Hammo’s – September 2016 (dt)
6.88 – 7.5, 7, 7, 7, 6.5, 6.25

A few twists up the Hervey Street/Road combos quickly led to Hammo’s Brewpub in Hensonville, a site we last visited in March 2006 when Horton Smith was its name.

Hammo’s offers a wide ranging menu—classic pub material: two dozen appetizers, four flatbreads, six mac-n-cheeses, half-dozen burgers, three large salads, variations of wings, half-dozen pasta dishes, another half-dozen entrées, and almost ten sides, all of it hearty (if not healthy) pub offering.

            We started with salads. Guessing that $9 was a large salad, each couple ordered and split either a Caesar salad or a Garden salad. Nothing fancy but adequate for two.

            Entrées included:

• Roasted Vegetable Mac, with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, tomatoes and beer cheese sauce, topped with a blend of melted mozzarella, cheddar, asiago and parmesan cheeses (Kriss)
• Lobster Mac - beer cheese sauce, topped with a blend of the same four cheeses (Deb K)
• Pineapple Glazed Salmon, in a white wine butter sauce, served with a choice of baked or mashed potatoes (Deb T)
• BBQ Ribs, served kale slaw (Chay)
• Beer Battered Haddock Fry, with kale slaw (Ken)
• Lamb burger with spicy seasoning (Don; an evening special)

All the dishes were judged good (and excellent for a couple), probably better than some of us were expecting.

Several of the entrées came with fries, either French or sweet; and another one or two came with a vegetable.

            The dessert list, minimalist as it is, lured three of us:

• Oreo cookie pudding (Don: quite satisfying)
• Tiramisu (Deb T: very good)
• Snickers pie (Kriss: very good)

           The drink list decidedly favored the brewpub—two gin sippers, one diet soda, no wine, and three beer testers who enjoyed a commendable range of style beers with local names of varying humor.

            Service from Kristina was good to very good. I call it “Country Classic” – attentive, a bit rough cut but productive, friendly, enthusiastic, repetitive casual phrasings. A couple of the staff filled water glasses, helped clear plates, and otherwise arranged for an orderly meal. Ken’s coffee was mostly kept full although I think I heard a comment it was too strong and sub-par!

            Pacing was about right, might have benefited from another fifteen minutes, with the meal finishing in ninety minutes from seating to bill. We stayed and talked for another 20-30 minutes.

            Ambiance was both familiar and not; ten years allows for faded memories.

            Hammo’s is a large, renovated boarding house from decades ago, with rooms for rent. From the review ten years ago:

“Upon entering, a sizeable and welcoming bar on the left catches the eye but so do the front eating room and the slightly more formal-looking back room. The back room has the feel of the classic boarding house dining room, albeit renovated with burnished wood flooring, casting a stylishly modern air. A dry wall fireplace dominated the west wall, ten feet wide, ceiling to floor, with a crackling fire warding off the winter chill and complementing the ambience.”

            That part had changed little. This time we sat at two combined tables the front of the fireplace. The bar area was medium-loud but was distant enough to not be bothersome. The guitar player at 8 pm was both enjoyable (familiar renderings) and not (loud enough to affect our conversation level).

            Add solid tables and chairs, linen-wrapped fork and knife, and salt and pepper shakers for centerpieces.

            The bill came to $76 per couple, a fair price.

            And off we drove on the last summer DP8 dinner of the year. (Ten years earlier, it being March, we drove off into the late winter darkness, with pies and ice cream awaiting at the Karnes house, marking Ken’s birthday, who was still in his 50s! ha)

We had decided on no pre-session but met in the Teator driveway for a common departure point. Giving a feint or two (but not at Point Lookout!), Deb K wended her way over the back roads between here and Rt 23.

            And it was the six of us. Everyone else is acting like retirees.

            Topics of discussion, in the drive and at Hammo’s included: the Teator hot tub, the stifling weather the last few days, the Karnes heading to the Finger Lakes soon, the Teators returning from the Finger Lakes a couple weeks ago, hot flashes and medications (Chay and Don thought it might not work for them), movie attendee Kriss; a new job for Nate, a grandchild’s illness, the upcoming Monteverd trip to Woodbridge, trying to remember Horton Smith, the Karnes stealing the Monteverd possible pick for October, C-D school stuff, Kerry’s 40^th year, Dennis’ whereabouts, the Cape Codders, Deb T’s art class near Toulouse next month, the bridge closed from Hensonville out to 23, and more that have eluded me.

            Another topic that took fifteen minutes at the end was DP8 business, with setting dates for October through December, possible expansion, and limiting pre-sessions. It was time to tidy up.