I worked at Hershey Farm washing dishes when it first opened and Ed Hershey was the owner. I've been there off-and-on since then and the food has been steadily going downhill... way downhill. Granted I haven't been there for about two years, so maybe it's improved. I grew up near Gap, PA and I can tell you most of the smorgasbord stuff is crap (except for Hershey's back in the day). Not sure how Shady Maple is "quantity" since Hershey's is all you can eat also.
My strongest recommendation if you want a healthy dose of Lancaster County/Amish/Mennonite food and culture is to go to the Green Dragon in Ephrata. It's only open on Friday's and I'm telling you that place hasn't changed since I was a kid. At night it's really hopping... especially in early October when the weather is great and there's lots of produce being sold. There's a huge area just for the Amish to park their buggies. The place that makes soft pretzels from scratch has been there for at least 40 years. One "new" product they've introduced is the "pretzel dog" which has become my favorite. The had it long before Auntie Anne (aka, Anne Byler).
kensei
Spent the past weekend in the Strasburg area, and I can dutifully report that, as smorgasbords go, the Hershey Farm Inn on Rt. 896 is about as good as it gets in terms of quality. (For quantity, head to Shady Maple about 7 miles away.) I variously dined on chicken corn soup, chicken pot pie, ham meatballs, meatloaf, pork and sauerkraut, barbecued chicken and pickled red beet eggs. Granted, if I ate this way for two weeks I would gain 25 lbs. and come down with scurvy, but this is comfort food Pennsylvania Dutch style. I didn't even bother to go to the dessert island, and it was loaded with treats.
Please note that the Whoopie Pie Festival is coming up in a few weeks -- one of Lancaster's strange delicacies. Don't believe me? Go to:
Had breakfast at Katie's Kitchen, which advertises authentic Amish food, also on Rt. 896. Trust me, you haven't lived until you have enjoyed the "Dutch Scramble" -- a scramble of canned mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, scrapple, eggs and cheese. I had a side of ham, just to make it properly balanced. In true Pennsylvania style, I doused it with ketchup. And also in true Lancaster style, the mushrooms are canned because, after all, Kennett Square is a good 30 minute drive. This meal stays with you a while....
Amish Country, PA
in The Intrepid Traveler
Posted
I worked at Hershey Farm washing dishes when it first opened and Ed Hershey was the owner. I've been there off-and-on since then and the food has been steadily going downhill... way downhill. Granted I haven't been there for about two years, so maybe it's improved. I grew up near Gap, PA and I can tell you most of the smorgasbord stuff is crap (except for Hershey's back in the day). Not sure how Shady Maple is "quantity" since Hershey's is all you can eat also.
My strongest recommendation if you want a healthy dose of Lancaster County/Amish/Mennonite food and culture is to go to the Green Dragon in Ephrata. It's only open on Friday's and I'm telling you that place hasn't changed since I was a kid. At night it's really hopping... especially in early October when the weather is great and there's lots of produce being sold. There's a huge area just for the Amish to park their buggies. The place that makes soft pretzels from scratch has been there for at least 40 years. One "new" product they've introduced is the "pretzel dog" which has become my favorite. The had it long before Auntie Anne (aka, Anne Byler).
kensei