It’s Souper Bowl Time! And that’s not a misspelling.

Thursday, January 28

Hard to believe we are just a little over a week away from the Super Bowl.  See – I do know how to spell it.  More about the Souper Bowl in a bit.

After working hard all morning, I had worked up an appetite.  And wanted to try something new.  So I perused a menu for the Queen of India on Walnut Street.  Wow – everything sounded really good.  Some nice Chicken Tikka Masala sounded like a plan.  I call the number, and . . . disconnected.

So, I guess the Queen is dead.  Long live the Queen.  But really – what do we have to do to keep businesses open in Lansdale?

That is not a rhetorical question.  Because some people don’t seem to know the answer.  The answer is easy.  Patronize them!  I want you to sit down and make yourself a promise.

"I’m going to spend xx% of my money on Lansdale establishments."

Now I know it’s not going to be 100%.  I’ve proven that’s pretty much impossible.  But you can do a pretty high percentage.  If you try.

Well, I still have no lunch, and I’ve worked up even more of an appetite climbing up and down off of my soap box.  So I turn to one of my favorite standbys – Amber Asian Café on West Main Street.

Amber Asian Café has a nice mix of eastern Asian food, with Chinese, Thai and Japanese items all well represented on the menu.  For lunch, they have great bento box meals, that are so huge, they can easily feed two people.  I phone my order in, and then drive over to pick it up.

Remember the snow we had a few days ago?  It still is doing a number on our streets and parking lots.  There is just nowhere to put it!  As I pull into the parking lot at West Main Village, I see a front end loader and a huge truck loading and hauling mountains of snow away.   Where they are going to dump it, I have no idea.  But I applaud the shopping center owner for working hard to free up more parking spaces.

And then I also see this.

Really – who has the nerve to park diagonally in two parking spaces when the lot is down by almost half its spaces?  Obviously, this guy.  Tempted to go and slip the front end loader guy some cash to bury this car, I decided I need the money instead to pick up my order.

For ten bucks, here is what I got:

 

My choice of soup, a salad with the best orange-ginger dressing in town,  a California roll (for the squeamish, it has no raw fish in it), my main dish of Sesame Chicken, fried wantons and rice.

And it is all good.  Really good.  And a bargain.  You truly need to give this place a try!  But don’t take two parking spaces.  Because I just might have some more money in my pocket for the front end loader guy.

Lansdale Shopping Score:  1

Later in the day, I had to go return a Christmas present.  Well, return the item that replaced a Christmas present that had already been returned.  Returning gifts is something I hate doing.  But it’s off to Marshall's we go.

For all you people complaining about the way Lansdale handled the snow, please take a side trip to the Airport Square shopping center.  Then you’ll see what poor snow removal management looks like.  I would go halfway down an aisle, only to find it completely blocked by a mountain of snow.  Some areas slicker with ice than a skating rink. 

But I returned what I had to.  And then wanted to go to dinner.  Since we’re at the mall area, we decide to just eat at one of the restaurants there.

Uh-oh.  I think Montgomeryville must be the last place on earth that has food.  Because it looks like everyone in a fifty mile radius has come here to eat.  Every restaurant we drive by has people spilling out the doors, because the crowds waiting for tables are overflowing the lobby.  And forget about parking.

So back to Lansdale we go.

A quick stop at the Hillcrest Shopping Center State Store for a bottle of wine, and we’re on our way.

As a note, the refrigerator of chilled wines at the back is a nice touch for people who are going to a local BYOB.  Except the wine in there was really no cooler than the bottles on the shelf.  Sigh.  Our State Store system . . .

Lansdale Shopping Score:  2

So it’s off to our dinner destination.  One of the best BYOB restaurants in Lansdale.  Ristorante Toscano on North Broad Street.

A winner of Lansdale’s Business of the Month award, Toscano’s and owner John Bruno are a great asset to our town.  Great Italian food, attractive upscale dining room, and great service.  And amazing specials.

And the Souper Bowl.

John likes to celebrate the weeks leading to the Super Bowl with his own twist.  Soups that pit the two competing teams against each other.

Denver Buckhorn Bean Soup vs. Carolina Chicken and Rice Soup.

I had Denver, Ken had Carolina.  Both were delicious.  But really.  Go Denver!

John has a whole menu dedicated to the two teams:

DELIGHTS OF DENVER

First Course
Buckhorn Bean Soup

Second Course
Cherry Creek Salad
This salad of spinach, shredded chicken, cherries, dates, apples, pecans and cheddar cheese drizzled with an apple cider vinaigrette is a popular item on the menu at John Elway’s Colorado Steakhouse. This is a fitting choice for those who appreciate “old” quarterbacks and especially for Broncos’ fans, who appreciate Elway as the General Manager of the team.

Third Course
Lamb Stew
Colorado ranks fourth in sheep population in the U.S. – definitely not to be confused with mountain goats.

Dessert
Rocky Mountain Brownies a la mode
These should not be confused with Colorado’s now-famous “Mary Jane” brownies.

Beverage
Orange Crush soda
In the 1970s, this was the nickname for the Broncos’ defense.

CAROLINA CRAVINGS

First Course
Carolina Chicken and Rice Soup

Second Course
Shrimp and Grits
Grits is made from ground maize (corn) and was a staple of Native American culture.

Third Course
Carolina Barbecued Pork
with both white and dark meat

Dessert
Moonshine Poached Pears with Butter Pecan Ice Cream
The mountaineers of western Carolina were known for their moonshine, and did you know that, in some years, North Carolina produces about 3,000 tons of pecans?

Beverage
Pepsi
Pepsi was “born” in New Bern, North Carolina in 1898, where it was first introduced at Caleb Bradham’s pharmacy.

Not only is John a great and inventive chef – he’s a great football fan, too!

Stop in before the Super Bowl and enjoy this wonderful menu.

Lansdale Shopping Score:  3

I’m back in the grove!

So, today’s score:

THREE opportunities to shop/eat in Lansdale met.

Let’s see what today brings!