Restaurant Review: Taj Palace, 403 Walnut Street, Harrisburg

Taj Palace in case you don’t already know is a brand spanking new addition to Harrisburg’s collection of diverse dining options. I stopped by the place a week or so back to see if 405 Jazz and Sophia’s replacement was a worthy eatery.

The inside of the place has not changed at all from the previous venues that existed, but really a change of decor is unnecessary as both 405 Jazz and Sophia’s were quite nice inside if you remember. Just replace the jazz with Indian music and you’ve got a pretty good picture of what Taj Palace is like inside. I was definitely impressed by the staff as they were very accommodating and courteous, but with a number of other Indian restaurants already in Harrisburg, would Taj Palace be any more worthy of a return visit than the others?

Hands down yes. The curry tasted so complex and well balanced that I couldn’t help but scrape the bowl clean with a piece of fresh naan. By the way, the bread was exceptional. All in all, I would say Taj Palace serves the best Indian I’ve had downtown, the prices were reasonable and I know I’ll be back to try another item from the menu. It’s definitely worth a try, check it out and see for yourself.

Greater Harrisburg Collegiate Website Makes Semi-Finals for IdeaCafe Mini Grant

The regional initiative in Harrisburg to build out a site much like Philadelphia’s CampusPhilly.com or Lancaster’s CampusCentral.org has become a semi-finalist for IdeaCafe’s mini grant. IdeaCafe.com has been providing entrepreneurial tools and resources online since 1995. In addition to providing $1,000 mini grants to innovative entrepreneurial ideas, IdeaCafe.com also maintains a current list of available government and corporate grants.

In regards to a regional collegiate website for the greater Harrisburg region, the initiative is specifically designed to attract, engage and retain college students into the area. The site would bring together a number of components already in existence into one place specifically designed for a college audience. Features of the site would include regional events, internships and job opportunities, discounts, attractions, blogs, classifieds, places to live and eat, and information about local colleges and universities.

The idea has already picked up a great deal of interest on IdeaBlob.com, where $10,000 is awarded monthly to the idea that receives the most votes. Cast your vote to help this initiative make it to the finals! (It only takes a minute)

Greatest Show On Earth Lives Up to its Name

Yesterday was the opening night of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s “Over the Top” Circus at the Giant Center in Hershey. I’ve never been to the circus so I decided after seeing tickets for opening night were discounted that now was the time to find out what all the hype was about. My only real circus education is from watching the movie ‘Dumbo’ as a kid so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect – although I’ll admit a flying elephant really would take the cake for me.

I honestly didn’t think there would be too many people there as it was a Wednesday evening and kids aren’t quite out of school yet – boy was I wrong. The place was jam-packed, probably close if not completely sold out. There were of course a ton of little kids in the audience but that really didn’t stop my girlfriend and I from having a blast. I was really impressed! The circus was everything I thought it would be – acrobats flying from enormous heights on trapeze, elephants performing agile maneuvers, tigers, clowns, and lots more.

My favorite act would have to be the “Globe of Steel.” I mean this really blew my mind, I was literally on the edge of my seat when I saw this. The Globe of Steel is a steel cage probably not larger than 30 feet high and wide. Now I’ve seen a few commercials where they have riders on dirtbikes inside the cage but I was just not prepared for how incredible the act really was. The cage seemed too small for more than one rider, but eventually they crammed 6 riders into the thing! They weren’t just cruising around in there either, they were flying 360 degrees around the thing in circles. Simply incredible. Long story short, the circus really lived up to its “greatest show on earth” propaganda, I definitely recommend checking it out. The prices for tickets are quite reasonable, just make sure you eat and drink before you go as the prices for concessions were a tad inflated- the price of a snowcone was a mere $9.

Restaurant Review: Rose’s Vietnamese Cuisine, 2306 Walnut Street, Harrisburg

Harrisburg is lucky enough to have a variety of Vietnamese restaurants to choose from: Pho Vietnam, Little Saigon, Garden Vietnamese, and Rose’s Vietnamese Cuisine. I have been to all 4 (if you know of any others please let me know) as well as the Vietnamese food stand in the Broad Street Market called Golden Gate, and I honestly have a very tough time trying to choose which spot has the best cuisine. What I can speak to are my individual experiences at each place separately, and I am happy to make recommendations to all 5 spots.

I went to Rose’s not long ago, and believe me I have always been skeptical, but my curiosity and love of Vietnamese cuisine eventually led me inside the place. It’s located in a small strip mall a few miles outside of downtown Harrisburg on Walnut Street. Like all the other Vietnamese restaurants around Harrisburg, Rose’s isn’t much to look at once inside. But to me it’s really not about aesthetics unless I’m paying for it, and Rose’s is anything but expensive. I went with the lemon grass grilled chicken over white rice. The wait was a little longer than expected but believe you me, it was well worth it. The chicken was really like nothing I’ve ever had before. I can honestly say I’ve never had chicken that tasted so fresh and so tender, it was incredible! It was later explained to me that the delay in receiving my food was because they only make the chicken after you order it, everything is made fresh. I can live with that for sure.

On the way out I had a short chat with Rose herself (I had to compliment the food) and she assured me that her restaurant sold the best Pho in Harrisburg so naturally I am planning a return visit. Exceptional food, I fully endorse Rose’s Vietnamese Cuisine.

Restaurant Review: Ventura House, 1100 North 3rd Street, Harrisburg

Third Street is quickly becoming my favorite eats street in Harrisburg, especially after a recent visit to Ventura House. The place is neatly tucked among random shops and foreclosed buildings so it’s a little hard to spot, but what really caught my attention was the store window that read “Jamaican – Chinese – American Buffet.” Now personally the “buffet” part of that title would be enough to sell me on at least one visit, but throw in the random combination of both Jamaican and Chinese ethnic cuisine and I’m back for lunch that day.

