It's Time to Upgrade from Windows XP - Really... it is.

Look... I am not one of those "early adopters" who says "If you aren't running what just came out yesterday, you aren't current enough!"  But really, folks, you are still running Windows XP?  Yes, I'm sure you've got your reasons -- I mean, I know a lot of people felt let down by Windows Vista and it made them cling harder to Windows XP than ever before -- but that's all behind us now, isn't it?  Windows 7 is a fantastic operating system and -- despite the Metro interface Windows 8 is pretty good, too.  And even if you just can't bring yourself to use Windows 8, Windows 7 really is the best OS Microsoft has produced in every way.

So, here are some compelling reasons to ditch Windows XP and make a move.... now.

Security
Really.  This isn't a drill and it's not people running around flailing in the streets screaming that the sky is falling.  Windows XP is simply not as secure as... well any other operating system on the block.  Even if you updated it with every patch Microsoft has produced, you are still far more vulnerable than anyone else to hackers, malware, viruses and bugs.  And, like it or not, if you are still running Internet Explorer for Windows XP (no matter what version) you are wide open to numerous exploits that are simply not going to be fixed by Microsoft.  Ever.  That means that your personal information may very well be wide open out there for anyone to see.  Just take a moment to consider what the Heartbleed vulnerability did -- and what that means to you as a Windows XP user.  Those things can happen at any time -- and Windows XP and Internet Explorer for XP will no longer be updated to fix them.

Compatibility
Everything from newer software to hardware to plug-ins will no longer be developed to work with Windows XP.  You will, at some point, buy a printer that will not work with Windows XP.  And Microsoft Office versions after Office 2010 do not run on XP properly.  If you really like Internet Explorer, you'll need to upgrade Windows to a newer version to run the most secure and compatible version of the browser.  For the time being, cloud storage like Google Drive, DropBox, Box, OneDrive etc, all still support Windows XP client - but that will eventually go away.  And 802.11ac wireless will not be supported in Windows XP... these are just the easy ones, there are more I'm certain.

Cost
It may seem counter-intuitive to say that spending money on a new operating system and/or new computer will save you money... but in reality it is true.  Just the time you will save in the operational efficiencies make it worth it, but that's not all.  The time and money you will save not hunting down drivers written by some guy in his basement to make that new thing you just bought work -- and then it doesn't really work... you'll probably not pull your hair out as much too.  And the faster machine in and of itself will make you work better, faster and smarter.

It is worth mentioning that you may be running Windows XP because you have an old piece of software or hardware that does not run in Windows 7 or 8.  That is possible.  However, there is no one piece of software that cannot be replaced in exchange for keeping your data safe and secure.

Don't like Windows 8?  Consider an Apple.  They aren't as incompatible as they used to be...

And here's some real, tangible reasons to ditch Windows XP:
https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/2914486
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/vulnerability.jsp?bid=67075
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/vulnerability.jsp?bid=67092
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/landing/vulnerabilities.jsp




Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Ghost Hunting on your iPad, Android or Windows device? YES!

Here's something neat to add to the list of "useful" things your iPhone, Windows Phone and/or Android device can do -- GHOST HUNTING!

Spud Pickles has a "suite" of Ghost Hunting apps called Ghost Radar: Classic, Ghost Radar: Legacy and Ghost Radar: Connect.  They also have an app called Ghost Radar: Tour that is the official Ghost Tour app of the Augusta Ghost Trolley -- very cool!
Some of these are free, some are not...


Ghost Radar: Classic
Price: Free
Ghost Radar® is the original portable application designed to detect paranormal activity for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPads. Ghost Radar attempts to detect paranormal activity by using various sensors on the device on which it is running. Like traditional paranormal detecting equipment, Ghost Radar has many sensors available to it on mobile devices. However, traditional paranormal equipment can be easily fooled when simple mundane bursts of normal energy occur. Ghost Radar sets itself apart by analyzing the readings from sensors giving indications only when interesting patterns in the readings have been made.

Ghost Radar: Classic is the original. Don’t go for knock-offs and copycats, this is the original and best free ghost detection app.  If you want the newest/coolest versions, you'll have to opt for the pay versions of Ghost Radar: Legacy, and Ghost Radar: Connect.

