State College, PA

State College, Pennsylvania may not be known for its food, but it sure has a tasty little nook called Zola Bistro which is always my favorite spot.
What I must ALWAYS eat when I go there is their signature crab cake with a mango sauce.

The Pros have called this crabcake supperior to any maryland crab cake!! That's saying a lot!

Then for the main course I chose filet mignon with a truffle ravioli on top (yes it looks like a sunny side up egg) and with a roasted butternut squash and sauteed spinach mixture. The cream sauce just tied everything together so nicely!. It was quite an explosion of flavor. Absolutely magnificent.

Beautiful!!

And what you must all be waiting for... dessert...

The menu called it a Peanut Butter Pie.. however.. yes my critique is comming... The chocolate component of the dessert barely tasted like peanut butter. I had to really dig for the flavor. I believe the chocolate ganache in the tart was peanut butter infused, but it didn't come out. Then there was a ginormous scoop of very delicious peanut butter ice cream that totally overshadowed the tart itself. It was also a badly done scoop that didn't look very polished.  A quenelle would have looked more delicate I think. And the caramel decoration on top just wasn't necessary. In fact, it was burnt! It tasted bitter and the coloring was very dark. So I have to say dessert was my least favorite part of the meal. But I have had many other desserts there. Their creme brulee tasting is delicious, as well as their Chocolate fondant. I recommend those two! So not all is lost!! If you are ever in State College, PA, maybe to watch some college football, stop by Zola's but make sure you make a reservation!!