restaurant

Hocking Hills Comfort Food Cruise 2023

Mary
Family at Mams Rusted Skillet

Introduction

Although the Hocking Hills Comfort Food Cruise is now in its 8th year, this was the first year we drove it.  It was a lot of fun and we had many delicious eats along the way. The cruise will be available next weekend (March 11 and 12, 2023), so it’s not too late to join in the dining adventure. There are twelve stops in total. The cost is $20 and you have two full weekends to visit any of the 12 stops. For complete information, including links to the stops, please go to the Hocking Hills Tourism Association’s Comfort Food Cruise web page. I’m only going to write about the seven stops we were able to squeeze into our afternoon of driving and dining.

What you might want to know

But first, some tips/advice:

  • We left at least a $1 per person tip everywhere we visited.
  • Opening and closing times vary among stops, so plan your tour carefully.
  • Some stops run out of what they planned to serve.
  • Nature sometimes interferes with the best laid plans. The Hocking Hills experienced a pretty big storm on March 3 and power was out in the rural/park areas until mid Saturday morning. That meant the Inn at Cedar Falls sent their triple berry cobbler way over to the Urban Grill to serve, and the Rock House Restaurant was not available at all. I assume that on Sunday, everything was back to normal.
  • You can enjoy your comfort food at each stop or get it “to go.”

The beginning

Our first stop was at the Hocking Hills Tourism Association‘s Welcome Center in Logan. We purchased our Comfort Food Cruise cards, got our souvenir ice cream scoops and map. We had already planned our route so immediately left the Welcome Center and headed to Jack’s Steakhouse.

Our route

Jack’s is an institution in the Hocking Hills but we haven’t been there for a while. We were seated upon arrival and it wasn’t long before our beef noodles and gravy over mashed potatoes arrived in a styrofoam cup with a plastic spoon. Actually, disposables were common on this cruise. We also asked for water which arrived promptly. While there wasn’t much actual beef in the dish it was still delicious, I suspect the potatoes were not homemade. Might be wrong about that.

The next stop was at the Urban Grill, which is actually at the Hocking Hills Golf Course club house. It is a very nice facility. We had quite a wait for our ultimate grilled cheese but it was served on a real plate, with metal utensils. It wasn’t quite what we were expecting but it was still very, very good. There were two types of cheese (only one was melted), bacon, tomato, lettuce, pickle. This was a full size sandwich. Unfortunately, they had run out of the Inn at Cedar Fall’s triple berry cobbler, but we will go for that next weekend.

After much discussion, we decided that we did have time to stop at Hocking Hills Frozen Yogurt. We were all glad we did. Friendly service, lots of yogurt and a multitude of toppings.

The Home Tavern was a must stop for all of us: pulled pork sliders and white mac & cheese. Oh my goodness – the ultimate comfort food! Both were tasty even beyond our expectations. Very friendly and good service as well.

We had planned to stop at Tacie’s Sweet Treats, but they had run out of goodies an hour and half before they were supposed to close. I think this might be their first year participating in the Comfort Food Cruise. We’ll try them again next weekend. That broccoli cheddar soup just sounds too appealing to skip.

We were all getting pretty full by then but no one wanted to miss Treehouse Treats & Treasurers, which served a generous junior scoop of ice cream, in a cup or cone. I got the salted caramel. It was so good I had to eat it all of it. My companions did the same. Are you counting? We have now already had two good sized desserts and we were headed to Laurelville for our final two stops.

In Laurelville, we arrived at The Ridge Inn just in time for their meatloaf and mashed potatoes. We’ve had their meatloaf many times over the years so most of us ordered ours “to go.” We needed to save room for the final stop at Mam’s. Service at the Ridge Inn was wonderful as usual.

The final stop: Mam’s Rusted Skillet for their hamburger slider and fries. They serve local beef which is what makes their burgers so delicious. Crispy, hot fries – yum! Again, excellent service. The photo at the top of this post was taken at Mam’s. I don’t think we could have squeezed in any more food on this tour. There was napping when we returned home and no one needed dinner.

That leaves five more stops for us next weekend: Rock House Restaurant for evergreen garlic fries, Hocking Hills Coffee Emporium for Danish and coffee, Hocking Hills Diner for banana bread French toast, the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls for triple berry cobbler and Tacie’s Sweet Treats for broccoli cheese soup.

