Huckleberry's Restaurant & Tavern, East Lampeter Twp - Bar # 129

You don't know what you don't know...then all of a sudden you know...usually because of just committing a blunder.

Today the Retired Guys ventured out to the venerable area of Route 30 East, home of popular Lancaster Tourist Attractions in East Lampeter Township and stopped at Huckleberry's Restaurant & Tavern housed within the Fulton Steamboat Inn.

At this time of year and at the time of day we like to venture out Huck's was not very busy (just the two of us) and so our bartenders lent a hand elsewhere within the restaurant much of the time we were there.  Having said that I must point out that we were warmly greeted and welcomed to the bar by Shannon who took an interest in our story and shared it right away with the incoming bartender, Frank.  Frank made sure that our thirst was well quenched and shared some interesting information about the length of Lancaster's tourist season and how it impacts the Fulton Steamboat organization.  Maybe it is just the Christmas season but we definitely got the impression that Shannon and Frank enjoyed their job and conveyed their happy vibes to us.

The bar has 6 beers on tap with only one "lite" beer.  The five drinkable beers were mostly local and all from Pennsylvania.  Additionally, if the tap selection didn't satisfy, there was a good selection of bottled beer in a cooler behind the bar.

We enjoyed an appetizer of Flatbread Margherita which was enough to convince us that a return visit to sample more of their food was lurking in the near future.

Today's bar experience is an example of the benefit that we get from our goal of visiting every non-smoking bar in Lancaster County.  As natives we would not normally go to a "tourist trap" in our home area but rules are rules so we're trying places outside our comfort zone.  Huck's is a good place with good food and a more than adequate beer selection.  We encourage other "natives" to give it a try especially if you're heading out to do some shopping at the outlet stores anyway.

Have a Merry Christmas!!  See you in 2018.

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Pig Iron Brewing Company, Marietta - Bar # 128

The fabric that is our American society is made of many small towns and the folks who live there.  The local diner, churches, volunteer fire companies and neighborhood pubs make up the personality of all the towns in every corner of our country.  Marietta is one of those small towns with a personality you can't help but be attracted to and feel at home in.  Along front street is a string of pubs all with their own personality, but still bound together with the welcoming nature of this Susquehanna River town.

The Retired Guys had the pleasure to spend an afternoon in the Pig Iron Brewing Company today and interact with a very welcoming bartender, Bonnie, and a number of locals who truly made us feel like regulars.

The basic numbers are 10 beers on tap with most being Pig Iron Brewing.  I would like to note that the other beers are all Pennsylvania beers including I C Light.  You won't find that brand in this neck of the woods very often.  There are also tables for dining throughout the rustic, homey dining area.  With the weather now moving quickly toward winter, the rear patio area was closed.  However, Bonnie gave us a sneak peek and man were we impressed.  This will definitely have us returning in warmer weather next spring.

Every neighborhood bar has a number things that make it special.  In some cases it is hard to put your finger on exactly what draws you back, but it just feels right.  At Pig Iron the brews are very good, the staff is welcoming and engaged, the locals are friendly and the atmosphere is warm.  When you put it all together: It Just Feels Right.

Until Next time -- CHEERS!

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Hennigan's Restaurant & Bar, Mount Joy Township - Bar # 127

"A place without beer is like a man without a soul" - an adaptation of a Cicero quote

Today, the Retired Guys traveled to Mount Joy Township to visit Hennigan's Restaurant and Bar.  The structure has an inviting appeal to it especially with the outdoor area pictured below that is open during the warmer comfortable days of the summer months.  

Hennigan's had a selection of 8 beers on tap with two of them being of the "lite", ie not real beer, variety.  

Over the years we have come to enjoy the social aspect of conversing with our bartender of the day and with other customers who happen to be there enjoying a drink or meal.  Unfortunately, there was none of that today as our bartender, while efficient in providing our requested drinks, was not interested in talking with her customers.  We observed other customers in the dining area who seemed to be blessed with the same type of efficiency and lack of social contact.  To say the least, this was a disappointing experience for the Retired Guys and left us for only the second time in 127 bars with the feeling that we likely would not return.  Oddly enough, the other bar where we felt the same was in Mount Joy, just down the street from where we were today.  We know from experience at other locations within Mount Joy that this is not the norm.  Perhaps it was just a bad day.

