Hooky In Hagerstown

by Jane Adams

After a long week at work, I decided to take Friday afternoon off and take advantage of the beautiful weather and comfortable temperatures. So with the afternoon off, I packed up my teenage foodie daughter, and headed down I-81 to Hagerstown, Maryland.

For some reason, in my mind Maryland always sounded so far away, but in truth, Hagerstown is only a mere fifty minutes from Carlisle and it's an extremely easy drive when the traffic is light. And our trip couldn't have started any better as we began our day with lunch at the Schmankerl Stube Bavarian Restaurant in Hagerstown.

I was anxious to eat here, mainly due to the fact that I visited Bavaria in November and since, have not had authentic German food. 


The restaurant was easy to spot in the downtown district. 

The outside of the building was decorated with a  welcoming German sign proclaiming “Thank You, Prozit!”, and the outdoor tables were lined with flower boxes spilling over with red blooms. 
Inside, the style and decorations reminded me of the German Gasthouse I stayed in, in Franconia during my November visit.

Schmankerl Stube Bavarian Restaurant in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Since it was such a nice day, we'd chosen to sit on the outdoor terrace in the back of the restaurant which was shaded with large Hacker-Pshorr umbrellas and lined with colorful geraniums and hydrangea plants. 

A diverse mix of families on vacation, businessmen, and German speaking customers were amongst the patrons we found frequenting the establishment.

I ordered a Hacker-Pschorr Weisse beer and the fruity light beer went well with an outdoor summer lunch. 

I opted for a 10 oz glass with lunch, although the restaurant offers and serves half-liter, one-liter and 5-liter mugs for the more adventuresome evening diner. Also, the selection and quality of the beer on tap is excellent.   The choices include Paulaner Pils, Spaten, Dobbelbock, and several more varieties of Hacker-Pshorr.

For an appetizer we snacked on goulash, which was a light tomato based vegetable soup, spiced with marjoram. Also recommended is the wurst sampler plate for an appetizer if you are with enough people to share.

The restaurant offers a large variety of wurst. 

After placing our orders, the waitress brought German-style rye bread and a small container of whipped butter as an additional side. 

For lunch, I ordered the Sauerbraten. The sweet and tangy deep red cabbage complimented the marinated tender braised beef it was served with. It was delicious and satisfying, very similar to Sunday diner at the Gasthaus in Bavaria, and the meal brought back some good memories from that trip.  

My daughter had baked salmon, which she enjoyed.

Goulash

Lunch entrees are reasonably priced, ranging from $9 on up.   After cleaning our plates, we headed out to Premium Outlets.

Sauerbraten

For more information on the restaurant, please visit: http://schmankerlstube.com/

Our Appetites Sated; We Shopped

After our wonderful lunch, we decided to venture off towards the shopping Outlets, and together, we shopped for clothes.

While shopping, I took the opportunity to visit Le Gourmet Chef, which unfortunately is slated to close.

However, they weren't closed yet and we managed to pick up some bargains such as Thai sweet-hot dipping sauce and a silicone Barbecue Mop with a removable top which can easily popped into the dishwasher.

By the time we finished cruising the outlets, it was time to head home. Knowing the drive was short provided some comfort; there would still be lots of time to enjoy a Friday night supper with my husband.

It was a good afternoon of playing hooky and I hope that I can return to Hagerstown soon. I already have some thought on other places I'd like to visit next time.

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

We drove by the museum on the way to outlets. The museum has a permanent collection of more than 7,000 items and visitors can view a variety of paintings including works by Picasso, Rockwell, and European Masters. Plus admission is free and the attractive grounds looked like they would be nice for an afternoon stroll.
www.wcmfa.org

Krump’s Donuts

Located in a semi-residential district, on Do-Nut alley, my daughter and I sought out this shop after lunch based on a recommendation on Yelp. Unfortunately, the shop is only open 7pm - 2am. I made a mental note to visit next time if I am ever in town during those hours because the on-line reviews raved about the quality of the donuts from this old-fashioned style doughnut shop.
http://krumpesdonuts.com/

Discovery Station

This museum is a hands-on learning museum which should please all ages.
www.discoverystation.org

Other ideas available at:
www.marylandmemories.com