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Tio Wally Eats America: La Cucina Italian Restaurant

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from Hanover, Pennsylvania
N 39° 48.602’ W 076° 56.6333’ Elev. 609’

There we were, sailing along with time enough to spare to make a diversion if we wanted. The idea was to swing through West Asheville, North Carolina and eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Nona Mia Italian Kitchen, which I’ve written about before here and here.

We didn’t go however because I wasn’t sure we could make it there before they closed and, more so, the 90-mile diversion would take about 2-1/2 hours of very hard work to make up due to the terrain and the burdensome weight of the land yacht. So we blew it off.

But I was bummed. I really wanted to have a great meal. I was due.

We ended up at our destination a day early and were lucky enough to be able to get rid of it even though it was Martin Luther King Day. Then we were sent here.

As we sailed into Hanover that evening I was wondering if La Cucina Italian Restaurant would be open. I wanted to eat there if only in gratitude of the owner helping me secure a Sausage and Peppers fix even though his restaurant wasn’t even open; he was in the process of moving the restaurant 500 feet to a different building at the time.

As good fortune would have it La Cucina was open. Moreover, owner Armando Malvone was standing right there when I walked in. I told him about my phone call, which had taken place in late August of 2011, and damned if he didn’t remember it. Funnier still: It turned out that he had gone to Jerry & Sal’s (Sal is Armando’s uncle) and had ended up making my Sausage & Peppers himself because J&S’s don’t actually make it as an entrée.

So I ordered … Sausage and Peppers, specifically Penne Sausage and Peppers ($12.95), and it was fabulous: pasta perfectly al dente, great sauce, and great homemade Italian sausage. La Cucina’s S&P’s had the added treat of not only green peppers, but red and yellow peppers as well.

The meal came with choice of soup or salad and focaccia bread. Being as I was getting it to go, I got a salad (leaf lettuce, cherry tomato, cucumber, shredded carrot), which came with a really great creamy Italian dressing. In retrospect, I should’ve asked about the soup; you never know what you’ll find. It also came with a small pizza box full of a tasty assortment of breads: slices of focaccia (one with garlic, onion, and olive oil, the other with a light tomato sauce) and homemade rolls.

As I was about to leave Armando asked “Do you like ice cream? Are you allergic to nuts?” Then as a gift he gave me a Spumoni Bomba (Spumoni Bomb). It was a roughly cannonball-shaped, baseball-sized frozen confection with pistachio, chocolate, and cherry ice creams encased in a hard chocolate shell. I thought the pistachio made it kind of an improbable pairing of flavors, but it was incredible. It could only be described as lethally good, which would do much to explain its name. I could almost hear the Duke of Earl’s voice saying one of his favorite descriptors, “This is the bomb!”

Everything at La Cucina is homemade, and it tastes like it. Although I think cook-offs are stupid and unduly subjective, I believe if one took place between La Cucina and Nona Mia, La Cucina would make a more than worthy competitor.

La Cucina is a warm, inviting and intimate restaurant. The food is exceptional and the prices are extremely reasonable. And Armando takes good care of vagrant land yachters — even in the midst of moving his restaurant. Now that’s service!

And so we roll.

La Cucina Italian Restaurant, 496 Eisenhower Drive, Hanover, Pennsylvania

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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italian tio wally

Tio Wally Eats America: Dino & Francesco’s Pizza and Family Restaurant

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Moosic, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from Moosic, Pennsylvania
N 41° 22.475’ W 075° 42.111’ Elev. 820 ft.

Whenever the crew of the SS Me So Hungry wants to know where to go for something good to eat we ask the guys on the (loading) dock. So it was that we were sent to Dino & Francesco’s, a family run Italian restaurant in a (the?) shopping center in Moosic.

I was sort of confused the first time I went. “It’s in the shopping center at the bottom of the hill, right where the road forks, next to K-Mart,” he said. I drifted into the parking lot and saw K-Mart, a Dollar Tree and a Big Lots. But where’s the restaurant? I guess it was the fairly understated (by comparison) sign that threw me. But I found it.

I’m glad I did.

