Fallston, MD

John and I headed up to Harford County to visit relatives. We’re both Harford County boys and enjoyed seeing some of our old haunts. For lunch, we stopped by the Black Forest Taphouse (it used to be the German restaurant, Joseph’s) on Pleasantville Rd. 

They have made quite a few improvements to the place. We arrived just as they opened, so we were the only patrons. We sat at the terrific looking bar for lunch. Cassidy, our bartender, helped us wade through the 24 beers on tap. She suggested the Burley Oak Lost IPA. It was nice – dank with tropical fruit hops, a real keeper.

I had the Reuben würste and John had the chili würste.  Both were delicious and went well with the Lost IPA. We also tried a sample of the Belgian Strong Ale from New Glaris & De Proef, Abtsolution. I liked the stone fruit nose and smooth, rich, almost syrupy mouthfeel. It is a real treat, but watch out, it’s 9% ABV.

Fun fact: Cassidy is toying with the idea of becoming a bounty hunter. Do we have a future Stephanie Plum working at the Black Forest? BTW, Stephanie Plum is a fictional character in the Janet Evanovich best-selling series about a female bounty hunter from Trenton, NJ. I jokingly suggested Cassidy read Evanovich’s One for the Money to learn about her”future career”.

We had a fun time at the Black Forest. It opened 9 months ago. It is open every day of the week. If you’re in the neighborhood, I highly recommend it.

Cheers!

Warren