My wife and I hit the road for the first time in a while this past weekend. Our destination was Virginia, where we spent a night in Staunton before heading southwest to Richmond, the state capital, for a couple more days and nights. Those of you who have read some of my old travel postsContinue reading “Our Long Weekend in Virginia: Part 1”
Author Archives: BZ Maestro
Baseball, Analytics, and When Not to Swing for the Fences
It was a little over a year ago that I posted on the extent to which the many postseason near-misses suffered by Philadelphia’s pro sports teams during my youth turned me into a pessimist. They always seemed to be taking us – their loyal fans – to the brink of a title, only to fallContinue reading “Baseball, Analytics, and When Not to Swing for the Fences”
Nick’s Roast Beef: Philly’s Ray’s Pizza
The closest thing Philadelphia has to Ray’s Pizza in New York City – a seemingly ubiquitous restaurant name that has achieved legendary and comic status – is Nick’s Roast Beef. The most well-known, and probably the oldest, is Old Original Nick’s Roast Beef in South Philly. They have a couple suburban outposts, one of whichContinue reading “Nick’s Roast Beef: Philly’s Ray’s Pizza”
Silvio’s of Hatboro and Their Legendary Rolls
Much of the stretch of PA-Rt. 263 – or York Road – that is the main drag in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, still looks like it belongs in the mid to late 20th century more so than the current era. As a child growing up in neighboring Southampton during the late 60s and early 70s, my motherContinue reading “Silvio’s of Hatboro and Their Legendary Rolls”
Birthday Lunch at Melt
My regular readers know I tend to write about classic old restaurants that don’t come close to passing for fine dining. Melt, which sits in the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, just south of the Lehigh Valley, is a break from that norm. It isn’t a chain, but it’s the sort of large, corporately-owned restaurantContinue reading “Birthday Lunch at Melt”
Top Ten TV Theme Songs
Given the themes of most of my previous entertainment posts, it shouldn’t surprise you that all of the slows on this list are from last century. At least a couple of them have been remade more recently. In those cases, I’m using the song or arrangement of it from the original series. 10. Bonanza 9. BarneyContinue reading “Top Ten TV Theme Songs”
A Classic Small-Town Cafe Closer to Home
During the stretch of years when I was road-tripping around the interior of the country fairly regularly, one of the restaurant genres I always sought out when drawing up my pre-trip dining itinerary was small-town cafes and luncheonettes. There is a place called The Coffee Station that is not far from where I’ve lived forContinue reading “A Classic Small-Town Cafe Closer to Home”
Kibitzing in South Jersey
When New York-style Jewish deli first came to Philadelphia – around the turn of the century – one of the first delicatessens in town to feature it was a place called Kibitz in the City, which sat on the 700 block of Chestnut Street in Center City. I ate there at least a couple times,Continue reading “Kibitzing in South Jersey”
Return To The Rook
Although the Manayunk section of Philadelphia has long been known for good restaurants, I’ve spent very little time there over the years. But I made a rare venture to its narrow and steeply hilled streets to check out the cheesesteak at The Rook in early August. Some of you may recall that the steak wasContinue reading “Return To The Rook”
Memories of the 1980 NBA Finals
I’m convinced that nobody has ever loved a team more than I loved the Philadelphia 76ers of the early 1980s. I never missed a game; be it on TV, the radio, which is how one had to keep up with home games in the pre-cable era, or in person. The Sixers and Lakers faced offContinue reading “Memories of the 1980 NBA Finals”
BZ Maestro Eats 