Ghost Radar: Legacy
Price: $0.99Ghost Radar is a portable application designed to detect paranormal activity. Currently supported portable devices include the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Phone 7 devices. Ghost Radar attempts to detect paranormal activity by using various sensors on the device on which it is running. Like traditional paranormal detecting equipment, Ghost Radar has many sensors available to it on mobile devices. However, traditional paranormal equipment can be easily fooled when simple mundane bursts of normal energy occur. Ghost Radar sets itself apart by analyzing the readings from sensors giving indications only when interesting patterns in the readings have been made.

Ghost Radar: Connect
Price: $1.99The newest Ghost Radar app gives you all the great features, detection, and control of the previous apps, with some awesome new enhancements. Ghost Radar: Connect allows you to record more of your findings, and share them with your friends, all while maintaining the familiar features of previous Ghost Radar apps.

So - if you are interested in some ghost hunting, check out these apps and take a walk around.  You might be surprised at what you find - especially if you teach in one of those nifty, old, historic schools!

Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Put the Web to work in your American History Classroom!

Here's a little secret.  I'm a huge history geek.  And while I geek for just about anything historical, my interest is particularly piqued when we are talking about American history.  Civil War, World War II, Grand Canyon, Native Americans, Westward Movement.. yup... all of it... including the American Revolution.

Enter the American Revolution Center's online presence.  This website has a very cool interactive timeline about this time period in U.S. history.  The timeline itself features an easily navigated combination of interactive text and images.  Click on any event to view

information regarding that particular event.  Select an  image of an artifact on the timeline to see an enlarged version of that artifact as well as a description of the item, and in some instances, a video about the object will also be available.

The American Revolution interactive timeline is a great visual that can be utilized as an introduction and/or a review of this topic of study.  And timelines are really great teaching tools, one could challenge students to do their own with my favorite timeline site: Timetoast.

Additionally, the website includes a plethora or GREAT lesson plans to perk up ANY classroom!

Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

#SampleSunday from The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel

Today I have a sample from The Insider's Story, the second book in the Lance Carter Detective series!  Pick it up today and catch up with Lance and Linc Diesel!

	The Insider's Story is available via:  Paperback  Amazon Kindle  B&N Nook  Sony (Smashwords)  Audiobook

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          At the end of the block was a playground with a basketball court and six goals and, beyond the court, a softball field with a shallow outfield.  A few teenaged guys were on the court and a guy in his early thirties was running wind sprints in the outfield.  I watched him race from second base to the far edge of the outfield, then walk back, then doing it all again.  A row of tall elms stood sentry along the far perimeter of the outfield, then there was another street and more houses.  There were kids playing on the playground.  This is a family park.  Not a drug dealer park.

         A white Good Humor ice cream truck was parked at the curb in the shade of one of the elms and a tall guy in a Malcolm X hat was leaning against it with his arms crossed, watching the sprinter.  He didn't look interested in selling ice cream.

         James Edward Stone said, “That's our guy.”

         We turned away from the park, made the block and came back to a side street that gave an unobstructed view of the basketball players, the outfield and the ice cream truck on the far street.  I parked on the side street so we'd have an easy, eyes-forward view and then I shut the engine.  If the neighbors saw us sitting there, maybe they'd think we were scouting for the NBA.

         “This used to be called Northeast Park.”  I said plainly. 

         “What?”  Stone responded like I’d slapped him in the back of the head.

         “1825 they renamed it Franklin Square in honor of Benjamin Franklin himself.”

         “What are you?  The History Channel?”

         “Was a big revolutionary war gun powder storage place, too.”  I smiled.  I’m sophisticated like that.

         “Next thing you’ll be telling me is they got bodied buried up in here.”  He shook his head and looked away.

         “Actually,” I looked directly at him and pointed across the car, “over there the German Reform Church had a cemetery from 1740 to 1835.  Word is they didn’t move all the bodies.” 

         James Edward Stone looked me in the eye and shook his head without saying a word.  Maybe eight or nine minutes later four guys in a white Malibu turned onto the far street, slowed to a stop and the guy with the X hat went over to them.  One of the guys in the backseat of the Malibu gave something to the X and the X gave something to the guy in the Malibu.  Then the Malibu drove away and the X went back to his leaning.  A little bit later a kid on a bike rolled up the sidewalk, jumped the curb down to the street and skidded to a stop.  The kid and the X traded something and the kid rode away.  Stone said, “Cool Mo better be giving it to us straight about those cops.”

         I pointed at the X.  “He's here, isn't he?”

