Restaurant Roundup: Hot Spice Challenge, winter features, win cheesecake for a year
Dec. 5, 2019
Urban Chislic’s annual Hot Spice Challenge is Saturday, and more than 30 people have signed up already. “It’s not just eating peppers,” said co-owner Hong Phrommany, who plans to tackle the challenge himself. “A lot of thought went into this. It’s a course of about six dishes. It will start out pretty hot and progressively gets hotter and hotter.” The first dish likely will be a spicy chip, and, by the end, the challengers will tackle a small bowl of chislic with some of the restaurant’s spiciest sauces made with Carolina Reaper peppers ramped up even hotter, Phrommany said. The event starts at noon with check-in. Those who want to tackle the free challenge can still sign up. Details are available on the Facebook event page.
Tears are streaming down Jim Dunham’s face during last year’s challenge, which he completed before anyone else.
Roam Kitchen + Bar has introduced holiday specials that will be available this month. There’s a Winter Salad with ruby red grapefruit, pomegranate, jicama, frisee and endive with a grapefruit vinaigrette. The entrée is a braised lamb shank served with garlic whipped potatoes, broccolini and marjoram aioli. For dessert, there’s a chocolate pot de crème that’s gluten-free.
New winter features are on the menu at the Phillips Avenue Diner. Options include a winter salad with romaine, bacon, green apple, red onion and pecans with a maple mustard dressing. Entrees include cinnamon french toast, chicken alfredo, the Hot Pig Burger and the Big Beef sandwich. The featured milk shake is the Pick Me Up with espresso syrup, lady fingers, Heath candy bar chunks and whipped cream.
Intoxibakes has added another retail location where customers can find its alcohol-infused cupcakes. The downtown bakery’s most recent delivery to the new WilLiquors superstore includes cupcakes made with Lupulin Brewing’s Apricot Blonde, Javatized and Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, and a few other flavors. The cupcakes come in six-pack minis or four-pack regulars.
Twisted Sisters Sweets, a home-based bakery, has created paint-your-own gingerbread houses for the holiday season. The kit is $30. There also is a paint-your-own-cookies kit, which is $25 for a dozen. A box that includes a dozen cookies and icing to decorate them is $28.
Flyboy Donuts is looking for “donut delivery angels” to help deliver leftover doughnuts at the end of the day to organizations that serve those in need. Volunteers can sign up for slots to deliver three dozen doughnuts for free to the charity of their choice or let Flyboy pick the location. Learn more and sign up here.
Get a chance to win free cheesecake for a year at Saturday’s grand-opening celebration for Cheesecakez & More. The bakery moved in recently with the Smallcakes Cupcakery & Creamery location at Lake Lorraine. Customers who make a purchase will be entered into a drawing. Owner Tiffany Taylor will make one 6-inch cheesecake every month for the winner in the person’s choice of flavor. Saturday’s celebration includes a free mini cheesecake with every $10 purchase. Kids can compete in a coloring contest, and Santa will be there from 2 to 4 p.m. The bakery will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Agua Fresh is hosting a class Saturday night to teach cooks how to make a Christmas menu of raw gourmet dishes. Raw chef Emily Wilson, who studied at the Healing Food Academy in Indonesia under raw chef Sayuri Tanaka, will show participants how to make rosemary cranberry corn bread with fig jam, sweet potato coconut soup with sweet onion crackers, holiday pizza with a cauliflower crust and chocolate peppermint truffles. The class will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the restaurant, 101 S. Phillips Ave. Tickets are $50 and include dinner and a glass of wine. Register at aguafreshfood.com.
Harrisburgers in Harrisburg has decided to open again on Sundays. Hours are 11a.m. to 7 p.m.
Here are other recent restaurant updates.
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