If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, chances are, you have been to, or at least heard of, the Tonga Room in San Francisco. Located inside the Fairmont Hotel, the Tonga Room is part of San Francisco history. It has been there since 1945 and has attracted celebrities, politicians, dignitaries and more. The Tonga Room is more than a fun place for dinner, it is an iconic experience.
The Tonga Room offers both dinner and a lounge/bar experience. Since I still have one child still living at home, we went for the dinner experience. Built over a 1920’s era swimming pool, the floating stage offers lounge music, and the decor surrounding the pool and throughout the venue is tiki themed. The restaurant has tables set up around the floating stage with the bar area on one side of the pool. Our table was opposite the bar which gave us a quiet location and a decent view of the live music on the floating stage.
It was really fun to enjoy good food, live music, tiki decor, and fancy drinks-mine is a non-alcoholic citrus soda, isn’t it fun! If you plan to go, I recommend making reservations. The Tonga Room is very popular, and the tables fill up ahead of time, so making reservations is the way to go. You can make them through OpenTable.
What I wore to the Tonga Room:
Have you been to the Tonga Room? If not, what are you waiting for? This is a bucket list item for San Francisco!
Heading to State College, PA for a football game or any sports match, game, tournament, meet, etc.? Or perhaps you have a high school senior touring Penn State and are looking for a nice place to eat. Or maybe you are just passing through central PA and need to stop for a nice meal. Whatever the case, you have stopped in the right place!
Since Penn State is a globally recognized, prestigious University, the area attracts a diverse range of restaurants who cater to the sophisticated palettes of visitors to the area as well as students and residents. This means when you visit, you will be able to find a fabulous meal comparable to what we enjoy here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Love that!
So, without further ado, here are a few fabulous restaurants to enjoy in the State College area!
Allen Street Grill
Allen Street Grill is a famous go-to for parents to bring their students to for a nice meal when they visit. In addition, students view it as the perfect place for a fancy date! They have a seasonal menu which always includes a delicious risotto and a Bolognese dish. These are my favorites!
Allen Street Grill is located at 100 W College Ave. I recommend making reservations on Open Table on busy weekends such as move-in, football weekends, Parent’s Weekend, Graduation, and move-out.
Rey Azteca
As a west coaster, it is really hard to find Mexican food on the east coast. They just don’t make it like they do in California. There are several Mexican restaurants in the State College area, but Rey Azteca is the closest to authentic you will find.
Rey Azteca is located at 485 Benner Pike, you do not need reservations and there is plenty of parking.
India Pavilion
India Pavilion is tucked away at 222 E Calder Way and can easily be missed. Make sure you don’t walk past it! They have an amazing lunch buffet which is what we enjoyed on our recent visit. This is hands-down one of the best Indian restaurants you will find. Seriously, here in the Bay Area we have tons of Indian Restaurants, and this one could easily thrive in the San Francisco Bay Area where we have a large Indian population. The food is delicious! So, make sure you pop in for lunch or dinner when in the State College area. Love it!
Mercato Mio
The mushroom risotto at Mercato Mio is something I crave. This delicious restaurant is located inside the Hilton at 1221 E College Ave and offers a fabulous Italian menu. Also, the tiramisu is something dreams are made of. Highly Recommend! You can make reservations on Open Table. Love!
Tadashi
Tadashi has two locations across the street from Penn State University. The original location offers ramen and don. You can find it at 206 W College Ave. It is the ultimate comfort food on cold, snowy days, and for homesick students. The second location at 100 S Atherton offers sushi and Udon. Yum! Both locations are delicious and must-visits on your next trip to the State College area.
The Corner Room
The Corner Room is a Penn State staple for visitors and students alike. If you haven’t eaten at The Corner Room, you haven’t been to State College. We recently visited on Thanksgiving and enjoyed a delicious holiday meal. They make the best brussels sprouts on the planet and the Grilled Stickies for dessert are a must. The Corner Room is located at 100 W College Ave.
The Tavern
The Tavern is a special place. It is located in an historical building and the interior is cozy, upscale, and inviting. Of course, the food is something out of this world. This is a fabulous restaurant for celebrating a birthday, special occasion, and your student’s graduation. Everything on the menu is outstanding, I am partial to the mushroom risotto. The Tavern is located at 220 E College Ave and reservations can be made on Open Table.
