Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Spring 2021 - 28

w w w.BERKSBAR.org

www.goldbelly.com

Cure for the Common
Food Boredom
By Susan N. Denaro, Esquire

F

ood boredom. We've all had it. Before the
Coronavirus closed the dining rooms in all our
favorite restaurants, dining out was always the
cure for a bout of culinary boredom. Since COVID-19,
it has been tougher to beat the tastebud blues until last
fall when we found another unexpected cure: Goldbelly.
For the uninitiated, it is a premium, national delivery
service that brings food from the kitchens of popular
chefs and restaurants right to your doorstep.

Some friends gave us a three-month subscription as
a gift. The gift featured random selections by Goldbelly
from some of its most iconic providers. Our first treat
was a box of cheese steaks from the infamous Pat's King
of Steaks in South Philadelphia. While our friends were
dismayed we received something from so close to home,
we were thrilled. The delivery featured four sandwiches,
with the meat already on the rolls, and a container of
Cheese Whiz. We popped the sandwiches in the oven
for the recommended amount of time. While they
heated, I browned some onions on the stove as no onions
came with our package.

We ordered our Valentine's dinner for two from Tyler
Florence's Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, Calif. The
'complete meal', featured five pieces of fried chicken with
roasted garlic, macaroni and cheese, and donuts complete
with donut hole. The items arrived cold, not frozen.
Would could have frozen it to enjoy another day but we
made it that night.

The cheesesteaks were surprisingly fabulous. The
bread was not soggy, the steaks were not greasy. All in
all, they were some of the best cheesesteaks we have
eaten in years. We enjoyed them so much that we have
since gifted a box to another group of friends.

After reheating it in the oven, closely following the
directions since everything had a different cooking time,
the house smelled wonderful from the roasted garlic
that was heated alongside the chicken. While I never
consider a meal complete without a vegetable, we didn't
seem to miss the absence of anything green on the plate.
The chicken was tender, moist, and flavorful. The mac
and cheese, which had a breadcrumb topping, was soul
satisfying despite seeming a little overcooked. While I
always think that the dessert on Valentine's should be
both decadent and made of chocolate, the light donuts
were a good ending to a meal that was anything but
boring. Admittedly, the berry sauce and the Chantilly
cream that accompanied the donuts elevated the unusual
dessert into something more special than we anticipated.

Our final subscription box was from Central BBQ in
Memphis, Tenn. It featured a pound of its pulled pork
and a rack of its beef ribs, as well as a bottle of its famous
BBQ sauce and a container of its dry rub. We found
the pulled pork to be good but bland compared to the
version we make. The ribs, however, were outstanding.
It was not something I would repeat, but it was a nice
diversion from the same old same old.

We're thinking about ordering the chicken and
cornbread waffles from Marcus Sammuelsson's
Streetbird in Harlem next, and maybe a blueberry peach
pie from Estes Pie Shop in Colorado, provided it does
not have the calorie count on its packaging. Although
Goldbelly's service is a little pricey, the food we have
received was exactly as advertised, fresh and delicious,
and anything but boring.

Our second Goldbelly delivery was a pumpkin
cheesecake from Juniors Cheesecake in New York City.
The only thing we didn't like about it was that the calorie
count was printed on the side of the box. Neither of
us are 'pumpkin spice people' so it wasn't something
we would have ordered if given the option. Despite all
the calories, the cheesecake was scrumptious. It had all
the panache of a cheesecake combined with a seasonal
pumpkin pie. Our tastebuds were anything but bored by
this sweet selection.

The real problem with Goldbelly is that once you
look at its website, its advertisements constantly pop up
28 | Berks Barrister

in your browser. And just about everything advertised
looks wonderful. Since our subscription ended, we gave
into the temptation to try some of Goldbelly's other
offerings.

Our most recent Goldbelly delivery was a dozen
poppyseed and a dozen sesame seed bagels from St.
Viatuer in Montreal, Canada. Baked in a wood fire oven,
these bagels are small, light and unlike any bagel I've
had before. Those 24 little delights were an extravagance
that have helped keep our breakfast boredom at bay and
we are currently awaiting another delivery. This time we
decided to try some of their rosemary and salt bagels,
as well as some their cinnamon and raisin bagels for a
change of pace.

Ms. Denaro is with the Wyomissing law firm of
Georgeadis||Setley.
http://www.berksbar.org http://www.goldbelly.com
Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Spring 2021