The first time I visited I ordered a sort of “Sampler Plate” that was a non-menu item on the Specials board that day. I don’t remember what it was or how much it cost but I certainly remember that it was spectacularly good.

The specials they were offering this time didn’t rock my boat at all: Half sandwiches of chicken or beef cheesesteaks with soup or salad or fries or whatever for $6.99. So I ordered directly off the menu.

I selected the Sausage & Peppers Parmigiana ($10.99), which comes with a choice of soup or salad. I chose the Cappaletti soup.

The Cappaletti the only soup that’s a standard menu item; they offer two or three additional homemade soups every day. The soup consists of plump little tortellini’s stuffed with minced beef and chicken, in a clear chicken broth. I’d had it before and … what can I say? It’s exquisite. Simple and to the point. Delicious.

The Sausage & Peppers Parmigiana is likewise heavenly. It’s a generous plate of classic, slightly hot Italian Sausage buried under melted Mozzarella cheese with just enough bell peppers to offer a taste of each with every bite. And the sauce is really great, too.

For $2.99 I added a side of pasta to the mix. The Ziti I ordered came out perfectly cooked, still slightly wet, with just the right amount of their great homemade marinara. I don’t know what it is about homemade marinara but, when made correctly, it’s truly a soul food in and of itself. It makes me melt gooier than cheap cheese under an infrared salamander.

The service is great, too. For example, I wanted a to-go box and the waitress asked “May I box this for you?” Sure, I said. Then I asked if it would be possible to get some more garlic bread. “Absolutely,” she said. She came back a few minutes later with what was easily the equivalent of a half-loaf of garlic bread wrapped in aluminum foil. Geez, Louise! (Her name was actually Nikki; Skippy loved her.)

I had so much of that great garlic bread left over that I ended up putting forkfuls of tuna salad that I’d bought at Braum’s. It was kind of like a cold cheese-less tuna melt. Seriously good stuff, Maynard.

Dino & Francesco’s is a hidden gem, one the locals certainly know well; they greet many customers by name. With any luck I’ll never go there again — I hate Pennsylvania (in a land yacht)!

I wonder if Dino and/or Francesco would like to relocate to somewhere flatter?

And so we roll.

Dino & Francesco’s, Birney Plaza, Moosic, Pennsylvania

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: May’s Drive-In

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in East Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from East Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
N 40° 58.018’  W 076° 52.578’  Elev. 432 ft.

If there is a drive-in restaurant with a better view than May’s Drive-In in East Lewisburg, I’d love to visit it. If only to compare prices.

This location, the second of a 4-restaurant family owned and operated chain, was established in 1966. It had to close for awhile in 1972, however, when the area was visited by Agnes, Hurricane Agnes, and the waters of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River crested in Lewisburg at over 34 feet; flood level is 18 feet. As an amateur hydrologist I can honestly confirm: That’s a lotta watta!

I’d been here once before and was taken by the stunning views of the river and picturesque Lewisburg on the other side.

Because the food was so good on my last visit, I came this time thinking I was going to try their chili dogs. The last time I was here I got what they call a Hot Sausage ($3), which is actually a really great Italian sausage.

The Hot Sausage is served on a high-quality hot dog bun with grilled onions and bell peppers (on request), and a little bit of marinara sauce. The two I ate last time were so good that I ended up getting another one, along with an order of onion rings ($1.95).

Once again it was great. As were the onion rings, though I wish the order would’ve been a little bigger. Unfortunately, by the time I finished the sausage and onion rings I was full, so I didn’t get to try a chili dog. Next time.

May’s is incredibly reasonably priced, especially if the bucolic view is factored in. And in addition to the standard drive-in fare of burgers, fries and cones, they also have pizza.

May’s Drive-In is a real keeper. And on a sunny day you can take your food and picnic on the banks of the river on the spacious lawn out back. What a charming place!

And so we roll.