We'll be looking forward to better experiences in the coming months at new locations and fully expect to have them!

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The Horse Inn, Lancaster - Bar # 126

There is a certain comfort you get from going home and things are mostly the way you remember them.  The Horse Inn provided that warm feeling to the Retired Guys today.  It is under different ownership the past 3 plus years, but Matthew and Starla Russell have kept what was familiar and blended some upgrades perfectly.

The gastro pub sets a mood for a time gone by complete with music from the 1930's and 1940's, antique woodwork and a bartender wearing suspenders.  Andrew and others were very meticulous with the creation of drinks that I'm sure tasted as good as the presentation.  The beer selection was mostly bottles and cans with 5 beers on tap.

For old-timers the horse stalls used as booths are still there and tenderloin tips on toast are still on the menu.  It's like finding that long lost Teddy Bear in your old bedroom closet.

In this fast paced, new and improved world we live in, The Horse Inn was warm and familiar like seeing your childhood neighborhood has been the same all along.  As Dorothy Gale once said, "maybe what you're looking for is in your own backyard".

Until next time, CHEERS!

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Red Pin Bar and Grill, Lancaster - Bar # 125

The saying goes; What's old is new again.  That is kind of what is happening at Rocky Springs in Lancaster.  There was a time when the Rocky Springs Amusement area was a hub of activity for all of Lancaster County.  Trolleys from every direction brought people from all over the county and beyond to the thrill rides in the park, roller skating, swimming and boating on the Conestoga.  Those days are long gone, but out of those ashes has risen another amusement hub at the Rocky Springs Entertainment Center.  At Rocky you have bowling, laser tag, the Red Pin Bar and Grill and an area to reserve for parties.

As the Retired Guys have discovered, our journey has grown from enjoying a beer drinking afternoon, to discovering Lancaster County social treasures and the people who make them special.  The Red Pin is brand new and still forming it's personality, but after meeting Fred and Jai the bartenders and Sherry the owner, we believe things will come together nicely.  Everyone seems dedicated and eager to please.

There are twelve beers on tap that range from the domestic popular brews to craft beers of various styles.  The menu is a bit limited compared to what is planned for down the road, but what is available has some items unique to the Red Pin.  The Retired Guys chose the Amish Board complete with bologna, cheese, pretzels, mustard, pepper jelly and pickled veggies. By the time we finished we had a Pennsylvania Dutch accent.

Overall, Rocky Springs Entertainment Center should have a big upside.  The renovations appear to be on a first class level with something for the whole family, the food is worth going back to enjoy again, and the staff is there to make your visit enjoyable.

Until next time, CHEERS!

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Black Forest Brewery, Ephrata - Bar # 124

"A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure." - Czech proverb

Today the Retired Guys ventured out on a Friday rather than the usual Tuesday because our destination has limited days of operation.  As a result, we got a chance to prove that even at our age, we're still flexible!

The Black Forest Brewery in Ephrata makes all their own beer in house and provides a wide variety of flavors with 6 taps that allow any beer connoisseur to find something that more than adequately satisfies their thirst quenching desires.  My regret today was that I was the driver and had to limit my alcohol content!

Eric was our bartender who demonstrated that he really likes what he is doing as the bar manager.  He explained the virtues of each of the beers to us, provided any samples desired, showed off the brewing facility, provided a history of the Black Forest Brewery, and constantly spoke positively of all aspects of the operation as well as other local breweries.  Thanks to Eric, we were introduced to the owners, Bob and Denise who also happen to own the Americana Inn.  By the way, if you plan to visit the Black Forest Brewery and you're not familiar with Ephrata, you should look for the Americana Inn.  The Brewery is right behind it.  Bob and Denise told us about their Inn and Denise shared with us some of the processes that make their food excellent.  We had an appetizer of Buffalo Chicken Dip and Tortilla Chips and carrots.  The dip, having been made fresh was unquestionably excellent with the chips.  I tried it with the carrots too and found they are not a great match but also found I could just eat the dip itself by spoonful.  We also met Jazzy (Jasmine) the restaurant cook and asked her if she could recommend one thing to eat at the Brewery that she personally prefers.  Without hesitation she told us about the homemade chili and the others concurred. Definitely sounds like something worth trying. 

