I was in State College Pa this week, and as I was about to leave, found myself in the middle of quite a snowstorm.  The weather report had called for only 2 to 4 inches, but within an hour it looked like they really missed on this forecast.  I love State College, so making the decision to stay wasn't hard!

One of the meals I enjoyed was a great lunch at Spats Cafe & Speakeasy.   Spats is New Orleans, cajun type food and they have always done it well.

I ordered a lightly breaded catfish served with tasty greens and very smooth grits.  My lunch partner chose the muffaletta sandwich.  A muffaletta is typically several meats with a spicy olive spread, served on a bread similar to a focaccia.  While I didn't get the chance to taste it, it sure looked good and got raves from my guest.

In addition to the great food, Spats also frequently hosts jazz bands on the weekends and has a comfortable bar if thats what you prefer.

Chicken and Waffles

I spent a couple of days this past week in State College PA, which is the home of Penn State University. I've always really liked visiting State College. It's a small town without the traffic or major crime issues of larger city's, but just about any night of the week you have a choice of many live bands at a number of local watering holes. On a Wednesday night, we were able to catch a blues band, a great bluegrass band, and back at the hotel, a folk duo playing in the lounge, all within walking distance of each other. Anyway, another thing I love about the area is the "stick to your ribs" Pennsylvaina Dutch food found at local eateries.

In the south, chicken and waffles are famous. I know that Gladys Knight has a restaurant in Atlanta that features it as a speciality. Great southern fried chicken served on top of a thick, tasty waffle. It's not like that in Central PA though. Here the PA Dutch version is prepared with shredded chunks of chicken on top of a thick waffle and then smothered with gravy! The sweetness of the waffle combined with the tasty salty gravy makes a great traditional dish.

If you would like a recipe, or to read a little about the Pennsylvania Dutch, just click on the title above and check out Teri's Kitchen.