It would be overstatement to call Lovettsville a food desert. After all, it’s home to The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, currently No. 2 on my list of 50 Best Restaurants in NoVA. But when it comes to a casual lunch or brunch, the town of roughly 2,500 isn’t quite the destination it is for fine dining.
The town, right on the Maryland border, was originally settled in 1836 by German immigrants. Why is this important? Because I’m about to tell you to go to 1836 Kitchen & Taproom for schnitzel. The gastropub is the kind of local watering hole where customers all seem to know each other. And both the food and carefully curated list of brews are far more of an attraction than they need to be for a place where everybody knows your name.
Despite the background of Lovettsville’s founders, finding German food in our region can be a challenge. And 1836’s founder, Joe Brower, knows he has a good thing going: The fried pork cutlet is on the menu in two forms, both as a platter and stacked on a pretzel bun with either bacon jam and goat cheese or mustard and kraut.
I ordered the platter, which turned out to be the right move thanks to the tender-and-tangy tangle of red cabbage and apples. I would have happily eaten a bowl of the warm side on its own. The cabbage dyes everything it touches, including the slender, skin-on fries.
But ultimately, the dish succeeds on the basis of the thinly pounded pork. The coating is impeccably seasoned and crisp enough to withstand the mustard cream sauce spooned over the top.
Unless you possess an endless appetite, it’s best not to clean the plate, though. Save that real estate for a giant jar of homemade banana pudding. The vanilla-scented sweet is filled with softened wafers and fresh fruit, just as it should be. Even if the pudding is a tad too thick, it’s a challenge not to finish the oversized portion. And even if you’re not a local, you may become a fixture at this above-average pub.
34 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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