A few weeks ago, my local farmer’s market (Yoder’s Amish Farmer’s Market in Leola, PA) had a Trickling Springs ice cream demo in their parking lot. I’ve been buying their chocolate milk, nonfat milk, and 2% milk at the farmer’s market for a few weeks, and find it absolutely delicious! My husband did too, and we devoured a half gallon of chocolate milk over the weekend the first time we had it.

I asked them to scoop up a quart for me, and I took it home. It was mostly melted at the time that I bought it, and barely holding up by the time that I got it home. I snuck a little spoon full before sticking it in the freezer and was blown away by the full chocolate flavor and creamy texture. When hubs got home, he agreed that Trickling Springs Creamery ice cream is the best that he’s ever had. (Granted, he’s never had Braum’s to compare it to, and I’d have to say it’s a pretty close race there- but I still think Trickling Springs wins the battle).

I don’t really know how to explain to you the creamy deliciousness of Trickling Springs Creamery ice cream. It’s made with fresh, low heat pasteurized milk. This means that while they’ve killed off the bacteria, the enzymes are mostly intact, which means that MOST lactose intolerant folks can eat Trickling Springs Creamery ice cream or drink Trickling Springs Creamery milk and not have to take Lactaid or, ahem, disappear from society for several hours. I should know. My body won’t tolerate even small amounts of traditionally pasteurized milk, but I have NO problems at all with Trickling Springs milk and ice cream.  Most of their ice cream is made with real sugar, not HFCS (but check the labels before buying because some of them do).  The milk is from local farms who pasture their cows, which means that the milk is from grass fed cows making it much healthier and tastier than conventional milk and ice cream. In fact, I’ve noticed that Trickling Springs’ milk is naturally sweet, and honestly, even their nonfat milk tastes better and richer than conventional whole milk! I’m a firm believer in the benefits of full fat dairy, however, and so I prefer the whole milk for health reasons. But for taste reasons? I’m perfectly happy with Trickling Springs’ nonfat milk (skim milk).

Because Trickling Springs Creamery uses REAL ingredients, most of them fresh, their ice cream is actually healthier for you than conventional ice cream that you’ll find in your local grocery store’s freezer section. It may not look any healthier if you simply go by the nutritional profile chart that they use, but if you read the ingredients list, I’m sure you’ll see the difference!

Now, being that the Trickling Springs ice cream is so good, we went through that quart rather fast. And, in fact, it’s so good that when we decided to cancel our trip to Knoebel’s Grove due to the heat, we decided to instead take a little road trip out to Chambersburg and buy our milk and ice cream. We live in Lancaster, so this is no quick run!

We programmed our new Garmin nüvi for 2330 Molly Pitcher Highway, Chambersburg, PA, 17202 and headed out, stopping at the Chick Fil A in York for “breakfast”. We’d expected the drive to take at least 2 hours, given that much of the drive was supposed to be on Rt 30. It seemed the most logical way to go. However, as we were pulling out of the West Manchester Mall in York, PA, our Garmin didn’t tell us to take 30. No, it told us to take 74. Really? Well, hubs was in an adventurous mood, so we followed the Garmin’s instructions, following 74 out to 81 (with a few side streets to cut off part of the 74 trip), and arrived at Trickling Springs Creamery in Chambersburg, PA from York in just over an hour, making our total trip just over 1 1/2 hours! No joke! We sliced off at least 1/2 hour of the drive, and had quite a nice trip, too, as neither 74 nor 81 were crowded, and the scenery is lovely. Just the kind of thing that you hear tourists raving about our area.

We got to Trickling Springs Creamery retail outlet and were surprised to find that it resembled a cross between an old time-y country shop and a deli. I’d expected a more Turkey Hill like atmosphere, and here it was a lovely place to sit and have lunch, buy ice cream, milk, eggs, cheese, and grass fed meats, and even sit on the porch and enjoy the day (assuming that it WASN’T over 95 degrees out, of course).

The outside is a lovely log cabin looking building, with a humongous bench (and a more normal sized one as well) on the porch. Inside, it still has that cabin-y feel, with the deli in the center of the building, crafts on either side, seating, fresh baked breads, and pastries in the front. Along the left side as you walk in is the grass fed beef, the left side of the back has a glass window where you can watch production if you’re there while it’s running, the back right has the milk and eggs, and the right side has the cheeses and ice cream. The deli will slice meats and cheeses for taking home, or, it appears, to eat right there.

