Undaunted by the previous THREE less-than-stellar lunch experiences patiently endured in Waynesville (see earlier reviews for the Village Family Restaurant, Bentino’s Pizza and Stone House Tavern), on March 7 the TTA Trio, joined by Joe Hermann and Rich Easterly, continued to work northward, actually crossing South Main Street to its west side to try The Hammel House Inn (HHI), a unique, family-owned, charming combination restaurant / bed & breakfast establishment dating back to at least 1822. (Think Lebanon's Golden Lamb on a much more modest scale.) Housed in a pair of adjacent old buildings with a common porch where meals can be served in cooperative weather, the actual restaurant portion of the enterprise is located in a number of small rooms on the lower level of the venerable brick structure on the left. These multiple but separate dining areas make for both a cozy and quiet eating experience, sincerely appreciated by the TTA group. HHI evidently is popular with the ladies, as the TTA group appeared to be the only male patrons.
The extensive menu includes daily specials and a number of half-sandwich-with-soup-or-salad options for those desiring lighter fare. A limited children’s menu is also offered, along with a choice of desserts. No alcohol is served.
Service was prompt, efficient, friendly and knowledgeable. Although HHI claims it is happy to extend hospitality to bicyclists, no bike parking was noted. Patrons’ dogs are welcomed on the porch and are graciously provided with both water bowls and dog biscuits!
Joe ordered a pulled pork sandwich with (standard) Saratoga chips for $8.95, and pronounced it “very good.” Rich went for the egg salad sandwich special for $9.95, and stated it was “excellent.” John got the Reuben sandwich for $9.95 and was happy with it. Both Rod and George chose the $10.95 cod sandwich, but George supplemented his with a bowl of eminently forgettable French onion soup for another $6.95. In fairness, both agreed their fish was delightfully crispy, flavorful and cooked perfectly. Further, the accompanying tartar sauce was remarkable.
Joe and Rich, the two occasional visitors to TTA, were stoutly of the opinion that the quality of the food at HHI of itself merited five bells. While the TTA Trio had no dispute with the food quality (well…other than the bland but overpriced onion soup), the TTA Trio maintained there were also other factors relevant to trail users—distance from the trail, no alcoholic beverages, and a lack of either truly memorable ambiance or dishes. With these points considered, the TTA crew agreed on Hammel House Inn earning but three bells.
The Hammel House Inn
121 South Main Street, Waynesville, OH
Phone: 513-897-2333
Hours: Lunch every day, 11 – 5; breakfast on weekends, 8 - 12
Website: thehammelhouseinn.com
March 2018
Despite VFR’s obvious local popularity, the TTA Trio soon found that the impressive breadth of choice didn’t automatically translate into a similarly high quality of food. Deep fried mushrooms ($4.50) ordered for the table as an appetizer went down well; as it turned out, though, they were the high point of everyone’s meal. Rod then opted for an Italian Stallion sub for $8.25 (ham, salami, pepperoni, sliced tomatoes, diced onions, banana peppers and mozzarella cheese topped with Italian dressing or pizza sauce) and was basically content, though not particularly enthused. John’s $8.35 choice was an Uncle John Bacon Burger, a half-pound of beef with cream cheese sauce (!), salami, bacon, grilled green peppers on a toasted onion bun with Thousand Island dressing, lettuce, sliced tomato and topped with two onion rings. He ordered it done medium, but certainly didn’t get it served that way, which was a disappointment. George was initially intrigued by the $10.15 Kickin’ Bison Burger (a third pound of bison meat topped by various spicy items) but, intimidated by the spices, made the “safer choice” of a breaded pork tenderloin on a bun with a side of onion rings for a total of $6.50. This proved to be a serious error in judgment, as the tenderloin was the worst he’d ever had, and John and Rod further agreed with him that the onion rings had a strange "off" flavor that made them completely inedible. There was consensus that everything served tasted pre-fabricated, despite VFR’s “home cooking” theme.
Ratings among the TTA Trio varied from Rod’s resigned 2 1/2 bells to George’s grudging 1 ½, with John's disappointed 2 falling right between. Accordingly, the TTA Trio settled on a 2-bell rating, but completely agreed that there would be no incentive to return to Village Family Restaurant in view of other and better immediate options.
Bentino’s offers seven different house specialty pizzas priced at $8.99 (small 8”), $14.99 (medium 12”) and $19.99 (large 16”). Create Your Own pizzas go for $5.95 (plus $0.90/topping); $9.25 (plus $1.45/topping); and $11.99 (plus $1.95/topping). All the calzones and gyros are $6.99 and come with chips. John selected a specialty Meat Madness medium pizza (topped with a wide variety of meats) for the listed price of $14.99. Rod ordered a medium Create Your Own with pepperoni, banana peppers and black olives, which set him back $13.60. George’s small Create Your Own came with double pepperoni, sausage, black olives and onions for a total of $10.45. Neither John nor Rod was able to finish his pizza. John accompanied his pizza with a pair of Bud Light drafts. Rod began with a bottle of Great Lakes Christmas Ale, and then switched to Stella Artois. George stayed true to his craft beer commitments and stuck with a pair of Christmas Ales. Everyone was quite satisfied with their food, and there was a consensus that Bentino’s interesting technique of putting a mozzarella or provolone mixture of cheese atop each pizza before baking yielded a unique and delightfully crisp layer of browned cheese upon serving.
Bentino’s Pizza
