The Best Way to See the USA, According to the Red Chair

It has often been said that the best way to explore an area is to take the road less traveled, seek out some hidden gems and get to know the locals.

Sound like good advice?  Yep – even if it is coming from a new source....a chair.

A red chair.

The Red Chair.

The chair’s humble beginnings (you can read about them at www.redchairtravels.com) taught it well.  Starting in New England, it is on a journey across America…courtesy of innkeepers from coast to coast.

Red couldn’t have picked a better group – innkeepers are some of the best concierges in the country – they love where they live, and they love to share their surroundings with guests--even guests of the four-legged variety.

We know that guests love to have fun and explore new places, just like Red.

They like to see things from a new perspective and take in the views.

  Guests like to learn about our local culture...

Lancaster County is known for the amount of food that we grow...especially corn

 lots of corn...

Just like guests, Red also enjoys meeting new folks,

like Senator Mike Brubaker,

Ed Stoudt, master brewer and owner of Stoudt's Brewery,



 

and Whoop-E-Pie of Shady Maple Smorgasbord!

 

Guests like to do something new and daring, like going for a hot-air balloon ride with New Horizon Balloon Team.

They also enjoy venturing out, looking for great food--like local organic cheese...

and home-gown produce.

 

The artist in Red knows he always looks good against green--that's his complementary color.



 

And most of our guests really like the animals...especially the cows.

And who could resist a swing at a local one-room schoolhouse?

At the end of the day, Red is just like all of our guests....they are looking for a great place to kick up their feet and relax,



perhaps have a glass of wine on the hammock,

 

and enjoy a chuckle or two from Bruce's artwork in the gallery.

  But most of all, guests (and Red) want to feel loved.

After all, life is about the connections you make.

And that is why Red has chosen to stay at bed and breakfasts across the country.  Red knows that no matter where his travels may take him, he'll find terrific hosts, a great breakfast and clean and comfortable accommodations. 

Bruce and I were honored to host the Red Chair at The Artist's Inn in Lancaster County and we hope that all our guests feel as welcome and special as the Red Chair.

There’s A New Red in Town

As an innkeeper, I try to keep up to date with everything that is going on in Lancaster County.  Especially the fun stuff.  I feel that It’s my duty to tell guests about great places to experience, whether it’s a new show, restaurant or attraction.

And so I attended the opening of Thorn Hill Vineyards Tasting Room.  It's only about half an hour from The Artist's Inn.  As I entered, I quickly found some innkeeper friends and a “girls night out” was born.   

The owners – Jack and Amy Thorn – are Pennsylvania residents that own vineyards in California. 

They offer 11 different varietals – including one of my favorite reds – Petite Sirah. 

 We chatted with Amy, munched on wonderful cheeses and enjoyed this upscale tasting room.  And, of course, we joined the Wine Club.

If you are in need of a girl’s night out, this is the place for you!  The schedule includes music on Friday nights, trivia nights and...special nights for girls only.  YAY!  Here’s a link to their schedule.

Don’t be surprised to find me there - strictly for research, you know.  I may even take Bruce sometime! 

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?

Cookin’ Up Something Good in Lancaster

It’s not often that an innkeeper can get away in the fall. Ah, but a bit of planning paid off last week when I attended a cooking class with Scott Martino at The Good Cooking Store in Intercourse.  You may remember that I met Scott on my first visit to this store –he was handing out samples of his Italian spaghetti sauces.  (See my previous blog, It's a Good Thing For Cooks in Lancaster County.)

The setting is delightful – Upstairs on the second level of the store is a state-of-the-art kitchen complete with TV screens and room for 18 of your closest friends.

Scott started out by saying that he’s not a typical chef with an ego that fills the room.  We were encouraged to ask any kind of cooking question during the whole process.  This casual atmosphere gave us time to jot down some notes ....while being served a three-course dinner.

Dinner was Radish and Cranberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Black Pepper, Pan Seared Diver Scallops with Sweet Pea and Asiago Risotto and....my favorite.....Chocolate and Valoplicella Crema with Fresh Whipped Cream.  Yum!

Scott was trained in the classic French style – hot pans to sear and seal in the juices and finishing in the oven. I had taken cooking classes a long time ago at a French restaurant that used the same technique.  However, this kitchen had brand new All-Clad cookware which stood in start contrast to the beat-up pans of my favorite French restaurant from long ago.

Scott's advice was that the most important thing is to cook love into everything you make – don’t just follow the recipes....taste...adjust....love the food.  And remember that butter is better.  I soooo agree!

He also talked a lot about working at various restaurants like The Loft and Doneckers, passing along little tricks of the trade.

A little present appeared in the back of the book of recipes....10% off all non-sale items that evening.  It provided what little incentive I needed to shop at one of my favorite stores.  And so I set off – the Cuisinart double boiler was a good buy at $34.99 – it will fit snugly over 1, 2 or 3 quart pans and had a nice rounded bottom that will make tempering chocolate a dream, a little pig that will sit on my soup kettles and hold my spoon (after all, soup season is just around the corner) and a new Kyocera ceramic knife.  This is my kind of store and there is always something that I need. 

Ah, a wonderful evening out indeed. To see the list of cooking demonstrations and upcoming classes, click here.  If you’d like to make it a complete girls’ night out, don’t forget to book your room at The Artist’s Inn.  We’re only 20 minutes away.

Dance Explosion at American Music Theatre

One of the best things about going to a high-energy theater performance is that it is so exhilarating. That delightful “high” feeling affects me long after the last curtain goes down. I sing in the shower, croon in the car (if I keep those speakers turned up high, I sound halfway decent), and dance while I’m brushing my teeth, as the tunes from the show bounce around in my head.

