Thursday, October 22, 2015

A Culinary Trip to Adams County

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I joined several other writers for a two-day tour of the culinary treasures of Adams County, starting with a Savor Gettysburg “Historic Downtown Food Tour,” led by Lori Korczyk, who founded the Savor Gettysburg series of tours just last year.

Our particular tour took us on a 1.5-mile walk to seven different establishments, starting with the Garryowen Irish Pub. Named after a popular drinking song in Limerick, the Garryowen Irish pub is the only Irish-owned pub in Gettysburg and dates back to 1831. The cozy little place is as charming as it is quaint and is comprised of several small rooms and a large bar area with an attractive, old bar constructed of dark wood, which has likely been privy to many secrets over the years.

Our hosts presented us with the miniature version of a house specialty—a savory Shepherd’s pie. Few of us could wait to break through the lightly browned mashed potato topping to the steamy hot, flavorful, beefy gravy, brimming with vegetables. The delicious dish warmed our insides on that brisk, October day.

Shepherd's Pie at Garryowen Irish Pub

Inside of Garryowen Irish Pub

When we finished, we followed Korczyk along the street to the next destination, learning more about history and settlers like Samuel Gettys along the way.

During our walk, we viewed the bronze Lincoln Statue located just outside the Wills House on the Gettysburg Square. Deemed the “Return Visit,” the statue, created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr., depicts Lincoln standing next to a modern-day civilian and pointing to the house as if to say, “That’s where I completed my Gettysburg Address," said our guide.

Other stops included “One Lincoln Square,” the restaurant located inside the Gettysburg Hotel. Korczyk led our group past a stunning wall of copper cookery and past diners enjoying their food with Gettysburg Address wallpaper as a backdrop.  We took our seats at high-topped tables near an oversized mahogany bar to enjoy a rich, creamy dish of crab macaroni and cheese.




Inside of One Lincoln

Later that day we  stopped at the Hauser Estate winery where we quaffed a selection of red and white wines and a delicious hard cider called “Jacks,” named after the grandfather of the owner, who was once President of Musselman’s applesauce.


We also visited “Kaitlyn’s CafĂ© on the Square,” where we enjoyed a sampling of a turkey/bacon/avocado sandwich and a tangy Reuben on rye, which one member of our group pronounced “delicious” despite disliking Reubens.


Towards the end of the tour, we paid a visit to The Ragged Edge Coffee House, the name of which I recognized from an article I wrote months before on a locally produced paranormal thriller called “Ghosting,” part of which was filmed there. (You can read my article here.)


Before arriving at our last destination of the tour, we stopped at the Shriver House and were led by a docent to the award-winning garden in the back of the structure where we learned more about civilian life during the war.

Docent at the Shriver House



Later that day we  stopped at the Hauser Estate winery where we quaffed a selection of red and white wines and a delicious hard cider called “Jacks,” named after the grandfather of the owner who was once President of Musselman’s applesauce.

Next Up: More about the Federal Pointe Inn, our divine dining experience at Fidler & Company in Biglerville, Pennsylvania and the subsequent stops along the tour.