The "One Of America's Best" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Standing on North Prince Street in center city Lancaster, Pa in front of one of Alton Brown's top 2 restaurants for 2016.  The city of Lancaster is alive with restaurants to suit just about anyone's palate.  In the past few years there have been many new eateries that are drawing all ages to the downtown area.  One such restaurant is Ma(i)son located at 230 North Prince Street and somehow the Food Network's Alton Brown found his way to the doorstep of this old-world entry into Lancaster's restaurant selection.  

Ma(i)son located at 230 N. Prince St.
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Alton first visited Ma(i)son in 2015 and enjoyed his meal so much that he returned once again this past year.  Ma(i)son is one of two restaurants Taylor and Leeann Mason operate in Lancaster; the other being Luca, an Italian style restaurant a few blocks away.  For those who may not know Alton Brown, he is an American television personality who is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats.  He is also the commentator on Iron Chef America as well as Cutthroat Kitchen.  As far as the Mason's go, the young couple met at Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland and have found they share the same passions in the food trade.  The name of their Prince Street Restaurant, Ma(i)son is very well known now that it has been listed on Alton Brown's website as one of the top two restaurants in the United States along with 167 Raw located in Charleston, South Carolina.  167 Raw specializes in seafood (especially raw) while Ma(i)son features old world cuisine from local ingredients.  Easy to do since it is located in Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America.  To give you an idea as to the fare at Ma(i)son, one entry on their menu is: Housemade Pheasant Sausage - Glen Rock, PA pheasant and chicken sausage, charred Savoy cabbage, Treviso radicchio, shaved Pink Lady apple, crispy Prosciutto, whole-grain mustard and cider jus.  If you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop and see why Alton Brown picked Ma(i)son as one of the two best in America.  They rate a perfect five stars!   It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.