This Week at the Herdic House
As we mentioned last week, we’ve got not one but two large parties arriving tonight at the Herdic House at prime dinner hour—so we’ve been forced to close for regular dining this evening and postpone our Blue Plate Special to Thursday, October 9 this week. But it’s a delicious one! Tenderloin tips bourguignon-style, with mushrooms, onion and lots of red wine, served over Deb Allison’s organic fettuccine. It’s $18 at our House, and $20 to go, like always—but, per usual, our number of to-go orders will be very limited…
This time of year always feels like it moves at a frenzied pace, despite the lingering evening light and the scent of bonfires in the air. Where summer and winter stretch somewhat languorously and settle in, spring and fall are a frantic rush—at one end, you’re trying to get the garden cleaned out and seeds planted, and, at the other, you’re trying to get the garden cleaned out (again??), the veggies preserved, and get everything tucked in before that first frost nips it. And for both of the fringe seasons, of course, we’re all trying madly to appreciate the truly special things that identify spring and fall on our internal calendars—in October, that means things like bonfires, apple cider, hikes among the autumn leaves, jumping in those same leaves, hayrides, and maybe even a couple of terrifying Halloween events.
Or, if you’re in the restaurant business, that must-do list involves a whole slew of delicious ingredients that are only at their peak for a few short weeks, like pears, paw-paws, autumn plums, escarole (check out Emily Kane’s photo of glorious fall bounty, above). Stay tuned over these next few weeks for a bevy of our autumn favorites, from some fantastic German fare (house-cured sauerkraut!) on October 24, to butternut squash ravioli and pumpkin-bourbon cheesecake. It doesn’t get much better than the glories of a Pennsylvania autumn…and we’re here for it at the Herdic and elsewhere, as we soak up everything autumn has to offer. But for this Friday, our seize-the-day autumn menu includes…
- Butternut squash bisque with toasted squash seeds and honeyed sweet cream
- Poached pear stuffed with whipped ricotta and served with port-dressed greens and toasted pistachio
- Braised Elysian Fields lamb shank with Moroccan spices, carrots and dried Italian plums, served over cous-cous
- Paw-paw cheesecake with a graham cracker and black walnut crust, finished with fresh plum
P.S. We’ve postponed our Gatsby-versary party until Saturday, November 15 in order to host a Celebration of Life of a very dear friend of ours at the Herdic next Friday, October 17. But please join us for an excellent party, replete with champagne, gilded hors d’oeuvres of all types, and delicious dancing to the strains of Fats Walter and the Susquehanna Boom Rats, on November 15 at 7:00 pm! Tickets are $75 and can be reserved via email (hit us up at herdichouse@gmail.com) or phone at 570.322.0165. Beautiful fools, indeed…
P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out the beautiful works of Beth England in the Lounge this month—and pick up a few notecards or prints while you’re here. Works and prints will be on sale throughout the month of October!