May’s Drive-In, southwest corner of the State Routes 405 and 45, East Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and three other locations

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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italian travel

Spring Garden’s Meatball Stromboli (Philadelphia, PA)

We came down to Philly last night to play our friend, Paul’s show at the PhilaMOCA (Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art). I walked in next door to Spring Garden Pizza & Restaurant and ordered a small Meatball Stromboli ($8.95). I asked the sweet old lady if I could get a beer. She told me go a block away to the bar (where you can get beer to go) and also bring her one back. I brought back two Coors Lights. She wasn’t joking. She took one. That was pretty cool.

Meatball Stromboli was huge. This is a small? What’s the large? Really good. Sliced meatballs, onions, peppers and lot of cheese! I texted my bandmates to come help eat it. We couldn’t finish it. Left a whole quarter. So stuffed …like that Stromboli.

Look how huge this small Stromboli is!

Photo by Shonali

This place felt like an old traditional family establishment. Customers came in and knew the sweet lady and the staff. A real feel-good restaurant.

Spring Garden Pizza & Restaurant – 1139 Spring Garden St (btwn N 11th & N 12th St)Philadelphia 19123

The PhilaMOCA (Zoodada) show was a lot of fun. A variety show of poetry, comedy and bands. I liked the bands —Tutlie and Break it Up. There were sandwiches, but I was too stuffed to eat. Somehow I still managed to put a whole lot of beer in my stomach. I even made eye contact with a pretty cute girl and missed my mouth, pouring half a can down my shirt. It was pretty smooth though. It went right down my collar and no one wouldn’t have ever known.

I took this picture in Philly. I kept thinking it was a place to wash your hands. I just got it.

We’re playing again tomorrow (Sunday April 1st) at Littlefield in Brooklyn. Come out! Not an April Fool’s joke.

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fast food tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Arby’s Fish Sandwich

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Greencastle, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from Greencastle, Pennsylvania
N 39° 04.743’ W 076° 342.668’ Elev. 627 ft.

If you sail the Interstates for a living, eating fast food is an inevitability. Eventually you will be tired enough or hungry enough or it will be the only thing available or whatever. It’s going to happen. While I avoid fast food as much as possible, sometimes there are actually good things to be had, occasionally at a reasonable price.

Here’s an example:

Arby’s, the nationwide chain that built its business based on possibly the weirdest excuse for roast beef in the known Universe, actually does a couple of things right.

The first is its Three Pepper Sauce. They have it in most of its restaurants but it’s only available in the pump dispensers; it doesn’t come in packages. The stuff is fairly spicy and really tasty.

Depending on the price of a Jr. Roast Beef — they used to be a dollar everywhere but I’ve seen the price as high as $1.49; I won’t pay over $1.20 — I’ve been known to buy a couple of them just as an excuse to mix a little of the Arby’s Horsey Sauce (a faux creamed horseradish affair) with the Three Pepper Sauce.

By and large, though, the Jr. Roast Beefs are pretty paltry meat-wise. Curiously, some Arby’s serve Jr. Roast Beefs that are markedly more generous with the meat than others even though they all supposedly weigh the portion.

But the thing Arby’s is really doing right these days are Fish Sandwiches. I kept passing by and seeing either “Try Our Fish Sandwiches, 2 for $5” or “Get Hooked On Our Fish Sandwiches …” on the marquees. So I finally bit like a fish and, lo and behold, they are great. And here in Pennsyl-freakin’-vania they only cost $4 for two. Because it’s closer to the ocean?

The sandwich is a gigantic piece of cod, served on a sesame-seed bun with lettuce and tartar sauce. I would recommend getting them with extra tarter as the piece of fish is so big they’re a little dry otherwise. Of course, it’s all a matter of taste. The fish itself is actually really moist, and it isn’t greasy at all.

Overall I still find Arby’s to be kind of suspicious. In fact, I’m convinced — with no proof, of course — that Arby’s Roast Beef is actually constructed by Buddig, the company responsible for what can only be described as the weirdest luncheon meats ever devised by man or machine.

And evidently I’m not the only one that feels this way. There is an episode of The Simpsons — based on William Golding’s literary classic Lord of the Flies — where the Springfield Elementary kids become stranded on a tropical island. Starving, one of the twins (Sherri or Terri?) utters the classic line: “I’m so hungry I could eat at Arby’s.” Ouch.