I once asked what the black forest ice cream was (I really didn’t know) and the girl behind the counter gave me a spoonful to try! It was delicious, and I bought a half gallon. If you’re wondering, their black forest ice cream is their wonderful chocolate with the most amazing fudge and a little bit of cherry.

The girls that were behind the counter were all lovely, friendly, and helpful. One actually told me that if you bring in your cooler, they’ll pack it for you so your purchases won’t roll around on the way home (we didn’t take her up on her offer, but did consider it).

While I do prefer their glass bottles for preserving the wonderful flavor of their milk, we chose all plastic bottles due to our long trip home. 4 gallons of milk in glass bottles  while traveling Pennsylvania high ways just didn’t seem all that appealing to us.

Once we had our haul, we bid our farewells, I snapped a few photos of the outside, and off we went.

Now, we did stop at the Chambersburg Mall on the way home, and much to our surprise, our Garmin did NOT tell us to get back on 81 to get home. Instead, we were treated to some of the loveliest, traffic-less roads in PA! Not a highway to be seen until we reached York (to stop at Round the Clock Diner for dinner).

I still can’t believe how easy it was to get to Chambersburg from Lancaster, and if it weren’t for having to drive 30 to York, I wouldn’t mind making the trip myself more often!

Naturally, despite the trip being easier than expected, we loaded up anyway since there’s no reason to tempt fate. So what did we buy?

1/2 gallon of chocolate

1/2 gallon of black forest

1/2 gallon of coffee

1/2 gallon of black raspberry

1 pint of black cherry

1 pint of blueberry cheesecake

1 pint of butterscotch toffee parfait

But seriously, if you have 4-5 hours some Saturday, I highly recommend taking a trip out to Trickling Springs Creamery and buy yourself a gallon or 3 of ice cream.

Where is Bright’s Restaurant?

1025 S. State Street

Ephrata, PA 17522

Phone # 717-738-1177

Fax # 717-738-1177

Hours: 5:30am till 8pm, breakfast served until 11am

Directions to Bright’s Restaurant:

Bright’s Ephrata restaurant is located on State Street in Ephrata, which is also known as Rt 272 or Oregon Pike. Maybe the name changes as you enter Ephrata, but that’s what it’s called elsewhere in Lancaster County. Now, Bright’s is really easy to find, but it’s a little hard to get to, unless you make an illegal turn against traffic.

If you’re coming from Lancaster/Brownstown/Akron, you’ll follow 272 into Ephrata, past the Wendy’s and to the fork in the road (where 272 splits off from State Street- 272 will be on the left, with State Street being directly in front of you). Technically, you can take either way because of that whole illegal turn business. If you go left via 272, you’ll need to continue on to the auto parts store (I want to say Auto Haus, but I’m not sure) and turn around in their parking lot so that you can make a right turn into Bright’s parking lot. Or, you could just make a left turn across the double yellow lines and hope that there’s no traffic coming.

If you go straight via State Street and there’s no cars backed up, you can turn left where State makes that curve just at the fork and has a light (right in front of what used to be the Hess station which is right in front of the Wa-Wa. Basically, as soon as you split from 272, turn left). When the light turns green, you can drive straight across 272 and into the Pancake House parking lot and make a right into Bright’s restaurant parking lot.

If you’re coming from Ephrata, you’ll either be coming up 272 or State Street. If you’re on 272, just turn right into the parking lot. If coming from State Street, follow it past the Wa-Wa’s and follow the curve in the road until you’re at the light, then cross the street into the parking lot. Super easy.

Bright’s Broasted Chicken Restaurant Menu

While Bright’s Restaurant does have a website, they don’t have their full menu there. Below is Bright’s menu typed up from the copy that I have. Keep in mind that by the time you see it, items and prices may be out of date.

