For anyone who is not already a member, Mettup.com is a great way to find groups of people in your area that share your interest. Not surprisingly, I have my alerts set for keywords like food, cooking, Japanese, wine, etc. Despite
Scranton's small size I was able to find a group called 'Food Fight" It was started by the head chef at a restaurant called Gravity in Waymart PA. The first meetup was only 3 people at a Middle Eastern place called Savory Maza. A "Tour of Lebanan" platter and new friends made for a great night.
http://www.savorymaza.com/
Our second meetup was at one of my favorite local places, Aurants. The name is actually a play on words, 'rest-aurant'-->Aurants...a separation from the 'rest.' The head chef is Dave Ciminelli, and he puts together a wild array of flavors. He coats tofu in pretzels and pan fries them, give them a raspberry coulis and powdered sugar finish. His entree menu consists of proteins ranging from tuna, to fillets, to kangaroo! You select your preferred method of seasoning and preparation and a side. Every Wednesday is wing night. 6 Uniquely flavored wings like norzu and soy glaze, mango and coconut, garlic and curry, will only cost you $5. I had a "hog wrapped hog," which was a pork shank wrapped in bacon. I paired that with their kielbasa chowder. It was
Manhattan style, with tons of clams. The kielbasa had a taste of cheddar inside it. While it is a general rule of thumb that cheese and seafood do not go, but this was tastefully done. Dessert was a fig crème brulee. The ramekin was served on a plate with house-made whipped cream. It was tasty, but the true brilliance of the place is in their savory dishes. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they have a staggering list of beers, many of which make their way into sauces and glazes on the menu. Overall, this is a great place, nice ambiance, and a knowledgeable staff. Can’t wait for the next meetup.
http://aurants.com/
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