And so we roll.

Arby’s Roast Beef, nationwide

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Interstate 83 Diner

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in York, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from York, Pennsylvania
N 40° 04.743’ W 076° 46.012’ Elev. 407 ft.

I have no use for Pennsylvania. While it might conceivably be considered beautiful in a small vehicle, in a heavily laden land yacht it’s the very definition of “A Bitch!” Too many hills, too little parking, generally a royal pain in the ass. Nothing is easy in a land yacht in Pennsylvania.

I used to loathe Texas … until I came to Pennsylvania. I now consider Texas a veritable paradise. But while the food in Pennsylvania can be good occasionally, and the people are mostly friendly, it doesn’t make up for the many inconveniences someone — Me! — suffers here. And the radio reception sucks, too.

Nevertheless, I found the Interstate 83 Diner and Coffee Shop through pure providence, if you consider a roadside billboard a sign of pure providence. It had an icon of a truck on it, which can be a good omen if you’re sailing in Pennsyl-freakin’-vania. The truck icon screamed at the SS Me Hungry crew: “It’s land-yacht friendly! Stop! Food! Stop!”

It turned out it was true. The I-83 Diner has enough room for about 30 or so yachts. But to park there you have to spend at least $10 in the restaurant, then they give you a parking permit to hang in your window (tape-provided) that’s good for ten hours. They claim to be hard-assed about the parking: You’ll be towed! I’m guessing it’s mostly bluster, but you never know and those big wreckers cost big bucks.

I’ve been here twice. My first visit was a bit more straight-ahead than this one. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

On my most recent stop one of the specials was Pork & Sauerkraut with Mashed Potatoes for $8.59. Hmm, I thought, that’s something I’ve never seen. So I ordered it. I guessed it would be something like a pork steak and sauerkraut fixed lord-knows-how. My waiter said it was good and that “it comes out real quick.” (I presumed he was talking about speed of the order coming out of the kitchen and not something, ahem, a bit more unpleasant.)

While I was waiting for the Pork & Sauerkraut to “come out real quick” I had a bowl of Bean & Ham soup. While it seemed a little pricey ($3.59/bowl) I couldn’t resist. It was really, really, really good. Obviously homemade, the soup wasn’t overcooked to the point where the beans deteriorated. Indeed, the broth was still thin. While I wish it would’ve had a few more white beans in it, it had a lot of nice chunks of ham, a zillion carrots and a great tasting broth.

Then the Pork and Sauerkraut came. The mashed potatoes and gravy were great. But this Pork and Sauerkraut thing was a little beyond me even though I like both pork and sauerkraut.

The quality of the sauerkraut was exemplary. Not limp or overly briny like commercial sauerkraut. But … WTF is this supposed to be? It’s a mound of perfectly good sauerkraut with bits of boiled(?), tasteless pork!

I mean, c’mon. The sauerkraut belongs on a Polish dog, preferably with spicy mustard. The pork is begging to be in some creamed concoction to be generously ladled over a mountainous scoop of mashed potatoes that’s been gingerly situated in the center of a slice of white Wonder®/Bimbo® bread. You know, something Minnesotans would find “just too darn spicy, don’cha know.”

Needless to say the Pork and Sauerkraut was not a combination that worked for me at all. And though I suspected I’d be out the money for this culinary disaster, I figured: “Screw it! I’m in Pennsyl-freakin’-vania and I’m hungry!” So I had the waiter take it away. I then ordered the Stuffed Cabbage, which I’d had on my first visit.

The Stuffed Cabbage ($9.99) here is quite good. The stuffing is a little different from what I’m used to; it has no rice in it. It’s just spiced ground beef (I think), with bits of onion and bell pepper. The sauce, however, is the star. It’s kind of a cross between a tomato-cream sauce and a classic Kosher cabbage-roll sauce, with the raisin-y sweetness of a Kosher-style sauce. It’s homey, soothing, and delicious.

I had a serious bitch, though: The Stuffed Cabbage, as well as all of the other items on the inserted “white” menu (see pic), comes with two sides. This time I got a green salad (meh) and beets.