         “He's here, but will the cops come and if they come are they coming because they're cops or because they're working with the Double-Deuce?”

         “That’s what we’re here to find out.  Isn’t it.”  It wasn’t a question.

         “Yes.  I guess we will.” James Edward shifted in the seat, uncomfortable, but not because of the seat.  My ride is super comfortable.  “They don't come and run this muthafucka off, maybe I'll do it my-damn-self.”

         “Maybe I'll help you.”  That was no question either.  Stone glanced at me and nodded.

         A couple of minutes later Linc Diesel came up along the sidewalk and squatted beside my window.  I said, “Linc Diesel, this is James Edward Stone.  James, this is my partner, Linc Diesel.”

         Diesel canted his head to lock onto James Edward Stone and reached in through the window.  You can't see his eyes behind the dark glasses, but it's always easy to tell where he's looking.  His whole being sort of points in one direction, as if he were totally focused on you.  James Edward took his hand, but stared at Linc’s tattoos.  Most people do when Linc is showing them off.  Today they were clear as day on his arms.  I told Diesel about the X at the ice cream truck and what Cool Mo had said about Simons's POINT team and their involvement with the Double-Deuce Gang.

         Diesel nodded.  “Frisco and his people are supposed to thump this guy?”

         James Edward said, “That's the word.”

         Diesel looked at the X.  “It's a long way across the playground to the ice cream truck.  If Frisco moves the action away from us, we've got too much ground to cover to catch up.  We might lose them.”

         I said, “Why don't you set up on that side and we'll stay here.  If Frisco moves that way, you've got them and if he moves in this direction, we've got him.”

         Diesel stared behind us up the street, then twisted around and looked at the park.  “You feel it?”

         “What?”

