Recently, the website WalletHub dubbed Harrisburg as the state capital with the most restaurants per capita.
Indeed, Harrisburg has a wealth of amazing eateries for such a small city. But, come on, we can’t eat all our meals in the urban confines, right?
So, recently, I took a break from the Midtown and downtown scenes to a newish place serving modern American cuisine.
Crave the Food bears a similar name to an all-vegetarian restaurant on 2nd Street. However, that’s where the similarity ends. When I crave food, I’m an unapologetic carnivore, so I felt more than comfortable heading out to Colonial Park.
The restaurant’s sleek décor and muted lighting contain no trace of Friendly’s, the building’s former tenant. Ten years ago, when my little guy was actually little instead of towering over me, Friendly’s was his favorite place. Specialty ice cream and placemats with crayons kept him happy. With the exception of a small selection of kids’ choices for breakfast, Crave the Food is a decidedly grown-up bistro lounge.
Burgundy red walls, black accents, deep wooden floors and smatterings of mossy green natural elements make the inside look subdued. It smacks of a place you would meet someone other than your significant other. I invited my husband instead. He didn’t mind the lack of placemats.
Just to be sure I would provide a fair assessment, I sampled multiple dishes on multiple trips. When my husband gave me one of his snippy stares for ordering dessert, I shot back, “My research is thorough.” I would have shoved a bit of gooey, mixed-nut baklava in his mouth to silence him, but that would have meant one less bite for me. It tasted too amazing to share, even with him.
The menus contained the normal fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner—plus a few upscale and ethnic items to keep it saucy. The breakfast menu featured options like salmon, Nutella and different versions of eggs Benedict.
A Middle Eastern drink called sahlab appeared on each menu. I took my cue from whatever forces higher than mine (the power of three?) that I should try it. More like a hot pudding than a drink, it tasted like steaming peanut butter milk and smelled like roses. The waitress thoughtfully served it with a spoon.
The smoothie I ordered was pure, perfect pulp. The server pulsed the fruit instead of using the puree setting. That attention to detail took extra time, and it made all the difference in texture and taste.
The kitchen, whose noises I could hear as part of the ambience, gave that same attention to detail to the food preparation. Garden colors balanced themselves against a backdrop of greens and blackened chicken. Even in late winter, the produce held that familiar, summertime lip-smack.
The main dishes, even the obligatory Lenten Friday fish, were seasoned well with a successful palette of spices. My husband and I usually sneak a bite of each other’s meals. It’s safe to say we crossed forks like dueling swords several times—over fish, of all things—mine fried and flaky, his steeped in butter and lemon.
Most people eating breakfast and lunch at Crave the Food were either coworkers or retirees chatting under the patter of Fleetwood Mac and Air Supply on the local radio station. The dinner crowd drew couples for BYOB and live music. The venue could well accommodate a semi-large party (if you’re the person who has to find a location for your next office party, you might give them a call).
On review sites such as Yelp! and TripAdvisor, Crave the Food initially craved higher ratings. It seems to have worked out most of the initial kinks with service and food quality found with many new restaurants.
If you’re looking for a relaxing, bistro-lounge atmosphere and appealing options served by a detail-oriented staff, then consider Crave the Food.
Crave the Food is located at 4010 Jonestown Rd., Harrisburg. For more information, call 717-545-0700 or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.
