After several twinkies, I decided I should get out of the truck and eat some real food during this drive. And by real food, I mean vacation food, so anything that looks tasty.
You can imagine that I was pretty excited to find a locally owned sports bar...with tasty offerings.
I started with a small Dortmunder Gold from Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, OH. The brewery describes it as: A smooth lager that strikes a delicate balance between sweet malt and dry hop flavors. It was a fine way to wash down my burger with chili, cheddar cheese and sour cream. You should always, always, eat at a place where both chili and sour cream are offered as burger toppings. Oh, and the fries were good pub fries, better with malt vinegar than with ketchup.
That meal, along with the interesting conversation at the bar got me safely to State College, PA.
Stop Two: Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks (Millheim, PA)
A believe it's safe to say that a good time was had by all at the Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks the other night. With fine hosts, Kevin and Nathan, I enjoyed locally brewed beer and local tasty food.
I started off with the Elk Creek Copper Ale (Kevin's favorite, I think.) Which was a tasty welcome after 12 hours in the truck. I enjoyed the Double Rainbow IPA while finishing every last bite of my Chicken & Rabbit Stew. (yum) Nathan had no problem finishing the grilled meatloaf and Kevin polished off the local sausage plate with fried eggplant. Go figure, 3 empty plates and we still had room for dessert...Nathan had the brownie sundae, Kevin had this super huge piece of really dense carrot cake. And I had an ice cream float with the porter ... another yum. It wasn't on the menu, so the proprietor wanted a sip when it arrived at the table...
Many empty glasses and plates later...and also after the torrential downpour we headed home...
Check out the fine establishment here: http://www.elkcreekcafe.net/
Or better yet, just stop in. It is totally worth the 12 hour drive!
Lest I forget, we also came up with a few good costume ideas for the Hilly Hundred I'll be riding in October...good times. (Picture courtesy of the Elk Creek webpage...it was not that light out when we arrived nor anywhere near that sunny!)
As this 30 Day adventure continues...the beginning has blessed me with, first and foremost, time with good friends. Yes, the brews have been tasty, but the conversation and laughter has been a wonderful addition that I had not anticipated :)
My beer menu for the night:
ReplyDeleteElk Creek Copper Ale--my absolute favorite beer: full-flavored, a bit of a bite, just a enough carbonation to make it exciting, hoppy yet not so hoppy that you can't drink it all night.
Winkleblink Ale: a good summer ale, which makes it not so good in my book. A little too clean; goes right past my palate, but many out there enjoy it.
Tastes of the Penns Valley Pilsner (eh, it's good, but a pilsner) and the Poe Paddy Porter (for someone who's not thrilled with porters, this is one of the better ones I've had with a very nice coffee flavor)
Brookie Brown Ale: Nathan's go-to beer, a nice, clean, malty ale. Paired well with the terribly dense and delicious carrot cake, without overpowering it.
I would've also had the Hairy John's IPA (delicious), but I had to drive home.
I always love to take visitors to Elk Creek, one of the best local restaurants in the universe. Glad we were able to go there and to go for a ride during your visit. Come on back soon!