I parked in front of a run down building I believe is being remodeled by the City to be the Midtown Arts Center and wandered into this curious combination of ethnic cuisine called the Ventura House. The inside is plain, but nice, and the woman behind the counter was quite friendly. I paid a measly $6.50 up front for a pretty nice sized buffet table and went to work on lunch. The thing I noticed first was that the buffet seemed to be made up entirely of meat – how delightful. I didn’t notice any labels on the items so I just decided to try everything (twice) and believe me, it was well worth the $6.50. Everything I tried was delicious, the meat so tender it just fell of the bones, and the variety of curry, jerk, and breaded chicken was really a treat. I wasn’t exactly sure before from just passing by the place how well suited a buffet would be to both Jamaican and Chinese food in addition to American cuisine. I stand corrected; the variety and quality of food was amazing, and I’ll definitely be going back.

Upcoming Event: Dauphin County’s Blues and Wine Festival – Saturday, May 31st

Just noticed this event and thought it looked like a great time – blues and wine – what a combo. The event will take place at the Fort Hunter Mansion & Park on May 31st from 1-9pm. I’ve heard of a number of events taking place at Fort Hunter but have yet to make it to one. This however is just too good to pass up. Here’s a little blurb from the Dauphin County website:

“Dauphin County and the Blues Society of Central Pennsylvania bring together national blues recording artists, some of Central Pennsylvania’s top wineries and a fine assortment of delicious foods for an evening of pure blues delight. Gates open at 12 noon.

Enjoy the vibes of Acoustic Stew, Don Johnson Project, Big Tubba Mista, Krypton City Blues, Kelly Bell Band, Big Jack Johnson and the Cornlickers. Big Jack Johnson is a true master of contemporary Delta blues, named “Best Live Performer” in The Living Blues magazine’s “Critic’s Poll” and winner of the 1997 W.C. Handy Award for his MC Records release, “We Got to Stop This Killin.” His is raw, powerful, electric Delta blues at its very best. “

Tickets for the event are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Tickets are available at Dauphin County Parks and Recreation; Whitaker Center at 717-214-ARTS; Whitaker Center Box Office at 222 Market St., Harrisburg, www.whitakercenter.org;, Mr. Mike’s Records, 27 S. Third St., 234-3181; and Dale’s Drum Shop, 4440 Fritchey St., 652-2466.

Upcoming Event: Harrisburg Young Professionals 10th Annual City Living Tour and Block Party – Saturday, May 17th

Without a doubt, the home tour and block party is one of HYP’s premier events, and trust me – you will get your money’s worth with this one! Starting at 2pm, tour a number of beautiful downtown homes while sampling food from Harrisburg’s finest restaurants. Following the home tours at 5pm, HYP kicks off their annual block party with unlimited food, drink, and fun. Local bands Sabrina Duke and The Chuck Britton Project will provide the entertainment taking place at 222 N. 3rd Street (Vartan parking lot).

All this for $15! ($20 at the door) And the best part is, ticket proceeds go to HYP’s Harrisburg University Scholarship fund. Go to HYP.org to buy tickets online and get ready for an absolutely incredible time. You are sure to be impressed with Harrisburg’s downtown homes, enjoy exceptional cuisine, and meet a host of new people at the 10th Annual City Living Tour and Block Party – see you there!

Innovation Transfer Network Awards $127,000 in Grants to Connect Local Faculty to Private Sector Companies

The Innovation Transfer Network (ITN), a partnership among 13 institutions of higher education in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster and Lebanon counties, provides business assistance, technology assessment, and this year a total of $127,000 in seed funding for technology transfer activities. Specifically, the seed grants provide up to $10,000 to educational institutions to encourage further development of projects that are close to commercialization. The process is competitive and preference is given to those projects that involve a private sector partner. This year the program received the most applications of any year, and 12 of the 14 projects chosen for funding had private sector relationships.

Funded projects include a reversible vas deferens occlusion device, a human skin color sensor, and an automobile battery saving bypass circuit to name a few. To view all 14 funded projects check out www.InnovationTransferNetwork.org.

The Innovation Transfer Network is a regional collaborative linking higher education institutions, economic development organizations and private sector business in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster and Lebanon counties.

Upcoming Event – Hershey Center for Applied Research Official Launch of KnowledgeMesh™

Wednesday, May 14th, 10am-noon at the Hershey Center for Applied Research, HCAR will launch its cutting-edge social networking/scientific mapping online community called KnowledgeMesh™. Simon Revell, Manager of Enterprise 2.0 Technology Development at Pfizer will be the keynote speaker for this exciting event. There is no cost to attend the event, but registration is required. Click here to register.

What is KnowledgeMesh™? The online application is designed to advance R&D in the life sciences and high technology sectors through quality interactions between industry, academia, government, investors, workforce and support organizations that are located around the globe. Through KnowledgeMesh™ the research park is positioning itself as a ‘concierge’ to the business services and scientific resources provided by these various communities and as a result, is helping to develop mutually beneficial opportunities among and between these constituencies. Everyone has something to contribute to HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ regardless of your expertise, so establish your profile and get connected today!

Like Sushi? Join the Central PA Sushi Meetup Group!

After I stumbled upon this group on Meetup.com I immediately had to help get the word out. What a great way to meet new people and enjoy some incredible cuisine! The group has over 100 members (and growing) and has already planned a few meetups at local sushi spots – the last of which had 44 people in attendance! The group does maintain a blog if you’d like to read up on them, and they are planning their next meetup at Miyako Sushi in downtown Harrisburg on May 16th. They anticipate increasing the number of meetups hosted in order to accommodate the large interest, so expect to see more sushi meetups in the near future.