Our Wedding Anniversary Trip To Easton Pennsylvania
August 30, 2025
We’ve been to Easton a number of times. It reminds me of old cities that still have their architectural charm like Cincinnati and Wheeling West Virginia. Both cities are surrounded by hills and turn of the century buildings.
We’ve never stayed overnight before and usually just visit their marketplace, which I wrote about earlier on this blog.
My wife surprised me by booking us a suite at the Grand Eastonian Hotel. They’ve turned a 1927 hotel into condominiums and reservable rooms and suites. Our suite was gorgeous with a balcony looking over the city and also has a heated salt water pool that was amazing.
Home
Surprisingly, the restaurant we made reservations with was directly across the street called Kabinett, which is named after a German style of wine. The meal and service were great. They have an enormous wine list as well. We do suggest sticking with noshing on a variety of apps. My steak, which was $59, came out a bit under done and wasn’t hot. They quickly remedied it, but we liked our apps much more.
https://www.kabinettwinebar.com/
We had a cocktail at a lounge two doors up that played great 60’s r&b that featured some excellent cocktails called Presley’s.
I highly recommend Easton Pennsylvania. If you are seeking a city, feel like New York but want more accessibility and a slower pace, this is a great town to visit.
Another Kroger/Mundy Collaboration!
August 16, 2021
I always get a little nervous making ravioli. Worrying about whether the mix is correct, will it lose flavor after hitting boiling water, will they break open in the process, will they, will they, will they? Procuring fresh pasta sheets locally is not easy.
I couldn’t find any place near me that sold them. What I traditionally used in the past were wonton wrappers. They are extremely versatile and have the same consistency as pasta. The local Kroger carried two different sizes. I opted for the smaller wraps for individual ravioli versus the large sheets that are used for egg rolls.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to create for the filling. First, I was thinking smoked salmon, cream cheese, and fresh chives but ended up deciding on jumbo lump crabmeat and ricotta. I added lemon zest, lemon juice, and a citrus blend seasoning salt.
For the sauce, I created a beurre blanc using a great white balsamic vinegar, white wine, garlic, bay leaf, basil, heavy cream, and butter. It turned out excellent. I garnished the ravioli with chopped basil Chris brought from his garden and then shaved pecorino tartufello over the ravioli. The cheese has the same consistency as port salut but has bits of truffle in the cheese. It was delicate and didn’t overpower the dish with the truffle flavor.
Chris brought over his great homemade pesto and he created crostini with golden cherry tomatoes, tossed in extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper that were oven-roasted and then cooled. He assembled them with a layer of ricotta, the pesto and then topped them with the tomatoes. The combination was superb.
I have to say, this was one of the better dishes we enjoyed and it was fun resourcing the product and creating it. Not to mention the complex flavors.
Tales From an Urban Chef 