The last time I was here the beets were served warm. In fact, they were round little miniature* (smaller-than-golf-ball-sized) pickled beets. And they were served warm, which made them awesome. This time they seemed to be straight out of a can, with very little spicing and were served cold! Waaaaaaaah!!!

(*Speaking of miniatures: Baby carrots. I love ‘em! Why? Because they are not “Baby” carrots. Break one in half and look at its cross-section. Then take a regular, full-grown carrot, break it in half and look at its cross-section. You will see little difference. So-called Baby Carrots are merely mature carrots that have been lovingly machine-chopped to uniform lengths and mechanically sculpted; lathed, if you will. If you’ve ever had the “pleasure” of eating a baby carrot, you were probably disappointed. They have no taste. Indeed, it’s like eating an immature, flavorless vegetable. Imagine that!

By the way, I’m convinced, without any proof whatsoever — absolutely no research was done — that Baby Carrots are the brainchild of Bolthouse Farms of Bakersfield, California, which is possibly the largest processor of carrots on the planet.)

Still, the Cabbage Rolls were really good. And I wasn’t charged for the train-wreck of Pork and Sauerkraut.

And so we roll.

Interstate 83 Diner and Coffee Shop (I-83 Exit 28), 5220 Susquehanna Road, York, Pennsylvania

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Good Wil’s Restaurant, Bakery & Creamery

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Milton, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from Milton, Pennsylvania
N 40° 57.850’  W 076° 50.540’  Elev. 485 ft.

Ah, Pennsylvania. Home of the Liberty Bell, which, by the way, is cracked not because it was fervently rung to celebrate “freedom” but, rather, was a flawed cast, defective. So much for iconic bells. And so was my meal at Good Wil’s Restaurant, Bakery & Creamery in Milton. Flawed and mostly defective.

At Good Wil’s I ordered, with bated breath, a Ham Pot Pie. It was on the menu, printed right there for all to read. A regular menu item! It’s got to be good. I was excited: This is going to be great! After all, What is a pot pie? It’s a pie: crust top and bottom and filled with … whatever. Well, not so much at Good Wil’s. Actually, not at all.

At Good Wil’s I was served a bowl of gummy, grammar school paste-worthy pieces of … crap, with a little bland (boiled?) ham thrown in to break up the visual desert of the tasteless bowl of muck. I’d seen these rubbery, gummy squares of “noodles” elsewhere but they were always pawned off as “dumplings”, which they also are not. Noodles are noodles, dumplings are dumplings, and dumplings are never square. Flat is impossible in the dumpling world, just as crust is a must for pies. Suffice to say, it was not a pot pie, much less a “ham” pot pie.

I was told later that the pile of paste masquerading as pot pie is a Dutch thing. Fine. But where’s the pie? Why in the hell are they calling it a “pie” when there is no pie? This is wrong, wrong, wrong. Sinfully wrong.

Rather than bitch more, I’ll say this: The Ham Pot Pie at Good Wil’s would make for a great source of glue for any five-year-old’s arts-and-crafts project; any self-respecting 8-year-old would reject it as an unsuitable adhesive posthaste. Other than the fact that it was so bland, so completely devoid of flavor that even a Chrysler Building-size pepper mill couldn’t redeem it, it wasn’t completely inedible. But I say that only because I was starving, and … it came with two sides.

I chose Baked Lima Beans and Harvard Beets as my sides. The baked lima beans were another Dutch treat (read: surprise). I thought they’d be oven-baked or something unusual. No. They were baked as in “baked beans.” They were okay but, sheesh, what a waste of perfectly good lima beans.

The “Harvard” Beets, however, were awesome. They serve beets warm in the Northeast — I don’t know why — and I love ‘em. I have a thing about certain foods and beets are one of them. There simply is no way to prepare beets incorrectly. (I’ve thought about frying them.) Serve them warm, cold, call them “Harvard” or “Yale”, it doesn’t matter: They’re beets,which can’t be beat! No wrong can possibly be done.