    Diesel shook his head.  “This doesn't feel right.”

~~~~~~~~


 Today I have a sample from The Insider's Story, the second book in the Lance Carter Detective series!  Pick it up today and catch up with Lance and Linc Diesel!

The Insider's Story is available via:  Paperback  Amazon Kindle  B&N Nook  Sony (Smashwords) Audiobook  ~~~~~ Bruce has worked in educational technology for over 18 years and has implemented several 1:1/BYOD programs.  He also has served as a classroom teacher in Computer Science, History and English classes.  Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter! Be sure to check out Bruce's Allentown Education Examiner Page, his Twitter and his Facebook!

Printing from Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) on your iPad

Microsoft’s recently released Office for iPad apps that are a part of their Office 365 ecosystem.  This is a great book for teachers and students everywhere.  But, anytime something like this is released -- we often hear as much about what it doesn't do as what it does do.  Some of the biggies are -- not being able to save or open natively from DropBox.  Well, Microsoft doesn't own DropBox... but they do own OneDrive.  So that's what they've chosen to support.  However, you can still open documents from DropBox by using the "Open In" feature within DropBox, then selecting the App (but that's another BLOG post :)).  And then there's the "you can't edit or create unless you subscribe" thing.  But, hey, that's just how it is.

One glaring omission is that lack of a native printing option from any Office application.  I love Word and Excel, but if I can't print from it when I need to -- it has limited value.  And since this is an important thing, I've found some options for you (and me)!

You can -- of course -- work on your documents and then print them from a different App.  But that seems silly.  So, here are a couple of options to print from apps like Word or Excel, that do not support printing natively:ACTPrinter (Houdah Software, $3)
ePrint (Microtech, $3)
ThinPrint Cloud Printer (Cortado, free)

You'll need to download one of these (or another similar) app.  Then open the document in question in Word or Excel.

Once open, look for the three dots at the lower right hand corner and select "Open in Another App".  Then select the appropriate app you have installed to send your document to.  The rest is handled by the app itself (as far as what printer and so on).

I can talk about the apps themselves in another BLOG post, but that's about it for now until Microsoft decides to support printing on iOS.  But, at least you can have your students creating, editing and now printing from their iPads.

*UPDATE* As of the April 29th update to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote now includes printing built-in.

Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Foodie Review: Smashburger in Radnor, PA

Smashburger
550 East Lancaster Ave
Radnor, PA

As a rule, I love a good burger place.  And in the past few years there have been a number of good burger places popping up all over the place.  They seem to sit nicely in one of three categories... you've got your Fast Food (McDonald's, Burger King etc), your Gourmet Burgers (Red Robin, Burgery) and finally your Fresh and Fast (Five Guys, Jake's Wayback, Elevation Burger) -- and in the end, Smashburger lines up in the Fresh and Fast arena.  They create a fresh burger with tasty ingredients that is fast an tasty.  This is where Smashburger stands out from their competitors.

I went in for lunch and the place was more-or-less empty.  I ordered the Big Bacon BBQ Cheeseburger with fries and a soda. The total was a little over $12.  I sat down and the food was delivered by a very friendly gentlemen a few minutes later.  My first impression of the meal was that it was a little bit small for $12.  The burger wasn't very thick and the overall look of it was closer to a Big Mac sized patty then a Quarter Pounder.  The burger was cooked just fine and it was very tasty.  The french fries were very thin -- what you'd consider matchstick fries.  They were decent.

Overall, I liked Smashburger.  I put it in the same category as Five Guys, but it just doesn't quite measure up to Five Guys.  If I had to choose, I'd do a Five Guys -- but that's not a knock on Smashburger.  And perhaps I'm making too much of the value for the money, but I really feel like for $8 I should have gotten more burger.  At Five Guys the burgers are bigger and cost less.  If I'm in the area again for lunch, I'll certainly consider making a return to Smashburger.  They don't disappoint.

Overall:
Atmosphere: 4/5 - It's a burger place.  Nice, but not fancy.
Service: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Price: 2/5
Overall: 3.5/5


Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Microsoft Office Late to the iPad Party? Apparently not...

If you think Microsoft Office was too late to the iPad party... think again.  As of April 3rd, Microsoft says that the combination of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for the iPad has eclipsed 12,000,000 downloads.  Yes.. that is six zeroes.

If you think that maybe... perhaps they are inflating those numbers all you need to do is look at the Top Free Apps in the iTunes Store.  Yup.  Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  The decision by Microsoft to make these freemium apps certainly has spurred on the "download it in case I ever need it" people to go ahead and tap that button.  That is, you can download the apps for free, and view Word, Excel and PowerPoint in them -- but not create anything.  If you want to use Word, Excel or PowerPoint to Create, Edit and Save things, you will need to pony up to Microsoft's Office 365 subscription model.  You can drop $99 for one-year and you get 5 installations of Microsoft Office 365 for Windows, 100GB OneDrive storage (you'll need it) and/or Mac plus full use of Office for the iPad.  Don't want to pay all at once?  No worries, Microsoft will let you pay monthly ($9.99/month) but you really save ($30) by paying yearly.

