A Place I Could Retire

The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery with big pretzel at left

I just love Lititz, Pennsylvania.  I like just about everything about it although I don't really know how high the real estate taxes are there.  I was passing through there last week on my way to some family business, and I was reminded again of how I love this quaint and picturesque little town.

First of all, my family's pretzel manufacturing lineage started here - in 1861 Julius Sturgis opened America's first commercial pretzel bakery.  Then there's also the Wilbur Chocolate factory right in town.  Pretzels and dark chocolate.  What could be better?

Of course, in addition to the historic pretzel bakery museum, the street signs have pretzels on them, and there's even a Sturgis Lane, accessed right off the main street.  And, during this last pass through this town I love, I made a stop at The Sturgis Haus for breakfast.

This little eatery is right on the corner of Main Street and Sturgis Lane, and is known as a brewpub/restaurant/espresso bar.

When I arrived it was about 8:30 AM, so I was going to sample the breakfast fare.  I'm always game to try a new restaurant, especially one that resonates with local color.  As I perused the breakfast menu, I was amused to see that every Wednesday night from 5 to 8 PM a beer breakfast is served also.

There were some mighty tasty sounding items on the menu, including baked oatmeal with bananas, raisins, and warm milk, peanut butter and banana stuffed french toast, and a smokin steer omelet made with 1/4 pound of slow smoked brisket, onion and cheddar cheese.  The coffee bar offered some intriguing choices too, like a nutella latte, a creme brulee latte, and a cinnamon bun latte.

As I waited for my meal to be prepared I wandered around this cozy place.  On the walls I discovered a collection of old newspaper articles from Lititz' past.  I got a kick out of this wall display of mugs belonging to The Sturgis Haus' regular customers:

I had decided on a Build-Your-Own Omelet and a regular coffee.  When my selection was delivered to me, it looked so good and I was so hungry that I almost forgot to take a photo.

It was obvious to see that this place has a regular clientele that enjoy meeting here for coffee and conversation in the mornings.  At a table near me, six retired guys sat visiting, drinking their mugs of coffee and solving the problems of the world in small town America. 

 I overheard them discussing the previous evening's presidential debate and deciding who "won" the debate.  I listened as one guy updated the others on the current prices of gold and silver.  Another guy reported on his success at ordering something on the internet.  And as I was finishing my omelet, I heard them commiserating on the trials of using computers in general.  

All in all, my experience dining at The Sturgis Haus was pleasant, comfortable, and the meal was excellent.  In fact, of all the omelets I've had in my lifetime (and I'm somewhat of an omelet connoisseur), I would place this omelet in the top five.  Ever.  It was that good.  

So it was another good experience in one of my favorite towns.  And these guys would probably agree with me:

Thankfully, all the problems of the world were solved by them, right there in The Sturgis Haus, at least for that day.