Casual, dog-friendly outdoor lunch somewhere between Frederick and Frostburg?

[kukubura]

We're going to the Savage River Lodge in Frostburg for a night just to sort of sit in the woods and decompress and we're taking our dog (which is why we chose SVL.) We're driving from Baltimore and will want to stop on the side of the road for lunch both ways. I'm thinking REALLY casual, like if it's an amazing pit beef stand with picnic tables that's fine, since we'll have our dog. If it's actual outdoor seating that's dog friendly so much the better. Any hidden gems? Local favorites? Unexpected cuisines? This is gonna be in the first week of November.
Thanks!

[kukubura]

Thanks again for all the great suggestions. We called Brewer's Alley in advance and apparently they aren't allowing dogs on the patio anymore. Pity, cuz it sounds great.

Instead, we started off with lunch at Akelo's, which is indeed fantastic. For a small operation in the back of a gas station the food was absolutely delicious. We sat out on a picnic table and had a feast of their homemade taramosalata (with warm, toasted pita), pork shish kabob, a chicken souvlaki platter and a gyro. I would definitely go out of my way to eat there again.

Up at Savage River Lodge we had dinner delivered to our cabin, which I won't describe in detail, but it was great. And, although that place ain't cheap, bringing your own wine really knocks the cost of dinner down dramatically (although apparently their wine list is top notch)

On the way back be stopped in Cumberland and had a couple if Curtis' Coney Island wieners with their own special sauce. Not the best food we had on the trip, but a fun footnote.

And we had a late lunch /early dinner at Chubby's which is out of this world. We ordered what felt like half the menu: Pulled pork, bbq chicken, smoked pork belly, a Louisiana hot link and beef brisket, along with chili and nearly every side they have. The brisket was amazing. The pulled pork and pork belly were great (although the belly was a bit rich for my wife) and the chicken (which we had for dinner the next day) was also great. The chili was particularly great as well. And some of the sides were awesome: sauerkraut with pork, baked beans, potato salad and mac n cheese were all worth noting. Chubby's isn't too terribly far from Bmore so I can definitely see swinging back over there.

Thanks!

[laststandchili]

Glad you liked Chubby's, and I'm thrilled to hear about the addition of the pork belly. I need to make a trip up there sometime soon. Also agree about the brisket, theirs is better than anything I ever found in Texas.

The owner is always trying new things. A couple years ago they had a cream of crab soup on the menu that was easily the best I've ever had anywhere.

[kukubura]

He's also hilarious. The audio on their website has me chuckling days after I listened to it.

[laststandchili]

Tom's a great guy. I think he may post here occasionally.

[kukubura]

"Nobody... Listen to me now! NO... BODY! Even placed SECOND!!!"

[kukubura]

Great, thanks again for all the info! I'll let you all know what goes down.

[laststandchili]

http://www.catoctinmountainorchard.com/

I usually stop here on the way home from Chubbys when I'm up that way.

[BontheC]

Try Puccini's, but give them a call first. They are located right after the Rocky Gap Lodge exit but before Cumberland. I'm not sure if this is under the same management, but we went here with our chocolate lab when the Rocky Gap Lodge used to accommodate pets. We sat on the patio and enjoyed some pretty darn good wood fired pizza. I was born and raised in Chicago and have lived in NY too, so I consider myself a bit of a pizza snob and we really enjoyed our meal. They have sandwiches and other offerings as well. Again, if they did change mgmt, they may no longer allow pets, but they were super friendly with us.

[kukubura]

Awesome! Thanks for all the tips. I'll report back what we end up doing.

One last question: Any particularly awesome farm stands/ Saturday farmers markets that we might be able to stop at on the way back?
Thanks!

[ktmoomau]

Hancock has a big apple farm with a huge barn/stand right off I-68 that I believe is open year round. By this time it is getting quite wintery in Western Maryland so a lot of the markets stands are probably ended for the season, but you might check Frederick, Boonsboro (sp?) and Hancock.

[kukubura]

Our little excursion is just a week away. Any other suggestions? We're going to try to finalize our choices and make sure we can sit out with the pooch at them early this week and then just hope for good weather!

[LizH]

Just off I-70 in Middletown MD is a Greek restaurant called Aleko's attached to a gas station, I have never been but I know they have outdoor picnic tables and I have heard the food is really good.

http://www.alekosvillagecafe.com/

[laststandchili]

We've never brought our dogs along, but Frederick seems very pro-dog generally.

A bit of a detour up 15 N is Chubby's BBQ in Emmittsburg. If it's a decent day there are picnic tables outside. Very good BBQ, and a very cool through back kind of joint.

[kukubura]

Brewer's Alley and Chubby's both sound like our kinds of places! Thanks for starting us off with good recs! Anyone else have a personal favorite? With two lunches to fill we're open to more suggestions! Any surprising ethnic enclaves along the way?

-----
Brewer's Alley
124 N Market St, Frederick, MD 21701

[nickdanger]

If Frederick itself is not too close, the patio at Brewers Alley, www.brewers-alley.com, might work for you.