Happy Place: Victoria Gastro Pub

There is a funny little ditty about when I found Victoria's. I drove past it one day, coming back to the office from having lunch with my boss. The name "Gastro Pub" really stuck with me. In my plebeian mind, I was only able to connect "gastro" with "gastrointestinal" and my mind was a mess of a whole lot of "what the hell??"

I'm very dumb. It's painfully obvious, thank you.

So I got home and brought it up to fiancee, telling her about the word connection I had made in my mind. Well, you can only imagine how much laughter that idea was met with. And that was the night I learned what a "Gastro Pub" is (they aren't really a thing in my old stomping grounds, at least, not by that name).  That was also the first night I went to Victoria Gastro Pub. I've been there quite a few times since, bringing co-workers for lunch, attending business meetings, date nights with my lady, and sometimes just to go on my own for some "Brewfus alone time."

Located in Columbia, Maryland, Victoria is nestled among a growing complex of businesses. I'm lucky, its only about a 15 minute drive from my office in Hanover! The brick structure is nice, featuring a large covered patio section to the left. You walk in and you're greeted by the hostess, and the rather large bar area. The bar is beautiful, and there is about a dozen or so tables along side it. If you don't want to sit at the bar, there is a full seating area, partitioned off into a few different sections. The lighting is low and cozy, and the atmosphere is conducive to a nice, calm, relaxing night out. Or day out. Last time I was there, I brought my book with me, parked my ass down and read, ate, and drank to my hearts content. The walls aren't loaded with crap, nothing to distract you from the experience  I'd have taken pictures, but I'm still weirded out a little about taking pictures for my blog out in public, so I often err to the side of not doing it.

The Food

I've been to places with much larger menus, so at first I was a little thrown off. But quality over quantity, any day of the week. Each time I go there, I get something different. And each time my meal has been superb. They really have a little bit of everything. Here's a sampling of some of the dishes I've had:

"Cheese Plate:
A selection of artisanal  cheese,
house made pickles, grain mustard,
red grapes, grilled baguette"
Beer: Elysian Torrent Pale Beet Bock

"American Dip:
Roasted Angus rib eye, Vermont cheddar,
horseradish sauce, porter beef jus"

"Victoria Fish and Chips:
Allagash White beer battered cod,  crab remoullade"

Chili with pork. It wasn't on the menu. But
it was fantastic (not as good as mine though, Ha).

"Baugher's Farm Apple Grilled Cheese:
Vermont cheddar, walnut vinaigrette"

Now, I'm no food blogger, nor am I even close to amateurish in my photography  SO please forgive me if my photos make the food look less than appetizing. I promise you its quite the opposite. The burgers are top notch, too. And no matter what, you have to, HAVE TO get their duck fat fries. Holygoodgod they are amazing.

The Beer

Ah yes, the beer. The whole reason why you're here, Right? Well, they have an ever changing tap list of about two dozen different brews from all over. A lot of them are local, which makes me happy to see. Aside from that, there is an even larger list of bottles. The beer menu is full size, and very thick, with pages and pages of beer from all over the world. They break it down by country, and for the brews here in the states, they break them down by state. It's extensive, it's slightly overwhelming, and it is heaven.

On top of there being a ridiculous amount of beer to choose form, you have the option of joining their Beer Club. I wont try to explain it, as it's a lot to talk about, but I will provide you the link so you can read about it yourself. You can read about it here. It's a fun road fraught with beer and prizes!

Sierra Nevada/Russian River Brux

New Belgium Lips of Faith Brett Beer

Wicked classy beer flight:
The Bruery Rugbrod
Unibroue La Terrible
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous
Southern Tier Choklat
North Coast Old Rasputin (nitro)

I'm on a big sour, and dark beer kick as of late, obviously.

So this is another one of my happy places, where the staff makes me feel more than welcome, the food and drink are always great, and I just always have a great time. They host beer dinners, and always seem to have some sort of beer related event happening. I just regret that I've been unable to attend one yet. Some day! I could go on and on about this place, but I wont. Instead, you can check them out online, or better yet, you can actually go there and see for yourself. I'd tell you to tell them Brewfus sent you, but they have no idea who I am, and that would be kind of awkward.

Find Victoria Gastro Pub online:

Website: http://victoriagastropub.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriagastropub
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaGPub

And if you plan on going after reading this, let me help you find your way there!


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