Canteen 900's BLT with avocado.
by Nikki M. MascaliWeekender Editor
CANTEEN 900’S TASTE OF NEW YORK
There’s a refreshing new eatery in the Wyoming Valley thanks to restaurateur Abby Billek Singh. Singh, a Kingston native, opened Canteen 900 Oct. 18 in the big brick building at 900 Rutter Ave. in Forty Fort.
“I’ve always played kitchen, since I was a little girl,” Singh shared with Dish last week. “I never played anything else. Even when my mom brought me to church, my brother and I would go up and down the pews asking (people) if they want fries with that, so it’s a little bit in my destiny, I guess.”
After graduating from Wyoming Valley West, Singh went to New York University where she studied food studies, nutrition and management; she then managed the culinary management department at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education for five years. Following that, Singh owned the cafe Tisserie in SoHo for two years.
In May, she secretly began working on the raw space that is now Canteen 900 with building owner David Koral. The decor is bright and airy — and very New York. At the decor’s forefront is a chandelier that once called the Hotel Sterling home; Singh said Koral found it at auction.
“I opened (Canteen 900) up because of the building I’m doing business in,” Singh explained. “It’s a very business-friendly building. There’s a lot of creative people, there’s a lot of traffic, (and) there’s an interesting look to it. It kind of fit the style of what we were used to doing in New York.
“We called it Canteen because that’s what it is — it’s a restaurant in a building that services people in the building, so that’s how we got name.” The “900” pays homage to the restaurant’s address.
The menu offers a wide range of items from homemade Irish steel-cut oatmeal and a Lancaster bacon-and-cheddar quiche for breakfast (served 8-11:30 a.m.) to sandwiches like falafel, pulled pork or BLT with avocado, which was excellent, and soups and salads. Canteen 900 also has Tasting Boards for Two that sound amazing, like the French version with brie, goat and blue cheeses, grapes and fruit jam served with a Tuscany baguette.
“We’re so used to eating good food in New York — there’s so much competition that your food has to be good to survive — you can go anywhere and get an amazing meal,” Singh said. “Here it’s not the case, so I thought it was time to kind of pay it forward. A lot of the people I have coming in are in New York a lot, and it’s good when we get good reviews that say that they feel like they’re in New York, and the food’s just as good. That’s a really great compliment to me.”
Singh said the concept of Canteen 900 is “breakfast, lunch, catering, takeout dinners, parties at night and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. But we still have a few more tricks up our sleeve for the future.”
After my lunch there last week, I’d say that those tricks are going to taste very good.
Canteen 900 is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. For more info, call 570.338.2547 or visit canteen900.com.
WINE WONDERLAND
Shadyrill Farm (315 Loyalville Road, Dallas) will host a two-session wine tasting with Winterland Winery of Lopez Saturday, Dec. 4. The first session takes place from 5-7 p.m., the second from 7-9 p.m.
Cost is $24.95 and includes the wine tasting, a cheese and gourmet dip sampling, plus participants will also receive a cup of Shadyrill’s homemade soup, a sandwich from its special menu and dessert.
RSVP by Monday, Nov. 20 by filling out the reservation form at www.shadyrillfarm.com or pay by credit card by calling 570.477.2202.
NO MORE WHISTLING?
According to a status update on its Facebook page which was later removed, Whistles Pub & Eatery (126 Franklin Ave., Scranton) has closed. In a report published Nov. 17, owner Dan Rinaldi said that the establishment, which has been open for about 15 years, was not closing despite it having been closed for several days prior to the report.
Attempts to reach Rinaldi for confirmation were unanswered at press time.
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