What does this mean for the EdTech gang and use in the classroom?  It means that finally there is an alternative to using Pages, Numbers and Keynote that is actually workable -- and usable.  The days of, "Oh, I did it in PowerPoint and it doesn't work right in Keynote" and "I have Windows... I don't know how to use Pages" are over.  The classroom has a true common platform on the iPad to use.

This is a good thing.  And if the price seems steep to you ($99), consider that if you asked students to buy Microsoft Office for your class in the past, they'd pay between $99-$149 for Microsoft Office Student Edition.  Now, they get 5 installations of Office, plus easily accessible cloud storage big enough for anything AND the iPad apps.  So, think about it that way...

Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Microsoft's Cortana vs Apple's Siri - It's On!

Since its launch as an app in 2010, Apple's Siri has been one of the "killer apps" on the iOS platform.  The voice recognition and searching capabilities have launched as many positive uses as it has negative and amusing spoofs.  I know that my kids sit and try and think of funny things to ask Siri to look for on the Internet.  Apple's audio digital assistant has quickly become the benchmark in the industry, and many of us rely on Siri to look up directions to a restaurant, find Reggie Jackson's batting average in 1980 (Siri tells me it was .300, by the way.  And his highest batting average in any single season), or to simply "Call Home".  Google and Microsoft haven't entered the fray in any meaningful way that has had any real impact that can be measured with Siri.  Yes, there is Google Now... but who do you know that actually uses it?  I guarantee you know people who use Siri on a semi-regular basis.

But now Microsoft has made a move to usurp that throne, and it might actually work.  With the release of Windows 8.1 with Cortana, Windows Phone users can finally look for restaurants, check the weather and make appointments with an anthropomorphized search engine as well.

But... which one is the one that will help you organize your life, on-track with your day and find the nearest Starbucks (with turn-by-turn directions)?

Cortana
Windows 8.1
Powered by: Bing

Sounds Like: Jen Taylor, the woman who voiced Master Chief's holographic love interest from the Halo franchise.

What it Does: Many of the same things that Siri does. It can send you reminders from your calendar, send messages, look up who won the Lakers game last night (hint: probably not the Lakers) and play music.

Cortana does have a few unique features. It stores your personal information in a "Notebook" that helps it be pro-active. For example, it has some great location aware things built-in that allow will notify you if your flight is on-time or delayed and give you suggestions regarding traffic on your to the airport for that flight.

It also has some nice personalized options. You can set "quiet hours" when only certain people are allowed to call or text you. It also lets you set reminders for specific people, so next time John contacts you, a notice will pop up saying "John owes you lunch" so you can answer the phone with, "Hey, where we going for lunch?"

Siri
iOS
Powered by: Wolfram Alpha, Bing
Sounds Like: Susan Bennett, a voice-over actor from Atlanta.

What it Does: Most people are fairly familiar with what Siri can do at this point. That includes the ability to launch apps, send a text, dictate notes and more.  It was certainly the pioneer in the market, but a couple of years and some rivals make it seem like old hat now.

How well will Cortana hold up to the every day wear and tear of a teacher keeping track of a rotating daily schedule, parent-teach conferences, homework assignments and when Starbucks is open?  The official release date for Cortana is "late April".  So we won't really know how well it works in the wild for a couple of months.  But keep in mind, Siri also has some tricks up her sleeve, including CarPlay integration, which means drivers of some 2014 Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo models will be able to bring her up with a button on their steering wheel... and that means we may see some real advances in her, too.  

Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Sands of Time Audiobook Read by Charles Prosser

Sands of Time is now available on Audio Book voiced by the talented stage actor Charles Prosser.  You can pick it up on Amazon, Apple iTunes and Audible.Com for a GREAT price ($1.99!!) right now! 

If you are looking for something new, different and thrilling to listen to in the car, at work or just sitting around the house -- you won't be disappointed!

And don't forget, it is still available in Amazon Kindle and Paperback formats, too!

"In one tragic moment, Sam Shepard's family was gone. His wife and children taken from him in a tragic accident following a bitter
argument. Sam is left alone struggling with a mountain of guilt and a chasm of grief that can only be filled with alcohol. When a young, attractive woman comes to stay at his inn, Sam thinks his luck might be changing. She brings him comfort and a kindred spirit suffering through her own loss. Is she the answer to everything he has been wrestling with for all this time? Soon after, Sam begins to have dreams about his dead wife and have hallucinations of her speaking to him. Has the alcohol finally gotten the best of him? 

With the help of his manager Natalie, his best friend Curtis and his Pastor; can Sam follow the clues that will save his future -- or will he just become another victim of The Caealitus?"

Foodie Review: A1 Japanese Steakhouse in Allentown, PA

A1 Japanese Steakhouse
3300 Lehigh Street
Allentown, PA
610-709-0998

