Rawlinsville Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Holtwood - Bar # 138

"Depth perception and beer obviously aren't related!"

Today marked our 138th visit to a bar in Lancaster County.  Somehow we manage to keep finding a gem of a location!  Once again, we are glad we took on the task to visit all non smoking bars as it has taken us near and, perhaps more importantly, far.  Well about 30 minutes worth of driving far today. 

The Rawlinsville Hotel Restaurant & Bar built in 1851 in Holtwood and serving food and beverages since its inception is no longer a hotel but it continues to be a welcoming bar and restaurant for regulars and newcomers alike.  We found an adequate selection of beers on tap (7) of which 3 were of the light variety.  Our bartender for the day was Jamie who took great care of us and advised of the varied bottle selection  as well as those on tap.  When we asked about appetizers she claimed all were good but clearly steered us to the crab dip with bread.  Made in house, it was delicious!  Soon after the crab dip arrived, we were introduced to Chrys, the establishment owner.  Chrys let us know that she started at the Rawlinsville as a waitress and then she and her husband purchased the "Hotel" about 4 years ago. 

Chrys spent a lot of time talking with us shamelessly showing her pride in the facility, her employees, and the customers.  All of her food is made on site and is very reasonably priced.  We were especially curious about the crab cakes and roast beef and she explained to us how they are made.  If we hadn't been drinking beer, we would have definitely noticed our mouths watering!  Another great location added to our ever growing experience.

This is a bar and restaurant we will be revisiting for sure in the not too distant future!

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Olde Lincoln House, Ephrata - Bar # 137

"Beer is the original Photoshop"

The Olde Lincoln House in Ephrata Borough is another of the relics from the past that has been around longer than the sum of the two Retired Guys ages!  The building was erected prior to 1813 and when built was just the second edifice in the town then known as “New Ephrata”.  From the start, it was planned as a tavern type of establishment with boarding rooms and has been in the drinking / eating business non-stop through today (no more boarding though).  Notably, it still has the original bar as well as tin ceiling tiles that certainly lend an air of nostalgia and might I also say “charm”?  Interestingly, it was not named Lincoln as a result of a visit by Honest Abe but rather because the town of “New Ephrata” had a name change to Lincoln before it was eventually absorbed into Ephrata Borough.

We had the pleasure of being served by our bartender of the day, Jen, who remembered us from when we visited the Tiki Barn almost two years ago.  Jen was very knowledgeable of the beers on tap (12) and made excellent recommendations to suit our tastes.  She also recommended a change when the weather is warmer to see if we would add to our taste repertoire.  She affectionately pointed out one of her regulars, a man who goes by the name of "Dickey" who has been visiting the bar for 50+ years.  Now that's a regular!

We sat in front of a row of 6 taps and four of the beers were regionally local with two of them being right from Ephrata.  This is the kind of thing we have noticed repeatedly when visiting "mom & pop" establishments in the county.  It seems that they all make an effort to support local establishments and thereby improve the local economy for all.  It may be just a personal view but we definitely need more of this dedication to the home front!

As is our normal experience we tried an appetizer of fried pickles and mentioned to Jen that our last experience was not so good since it was clear those offered were just frozen items dropped into a deep frier.  She promised us that they were a new addition to the menu and felt they were really good.  We tried them and they were excellent!  We mentioned that we intended to return as a group of 4 in the month of May and Jen strongly advised making a reservation for a Saturday night.  Unfortunately, Jen finishes her shift around 5:30 and won't be our server but we're confidant the rest of the staff will be just as efficient and friendly.  We're looking forward to our return and recommend any of our readers take a chance and visit as soon as they can.

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Huricane Pizza Grill and Tavern, Columbia - Bar # 136

As you drive on Columbia Avenue the Hurricane Pizza Grill and Tavern appears to be an ordinary pizza shop with some beer signs in the window, but inside it is a different story.  The upper level is a nice looking casual dining establishment.  The lower level tavern that opens at 4:00 PM is a pub with a long bar stretching the length of the room and plenty of seating at tables on two levels.

As the tavern undergoes some cosmetic renovations it is still neat and clean, but the staff and patrons make Hurricane a good choice to stop for a brew.  There are 10 beers on tap with a well stocked cooler and some very good happy hour specials as well.  I was drawn to the Rolling Rock draft; you just don't see that from a tap very often in this area.  Belinda and Jenna, our bartenders, were very friendly and had a great relationship with their "regulars" who stopped by.  As Belinda spoke with passion about a fundraiser they recently conducted for the Four Diamonds Fund, Garry and I instantly had admiration and felt a kinship with Belinda.  Garry and I originally met as volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Today was another relaxing day fulfilling our mission to visit Lancaster County's Pubs.  We are learning much about the people who live here.  We have to admit, we are enjoying the people the most on this quest, the beer is coming in second.

Until next time, CHEERS!


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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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