Starters:

Chicken Fingers $4.75, Cheese Sticks $4.75, Fresh Fruit Cup $2.50, Soup of the Day $?, Broasted Potatoes $2.25, French Fries covered with cheddar $3.25

Daily Specials:

Monday- Pork & Sauerkraut with Mashed Potatoes $6.55, Meat Loaf with two veggies $6.55, Broasted pork chops (2) $9.95 (1) $7.95

Tuesday- Spaghetti with meatballs $6.55, Lasagna (our own made) with salad $7.75, Italian pork chops with spaghettie (2) $9.95 (1) $7.95

Wednesday- Baked fresh sausage $6.55, Chicken pot pie (“We’re Famouse for Ours”) with pepper cabbage $6.55, Broasted pork chops (2) $9.95 (1) $7.95

Thursday- Baby back ribs- half rack $12.95 Full rack $14.95, Pig stomach with a veggie $9.55 (served from 4 pm), 3 piece chicken dinner $5.95 4 piece chicken dinner $6.45

Friday- Baby Back Ribs- half rack $12.95 Full rack $14.95, Shrimp dinner (13 shrimp, french fries, pepper cabbage) $7.50, Crab cakes (our own made) $?, Chicken and rib combo $10.95, Pig stomach with a veggie $9.55 (served from 4pm)

Saturday- Baby back ribs- half rack $12.95 Full Rack $14.95, Prime rib: petite $9.95, 12oz $14.45, 16oz $17.95, Crab cakes (our own made) $?, Chicken and rib combo $10.95

Sunday- Roast turkey with filling $7.95, Baked ham with pineapple sauce $7.95, Baby back ribs half rack $12.95, Full rack $14.95, Chicken and Rib combo $10.95, Crab cakes (our own made) $?, Sliced prime rib of beef over filling $9.95

Over Stuffed Sandwiches

JB Burgers:

JB Burger with fries $5.75, JB Burger $5.25 (1/3 lb burger choice of cheese & choice of ham, bacon, or lettuce tomato & mayo)

JB Slammer $6.95 (1/2 lb burger, choice of cheese, bacon or ham, and lettuce, tomato, mayo)

Served on a Toasted Kaiser Bun:

$4.95 Hot Roast Beef, $4.10 Hot Baked Ham, $4.60 Hot Baked Ham & Cheese, $3.95 Fish Sandwich (with lettuce, tomato, mayo), $3.85 Charbroiled Chicken (with lettuce, tomato, mayo), $4.85 Chicken Cordon Bleu

Charbroiled Burgers:

$2.40 Hamburger, $3.85 Bacon Cheeseburger, $3.30 Pizza Burger, $2.70 Cheeseburger, $3.99 Mushroom Burger, $3.70 Deluxe Burger (lettuce, tomato, mayo, cheese, onion, & green pepper), $3.00 Grilled Cheeseburger, $3.20 Supreme Burger (cheese, lettuce, tomato, & mayo), $5.99 Grilled Cheese Burger Slammer (1/2 lb burger, lots of cheese, and bacon), $3.95 Veggie Burger (lettuce, tomato, mayo)

Steak Sandwiches:

chopped steak, onions, and sauce

$7.95- large (12″), $5.75 Regular (9″), $4.45 Small (6″)

without onions

$8.95 Large, $6.95 Regular, $4.45 Small

Extra Toppings Add

Cheese $0.30 & $0.50, Mushrooms $0.75 & $0.90, Green Peppers $0.75 & $0.90, Hot Peppers no charge

Deli Sandwiches

$4.05 Grilled Hame & Cheese, $2.75 Grilled Cheese, $3.85 Grilled cheese with bacon, $3.25 Grilled Cheese with tomato, $3.65 Baked Ham and Cheese, $3.35 Baked Ham, $3.95 Bacon Lettuce & Tomato, $4.25 Chicken Salad, $4.45 Roast Beef, $4.25 Turkey (white breast meat), $4.95 Grilled Roast Beef & Swiss, $4.75 Grilled Tukey & Swiss, $6.95 Club Sandwich (ham or turkey with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo)

All sandwiches with lettuce & mayo. Tomato $0.50 additional. Available on white, rye or wheat.