In closing

For complete details on all of the locations mentioned in this post, please go to the Comfort Food Cruise web site.

The Tourism Association is now planning a September Comfort Food Trail, so stay tuned for more delicious food in the Hocking Hills.

Mary at Marsh Hollow

August 18 Tourism Association Update & Dining Suggestion

Mary

The Hocking HIlls Tourism Association’s Weekend Update  is now available. I almost forgot to share it after promising that I would. It is packed with stuff to do, not only for the weekend but for the week ahead and beyond.

As an extra, here is a dining suggestion, based on my lunch with my friend Pamela today at the Hocking Hills Dining Lodge: try the Caveside salad. Baby spinach, goat cheese, toasted almonds, sun dried tomatoes, shredded carrots, onion, craisins/raisons and a champagne vinaigrette dressing. Delicious!

Mary at Marsh Hollow

Mother’s Day Dining in the Hocking Hills 2015

Mary

We copied this word for word from the Hocking Hills Tourism Association’s Weekend Update, but we agree with it all, and have added a few comments below and links to the various restaurants web sites:

Mother’s Day Buffet at Hocking Hills Dining Lodge
20020 State Route 664 South, Logan, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Come join us for a very special Mother’s Day Sunday buffet. No reservations required. Call 740-380-0400 for more information; COST: $23.95/adults, $12.95/ages 5-12.
Our note: great for kids and convenient for a before or after dinner hike at Old Man’s Cave.

Mother’s Day Grand Buffet at The Olde Dutch
12791 St. Rt. 664 South, Logan, 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Mother’s Day Grand Buffet: carved ham, broasted chicken, roast beef, roast turkey , ham loaf, chicken livers, cabbage rolls ,macaroni & cheese, sweet potato casserole, chicken & noodles, stuffing, assorted vegetables, homemade rolls, cheesy potato soup, super salad bar, pie (coconut cream, peanut butter cream, strawberry cream, dutch apple, pecan & sugar free), bread pudding, apple crisp & strawberry mousse. Drink is included and moms receive a free” carnation. Call 740-385-1000 for more information; COST: $15.99/adults, $4.99/kids 3-10, FREE/kids under 3.
Our note: also great for kids, then go play miniature golf or browse through the craft store, and antique store. Don’t take little kids in the glass outlet store!

Mother’s Day Buffet at Lee’s Banquet Haus
580 Radio Lane, Logan, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
All-You-Can-Eat Buffet iIncludes: broasted chicken, roast beef, roast turkey, carved pit ham, whipped potatoes, scalloped potatoes, vegetables, salads, rolls and full assortment of desserts. COST: $15.95/adults.
Our note: we’ve never been here, but have enjoyed many breakfasts and dinners at the companion restaurant, Bush’s, which probably has the restroom-most-in-need-of renovation in the Hocking Hills. But their pies and broasted chicken are very tasty.

Mother’s Day Brunch at Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls
21190 St. Rt. 374, Logan, 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. seatings
Mother’s Day Brunch is a family fun affair! Begin your meal family style with our Inn’s pastry basket, fresh fruit, inn-made granola and raspberry yogurt. Entrée choices include: caramelized onion & feta quiche, pan roasted tilapia topped with pineapple salsa & herb roasted potatoes & green beans or pork chop with apricot glaze served with herb roasted potatoes & green beans. A sweet ending to your meal is either mixed berry cobbler w/ vanilla bean ice cream or strawberry cake w/ strawberry icing. Call 800-653-2557 for reservations or more information; COST: $21/adults, $12/children 12 & under.
Our note: this will be delicious, of course, and this is an incredibly low price for this restaurant. Also very convenient for hiking at Cedar Falls before or after brunch.

Mother’s Day Fine Dining at Glenlaurel
14940 Mt. Olive Rd., Rockbridge, 1 and 5 p.m. seatings
Looking for a truly magnificent gift for your Mother? Spoil her (and yourself!) with an amazing gourmet meal at Glenlaurel. We’re accepting reservations for a 1 p.m. seating for a four-course lunch and a 5 p.m. seating for a six-course fine dining experience that’s sure to delight. Call 1-800-809-7378 or 740-385-2951 ext 306 for more information and to make a reservation; COST: $39/lunch and $49/dinner.

Our note: they don’t have kids pricing and this is more of an adults only place anyway. But the food will be absolutely delicious.