City Grange

Careless cooking, though, can ruin even the best cut of meat, as the kitchen did on our first visit by broiling a $34 "medium rare" filet mignon to a steaming gray. All the maple-glazed dried cranberry sweetness in the kitchen couldn't save the dried-up "Amish chicken" (even though the Bell & Evans folks aren't exactly Amish). The seared day-boat scallops were served lukewarm.

Things would improve a bit when we got to dessert, where we sipped hormone-free milk shakes (turned a convincing shade of orange creamsicle), indulged in crème brulee made from free-range eggs, and savored piping hot (mostly) seasonal fruit casseroles topped with crunchy cobbler crust.

I must admit, though, I never knew we had "local bananas" until a server confirmed that fact when presenting our grilled banana split, a sugar-crisped confection of fruit and coffee ice cream.

So as you spoon through this clever dessert, dear business traveler, be sure to chalk up the Pennsylvania banana as yet another of our little-known local wonders.

Contact him at claban@phillynews.com.