Wraps (Your Choice $6.25)

Chicken Caesar (lettuce tomato), Roast Beef (swiss, lettuce, tomato, mayo), Breaded Chicken (lettuce, tomato, & parmesan ranch dressing), Ham & Turkey (melted provolone & honey mustard), BLT with swiss, BBQ Chicken with Swiss & Bacon, Roast Beef & Bacon (melted cheddar & honey mustard)

Hot Dog Varieties

$2.35 Hot dog with cheese, $3.05 Hot dog with bacon & cheese, $1.95 Hot dog, $2.75 Pizza dog with sauce & provolone

Subs

Turkey- SM $4.95 Med $5.95 LG $7.75, Steak- SM $5.25 Med $6.45 LG $8.25, Roast Beef- SM $4.95 Med $5.95 LG $7.75, Ham- SM $4.25 Med $5.25 LG $6.25, Cheeseburger- SM $3.65 Med $5.55 LG $7.45

Chicken Dinners

$7.65 Marinated Chicken Breast, $7.95 Chicken Parmesan, $7.65 Chicken Monterey, $7.65 Lemon Peppered Chicken Breast, $6.95 Charbroiled Chicken Breast, $9.95 Chicken Deluxe (breast topped with mushrooms, bacon, provolone cheese and honey mustard)

Broasted Chicken Dinners

$7.45 Four Piece (leg, thigh, wing, breast), $6.95 Three Piece (leg, thigh, breast), $5.95 White (breast, wing), $5.25 Dark (leg, thigh)   also available ala carte

Seafood Dinners

Breaded Fantail Shrimp (7) $12.95, Breaded Cod (2) $10.95 (1) $7.95, Crab Cakes ~ our own made Fri, Sat, Sun~ (2) $14.25 (1) $10.95, Breaded Mini Shrimp (13) $8.50, Breaded Oysters (in season) Market Price

Favorite Dinners

Delmonico Steak 12oz $13.95, Breaded Veal Patty $7.25, Pork Chops (2) $9.95 (1) $7.95, Ground Round Hamburger Steak 8oz (sauteed onions, mushrooms, gravy), Steak and Shrimp Combo (Delmonico & 4 Fantail Shrimp) $17.95, Grilled Ham Steak $6.95, Veal Parmesan $8.95, Roast Beef $8.95

All dinners served with a potato,;slaw, pepper cabbage, apple sauce, macaroni salad, cottage cheese, or hot veggie; roll & butter

Hot Roast Beef or Hot Turkey Sandwich with Potato $6.55

Salads

Chicken Salad on Lettuce with Tomato $4.95, Garden Salad $2.45, Cold Plate (chicken salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, and tomato on lettuce) $6.25, Chef’s Salad $6.45 (half portion $4.90), Charred Chicken Salad (gardan salad with sliced breast of chicken) $4.95

Broasted Chicken By The Piece Or Box

Box: 4 pieces $4.24, 8 pieces $8.50, 12 pieces $12.50, 16 pieces $16.50, 20 pieces $19.95, 24 pieces $22.95, 28 pieces $25.95, 12 wings $5.99

By the piece: leg $0.99, thigh $1.09, wing $0.75, breast $1.90

Family Chicken Meal

Broasted chicken, tub of french fries, and a quart of our own made salad (macaroni, cole slaw, or pepper cabbage)

12 pieces $18.50, 16 pieces $21.50, 20 pieces $24.50, 24 pieces $27.50

Sunday’s Chicken Special

Choose your own sides

12 pieces $11.25, 16 pieces $15.25, 20 pieces $18.95, 24 pieces $21.95

Baby Back Ribs

available without sides

Full Racks $12.95 each, or  Our Rib Meal

1/2 racks (5) baked potatoes (5) (sour cream and butter), rolls, and a quart of our own made salad $49.95

Sides:

Deli Salads  macaroni, pepper cabbage, cole slaw  Quarts: $3.50, Pints $1.80

French Fries  Tub (feeds 3-5) $4.60, Large $2.70, Regular $1.85

Mashed Potatoes  Quarts $4.95, Quarts gravy $3.95

Broasted Potatoes  $2.25

Onion Rings $3.25

Soups (our own made)

Broth soups- bowl $2.75, cup $1.75, Quart $5.20

Cream soups-  bowl $3.25, cup $2.25, Quart $6.45

Drinks:

Diet Pepsi, Pepsi, Iced Tea, Root Beer, Sierra Mist, Dr Pepper, Lemonade $1.50 (free refill)

Bright’s Restaurant Review

How does one review a restaurant that’s been loved since childhood? Bright’s does have the best broasted chicken in the area, though Caddy Shack in Manheim, PA beat it for a time. The Lancaster Airport Diner also has broasted chicken, but it’s as greasy as fried chicken. No, Bright’s is still the best in the area.

