Penn80 - Hey, Sysco says it's homemade!

I've got mixed reviews about the Penn80 restaurant. I may have to return to try something else and I'm sure they have some real winners on the menu but not what I tried. Well, the soup was hearty at least.

So where is the Penn80? I'm glad you didn't ask! The obvious smart ass response would be "In Pennsylvania on I-80" The nicer, more detailed response is: I-80 in Milton PA, exit 215. It used to be a Petro. Before it was a Petro...I don't know what it was. It still has that signature Petro look and design but they changed the signs. I think now Pilot/Flying J sells the fuel and......no idea who handles the restaurant. Oh and they have a lot of parking. Apparently parking up on the hill is a popular option.

The truck stop has it's own restaurant, so it's not a former Iron Skillet or a chain restaurant. I had difficulty deciding what to eat because I just didn't know what I was in the mood for. Nothing on the menu really jumped out at me so I went with one of the specials: the meatloaf. Also this place does a hot buffet but only on the weekends, and I think it was a Thursday when I visited. Foiled again! *shakes fist* Their salad bar is available 7 days a week though.

I had my salad...it was...a salad.

But check this soup out, yo! This was practically a meal in itself! I didn't even add crackers because: a) there was no room and b) it would have soaked up what little broth there was. I think they called this chicken corn chowder if I remember the writing on the glass sneeze guard and it was quite chickeny and corny and chowdery. May not be like a cream based chowder but whatever. They should have said 'every bowl of this soup contains a guaranteed half can of corn!' Was it good? I...think so? I don't remember it standing out as good, I remember it standing out as being very hearty. Feed this to the coal miners. :)

Now the meatloaf. Ah yes, the meatloaf. Two slices of home made meatloaf with mashed potatoes and stuffing and gravy! Oh....yummy!

There's no way that's home made. I'm sure Sysco says it's "homemade" but that in itself should be it's own joke. Truth in advertising aside, the texture lead itself to being something processed and very underwhelming. The mashed potatoes were...mashed potatoes. Those are really hard to screw up. Even instant mashed potatoes are really good. I mean heck we get this kind at home from the store that comes in a packet and it's super easy to make and absolutely delicious because it's, again, difficult to screw up mashed potatoes. The stuffing was freaking gross and disgusting but it's probably because I hate stuffing. "Then why didn't you ask for a different side item, Liz?" you're probably not asking yourself. Well I wasn't thinking about it and I thought "what the heck, I'll try it. Maybe I'll even like it." Wrong-o!

Aside from all that, let's see. I remember it being a little pricey to eat there which is another turn-off. The wait staff was really nice and accommodating, so that's always a plus. The decor didn't really stand out. There was a fly that kept bothering me and there was a couple sitting behind me that didn't speak English very well, but that's America for ya! :)

I want to try it again because I'm sure I'll come across something on the menu that was really good, this just wasn't it. I figured since it was a permanent special (that should have been a hint) it would be a stand out from the rest of the regular menu.

So to recap:

Chicken Corn Chowder - More chunky than a Chunky candy bar (lol remember those?!)

Meatloaf - not home made

Stuffing - Still gross.