In December the Brewery will be celebrating its third anniversary.  Based on our experience with the beer and appetizer, they should be around for many more years to come.  Terry and I definitely will be returning and we suggest any of our readers go give it a try.  If you drink too much there may be a room available at the Inn to spend the night.

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The Inn at Bully's Restaurant Pub, Columbia - Bar # 123

In today's ever maddening world it is great to find a haven where one can be shut off from the outside chaos and noise.  Bully's is such a refuge. As the old solid wood doors close behind you, the hustle of the real world falls away and you are whisked 100 years ago to when life was slower and the building first came into existence.  The ornate carved bar and tin ceiling are proof that they don't build 'em like this any more.

The beer is another measure of just what a great find Bully's is.  They not only have Yuengling Lager and Miller Lite on draft, but also 9 other micro brews.  Some selections are from a brew master in York who honed his craft in Germany.  Kayla, our bartender, informed us that he used to work there.  How did they let him get away?   They didn't let Kayla get away and she is very knowledgeable with the beer on tap and the extensive bottle inventory.

In case you're not sure drinking beer is a good hobby/pastime/guilty pleasure, all you have to do is open the Beer Bible available right there on the bar.  The "Bible" says in the first sentence that beer is the oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage in the world.  Who are the Retired Guys to buck a trend stated in the Bible?

Today was a very pleasant surprise and is definitely worth a return visit.  The staff is friendly and outgoing.  The beer is wide-ranging in styles and of high quality.  The building is from a bygone era with charm not found in today's strip malls, gas stations or grocery stores.  Give yourself a treat and go have a beer in place far from today's craziness.

Until next time, Cheers!

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The Station at Reinholds Inn, Reinholds - Bar # 122

You know something bad is about to happen when someone says "Hold my beer and watch this"

Today, the Retired Guys reflected on a couple of decisions made 5-6 years ago that have had major positive ramifications to this day.  1 - We decided to visit every bar in Lancaster County  2 - We promised to never visit the same bar (as a Retired Guys team) twice.  Those two decisions have more than once caused us to visit an exceptional bar that because of distance would never have been on our list of places to go.  Lucky for us, today was one of those great places!

The Station at Reinholds Inn in Reinholds is kind of out of the way if you live right in Lancaster but it is well worth the 30+ minute drive to visit.  Upon arrival, The Retired Guys were a little confused about the proper entrance (geez, you'd think we had already been drinking!) but were graciously saved when a person opened a bar door and told us the other entrance was not yet open.  She asked if we would mind entering through the door she was holding.  Turns out our savior was a lady named Glenda,  not to be confused with Glinda (the good witch) who was to be our bartender for the afternoon.  Glenda, a descendant of Hans Herr, cheerfully answered all of our questions about the bar and provided us with her recommended appetizer of "Fried Green Beans", which were excellent.  The way Glenda was paying attention to details led us to ask if she was an owner of the bar and she answered in the affirmative.

There were only 3 beers on tap of which one was of the "light" variety but as we have learned from our visits to 122 bars, the beer selection, while important, comes second to the social environment that is found at every establishment.  The social environment we experienced with Glenda and Mandy (the bartender starting at 4:00PM) easily superseded any perceived lack of beer selection.

We recommend that any of our readers visit and advise all that we plan to return for a meal experience in one of the well appointed dining areas upstairs or on the deck (see pics below).

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Legacy Sports Bar and Grill, Elizabethtown - Bar # 121

If you are a guy you fully understand the need for male bonding.  Along with good friends, the correct atmosphere is a necessity in making the experience a lasting memory.  The Legacy Sports Bar and Grill in Elizabethtown lends itself perfectly for sports watching, man talk and, of course, beer drinking.  The walls are covered in memorabilia from many different sports that includes all of the local favorites.  There are ample TVs viewable from every corner of the bar and dining room.  Ten beers on tap with a complete range from light to lagers to IPAs to Guinness stout are the final ingredients for a great time.