I’m also a little biased, but I’ve always loved their fries. My husband loves their macaroni salad.  And to be honest… I don’t think I’ve ever gotten anything else there! Mashed potatoes and gravy once, and the gravy was awesome but the mashed potatoes tasted like they were made with water (and probably were, it is a kind of a diner after all).

Bright’s also has one of the coolest looking covered decks for eating ice cream or picnic-ing on in good weather, but the interior has the dated non-aluminum diner look that’s always popular with the older crowd. I believe they consider themselves a family restaurant, but it’s rare to see anyone under the age of 50 actually eating there (though plenty of us order and take it home).

The staff is always really nice if not downright adorable, and, well, I just love it there. But be forewarned that you use the bathroom before you leave the house, because the public bathroom is outside (when you get to the door to go in, turn right and walk down the dark path). Not so pleasant, but at least it’s available in an emergency!

Their menu is quite huge, and my parents (who actually have ordered something other than broasted chicken there) tell me that everything they’ve had was quite good.

If you would like to review Brights Restaurant in Ephrata, PA, please do so in the comments below.

But with so much variety, how do you choose? Well, I can’t tell you what pizza YOU would like best, but I can tell you what I think is the best pizza in Lancaster, PA. I hope that you’ll chime in below in the comments and tell me (and everyone who comes here looking for the best pizzeria) what your favorite pizza in Lancaster County is and why. Please note that this is only my opinion, so please don’t sue me if you don’t like my choices or reasoning.

1. Caruso’s Pizza | Lancaster

I like Caruso’s in Lancaster for many reasons. For years my husband’s family went to the Caruso in Neffsville, and when I met him, they got me hooked as well. The crust is soft and chewy like I like my pizza to be, but firm enough to hold up the toppings. The sauce is mildly spicy and definitely flavorful, and the specific crust/sauce/cheese/topping combination blends well together. There are a lot of other shops that do one or two of those items really well, but fail to make them work together. Caruso’s, however, is all about the working together.

The pizza can get rather greasy, and while this makes it taste all the better, I tend to dab it off with a napkin. It’s not as greasy as many others however, and the price is good. I’m a fan of their french fries, and they make very good antipasto and chef salads as well.

The new Lancaster location (where the WingZone was- if facing K-mart from the highway, Caruso’s will be in that tiny shopping center on the right, next to the Turkey Hill) is super convenient for us, the prices are the same, and the menu is almost identical. Their subs are great, but for some reason the Caruso Special Italian sub seems less spicy than at their Neffsville location. The staff is great and friendly, and the decor is very pretty. Parking isn’t so great, but is sufficient.

2. Pat’s Pizza | Lancaster

Pat’s Pizza in Lancaster won us over immediately. The crust was a bit bland, but the cheese was of an exceptional quality and there was plenty of it! For some reason, the pepperoni flavor never blended with the flavor of the rest of the pizza’s ingredients, but they’re one of the few places that I’m willing to eat a plain cheese pizza from. Husband was in love with their calzones, and was especially fond of ordering sweet peppers and ham as the filling. Unlike most other pizzerias in the area, Pat’s calzones were filled from edge to edge with cheese and “toppings”, and they’re thick! These calzone’s are NOT for the lactose intolerant.  Tasty, tasty pizza. Most of their fried foods seem to be of a higher quality as well. The popcorn shrimp was a favorite with us, and I love their chicken cheese steak (not what you normally think of when you think of chicken cheese steak, but delicious all the same). Their subs are usually quite good too. However, the quality of your meal does seem to depend on who’s working that shift, and many times we found that they closed several hours earlier than their posted hours. While we still like their food and their quality, we rarely order from them any more since we work 2nd shift and simply can’t count on them to be open when they say they are.

