Duffy's, Take Two: The Boalsburger!

Yet another entry in the unfolding adventures: "GirlWithACamera eats her way through the best restaurants in central Pennsylvania."  :-)

I am a lover of good food. And so are my friends. I have a small gang of old friends who get together for lunch about once a month. We like to go someplace nice and catch up on what's new in our lives.

About two months ago, we visited Duffy's Tavern in Boalsburg, and I posted a photo here of the lovely French onion soup and house salad with ranch that I ate on that day. A few of us could not make it that time, so we decided to go back to Duffy's on one of our next outings. And so on this day, we did.

I had such a good experience the last time we were there that I decided to branch out and try something new. In all of the years I've been visiting Duffy's, I've never tried one of their famous burgers. And so I decided to choose between the Duffyburger (burger with American cheese and caramelized onions) and the Boalsburger (burger with mozzarella, American cheese, bacon, and mushrooms). In the end, I selected the latter.

It came with a side of cole slaw, and I want to tell you first how fussy I am about cole slaw. I don't like most cole slaw. The cole slaw I do like, I tend to get passionate about. I can enumerate on one hand the truly GREAT cole slaw I've had in the past 10 years: Kentucky Fried Chicken (which, alas, we no longer have in our town), the cole slaw at Harrison's in State College as it was in the early years, and the heavenly cole slaw that is served in massive quantities with the fried fish special at the Dutch Haven restaurant in Lock Haven (for me, this last one is the Holy Grail of cole slaws, no offense intended).

I am here to tell you that I am adding this cole slaw to the list. It was cool and creamy and the slaw was perfectly crisp. There was not too much carrot in it. It was not too sweet. It was not too salty. It was not too vinegary. It was delectable. I ate every bite and I could have eaten more.

Their French onion soup, I've rhapsodized about here before. It is always flavorful and delicious, with the onions just the right texture of "done-ness." It is the only place in the Centre region I know of that can compete with the French onion soup at the Corner Room. Yes, it's that good. (Do you note the slightly browned, melted cheese cascading down the outside of the cup? I save that till last, when I peel that crispy goodness off and eat it by hand. Yum!)

And the burger? Well, let me tell you right now that I am funny about pickles. If I am eating a pickle, it has to be nice and crisp and chilly. I do not want a pickle (or lettuce, or tomatoes, for that matter) to be WARM. I do not like it one bit. So you can appreciate how happy I was to have my burger plate handed to me and discover the veggies to the right on their own, nice and chilly, as God intended.

As you might guess, back in the old days, while I did not appreciate the extra packaging that it required, I adored that "keep the hot side hot and the cold side cold" thing that McDonald's used to do with its McDLT. (Just for fun, watch the original McDLT commercial.)

Before eating this big burger (which, yes, was JUST as big and delicious looking as photos of it I have seen in advertising), you have to assemble it. You slap that right side stuff on top of the left side stuff. And then you squash it down, because even though I probably do have a big mouth (at least on occasion - ask my little sister), it is still WAY too tall to fit inside.

So you squash it down, and then if you're like me, and you understand immediately that the burger is too big to consume in one sitting, you slice it in half right down the middle and you stick the one half in a container you've brought "just in case." (Guess who has a half a burger left for lunch on Friday? THIS GIRL! *high five!*)

I did not yet mention the decor and ambience, but I talked about some of that when I posted the prior Duffy's lunch photo. The tavern was built in 1819, and originally served as a stagecoach stop. The interior is decorated with antiques and collectibles. Fascinating stuff. I could just wander around taking pictures. And even better, we had a whole room to ourselves!

Our server admitted that he was brand new. He told us we were just the third table he had waited on. You would never guess it from the level of service we received. My water glass was never empty. Empty plates never sat in front of any of us for more than a minute or two. He was prompt and courteous and attentive. I hope everyone tipped him well; I know I did.

And then we paid our bills and walked out into the sunshine of what was one of the most perfectly beautiful May days I have ever seen in my life. It was chilly in the morning and warmer in the afternoon. Skies were blue. There was wall-to-wall sunshine. It was a day that made you feel glad to have been born.

And as we walked out the front door, one of the ladies in our group said she was downsizing and doing some cleaning out at home, and she had a few things to give away. Her car was parked just across the road from Duffy's, and in seconds, we must have looked like we were having our own yard sale! Serving trays! Huge suitcases! Tote bags! Each of us left with something new.

On this morning, I had been out at dawn gathering monarda plants from my butterfly garden to give to one of my friends I knew I would see at lunch. So just after our lunch date, there stood my one friend, right in the middle of the street, clutching a huge red suitcase in one hand and a bagful of monarda in the other.

We stood and laughed and laughed at each other: ladies, going places! Whatever the world deals us (and sometimes, as you know, it deals you plenty), we are always happy when we are together.

The song to accompany this image of the luscious Boalsburger is one I've been waiting to use for a long time. And now is my big opportunity! The song is Jimmy Buffett, with Cheeseburger in Paradise.  :-)