The latest show from American Music Theater delivers a ton of excitement – from Broadway tunes to songs by famous singers and dancers. Michelle Rajotte must have an endless source of energy.  I’d be exhausted just from the costume changes she makes in one night. She and Melanie Gaskins do a terrific version of Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag. That is most impressive, since it comes toward the end of the show.

So, what was my favorite part? That’s hard to say. I loved the tributes to Fred Astaire, Elvis and Michael Jackson, and OF COURSE, In The Mood and any tap number. And I’m not sure which of the men tumbled high across the stage several times, but whoever he was, he was incredible and I hope he heard my applause. Then there was the drum solo – making me regret not taking drum lessons. Wah.

If there was one song that I wasn’t too crazy about it would be Oklahoma. Judging by the audience reaction, clearly I was the only one there that night that didn’t like that song. I don’t understand why I can’t remember guests’ names from last week, yet I know every word of that song. Maybe it’s because just talking about it firmly embeds in my brain, sort of like being stuck in the movie, Groundhog Day.

I’m sure there are many songs from the show that you’ll like. So if you need an energy boost, don’t miss this original production at AMT. It is playing until October 8 right here in Lancaster County.

Napa Meets Lancaster and the World Rejoices

Those of us who have been mourning the loss of Effie Ophelia can now raise our wine glasses and cheer. The intimate space at 230 North Prince Street has been brought back to life by Taylor and Leeann Mason.

Ma(i)son, An Urban Cookery, features a marriage of Italian cuisine with a French flair, and there are enough changes to make the space seem new while maintaining that wonderful “Cheers” like familiarity.

Unlike Effie’s, Ma(i)son takes reservations – a welcome change. We couldn’t get in on a Wednesday, but on the second try we were able to reserve the Chef’s table for a Thursday night. The small restaurant echoed with laughter and two large groups were clearly enjoying their evening.

We could watch the care and attention to detail that every dish received before being sent out of the kitchen.

Taylor’s smile lit up the small kitchen and Leeann was warm and welcoming.  She was born in Lancaster and moved away when she was four, so it is a bit of a homecoming to move back from Napa Valley.

We shared some of our wine, Cherry Tree Merlot from local Waltz Vineyard and urged them to visit Kim and Jan Waltz when they got a chance.

Dishes feature local produce and cheese from Lancaster County farms – in fact, we recognized the cheese from one of our favorite local Amish cheese makers.

The menu is small and seasonal and will change often – Taylor was already talking about dishes featuring the anticipated tomato crop. We liked both the Ricotta Fritta (so light and delicate) and the Squash and Zucchini Salad. The squash salad had a light dressing and the herbs on the tomato salad oozed the freshness of summer. Crusty bread and the house-made butter with herbs were a nice touch. Yum.

I had the burrata – mozzarella with braised artichokes and country bread, (yes, now that I think of it both dishes show my love of cheese) and Bruce had the slow roasted pork with swiss chard over cannelini beans. The pork melted in your mouth.

Desserts danced on our tongues - a blueberry tart with a hint of lemon and honey in the crust and a lemon verbena crème brulee served, of course, in a small mason jar.

If you go, tell them The Artist's Inn sent you.  Better yet, give us a call and we'll meet you there!

A Taste of Lancaster County, Now Available Nationwide

Want to keep cool on a hot day? Head to the Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia. You’ll be able to spend a couple of hours learning the story behind ice tea and ice cream--and even step inside a cooler.

I love the lights at the entrance - they look like old milk cans!

In fact, the whole experience is as interactive as you’d like. And fun. You can create your own flavor of ice cream, design the package and even star in the commercial. I designed a concoction called Chocolate Dreams! Kids (or adults) can milk a cow, pose in an old delivery truck,

and learn about cows. A lot about cows! Did you know they have 32 teeth? Or that dairy cows produce over 7 gallons of milk each day? That’s 112 glasses!

A vendor at the 1905 Worlds Fair in St. Louis dumped some ice into tea because it wouldn’t sell on a hot day. And that is how Ice Tea was born. Now Americans consume it daily. At the Turkey Hill Experience, there’s a kiosk where you can match your personality to one of their teas...my “quirky” one paired with the Cherry Pomegranate.

I learned all sorts of things – that coconut is actually a nut and not a fruit, that the delivery business was started in 1931 in Columbia at the height of the Great Depression. And I learned that the third generation owners care as much about the local area as their predecessors.

In fact, here are some of the most impressive things I learned today:

- The experience is housed in an old Silk Factory building that was vacant for 25 years, so they have reused an existing building and preserved farmland rather than building a brand-new structure.

- Turkey Hill Dairy donates about 20% of their profits to charity.

- 25% of their power will be produced by their own wind turbines this year.

- They are so committed to quality that when they try a new flavor of ice cream, they cut the entire box in half to see if the ingredients are mixed properly.

If you get hungry or thirsty during your visit, no problem; there are 150 flavors of ice cream and 20 flavors of ice tea. Downstairs in the café, you’ll be able to sample many of them. They also had gelatos that were wonderful. My favorite was the almond fig. Yum.

Not familiar with Turkey Hill yet? Chances are you will be as they now produce the nation’s No. 1 refrigerated ice tea (be sure to try the Sweet Blackberry Tea (diet) – it’s my favorite!). Their ice cream ranks No. 4 nationwide. You’ll be seeing more of them at sporting events as they produce special flavors for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Yankees, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Turkey Hill - a cool experience indeed!

Put this on your list the next time you visit The Artist's Inn.