3. Rosa Rosa Ristorante Italiano

I really like Rosa Rosa’s pizza. We ordered from them once when Pat’s had decided to close early and we couldn’t find any other pizza shops open late. Since Rosa Rosa is actually a restaurant and not a pizza shop, the pizza is a bit more expensive than most other pizzerias in the area. However, they have an actual wood fire oven which they bake the pizza in, so you get that wonderful crust where it bubbles up in spots and gets extra dark where those bubbles are. It had a very good flavor, but hubs didn’t notice anything that he considered special about the pizza and won’t pay the extra money to order from there. As such, I’ve only gotten one pizza from them, and while I do recommend Rosa Rosa for this, I can’t be more detailed. The gentleman that waited on me was exceptionally nice, though, and the decor was lovely.

4. Uncommon Pizza | Lititz

Even though the address for Uncommon Pizza is in Lititz, the location is just outside of Lancaster. It’s a bit confusing to find, however, so go during daylight hours on your first visit, or have them deliver. Uncommon Pizza is located in the Kissel Hill Commons (please note that the Kissel Hill Commons sign is very dark and difficult to read as you’re driving by- but it’s posted on either side of the entrance, on brick columns). This is a new housing community, but when you turn into the Commons, you’ll find yourself on a short, straight lane that ends in a big loop. Uncommon Pizza is at the far end of the loop, and has plenty of parking and a nice big deck with seating.

We’ve only been once (yesterday) so we haven’t had a chance to examine their whole selection, but we did get a pepperoni pizza and chicken fingers with mild buffalo sauce on the side. The chicken fingers were average, good, and larger than usual, but pretty average in flavor/texture. The buffalo sauce was also good, but be aware that the “mild” still has a definite kick to it!

Uncommon Pizza’s pepperoni pizza was definitely different, and definitely good. The crust is not greasy at all. It’s soft and full flavored with a good chewing texture that isn’t destroyed when reheated in a microwave. There is plenty of cheese (real cheese) which is also quite tasty and even browned a bit in spots. The pepperoni was a higher quality than I’m used to and far less greasy. The sauce, what I could taste of it, was very good as well, but there wasn’t much of it! Barely enough to wet the crust and then have the cheese piled on top of it. There was hardly any grease at all, and overall I was very impressed with this pizza. I just wish there had been more sauce.

4. Metro Pizza | Neffsville | Lititz

The address of Metro Pizza in Neffsville is given as Lititz. It’s right there by that tiny little post office in Neffsville. This pizza is so greasy, and so cheap, with such cheap ingredients, that it just can’t help but be good. This pizza is not for dieters, but it is light on the wallet and super tasty if you’re a fan of greasy pizzerias and not gourmet pizzerias. They periodically have incredible specialty pizzas. My favorite was the Old Bay Shrimp and Scallion pizza, which is basically a white pizza (garlic butter sauce and mozzarella- can’t remember if it had ricotta or not) with Old Bay sprinkled on top as well as some canned baby shrimp and some chopped up scallions (spring onions/green onions). Delicious! But this particular location stopped carrying it, and I found that I could make the same thing but better by buying the toppings and the pre-made crust at the grocery store (I used left over Papa John’s garlic butter dipping sauce for the base).

5. Wild Wings | Ephrata

This isn’t pizza in Lancaster, but rather in Ephrata. Wild Wings makes good pizza, great wings, and awesome salads. But what makes their pizza stand out isn’t how tasty it is fresh but rather how well it reheats! The only other pizza that I’ve had that reheated as well is the pizza from Uncommon Pizza. They’re totally different in flavor and texture, but they’re both ideal if you’re a “leftover pizza for breakfast” kind of person.

6. Cibo’s Pizza & Grille | Lancaster

I’m not a huge fan of Cibo’s pizza in general, but there’s one thing that they do exceptionally well (in my opinion)- their white pizza/bianca. The crust is mostly flavorless, but unlike most other pizzerias, they spread the ricotta over the whole crust, cover it in mozzarella (and possibly a mix of cheeses), and then drizzle the whole thing with garlic infused oil. This gives every bite of every piece a full burst of flavor. Most other pizza shops will crush the garlic, or use garlic butter, and then dollop the ricotta on top (ricotta doesn’t melt and spread like other cheeses, so it stays a dollop even after baking). My husband prefers the dollops, however, so your mileage may vary.

So, what’s your favorite pizza in Lancaster?