John J. Jeffries, Lancaster - Bar # 135

From the moment you walk through the glass doors and are drawn into the natural wood and stone décor, the atmosphere grabs you.  The accent lighting, burning candles and friendly staff further validate your decision to choose John J. Jeffries to relax with food and drink.

The six beer taps are all Pennsylvania brews that include local St Boniface from Ephrata and the Penn Brewery in Pittsburg.  Hunter, our barkeep, not only knew how to describe the beer choices perfectly, but seemed to be very well versed in top shelf whiskey. And to top that; Hunter recommended Turkey wings as an appetizer.  What a pleasant surprise!  (They didn't taste like chicken.)

All in all, a great afternoon with beer and a buddy.  In fact, because of the great surroundings, friendly staff and the beer (duh) we didn't even feel the need to solve the world's problems today.  We ate and drank and kept the real world outside.

Until next time, CHEERS!

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The Den on Turnpike, Elizabethtown - Bar # 134

Boy: "I love you so much, I could never live without you." 
Girl: "Is that you or the beer talking?" 
Boy: "It's me talking to the beer." 

Today marks the 4th week in a row that Terry and I have gone out for a Retired Guys Beer Afternoon due to making up for postponed events from the previous two months.  While I feel ready to commit to doing this on a regular basis, how would we handle future postponements?  Wait, I know, go out more than once a week!

As time goes by we appreciate that we committed to going to every non smoking bar in Lancaster County so long ago.  Without that plan we would never have sought out "The Den on Turnpike" in Elizabethtown.  A shout out to Google Maps is also deserving because without that we may never have found The Den!

Today was a snowy day but not so much that it would deter us from our goal.  When we arrived at The Den, only the bar owner, Cheryl, was there to welcome us to her establishment.  Cheryl  explained to us that she took ownership of the bar about 5 years ago and has been grateful ever since.  She attended to Terry and I the whole time we were there in a friendly and professional way and clearly was proud not only of her bar but of the customers who frequent it.  She sounded like the mom who welcomes all her kids' friends to hang out at her house to assure they can be properly welcomed and safe.

There were 7 beers on tap and of that there were 2 light beers.  There was a good sized refrigerator holding a wide variety of beers that surely would satisfy any taste that could not be managed from the taps.  We decided to sample an appetizer after Cheryl explained that many items on her menu are homemade.  We both chose a Chicken Corn Soup with me taking a cup and Terry going crazy and choosing a big boy bowl.  Terry testified that the soup was so good it fell in his top 2 of all time with one of them being the variety made by his mom.  Terry noticed the saltiness level was very low which is unusual for this type of soup and pointed out that it contained "rivvels" a totally new item to me.  I agreed it was excellent and my favorite part was that the liquid was not as thick as what I have so often experienced. 

The Den is not just a bar but also a restaurant that has about 7 tables to serve its patrons.  Based on our appetizer experience, we expect to return at a future date!

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Moo-Duck Brewery, Elizabethtown - Bar # 133

"The answer is Beer.  Nobody even knows (or cares) what the question was."

Today was "makeup" day 2 of 4 because of our postponements due to scheduling difficulties in January and February.  At our current pace, we should have them all completed by the middle of April.  It is kind of nice going to a bar every week instead of just odd numbered ones.  Maybe it will catch on and we can accelerate our process to visit every bar in the county!

It was my turn to drive so I chose the Moo-Duck Brewery in Elizabethtown.  A little over a year ago, an article was written in the local paper about our "Retired Guys Beer Afternoon" adventure and  immediately following that article we received an email from a huge fan (his name is Chet) of Moo-Duck's strongly suggesting we visit there if we wanted to enjoy the best beer in our local area.  We made sure it was added to our list of places to go but due to its not being open on our normal outing day of the week (Tuesday) we put it off.  Turns out we have been denying ourselves this great experience for over a year!

Upon arrival, we were beneficiaries of a friendly and welcoming greeting from Chris who would be our helpful bartender for the day.  He suggested we try a "flight" of 4 5 oz. glasses of beer out of the 12 available.  I explained to Chris that I enjoyed just about every beer that was not a Stout and generally preferred IPAs.  He suggested 4 that were excellent choices and when they were finished, I had an additional 2 chosen by myself.  They were also excellent!  Terry also did 6, not all of which were the same as mine and his conclusion was that his were all exceptional as well.  When we had questions about any of the beers, Mike the brew master was readily available to enlighten us about the type of hop or malt used to provide the dominant flavor to the beer.

I suspect that drinking beer where it is made is a lot like picking freshly ripened fruit off a tree and eating it.  The flavors have not been adversely affected by aging or bouncing around in the shipping process.  It would seem to be the best way to enjoy a well made beer!

