Tuesday, January 4, 2011

I'm back! I had such a nice long weekend celebrating the new year with friends, but now it's back to the lab coat. One small complaint - why are there no federal holidays from January until the end of May? I think we all need a break somewhere around the end of March. Or maybe the middle of March for my birthday :)
Well, since Christmas, I've had awesome kitchen experiences thanks to everyone's gifts, and I can't wait to show you all things I've made. In the mean time, here's a look at two of my family's favorite places to eat in the Harrisburg area. Over Christmas, we made it to both of them...awesome! Oh, and more good news is that I bought a camera, but unfortunately these are still droid pics.

First, my mom, sister, and I enjoyed a beautiful sushi feast at Sapporo East in Mechanicsburg. I think this was on Christmas Eve, and it was probably the best experience I've ever had there...but maybe that's because we ordered so much sushi :)
Sapporo East used to be pretty tiny, but they've expanded with an additional small dining room. The crowd there always seems to be pretty quiet, so that when it's crowded, it's not bothersome at all. The wait staff is tremendously friendly, and a high school friend's mom who is incredibly sweet always seems to wait on us.
To the sushi...
I ordered 11 pieces of sushi and sashimi with a California Roll. It was a combo special, so I couldn't pick the roll, but for only $10 can one really complain? Yum. The sushi and sashimi was so fresh and buttery. Absolutely perfect.


My mom and Emily ordered a Spider Roll, Tuna Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, and I think on the right is a TNT Roll and an Alaska Roll...I may be wrong. Anyway, we shared our gorgeous feast and left so happy. We also agreed that sushi feasts should be eaten on every holiday. Sounds good to me. Every roll was so delicious. We couldn't stop mmmmming.


Mom and Emily look extremely content!


Next up is Passage to India. Oh wonderful Passage to India. In high school, my dad and I, and sometimes my mom or sister, came here every Sunday. Every. I sat through church knowing that in an hour we'd be sitting at our table, enjoying a beautiful spread of Harrisburg's finest Indian food. The restaurant overlooks the Susquehanna, and the interior is just as pretty as its outside views. They've really changed the decor in recent years, and it is very warm and elegant inside.
Everyone quietly murmurs to their lunch companions while enjoying their flavorful meal. At lunch, there is the option of ordering from the menu or having the lunch buffet.  


It was kind of an awkward situation to be taking pictures, but here is a shot of some of my meal. Hot sauce, pickled veggies, rice with lentils, naan, cabbage, and mushrooms with chick peas. I would use the Indian names for the dishes, but I'm not that cool. My favorite dish on the buffet is the vegetable soup. It has the perfect blend of everything good in the world mixed into soup goodness. It is also great to eat everything with a little dollop of their yogurt dressing. So delicious! We left here equally happy as after our sushi meal. I think my new year's resolution should be to come home more often to eat here :)


So there you have my family's favorite Central PA eats. Well, not the entire family...Kay doesn't do raw fish and Lee doesn't do Indian. I'll never understand.

3 comments:

  1. Both these restaurants look fabulous. you guys ate everykind of sushi roll imaginable! love the decor of Passage to India.

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  2. This post made me sooo hungery for Passage to India again. We need to go there more offten. Now I have to eat my regular lunch - not cool
    Em

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  3. mmmmmmm Indian buffets... It's been too long since I've been; I'll need to make plans for that soon.

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