Lunch at the Waynesburger

A neat little spot for a meal while on the road. Last week we were on our way back from a Washington DC trip. We were headed for a place in Shippensburg for lunch when we happened upon Waynesboro, a pleasant Central Pennsylvania town on rt. 316, north of I70 and south of Carlyle. Upon entering town were were met with a sign promising the best gyros in the universe. Although our search for the ultimate shwarma continues we did find an enjoyable lunch stop at the Waynesburger. A note to folks from Western Pennsylvania. Despite the name (a play on a major food group) this place is not in Waynesburg but Waynesboro.

Anyway--although the sign touted gyros, burgers and shakes are a staple here as well. Shakes come in 51 flavors but I'm afraid we skipped  them for this outing. I did have a delicious cheeseburger. There is nothing gourmet going on here, just a flavorful, not too dense, hamburger patty inside a conventional bun with the toppings of your choice. A treat.

Mary Alice opted for the Greatest Gyro in the Universe. She got a well-made gyro with moist, flavorful meat and the usual extras. She allowed as how the tzatziki was not to her taste and I thought the addition of feta sprinkles was a little odd but on the whole a perfectly good gyro.

Lastly, we had onion rings. These were a member of the battered school of onion rings as opposed to the breaded. I won't take a position on that theological argument but these were very tasty. Hot, crispy, filled  with actual rings of onion, they were accompanied by a container of something resembling Russian dressing, provided as a dip. Not something I'd had before but I liked it.

A $15 tab covered the whole business including drinks. If I came by this way again I certainly stop by.

Lunch at Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant

Finding ourselves up on Rt. 8 making a visit to the Harvest Valley food stand, we looked for a place for lunch and came across Emiliano's Mexican Restaurant in the Richland Mall.

Bottom line: a pleasant place for an OK Mexican meal if you happen to be in the area at lunch time. The Gibsonia location is one of three places that this local, family owned chain operates. I give them big pluses for decor with cheerful colors, interesting deco on the walls, mosaic tables, etc. Service was quick, friendly and altogether pleasant.

As usual you are started with chips and salsa. Totally ordinary chips and supermarket-grade salsa. Nothing to write home about.

The best thing we had for lunch was Mary Alice's choice of the chicken and rice soup (cup $2.49). A slightly spicy broth was loaded with crisp vegetables and nice-sized pieces of white meat chicken. Very tasty.

Her flauta plate ($6.99), one chicken and  one beef, came with the usual accompaniment and was totally adequate, neither more nor less.

I ordered Huevos Rancheros ($5.50) although it turned out that what I got (and paid for) was Huevos with Chorizo ($7.29). The huevos were scrambled with the chorizo which was in small pieces. I can only say that it tasted better than it looked, which I guess is better than the reverse. The scrambled egg and sausage mixture was so strange looking that at first I wondered where my eggs were. Beans and rice with it were fine. I don't know if the Huevos Rancheros comes with eggs sunny side up which is what I'm used to. When I still thought that's what I was served I mentioned to waitress that I was a little surprised at the scrambled eggs rather than sunny side up and she certainly didn't say, "Oh,  if you got huevos rancheros they would be sunny side up."

A perfectly pleasant meal for a reasonable price.