Like most Americans, good hibachi is at the top of our list of favorite foods!  So when we came across A1 Japanese Steakhouse in an unusual strip mall location, we had to try it!  If first impressions are everything then A-1 Japanese Steak House  was a mixed bag of first impressions.... the entrance is nicely done when you consider this place is in an aging strip mall.  They kind of did the best they could with the space they had.  So kudos for that.  But when the waitress seated us in thearea surrounding the hibachi I was immediately struck by a strange odor...  the place smelled like fish.  However, a few minutes later a couple who was sitting a few feet away left and their table was cleaned off and the smell went away, so I'll attribute that to whatever they had to eat...  this is not terribly unusual for any Asian influenced restaurants that serve super-fresh food.

Initially service was a little slow, but you have to expect that when you are the first people seated at a hibachi table.  Once he table filled out and we got our order in things started rolling quickly.  Drinks were served, soup and salads were on the table within minutes.  The miso soup was very good if not great.  I finished the bowl very quickly so plus to that course!  The salad with the appropriate gingered dressing was very tasty and chilled just right.

My wife ordered avocado rolls which she enjoyed but she said could have been a little bit colder.

But now.. it was showtime!  Our hibachi grill master entered the scene.  He was courteous and pretty handy with those tools!   He quickly but with the appropriate amount of flair, prepared our food.  All in all, he was fast, friendly with the kids at the table and shared all around with some veggies here and some shrimp there.

My wife had scallops with steamed rice and it was very good.  I had chicken and steak with fried rice and the appropriate vegetables.  Everything tasted just as you think it should and was wonderful!  I can only say that my meal was not only cooked perfectly, but the portion was huge.  We left feeling very satisfied and pleased with our experience.

We will most definitely return to A-1 any time we are in the mood for a flaming good meal!

Overall:
Atmosphere: 4/5 - Everything you'd expect from a good hibachi place, loud but they are flexible about seating.
Service: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Price: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Pros: Great food, solid service, fun hibachi!
Cons: Slow to serve if you are first at the table.  In a strip mall, limited space.
Go Again: You betcha!  Best Hibachi in the area!
Bruce is the author of four books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Foodie Review: The Stoned Crab in Macungie, PA

The Stoned Crab
1905 Brookside Road
Macungie, PA 18062
610-398-8060

My wife and I dined at the Stoned Crab for our anniversary this year.  Overall it was enjoyable but largely unremarkable...  We started with a Hawaiian Mimosa (Pineapple Juice, Champagne and Vodka) which I had hoped would be a little sweeter but was OK.  

We moved on to our appetizers... I had the French Onion Soup (my favorite soup) and she had the Shrimp Cocktail.  She enjoyed her shrimp while I thought the French Onion Soup was just alright.  To be fair it was chicken based and I prefer beef based FOSoup (because that's how it is supposed to be made)... so take my "meh" to the soup with a grain of salt.  I certainly ate it all.  Then the meal moved to the salad which was... well salad.  Nothing to complain about here.  A fine Caesar Salad as salads go.

On came our entrees!  I was very excited to taste the Chesapeake Chicken and my wife ordered the Bay Sampler (or something like that, can't recall exactly what the menu said) -- it was a little bit of everything.  My wife's sampler platter was a lot smaller than she had hoped... it was scallops, shrimp and a crab cake... I thought the crab cake was another scallop if that says anything to you.  She liked the crab cake fine, really enjoyed the scallops but through the shrimp lacked any flavor at all.

My Chesapeake Chicken was a nicely grilled chicken breast with crab, hollandaise sauce (so they claim), a tomato and some Swiss cheese on top.  One would think this would be a wonderful marriage of different flavors.  But from bite one to the final bite (again, I ate it all :)) I found it (somehow) lacking in flavor.  I couldn't taste any hollandaise sauce (although I could see it) and the Swiss cheese must have been a very mild Swiss because I couldn't taste that either - although it did add a nice texture.  The crab was there and it was decent crab.  I think (my opinion here) that they should have dipped the crab in a lemon/butter mixture before topping the chicken.  Again, it was very edible but not remarkable.

The service was fantastic and the staff couldn't be nicer.  The atmosphere was a mixture of nice and strange.  We were in a "quiet" room in a corner -- which wasn't all that quiet at all.  And when we left I felt like we were walking out through waiter station... it was just a little strange.  We left stuffed and as I said, no complaints... but nothing outstanding to say either.  If someone said to us, "Hey, Let's meet at the Stoned Crab for dinner."  We would certainly go, but I'm not sure we would choose it as a dining place with other better seafood places around


Overall:
Atmosphere: 3/5 - Upscale, sort of private in a sitting in a closet kind of way, a little noisy.
Service: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Price: 2/5
Overall: 3/5

Pros: Excellent service, good but not great food.
Cons: Noisy for what you'd expect, I expected more out of the food.
Go Again: Maybe

Bruce is the author of four books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in June 2014, The Kill Commission.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!

Foodie Review: The Bally Hotel in Bally, PA

The Bally Hotel
660 Main Street
