Dinner Club

A week or two ago, I invited a group of friends to attend what I hope will be the first of a series of dining outings at mid-scale dining venues throughout the region. We all work very hard and I figured that the occasional splurging for a high-quality, relaxed meal in a classy atmosphere was something we deserved.  Now, the club is not restricted to only SC employees… but you have to start somewhere.

We also will record a few lines of our opinion of the venue and do a blog post (or two if Donna T. has her way!) and let everyone know of good and bad experiences. 

Here is some of the criteria for selection of a restaurant:

• The restaurant must take reservations or be able to guarantee fast seating.
• The restaurant pricing must not be outrageously expensive, however we’re also nowhere near talking bar food or “McDonalds”
• The restaurant must be non-smoking — not an issue after Thursday’s statewide smoking ban.
• The restaurant must serve options for vegetarian guests, and by options we don’t mean “oh you could get a garden salad”
• The restaurant should accept a business-casual dress code when possible

Some suggestions for restaurants that came up are:

• Rustic Kitchen Restaurant – Wilkes-Barre -    DONE 9/12/2008 – More Info
• Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse: A Serious Steak Restaurant -Wilkes-Barre
• Kazimi’s Mediterranean and American Restaurant – Kingston - a personal favorite of Michelle P.
• Thai Thai – Wilkes-Barre
• Really Cooking Cafe – Dallas – a personal favorite of Dawe.
• Katana: A Japanese Dining Experience – Wilkes-Barre
• A/V Lounge – Moosic – a personal favorite of Dawe.
• Thyme at the Woodlands – Wilkes-Barre
• Table 247 – Kingston
• Portafino Ristorante – Wilkes-Barre
• Woodfield Manor ChopHouse – Tannersville – suggestion from Donna Talarico
  
• Sibio’s - Dunmore – to visit Amanda & Frank
• Tony Stello’s GoodFello’s – West Pittston – a favorite of of Donna Talarico
• Theo’s Metro – Kingston – a favorite of of Donna Talarico
• Fire and Ice – Shavertown – a favorite of Joe P.

Now – here are some restaurants we won’t be going to:

• The TriBeca Lounge – The Association of Fundraising Professionals held a luncheon there in September. Take a look at their website at http://www.banquetsattribeca.com.  Their venue is about as well maintained!  We won’t be going there. See my blog post about it.

If you’d like to be included in the Dinner Club or have restuarant suggestions, please register & leave a comment or email me at john dot dawe at gmail dot com.