Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, is not at the shore. Instead, it is a small borough in north-central Pennsylvania close to where the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains join. One thing central Pennsylvania has plenty of is land, and there are four municipal golf courses within a 20-mile radius of town. Dining out in Jersey Shore is not a big-city experience, but it is an experience. Fast food has come to town, but a trio of old standards makes dinner in Jersey Shore a blast from the past.
Gamble Farm Inn
The Gamble Farm Inn is, as the name suggests, a sprawling farmhouse complete with lawns and shade trees. Inside, there are several dining rooms, all with different looks. These include a quilt room and a sun porch dining room as well as the more formal dining room. This makes the Gamble Inn a favorite among locals for special events. The pub menu at the Gamble Farm Inn holds no surprises except price if you're fresh off the cross-town limo. There are mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, sandwiches and a nice selection of burgers.
In the dining rooms the menu gets ramped up a bit. Starters include crab bisque and among the entrees are broiled haddock with a shrimp and crab cream sauce and boneless duck breast with a strawberry Grand Marnier glaze.
Gamble Farm Inn
311 North Main St.
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
(570) 398-1981
gamblefarminn.com
Santino's Italian Cuisine
Santino Cracchiolo, owner of Santino's Italian Cuisine, was born in Polermo, Italy, and says he has been in the restaurant business since childhood. His restaurant is everything you would expect an old-time Italian American Restaurant to be. Above the booths in the informal dining room are murals of Italy framed by brick arches. The slightly more formal dining room and bar area look much as they must have a generation ago.
There are no fewer than six veal dishes on the dinner menu, and chicken is done in eight ways, including milanese with marinara, piccata with lemon and capers and Marsala. For regulars, there is a revolving "specials" menu for both lunch and dinner so everyone knows if it's Tuesday night, it must be lasagna.
Santino's Italian Cuisine
100 South Main St.
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
(570) 398-4484
santinosjs.com
Tiadaghton Inn
The giant gabled stone and brick Tiadaghton Inn holds as friendly a neighborhood bar as you will find anywhere. Stop in for a beer and a basket of breaded cauliflower, mushrooms and jalapeno poppers. There is a 1 lb. cheeseburger on the menu and cheeseburgers for mere mortals as well. This is a chill-out restaurant, so sit back in your captain's chair and and watch some TV sports, or come on a Tuesday or Thursday night to get in on some friendly poker action. Dig into the Tia's black diamond steak salad, down a few glasses of Merlot and rub your eyes in happy amazement when you see the bill.
Tiadaghton Inn
1120 Allegheny St.
Jersey Shore, PA
(570) 398 7474
taidaghtoninn.com
About The Author
Lois Lawrence is an attorney and freelance writer living and working in Stonington, Conn. She has written on many subjects including travel, food, consumerism, relationships, insurance and law. Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1976, and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1979.
