted butter. It’s certainly a no frills place to eat lobster, but it is a unique place to eat it. You’re sitting outside surrounded by shoppers on their way to buy groceries on one side or families taking their kids to the petting zoo on the other. You eat in an outside covered patio with a view of rolling hills and trees in the background. Not as bad as it sounds and can actually be amusing if you keep your sense of humor! The lobster was tasty with that slight sweet taste Maine lobsters are known for. I’m going to admit I’m a little bit of a corn snob and if an ear has been sitting in the water to long , I usually won’t finish it, I don’t like the flavor of old corn, The fries were ok , with a spice on the outside giving them a nice crunch, but I wish they served boiled potatoes with the meal. So if you get a hankering for a lobster dinner and want to get a little funky in the process, head on over to Stew Leonard’s before they close the grill for the winter.
Thanks for stopping by and checking the blog out. If you have any fun food finds please share them with our readers in the box below. As always please send in your questions or comments, also, in the box below and until next time, Boone Appétit!