Bally, PA 19503
610-845-0100
http://www.theballyhotel.com 

Before I jump into what might be considered a review, I have to be up-front and say that my wife and I live 2 blocks from The Bally Hotel... we go there all the time. At any given time, I'm the Mayor of the Bally Hotel on Foursquare...  so with that in mind, here's my review!

We have been to The Bally Hotel dozens of times.  Being that we've been there a number of times, I'll go over some of the things we've experienced and some of the food we've eaten to give you a taste of the Hotel!

One of the great things about living in a small town like Bally is that there are places like The Bally Hotel.  Places all the locals know, places owned and operated by local folks who know the people.  They know what they like and they give it to them!  When you go to The Bally Hotel you feel like you know the people sitting at the bar, the people waiting the tables and making the food -- even if you don't.  Places like that are priceless!  It is a little noisy and not posh -- but you like being there nonetheless.

Another real big upside to the Hotel is they host really great community events.  The annual Saint Patrick's Day tradition known as Finegan's Wake is a week long celebration of everything Irish and an event you simply MUST attend at least once!  Music, coffin races, wake processional and great beer specials!  One of the newer ones is their Cars for the Cure -- which is a car show and block party that benefits breast cancer research!  The Hotel blocks off the road on the side for these events and it is really a great time!

Appetizers and Soups
The Bally Hotel's menu changes from time to time, but no matter what the menus says you can count on the Hotel to have a solid list of quality appetizers.  The crab dip is solid -- a little creamy but always well done!  The mozzarella sticks are big cheesy sticks of yumminess.  The deluxe nachos are everything you'd expect from a big plate of nachos and for a fun variation, try the Irish nachos!  Bacon wrapped scallops?  Oh yes!  Plus, big thumbs up on the calamari!  My wife gets the calamari tossed in buffalo sauce -- try it!  

As far as soups go, I don't know if I've ever had anything other than their French Onion Soup.  The FOSoup is that good!  I have a crock almost every visit!  They have chili listed on the soup menu, I don't consider it a soup.  It is good chili, not fantastic but you can't go wrong ordering it.

The only thing that I've had from the appetizer menu that I didn't care for was the potato skins.  They aren't bad, they just don't make them the way I like them.  They scoop out almost all the potato and fill it with toppings, it leaves them almost crunchy.  This is a preference thing - some people will love it!

Sandwiches and BurgersEvery cheesesteak on the menu is fantastic -- haven't had one I didn't like.  I love the Barnyard the best!  It is piled on with several different meats and cheeses -- it's enough to satisfy any appetite!  Another highlight is the Prime Rib Steak Sandwich - high quality meat on a roll.  The sandwich menu is quite extensive and has a number of speciality type options.  If you're in the mood for a quick sandwich, pick your favorite and go with it!  They come with chips -- so order a plate of waffle fries to go with it for a bigger meal.

The one thing I simply cannot recommend at The Bally Hotel are the burgers.  I've had more than one and they just aren't good.  They taste like they are frozen patties fried up on a griddle and it just doesn't work well.  I am surprised that the Hotel doesn't make the fresh, they make everything else with such a high quality of freshness and flavor the burger seems like an easy fit into that niche.  They just don't.

Entrees
The entree menu is quite extensive from chicken to steak to pasta to seafood.  There is something for everyone.  What I like about the menu is that if you want a simple New York Strip you can get it.  If you want a New York Strip topped with Crab Imperial and Bernaise sauce, you can get that too -- and it's delicious!  Want surf and turf?  Yup -- you can get your Filet Mignon with Shrimp and/or Scallops!  They often have Prime Rib and racks of rib on special, too.

The chicken menu is one of my favorites in the area.  Sure, they have Chicken Parm -- but they also have Gaelic Chicken (my favorite), the Swiss Frenchmen, Chicken of Kings and the Hotel Classic Chicken which is a thigh with the bone removed and stuff with sausage and apples with an apple reduction.  The Gaelic is a sautéed chicken breast in a Chardonnay Red Sauce topped with garlic spinach & shredded parmesan cheese.  If you like Chicken Cordon Bleu, you will dig the Swiss Frenchmen.

Beer Menu
The Bally Hotel is, in fact, a bar and restaurant and they have an extensive beer selection.  They usually have Stella Artois on tab, which I like.  They also have Chimay which is one of my personal favorites and often hard to find.

I didn't mention much about cost so far, but all the entrees are priced right.  Your chicken dishes will run you between $11-$15, steak runs up near $20 and the appetizer menu sits between $5 and $10.  They have a really great kids menu, too!  I most certainly haven't covered every aspect of the Hotel here -- but I invite you to go and experience it yourself!

Overall:
Atmosphere: 5/5 - The bar area is noisy, but its a bar... the dining room is not.  But no more Dave Matthews please...
Service: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Pros: Food is very good - love the French Onion Soup, Buffalo Wings, Gaelic Chicken the most - everything priced right!  Good kids menu.
Cons: Burgers are a no-go!
Go Again: We go all the time!

Bruce is the author of four books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel.  He also has a new novel coming out in November 2012, Towering Pines Volume Two: The Sound and The Fury.  Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!