As has become our custom, we decided to try an appetizer to get a feel for the restaurant part of the establishment.  Terry had a soft pretzel while I intended to enjoy a bowl of the Chili which is also "brewed" by Mike.  It turns out that "Enjoy" is not a strong enough term for that chili! It was, without question, the best chili I have ever had.  If beer isn't your thing, go to Moo-Duck for their chili, it is that good.

Sitting at a bar in Elizabethtown it should come as no surprise that we were in the company of a few pretty well educated people.  Chris recently received a degree in Software Engineering and is about to embark on a new career using his skills while a young lady sitting next to us informed us she is about to graduate with a degree in Biology and she just had a successful interview for a job.  Congratulations to them for their accomplishments and their future endeavors!

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Aussie and the Fox, Lancaster - Bar # 132

From the moment you walk through the glass doors on West King Street, Aussie and the Fox emanates nothing but first class.  The staff is very cordial and obviously very proud to perform their tasks to the best of their ability.

As we were sitting down at the granite topped bar, Luke, our very capable bartender, introduced himself and described the beer on draft.  All drafts were craft beers supplemented by a well rounded selection of bottles.  As another example of the service, we had the pleasure of meeting Nick, the chef, as he introduced himself and welcomed us.

Speaking of the chef, the food we sampled was of ample portions and delicious to the point of smiling and chewing at the same time.  We both agreed the wings, with their signature sauce, were probably the best we ever had.

To some the resurgence of the Lancaster downtown area is, while recognized and appreciated, somewhat of a mystery as to how it happened.  It happened because of the diverse population that lives here and the businesses that treat their clients as valuable friends.  If you want to see up close how a successful restaurant operates, stop in at Aussie and the Fox.

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Yorgo's, Lancaster - Bar # 131

Signs of aging: A friend and I were at a local bar drinking the other night. He looked over and said, "Hey man, look at those two old drunks over there. That'll be us in a few more years". I glanced over, looked at him and said "You drunk idiot, that's a mirror!"

Well, it has been a long almost two full months since the Retired Guys last got together for a regular outing.  We have missed the camaraderie during that time but as anyone who follows our blog knows - we don't cancel outings, we just delay them!  During the next few weeks we'll be working diligently to make up for those postponed Tuesdays not experienced during January and February.

Today, we visited Yorgo's, a restaurant / bar that both of us have wanted to go to for some time but had to patiently wait for completion of renovations that shut the place down for a very long time.  While there today we were taken care of by two bartenders, Junior and Jake.  Both men were very engaging and helpful in describing the available beers on tap of which there were 24 and thankfully, none were of the "mainstream" variety.  Mainstream varieties for those who crave them are available in bottles housed in a very visible cooler at the end of the bar.  We also had the pleasure of running into a familiar face from a previous bar, Craig, owner of 551 West who was not so special but since he had his 9 month old daughter with him he immediately had our attention.  But, I digress!

After having a couple of beers (the first highly recommended by Junior and excellent by the way) we were fortunate to meet with Tony, the owner of Yorgo's who was gracious enough to spend some time describing the recent renovation experience and to give us a grand tour of the whole place.  On the first floor is the main bar and a separate room that will serve as an overflow area or a private party room.

On the second floor is another separate bar and eating area that serves a different menu.  

On the third floor is yet another bar and eating area!  It is themed in white, making for a dramatic appearance and a welcoming atmosphere.

Finally, there is a small deck area on the roof that will undoubtedly be a popular spot during the warmer months.  Clearly, any of the three areas will be a spot for the Retired guys to return to in the near future!

It was good to get back to our routine after the hiatus and Yorgo's was a great place to resume our quest to visit every bar in Lancaster County.

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Mick's All American Pub, Manheim - Bar # 130

There is a very accurate line from an old TV show that extols the positive side of a bar where everybody knows your name.  Today everybody didn't know my name, but the most important person did, the bartender.  A friend of probably 30 years, Karen, was behind the bar at Mick's All American Pub.  It is always great to catch up with a friend!

The Retired Guys have now been to all three Mick's locations.  The Mick's in Manheim (Mt. Joy) is larger and much more open than the Mick's I normally frequent on Columbia Avenue, but it still had that friendly and welcoming atmosphere.  A pub usually builds success on regular clientele and a stable workforce.  Mick's seems to have both.  We even had an enjoyable conversation with a staff person, Eric, who is a huge Star Wars fan and collector of many interesting Star Wars books, posters, shirts, etc.  He was proudly wearing a Boba Fett t-shirt.

While the stats of Mick's, 12 taps of many beer types and great food, is what usually makes up the meat of this blog, the experience and interaction is what we have come to appreciate and  look forward to as we continue this journey.  Today Mick's made the drive from Lancaster worthwhile as it warmed the Retired Guys in spite of an outside temperature of 13 degrees.

Happy New Year Friends and until next time, CHEERS!

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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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