Carrie, our friendly bartender, greeted us with a smile (and who wouldn't?), offered tastings of the brews unknown to us and served our choice of beer in a frosted glass of our choosing.  What a country!  She obviously enjoys her job and made our first impression of Legacy Sports Bar and Grill positive and lasting.  I have to mention that Andrea, the owner, was also very approachable and eager to engage in conversation.  He has a successful enterprise not only for his business smarts, but also his people smarts.

The food all looked and sounded great, but we settled on the Tuesday Special of tacos.  Why?  We are retired and need to watch our pennies.  I will say they were great and worth every penny even to old guys on fixed incomes.

Today was quite eventful as we had to stay a bit longer than usual because of a tornado warning and torrential rain.  I have to say, there are worse places to be stuck during a storm than a bar and Legacy Sports Bar and Grill brought a lot of sunshine into our day 16 ounces at a time.

Until next time, Cheers!

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The Hill, Ephrata - Bar # 120

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, That's as good as they're going to feel all day."  Frank Sinatra

Every now and then you find yourself enjoying a Really Special moment.  You can't put your finger on a single event that causes it because there are so many things going on that are just right.  That was the experience today of the Retired Guys when we visited The Hill (aka The Hill Top Inn) in Ephrata.  

It started when we were joyously greeted by Christina, our bartender, as we walked through the entrance door.  As we sat and ordered our beer someone walked up to the other Retired Guy and asked if he was "Terry".  Turns out there were a couple of retirees from New Holland who frequent the local bar on Tuesdays and the conversations about the "Glory Days" began.

We interrupted the lively discussion so we could order an appetizer and that was when Christina proved to us she was a step or two above normal as a bartender/restaurant representative.  She agreed with our selection of homemade Vietnamese Spring Rolls then highly recommended that we try the also homemade Spanakopita (Greek spinach rolls).  Both appetizers were so good, I would recommend you visit The Hill just to sample them!  Thanks Christina!

The Hill has 12 beers on tap of which only two are of the light variety.  Both Retired Guys were able to satisfy their discerning tastes with the selection at hand and would suggest that any beer drinker would be able to find something they like.  Also, there was a wall of very special bottles of Tequila available for the more snooty crowd!

To return or not return?  Very easily answered --- RETURN!

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Helen's Corner Bar & Restaurant, Leola - Bar # 119

Beer doesn't make you fat. It makes you lean.....against bars, tables, chairs, walls.

Four and ½ months after Helen’s Corner Bar & Restaurant in Leola closed this past February without explanation it reopened under new management represented by Joseph Margolis and Chean Wu, also current owners of an Asian restaurant in Ephrata.  Helen’s is open daily from 8:00AM until 2:00AM so you can grab a beer really early or really late and anytime in between!

Today the retired guys were well taken care of by our bartender Michelle who advised us that Helen’s has been reopened for a little over a month and in its resurrection is now a non-smoking bar.  For a non-smoker like myself there is a detectable aroma still lingering from over 30 years of smoke exposure; however, it is clearly extremely light and definitely not repulsive so for non smokers this should not be an issue.  

Helen’s has 8 beers on tap with 2 being of the light variety.  The full bodied beers represented a nice geographical as well as taste mix so even a discriminating beer drinker should be able to find something to satisfy their taste.  If not, there is also a generous mix of bottles/cans in the "TO-GO" refrigerator from which to choose.

For eats we sampled a couple of appetizers and thoroughly enjoyed the spring roll and egg roll made available to us.  These items are clearly influenced by the new owners who added them to the menu as they have done in their Ephrata restaurant.  If the appetizers are indicative of the rest of the menu it is easy to plan a return for a full meal to accompany a couple of glasses of beer the next time around which should come in the near future.

By the way, as this is a five Tuesday month, we get to do this one more time in August - Woohoo!

