Editor’s Note: In 2021, Michael and Nicole Borrell began reviewing Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. Since then, the couple has aimed to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to be partnering with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. Bon appétit!
Welcome to our next, and possibly most unique to date, war. We are going to find the best date night – dinner and an activity – at the same restaurant/location.
Our judging will be based on the food (of course), any food or drink specials, the activity itself, and how much fun the night is. The critic crew loves to have date nights, so this is right up our alley.
We will try four date nights with different activities and declare a winner
We continue this “War” over in the west end of the Valley, by the infamous U.S. Route 422 sinkhole and the aptly named Sinkhole Saloon & Grille. This restaurant is housed in the Palmyra Bowling building.
Sinkhole Saloon and Grille
Address
1218 E Main Street
Palmyra, PA 17078
Phone: (717) 838-7465
Website
sinkholesaloon.com
Hours
Mon: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Tue: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Wed: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Thu: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri: 3 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Sat: 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Since we were out celebrating a friend’s birthday – Happy Birthday Amy! – we had two lanes reserved for us and we ordered our food from our lane.
They have a menu posted on the tables and a QR code to mobile order food and have it brought straight to your lane. On this night, we ran into problems doing the mobile order for the burger. So we ordered the wings and drinks first. Then I went up to the window to order my burger. A slight inconvenience for us.
Tonight we had the drunken bacon burger w/ curly fries ($17) and ten boneless wings in a chipotle honey sauce ($13) and the supreme tater tots ($14). They were some drink specials since we were there during Happy Hour. We got Pink Starburst and Long Kiss Goodnight mini pitchers ($8 each).
The drunken bacon burger is topped with beer-candied bacon, smoked cheddar, mustard ale sauce, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. The candied bacon was a big difference on this burger. The flavors together were enjoyable.
The wings here won our third season of Wing Wars, so we know what we were getting here. The chipotle honey sauce was a delicious spicy flavor with a subtle sweet counterbalance. The tater tots are topped with cheddar and pepper jack, bacon, ranch, and boom boom sauce. This was nice dish that was not too heavy to eat and good to share with others.
Now to the bowling, Palmyra bowling has been around a while. But the facility itself seemed up to date. There are plenty of balls and aids to help you have the great bowling experience. The set-up to get started is easy, if you know what you’re doing. As for our night, we had two hours and we got in three full games. But I’m not as young as I used to be, so my shoulder was feeling it. As a group outing, this allowed us to go at our own pace and have as much fun as we wanted to have.
Did we just have the best Date Night in the Valley?
Next up we will travel to our other entrants:
- Trivia at Union House Taproom & Livery
- Live Music at Blue Bird Inn
If you have a restaurant you would like us to visit or review, whether a place you like or are nervous to try, please message us on Facebook or email lvfoodcritics@outlook.com and let us know. We thank everyone for the recommendations and the kind words we have received.