The Waffle Shop
The Waffle Shop is a Penn State staple. This is where student line up on the weekends and wait a long time for a delicious brunch meal. Across from campus, The Waffle Shop offers a large brunch menu and is very addictive. I recommend going very early or on off days to avoid the line. Otherwise, it is worth the wait in line. You will enjoy your meal. The Waffle shop is located at 364 E College Ave across from the Penn State campus. Highly recommend!
In addition to restaurants, there are plenty of faster food options if you are in State College and would like something quick. Halal Cart offers delicious halal meals. I highly recommend the combo plate with chicken and falafel. Yum! Although the official address is 137 E Beaver Ave, the cart is right in front of the Pugh Street garage.
So, the next time you visit Central PA and find yourself in State College, check out some of these delicious restaurants! Enjoy!
pictured: interior of Sveta’s in New York, the interior changes depending upon the season /
New York City is full of delicious places to eat. Everywhere you turn there are several choices when it comes to picking a place to eat for your next meal. This can make it challenging to choose just one restaurant for each meal because you want to try everything! On our recent trip to New York, I made sure to visit a few restaurants I enjoyed from my days of traveling to New York for fashion week, as well as trying a few new places to eat. As a result, I curated my favorite restaurants from my recent trip to New York so you have a guide to refer to next time you travel to New York. Enjoy!
San Marino Ristorante
One of my favorite places to eat in New York is San Marino Ristorante. Located inside the Four Points Sheraton SOHO, in the back of the lobby, San Marino Ristorante serves delicious Italian food. As someone with Italian ancestry, I can attest that this restaurant is authentic and absolutely delicious. I love the ravioli, pictured above, as well as the Bolognese. This place is a must-try! You can use the address 60 Charlton Street to find the hotel and make sure you walk through the lobby into the back on the right. In the warmer months the front patio is open, so you can easily walk through the front of the restaurant.
Abiko Curry
Located in Koreatown at 2 west 32rd street, Abiko Curry is a casual dining restaurant where you order your meal at your table using a tablet. They have a large menu full of various types of curry which you can customize for your spice tolerance. I enjoyed donburi with delicious baby spice level-don’t laugh. I have zero spice tolerance! haha
Chow House
Since I am from the Bay Area, I never have high expectations eating Chinese food elsewhere. It is usually watered down and very American. When we tried Chow House, I instantly judged it because the name is very American. The menu was also tailored for American’s. Thankfully, this was not an indication of taste! The food turned out to be very good and we really enjoyed our meal. The tea was high quality and the xlb was flavorful. Chow House is located at 181 Bleeker Street in New York.
Joe’s Pizza
Have you eaten in New York if you haven’t had a pizza by the slice? I think not! Joe’s Pizza has pizza by the slice priced under $5 and has photograph’s inside to prove all the celebrities who have enjoyed pizza there. There are several locations. We enjoyed pizza at the 7 Carmine Street location.
Sveta
This might have been my favorite meal of our New York trip! Sveta is located at 64 Carmine Street and boasts a menu of Ukrainian and Russian food. The food was delicious, and the decor was something else! Inside the restaurant there is a huge array of seasonal flowers, faux of course, which go along the poles, beams and ceiling. You feel like you are walking into a magical garden. In addition to decor, the drink menu has giant handbag shaped glasses as well as other interesting designs. The table next to us ordered several drinks served in handbags, feathers, and very interested glassware. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I am not sure what they ordered, but they were very big and interesting! We enjoyed tea, which was served in metal and glass, and very pretty too.
Yama Ramen
Yes, I went to a Ramen place and ordered sushi. In my defense, it was really good sushi! My daughter enjoyed their ramen and assured me it was delicious. So, if you are looking for sushi or ramen, Yama Ramen is a great place to go! It is conveniently located near Rockefeller Plaza at 60 West 48th street. The door is a little tricky to find, but once you locate it, you can go upstairs to the restaurant. Yummy!
Laduree SOHO
I had to bring my daughter to tea at Laduree! They have a non-alcoholic tea option which was perfect for us. As always, the sandwiches are delicious, and the sweets are out of this world. I highly recommend a slow day when you can enjoy tea time! Laduree SOHO is located at 398 West Broadway.
Well, that’s it! We ate at several other restaurants too which were delicious, but these were my favorites. I hope you are able to try a few of these on your next trip to the big apple!
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO
Cathy
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