TASTE THIS

TASTE THIS! It’s Friday. What’s for lunch?

Harrisburg Magazine staffers still think Friday is the best day of the week. Why? Because we know that lunchtime will be special. It’s the time we can relax and put our editorial taste buds to work by sampling items from local restaurants and offering our candid reviews in return. We’re still practicing social distancing and wearing our masks, and we’re just as hungry as ever. We look forward to sampling what’s out there look forward to accurately conveying the taste, texture, smell and presentation of the food items before us for our readers.

While we started out with three local eateries—Soul House Café, Hong Kong Ruby and Market Street Deli, we’re proud to state that in all, fourteen local eateries have become part of Taste This! We would like to thank them for allowing us the opportunity to sample real food instead of relying on our brown bag lunches from home.

If your eatery would like to be featured in Harrisburg Magazine then reach out to us. Contact your sales representative directly, call the main office at 717-233-0109, or contact Jackie Goodwin, editor, at jgoodwin@harrisburgmagazine.com.

AROOGA’S GRILLE HOUSE & SPORTS BAR

Arooga's Grille House & Sports Bar is an innovative full-service casual restaurant and bar with a sports and entertainment focus that combines exceptional food and beverages. Arooga’s has a diverse menu featuring fresh, made to order items created with high quality ingredients, which includes many organic and gluten free options, and not to mention their Buffalo Wing Festival award-winning wings. The equally impressive bar features handcrafted cocktails made with real fruit juices and premium spirits and 44 beers on draft including national and local craft favorites. 4301 Linglestown Rd, Harrisburg, PA 17112 (717) 909-9464 www.aroogas.com/aroogas-rt-39

HERE’S WHAT WE SAY ABOUT AROOGA’S “Arooga’s provided us with a delicious lunch. They went above and beyond with the variety of selections. I really loved the crab pretzel!” —JoAnn Shover, Account Executive

“Wow. What a feast! The ham filled Stromboli was delicious. The crust was so flaky and buttery. I loved the wings. They had just the right amount of heat and a great juxtaposition with the mild faux wings. Also loved the crab pretzel.” —Christina Heintzelman, Director of Operations

“I absolutely loved those wings. Never had wings like this before. Unbelievable taste. So flavorful. I loved the crab pretzel. It was so creamy with great crab flavor. Loved everything!” —Mike Jurosky, Director of Sales and Marketing

“Thank you Arooga’s for the great lunch. Everything was delicious. I loved the wings. Fantastic flavor. The crab pretzel was also delicious.” —Darwin Oordt, President/CEO

“The wings were fantastic. Cooked to perfection. I also thought the crab pretzel was out of this world.” —Jackie Goodwin, Editor

ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL ITALIAN RESTAURANT

The popular chain translates mom-and-pop Italian into a slick production. With its Italian flag color scheme and strings of lightbulbs illuminating the lively scene, it's a place where delicious pastas, thin-crusted pizzas, and veal, shrimp and chicken dishes are served. It’s also a place where you can get small plate selections along with vino! The restaurant features an open kitchen that allows guests to see its fresh ingredients and preparation techniques in a causal atmosphere. The Shoppes at Susquehanna Marketplace 2531 Brindle Dr, Harrisburg, PA 17110 (717) 671-4945 www.macaronigrill.com

HERE’S WHAT WE SAY ABOUT ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL ITALIAN RESTAURANT “Macaroni Grill is the best! Oh my goodness gracious it was all so good. I loved the macaroni bites, penne, chicken parmesan and the Fettuccine Alfredo. Everything was cooked to perfection. I will definitely be eating there soon.” —Laura Reich, Graphic Designer

“The chicken parmesan was amazing. The chicken was very tender and the sauce was tasty but not too heavy. I also loved the Tiramisu. Just the right combination of coffee and mascarpone.” —Christina Heintzelman, Director of Operations

“The penne pasta was very, very good. I loved the flavorful sauce and loved the combination of chicken, shrimp, and rosemary sauce. The chicken parmesan was cooked perfectly. Everything was amazing.” “I love Italian food and Macaroni Grill did not disappoint. All the pasta dishes were delicious, and I especially loved the Fettuccine Alfredo.” —Darwin Oordt, President/CEO

“The chicken parmesan was very delicious. I really loved it. The penne —Mike Jurosky, Director of Sales and Marketing

pasta was well cooked to perfection. I also loved the Tiramisu. Very decadent.” —Jackie Goodwin, Editor

CAFÉ MAGNOLIA

Cafe Magnolia is an eclectic, casual and quality BYOB which is located in a 100 year-old farm house. Since 2003 it has been serving up American cuisine including salads, soups, wraps, burgers, seafood, steak and chicken. All menu items are solid options and you can’t go wrong with any entrée. The restaurant also has a number of vegan offerings on the menu, including its homemade bruschetta with avocado to Jess’s Favorite Salad, a tasty concoction of greens, strawberries, sliced almonds and poppyseed dressing. Entrees stay under $30, with many options under $20. Café Magnolia also has a dedicated outdoor patio dining area that is quite popular in warmer weather. 4700 Gettysburg Rd., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 (717) 901-9700 www.cafe-magnolia.com

HERE’S WHAT WE SAY ABOUT CAFÉ MAGNOLIA “Café Magnolia provided us with absolutely the best lunch. I enjoyed eating the delicious Magnolia wrap and Jess’s Favorite Salad was extremely flavorful.” —JoAnn Shover, Account Executive

“Everything was great! The staff kept ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ about how delicious the food was. I loved the chicken wrap, Jess’s salad and the burger. I would eat there every day if I could.” —Laura Reich, Graphic Designer

“The Marsala Salad was incredibly tasty; a great combination of chicken —Christina Heintzelman, Director of Operations

“The salad with salmon, strawberries, and poppy seed dressing was refreshing, and the salmon was well-done, flakey yet juicy.” marsala, pasta, and roasted Brussel sprouts. The Jess’s salad was incredible!”

—Jane Jurosky, (Daughter of Mike Jurosky and our guest)

“ I loved, loved, loved the Jess’s salad with its mixed greens, strawberries, almond, and poppyseed dressing. And the coconut shrimp was great. The shrimp was cooked to perfection.” —Jackie Goodwin, Editor