THURMONT – This past weekend while visiting Thurmont, I decided to stop off and have a meal at the Mountain Gate Family Restaurant, which I had driven by several times. To my joy and surprise, I found out that it is a buffet-style restaurant. When I was growing up in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s, family buffets were very popular.
My family visited them often, but over the last few years they seem to have been slowly fading away. There could be several reasons for this. One could be the pandemic from five years ago, the rising popularity of delivery services or just that people aren’t going out as much as they used to. In any case, I was happy to see that one is still thriving not too far from home in Waynesboro.
The friendly and inviting atmosphere and the smiling staff welcomed me as soon as I entered, and the delightful aroma of home-cooked food had me eager to get to the buffet. As I was shown to my seat, I passed by a large gift shop that I was looking forward to looking around in for some early holiday gift shopping. I was seated by a large fireplace that I was wishing would have been lit, but it was too nice a day for that.
The food bars had a lot of options which included fresh sliced ham and roast turkey, bbq ribs, stuffed bell peppers, stuffed chicken breasts and homemade fried chicken. For sides there were mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, homemade stuffing, corn, ham and green beans and sweet potatoes, just to name a few.
I started my meal with the salad bar, which is always one of my favorites at a buffet. There are so many choices for one to create their ideal salad. I made mine with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, radishes, bell peppers, mushrooms and hard-boiled egg. I topped it with generous spoonful of ranch dressing and bacon bits. On the side were some sliced green olives and a red beet egg. Truthfully, I could have made another trip or two to the salad bar, but I had entrée options to try.
My plate consisted of sliced ham, fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and chicken gravy and corn fritters. This was a down home country meal that reminded me of eating over at grandma’s house during weekend visits. All of the food was delicious, but I have to give high compliments to the fried chicken. It was some of the best I have tasted in the tri-state area.
Finally, I made my way to the dessert bar. There was every type of pie one could think of. Homemade fruit pies of every variety and an equal number of crème pies. It was so difficult making a decision on which one to try. I was about to dig into the Boston crème pie when my eye caught one labeled “graham cracker pie.” I had never heard of this type of pie, but it looked a lot like banana cream which is my favorite. So, I decided that would be my choice. It was made with vanilla pudding, over thick graham cracker crust, topped with a velvet whipping cream, and sprinkles of graham cracker crumbs. It was a delightful pie that I would recommend one try, especially if you like graham crackers.
Mountain Gate Family Restaurant is located at 133 Frederick Road in Thurmont just off Route 15. They are open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. so be sure to visit for their breakfast buffet as well. For more information about their specials, readers may visit their website at: Mountain Gate Family Restaurant | Thurmont, MD & Waynesboro, PA