Until next time....bottoms up!

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Primanti Brothers, Lancaster - Bar # 118

There is a new sheriff in town when it comes to sports bars and it is Primanti Brothers.  From the moment you walk in, the TVs and memorabilia on the walls say this is where you want to watch a big game.  There is even a mural with images of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other local sports heroes.  It would have been understandable to stay with a theme from their Pittsburgh roots, but they also tastefully included some of the local favorites in the décor with Philly area, Penn State and Baltimore.

Seeing a sampling of the food tempted us to order one of everything on the menu.  The pizza looked like it was from a typical mom and pop pizzeria and the sandwiches were, as you would expect, Primanti Brothers signature product.  Garry and I tried the fried pickles and they were great!

With 24 taps there is a very good selection of styles of beer that are served in 16 and 22 oz. chilled glasses.  Eric, our bartender, was very personable and seemed to enjoy his job.  He is a great guy to converse with and is a proud father of a Manheim Township baseball player.  Really, the entire staff seemed energetic and happy to be working for an established and successful Pittsburgh icon.

Primanti Brothers may be the new guy, but they are by no means new at being successful.  In spite of just recently opening, things appeared to run smoothly with many happy patrons.  Treat yourself and go have a taste of the Burgh right here in Lancaster.

Until next time, CHEERS!

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St Boniface Craft Brewery, Ephrata - Bar # 117

A woman is like beer. They look good, they smell good, and you'd step over your own mother just to get one! - Homer Simpson

Today the Retired Guys ventured north to Ephrata in order to experience the offerings at St Boniface Craft Brewing.  We left a little later than usual today because St Boniface opens only at 4:00PM, about an hour later than we are used to starting.  As it was, we were anxious to get there and arrived a little before official opening time and Sara, our bartender (and part owner) for the afternoon, graciously allowed us to enter early.  After a little bit of discussion with her she warmed our hearts by sharing that she had read about our bar hopping exploits in the paper back in January.  It does continue to amaze us that our story was so well received in the area!

At the bar there were 19 taps each of which poured a nice cold glass of an on site manufactured brew.  As the driver for the day I had to limit my beer intake based on alcohol level (ABV) but, lucky for all of us, many of their brews are available in a 6 pack or a 12 pack mixed case.  Each beer style is also available in a nicely sealed 32 oz growler can so no one is left wanting and has no excuse for over indulging at the bar.  Terry, as passenger was not limited as far as intake goes and he took full advantage!

St Boniface recently completed an outdoor seating area which is far enough away from the road to limit noise from the forever moving traffic.  The area is clean and tables are nicely spaced relative to each other.  As is our practice, we had an enjoyable appetizer and by enjoyable we mean both in flavor and price.

While writing this blog I remembered a "pearl of wisdom" I once shared with my sons who were teens at the time.  They were told that no matter what it is you are using or consuming, someone somewhere is trying to improve it.  The brew master at St Boniface has proved me right in the case of beer not just from when he started this operation 7 years ago but on an ongoing basis as new brews are added throughout the year!  We definitely expect to return in the near future.

Until next time, cheers!

One last thing - I encourage you to spend some time at the St Boniface website.  They provide a nice history of their operation and while not bragging, tell a very good story about hard work and success.

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Wacker Brewing Company, Lancaster - Bar # 116

A wonderful benefit of living in an older city such as Lancaster, is that rich history is around every corner.  The Retired Guys walked straight into some Lancaster brewing history today at the Wacker Brewing Company.  It is not the original site of the brewery founded in 1853, but it's an old brick building that adds to the historical appeal of being part Lancaster's brewing past.

Michael, our bartender and the Wacker Brew Master, was very personable, willing to talk beer, whiskey and trail hiking.  There are 6 Wacker brews on tap with a range of styles to fit most any beer lover's taste.  No light beers!  The food is basically appetizer type food, but we do not go to a historic brewery for gourmet food.  We go for the beer and found craft beer much to our liking. Today the combination of history, Michael and very fine beer made for another successful leg of our quest.

Until next time, Cheers!



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