A new Indian restaurant, Taj Palace, has opened across from the Capitol complex on Walnut Street, in the former home of Violets/Italian-American Club/Sophia-405 Jazz.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to give it a try next week, but signs advertise buffet-style options for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, in addition to a regular menu.
Taj Palace
403 Walnut St.
Harrisburg, PA
717-236-3980
See the City's news release below.
The Mantis Collective, which closed up its North Street gallery at the end of 2007, plans to reopen a temporary new home at Albert Michaels in Midtown Harrisburg.
The "new" Mantis will kick off with a group exhibit from 8-10 p.m. on Saturday, June 28.
Albert Michaels is located at 214 Verbeke Street between Second and Third streets in Midtown Harrisburg.
Andrew Guth and Tara Chickey, Mantis' founders, said they continue plans to find a permanent home for their gallery, but are eager to have a presence in the city once again.
During next weekend's Artsfest, be a part of it.
Volunteer with the BARAK Mural Arts Program, a youth-centered arts education and community revitalization program, to join professional muralist Brett Greiman and other local artists to create a new piece of outdoor art that will be installed at a site in Harrisburg.
Volunteers are needed to help in the following areas:
- assist professional artist with various needs
- assist painters on the mural
- collect money
- orchestrate painters through the process
Available volunteer slots are on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
9-11 a.m.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
1-3 p.m.
3-5 p.m.
5-7 p.m.
Interested volunteers can contact Jill Osielski or call 717-649-1830 with their interest and availability.
My favorite late-night snack is back! PD's Pretzel Dogs, which I've raved about previously, will return to downtown Harrisburg on Friday, May 9.
Its new home will be in front of the State Cafe, 322 N. Second St., serving delicious dogs-in-dough Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
OK - I doubt I will ever use this feature because, as many of you know, I love grocery shopping in a serious way. My trips to Giant last around the 90 minute mark, and I enjoy nearly every moment, bopping along with my iPod in my ears, coupons at the ready and an eye for Bonus Buys.
But if you dislike the chore, hate weaving your cart through aisles packed with people examining every item on the shelf or don't really like leaving home - you no longer have to.
Giant now offers "Shop from Home." Read on for more.
Phew. Now that all that primary hoopla is behind us, it's time to get back to action. Here's the scoop for the rest of the week.
There's all kinds of stuff going on this weekend, so plan accordingly.
Friends of Midtown's annual spring clean-up is schedule for Saturday, April 26.
Details follow in the release below.
If you're a resident of Midtown or simply care about keeping Harrisburg beautiful, sign-up or simply show up at 9 a.m. at the Broad Street Market central courtyard.
For more information, e-mail the Beautification Committee.
Want to join Friends of Midtown? Click here.
Not on our mailing list? Sign up on here. (See bottom of left panel.)
Carmella's Trattoria - among its many other changes (read more in next week's column) - has gone nonsmoking, effective today, Kick Butts Day.
Previously, smoking was only permitted in the bar and not in the dining area.
With the showers comes plenty of events. Clearly, we all have spring fever!
Well, the buzz abounds.
Level 2, Cafe Fresco's soon-to-be cooler cousin (or second floor) is slated to open on May 1. A website has launched to promote the club, which is being teased as "nightlife redefined."
For more info, or to be on top of the buzz, sign-up for their newsletter - and look for more details by the end of the month.
*UPDATE* - Level 2 will open to the public on May 16.
That's right, it's the weekend round-up. Before I head out to glorious Elk County this weekend, I wanted to leave you with some thoughts.
In today's column, I mentioned a recipe for Dawson Flinchbaugh's Chocolate Lasagna, as tasted at The Cooking School at Giant last Tuesday.
Chocolate Lasagna
Ingredients:
Mark this one on your calendars - Friday, April 11 at Tröegs Brewing Company.
I got an iPod nano (silver). Many of you may recall my resistance to acquiring this magical musical device - and I am still concerned about having an elliptical-related accident or breaking out into a song-and-dance number like an Ally McBeal episode.
I've also realized that this small possession is just a gateway to more purchases. I now need new earphones (seriously, who can wear these things?), some sort of skin or case to hold the contraption and, of course, music.
Fortunately, I have a rather big music collection I intend to slowly move onto the iPod. I'm going to try not to spend my paycheck at iTunes.com.
The FireHouse Restaurant will go 100 percent nonsmoking next Thursday, March 20, to commemorate the first day of spring. Smoking will no longer be permitted on the first two levels after March 20. I have heard rumor, however, that smoking will still be allowed on the third floor during special events.
Raise your hand if you're relieved it's Friday. Okay, put them down.
I'm not touching the you-know-what festivities - Alexis covered a sampling yesterday - but really, go find an Irish bar or a bar with an Irish spirit - And don't forget to nourish! As for the weekend, let's see what the fine folks of "central" PA have in store for you.
I'm not sure what the rest of you are up to, but while I'm at the luxurious Hotel Hershey this weekend, here's what is going on around town:
After a month-long vacation, La Kasbah has reopened. Being very close to my home, this makes me very happy. After a cold, blustery walk home, a bowl of harira and a small loaf of French bread is a great fix to warm me up after work.
Kasbah is now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays.
Also, new entrees and tapas have been added to the menu! Stop by and check out Chicken A L'Orange, shrimp skewers, garlic hummus and more.
Kasbah has received consistently high ratings from DineOutHarrisburg and the posters on Pennlive Forums. Please stop in and try Midtown Harrisburg's Moroccan cuisine. BYOB. 717-909-4898.
Any reason why this week seemed nearly never-ending? I'm kicking off the weekend right with an informal Leap Day beer tasting with the girls at my place, then finishing on Sunday with my first trip to the Climbnasium. Here's a roundup of some other hot stops:
