Simon Pearce Restaurant

Ms. Liz and Ms. Amy were the perfect companions at the Brandywine museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. This is a very pretty museum dedicated to American art and is located in a 19th century grist mill. The museum is known for its collection of art by three generations of the Wyeth family as well as its dedication to still life paintings and illustration art. Staring at art for longer than an hour does tend to make one rather hungry - so off we sauntered to the Simon Pearce restaurant a few miles away where Liz had reserved a table by a window seat overlooking the river.

Simon Pearce is originally from Kilkenny, Ireland where he dedicated himself to the art of pottery and fine glass blowing. In 1981 he moved his facility to Quechee, Vermont where he completed the renovation of an old historic woolen mill. He opened his second Simon Pearce restaurant with a retail shop on the site of the former Lenape Inn in the year 2000 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Visitors not only have the opportunity to enjoy superb American cuisine but they can also browse for original glass and pottery in a retail store next door.


1333 Lenape Road, Route 52 North,
West Chester, PA
tel: 610.793.0948

The Franklin Fountain

Philadelphia is perhaps for me one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. It is intimate, the architecture is grand and the tiny cobble stoned streets echo a long lost era.

Before driving back to New York our last stop was at the Franklin Fountain, an ice cream salon that takes you back to the early 1900's when the local soda fountain was a popular gathering place. The two proprietors and brothers Eric and Ryan Berley named their business after a famous person - in this case Philadelphia's own Benjamin Franklin, who had operated his first business nearby.

The ice-creams and shakes are wonderfully delicious. Made with organic and locally produced seasonal ingredients I can safely say that the ginger ice-cream that I slurped on for half hour was the best ginger ice-cream I have ever licked. And their chocolate shake!!! I might even wrestle for it.

No. 116 Market Street.
Philadelphia. PA 19106

Tel: 215 627 1899

Coppola's Deli

On our way back to the North we rolled into Richmond, Virginia one lazy and hot afternoon. Walking around one notices that this particular Southern city is built more on a grander scale than either Charlston or Savannah. Both of these cities had seemed to be like little doll house cities, pretty and almost untouchable like dresden china. Richmond is alive with the hub and personality of a large city. One can immediately tell that tourism isn't the only business that keeps this city afloat.

Anyway hunger pangs set in as they usually do when one is hanging around cities and playing tourist. We walked around looking for nourishment for our rumbling tummies and stumbled upon Coppola's Deli. It can be safely said that after one meal at Coppola's, it is one of the best Deli experiences to be had. And that dear sirs is quite a tall order. Especially if one lives in New York city and is surrounded by deli's and sometimes literally lives in one!

Unlike most Deli's which seem to work on automatic, this one actually gives you the feel and warmth of a restaurant. We were just in time for lunch and watched as the almost empty deli immediately started filling up with suits and such from the nearby predominantly government office area.

The simple chef's salad and the 3 cheese sandwich was fresh and delicious. We gobbled up our food like there was no tomorrow -Richmond, at that time had it going on!

116 Main St.
Richmond, Virginia 23219
tel: 804 225 0454

Hyman's Seafood

The block where Hyman's is located was the wholesale district in the 1800's. Eli and Aaron's great-grandfather W.M Karesh started in 1890 in this location and now the great grandsons are operating Hyman's Seafood and Aaron's Deli in these three same locations. We had just left our camp on Hunter's Island, South Carolina and had decided to drive up to Charleston for an afternoon walk. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Town, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location in 1680; it adopted its present name in 1783. This city along with Savannah is another doll city, most of it's revenues seem to be from tourism. There are always carriages or bus tours teeming with tourists who want to catch a glimpse of a bygone era and promises of decadence and romance which no longer exist.

I had my first taste of boiled peanuts which was fantastic! Boiled peanuts trace their days back to slavery and originally came from West Africa and are now a low country staple. Hyman's serves over 40,000 pounds of peanuts a year. For lunch we shared a huge plate of a combination with Hokie, Mahi Mahi, scallops, salmon smothered in grits and gravy, macaroni and cheese, hush puppies and cod. Phew!!! And then we gulped down unsweetened iced tea which seemed the best sort of liquid to cool the body from the inescapable heat of the South.


215 Meeting Street
Charleston, South Carolina 29401
tel: 843 723 6000

The Savannah Tea Room

Before leaving Savannah we had to try one of their famous tea rooms. In fact the city has quite a few of them scattered around it's lovely squares- each offering a distinctive experience of its own. The Savannah Tea Room was a welcome respite from the afternoon sun. Upon entering we browsed around the shelves with their incredible array of tea, tea ware and little bric- a- brac. Afternoon tea service was in progress and it seemed befitting that we partake of it.

Sitting in such a soothing atmosphere,
the little sounds from tea spoons
clinking with delicate tea plates,
is a most heavenly experience
that needs to be indulged in
whenever passing by Savannah.

White Oolong tea accompanied by warm scones with softly whipped cream cheese and strawberry jam were the perfect ending to our experience of old Savannah. Sa-va-nnah.... even the name is sensual. It makes me think of

Spanish moss and
banyan trees and
old forgotten mansions
with music drifting through
silk and chiffon curtains...
and I love tea rooms,
they make me want to
fall in love,
in love
in love
over
and over again.


7 East Broughton Street
Savannah, Georgia 31401
tel: 912 369 9690

Toccoa Riverside Restaurant

Closed!

The setting for this particular story is the Toccoa River which runs through the Blue Ridge mountains. These mountains along with the Smokey mountain range are known to be the oldest mountains in the US. Georgia, I discovered besides being known as the Peach State has a multitude of outdoor recreational opportunities, a wide array of available lodging, excellent camping in national forests, an incredible and easy access to the mountains and the most gracious and hospitable people that I have ever met in this country.

Getting back to the restaurant...! It is located on the river and has some of the best fresh fish available, especially where trout is concerned. If you're ever down here- try the trout which can be prepared in a multitude of ways and remember to bring your own bottle of wine or beer as this is a BYOB. This particular evening the trout and salad was accompanied by a Zinfandel from Ridge. There is usually a local band performing bluegrass music aptly suited to the rustic country decor of the restaurant. You can also admire the scenic view of the area sitting on the deck which overlooks the river or just lie next to the riverbank and watch people go down river tubing or rafting -which of course was part of my range of recreational activities during my stay for the next few days here.

8055 Aska Road
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
tel: 706-632-7891