The Mountainhouse (top) on Hatch Hill Road at the Overton and Albany Township line has re-opened and has booked quality entertainment well into the spring, including Hillbilly D’Lux (above) on Feb. 14 and March 14.
News that the former Mountain House Inn was to reopen took social media by storm in early January. Judging by the standing-room-only crowd that swarmed the bar and restaurant on Hatch Hill Road above New Albany for a recent appearance by a popular country band, the new MorZac’s Mountainhouse is already a huge hit.
“It was packed,” owner Tracy Gowin said of attendance for the Jan. 17 performance by Hillbilly D’Lux. He and his wife, Becky, have booked bands for every Saturday evening, and will add entertainment on Friday nights once the weather gets warmer.
“We’re also going to have some events during the week,” Gowin added, citing Little Mania’s midget wrestling on Feb. 5 and the American Cowboy male revue on March 5 as examples.
The Mountain House was shut down for two years when Gowin’s parents, George and Sandy Kramer, retired. They had managed the business for eight years, but Gowin’s memories of The Mountain House reach back even further into its 30-plus year past.
“I was here with my family eating dinner since I was at least 12 years old,” he related. “Everybody came here.”
According to Gowin, Larry Eppler originally built and opened the business. Barry Young ran the bar and restaurant for some years prior to the Kramer’s. The building burned down in the early 1980s and was rebuilt. A mural on the wall of the new building was painted by Bonnie Baker around 1984.
The Gowin’s had the option of continuing the business at the time, but full-time jobs and two children – Morgan and Zachary – still at home took precedence. With Morgan now attending Penn State and able to come home and help out the weekends, the time seemed right to re-open the doors. Sandy, for one, was thrilled to see the establishment re-open.
The family-style serving that Gowin recalls as a youth was eventually replaced by a more varied menu that is currently being fine-tuned by primary cooks David Gunther and Kelly Tinna.
“She’s like a mad scientist in the kitchen,” Gowin jokes in reference to Tinna’s willingness to experiment with recipes. “Every time I get here, she says, ‘Come back here and try this.’”
Gowin credited both Tinna and Gunther for mastering the restaurant’s trademark batter for fried chicken that they intend to try on fish as well.
“Dave’s been in the business for 14 years,” noted Gowin. “He’s got a lot of good ideas.” Jen Mcguinness, he added, is the new manager. “She is also bringing new ideas to us,” said Gowin. Servers include Tinya, Toots, MaryAnn and Jordan.
Feeding the public’s appetite for a consistent yet somewhat adventurous menu has become a key priority at MorZac’s Mountainhouse, followed closely by the desire to offer adults a comfortable and friendly venue for sampling a rotating stock of draft beers and other beverages. The bar fills a void in a community where most drinking establishments have shut down.
There are nine beers on tap, three of which will be changed out regularly. In addition to standard menu items like pasta, wings, chicken & biscuits and Delmonico steaks, patrons can also enjoy four tender and juicy duck wings for $4.99 or a generous portion of plump clam strips for $6.99.
The following acts have been booked for Saturday evenings: March 28 – Higher Ground. Rick & Holly Stark will also host a karaoke dance party on Friday, March 27.
In the longterm, Tracy and Becky plan to renovate the restrooms and expand the building to accommodate additional pool tables, a larger bar, and more seating. They also plan to enhance the outdoor seating area under the porch. Smoking is not permitted inside the building.
MorZac’s Mountainhouse is located at 400 Hatch Hill Road, just east of Overton Road north of New Albany. For more information, follow MorZac’s Mountainhouse on Facebook and MorZac’s on Twitter or call 570-363-9995.
MorZac’s Mountainhouse can accommodate sizable crowds for bands and other entertainment, as was the case on Jan. 17, when Hillbilly D’Lux played there. The popular country band will return to the Mountainhouse on Saturday, Feb. 14.
The Mountainhouse quickly resumed its role as a family restaurant (above) after reopening in January.
The Mountainhouse also caters to adults with unique entertainment such as midget wrestling and stripping cowboys (below).