But the real redeemer of my visit to Good Wil’s was this: I was walking back from the restroom and noticed, in the pie case, a little sign that read: Rice Pudding $1.99. The rice pudding appeared to be in giant sundae cups. I figured it was some mistake. But no.

Rice pudding is hard to find. Homemade rice pudding is nonexistent. You never see it. Moreover, I had a choice: with or without raisins. I went with the raisins. It came generously topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, and was truly awesome. Heck, it almost made up for the fact that I was sold a phony Ham Pot Pie with little ham, no crust, but plenty of paste. Almost.

And so we roll.

Good Wil’s Restaurant, Bakery & Creamery, 24 Weavers Lane, Milton, Pennsylvania

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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italian tio wally

Tio Wally Eats America: Jerry & Sal’s

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is at Jerry & Sal’s in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Greetings from Hanover, Pennsylvania
N 39° 48.602’  W 076° 56.6333’  Elev. 609’

It’s Little League World Series time! As a result, the SS Me So Hungry’s crew is on a night-driving schedule so that, if they can stay awake, they won’t miss a game. But because the land yacht is equipped with an electronic log, there’s very little cheating that can be done as far as movement of the vessel. That’s when the illustrious crew gets creative; actually we consult certain GPS features and cast our fate to the wind.

And so it was today. I don’t know why but whenever I’m in the Northeast I jones for Hot Italian Sausage and Peppers. And tonight my jones was exacerbated by extreme fatigue, hunger and a need to watch the games.

I love good Hot Italian Sausage. But it’s hard to find really good ones. The best I’ve ever had is from Spencer’s Fresh Market, a small San Luis Obispo County, California grocery chain. They make their own complete line of sausages, although many of them are a little too designer-foofy for my taste. Besides, if you’ve got Hot Italian what do you need any other kind for?

So I fired up the GPS and called the nearest place on the list in hopes they’d deliver to a land yacht. You’d be surprised at the number of places that won’t deliver to a land yacht because it has no actual physical address. Credit cards, begging and pleading will not change their “policy.”

(Hell, you can’t even order after-hours at many McDouche’s or Jack In The Cracks unless you go through the drive-thru. While there are ways to get around it sometimes, mostly through the kindess of strangers, it’s pretty freakin’ annoying because it’s so breathtakingly stupid. Can’t they see a land yacht won’t fit in their puny-assed drive-thru!?! Morons.It’s made all the more so when you’re starving. Hell, I’ve been so pissed off by company-policy adhering twits that I’ve been tempted to go ahead and drive through. Unfortunantely some people, who shall remain nameless, frown on massive property damage claims. Go figure.)

So tonight I called the first place on the list, La Cucina  (496 Eisenhower Drive) and quizzed Armando. Yes, they deliver. And yes, they make sausage and peppers. Score! But no, not tonight. Turned out La Cucina is moving 500 feet to another building and Armando only answered the phone becuase he thought “it was one of his guys.” But all hope was not lost, he said. There was another place nearby that delivered that was “in the family.” Did he have the phone number? “Well, let me see,” he says, and puts me on hold. A minute later he apologetically admits that the place was in such disarray that he can’t find it.

Thankfully a noted graphic-artist friend on the other side of the country found the number on the InterTubes for Jerry & Sal’s Pizza  (1155 Carlisle St.). I called them and found that J&S makes an Italian Sausage and Peppers sub. But I want pasta, too. In short, they made me a special order of S&Ps with extra sausage. The sausage was really good, if only it had been of the “hot” variety. But that wasn’t somethng red pepper flakes couldn’t fix. Moreover, the pasta was cooked perfectly.

It came with a really refreshing salad of Romaine lettuce and Roma tomato, with the house balsamic viniagrete dressing. and some crusty Italian bread. That bread was so good it deserved to be dipped in a really fine olive oil.

Total cost: $11.61; free delivery with $9 minimum though I tipped the delivery guy $5. I figured they made my night so I’d make his. Hopefully it started a never-ending chain reaction.

And so we roll.

Jerry & Sal’s Pizza - N Hanover Mall. Hanover, PA 17331

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.