Tono Architects

On December 17^th, TONO held it’s annual Christmas Party. This year the location of this auspicious occasion was at Lily’s on Main in Ephrata. The Christmas party is always a great time to share good food and conversation as a family rather than co-workers. We get to hear how the families are doing and share funny stories about the kids. It is also a time to reflect on the past year, and how blessed we are as a firm, and how awesome our boss is (not a suck up, he is awesome).

All the conversations come to a quick end when the food comes to the table. I must say we are a family of food lovers. We enjoy food almost as much as architecture. Lily’s is a truly pleasant and welcomed surprise when it comes to a dining experience. The atmosphere is fun but elegant. The staff is courteous and helpful, and the food is excellent. There are so many items on their menu it is easy to please any palette. Fresh salads are great starters. You could even start with their famous Baked Tomato Soup, or just have both. The entrées are enticing in their description as well as their presentation when they arrive at the table.  The dessert tray is also covered in a blissful presence of goodness. Every item on the tray is calling out to be eaten.

In all, the evening at Lily’s was a home run on all aspects of the dining experience. If you want to enjoy a great dinner that includes a great meal, great serving staff, and a great atmosphere without going to the big city, Lily’s is one such place.

-Dave

Being in architecture for as long as I have been (24 years), it has given me a great appreciation for artistic expression in many forms. One of my favorite is food. Yes, you heard me correctly, food. Now when you think of most food you really don’t have any vision of artistic expression. But several years ago a friend of mine asked if my wife and I would like to go on a dinner excursion to NYC. We sat in the kitchen of this very nice restaurant which was run by Gordon Ramsey. Well I can tell you, after that experience I have a totally new look at food in both presentation and ingredients. Since then, my wife and I as well as my daughter, have gone to many local restaurants in search of an artistic flair presented in the food, and we have found a few.
But with this in mind, my daughter had never experienced the place where the search all started. My wife and I had been telling her since the first experience how both unusual and wonderful that experience was. And we had even gone back with our good friends, this time to Maze which is a more casual dining experience with a similar menu, and confirmed it all again.
So my wife and I felt it was time to have our daughter experience this firsthand before heading back to college. So we made the reservation for lunch on Friday, August 20. We took a day trip to NYC with our daughter. When we got to Maze, she was intrigued by the interior design and architecture, but what we came for and received was artistic wonderfulness. Their menu had a dozen a la-carte items which were either an appetizer or entrée. So we used a pick three option, each selecting three different items. We were not disappointed. I will not go into detail on all the items, but will talk about our favorites. My wife truly enjoyed the Marinated beetroot and ricotta appetizer with pine nuts and Cabernet Sauvignon dressing. My daughters favorite was a pan seared Salmon with butternut squash, gnocchi and a brown butter vinaigrette. My favorite was the Tortellini of beef short rib, escarole, trompette royale and dashi. We shared each dish and after that we each picked a dessert. Chocolate pudding with stout ice cream, pretzel and peanut butter powder, Chocolate fondant and green cardamom caramel with sea salt and almond ice cream, and Vanilla custard with strawberries and others fruits with a strawberry sorbet. Everything was wonderful, with beauty both visually and in taste.

Next time you are out dining, maybe this will give you a new appreciation for the artist who lives in the kitchen. Unless of course you’re at a fast food joint.

-Dave

This is our first blog in the Food For Thought category.  Members of Team TONO are free to discuss local and regional restaurants they visit, personal recipes, interesting menus and our TONO lunch outings.  There is no better way to start this off then to let everyone know of one of our favorite local lunch spots, Senorita Burrita.  Located at 227 N. Prince Street in downtown Lancaster, Senorita Burrita is a cafe that features California style burritos, nachos, tacos, salads and more.  Jen Foster, the owner, has been a friend and a client of TONO Architects.  TONO worked on the metal facade treatment and front entry ramp and floor plan renovations for Jen to help make her restaurant a reality.  TONO even has a namesake item on the menu, the Burrito TONO!  From my own experience, the burritos are like none other in their incredible unique flavor.  The California mission style burritos are a premium tortilla (rosemary olive oil, sun dried tomato, roasted red pepper and more), beef, chicken or meatless, flavored rice and bean mixtures of your choice together with fresh lettuce and authentic salsas, guacamole or jalapeno garlic sauce folded together with cheeses and sour cream into what can best be described as a ‘pounder plus’ burrito bomb!  Eating this masterpiece should not be taken lightly as a learned skill must be utilized to keep the burrito intact.  This may take a visit or two but the skill is easily learned and the knowledge passed on to the newbies.  The layered flavors of the food at Senorita Burrita are unbelievable and complex.  Head downtown, visit Jen and ask for the Burrito TONO!