50 West Brewing Company

Route 50 stretches from Sacramento, California to Ocean City, Maryland, cutting through southern Ohio not two miles from my own home.

Since 2012, Fifty West has been the name of a brewpub over in Cincinnati. About two years ago, the popular business opened a location on Route 50 in Chillicothe. I frequent downtown Chillicothe but had never eaten there till this weekend. There are lots of good restaurants to choose from so I just never made it in. Plus, brew pubs tend to be places where people gather but I tend to be dining alone so it didn’t seem like a good fit.

But I had the opportunity to visit with friends yesterday and was glad for the experience. The place has character. Large downstairs windows were open for fresh air and large tables with benches provide space for groups to linger. A VW Bus sits outside but I complete forgot to grab a picture.

The menu is interesting. It’s mostly sandwiches with a base of burger, chicken, black bean burger or hot dog. You can have them made classic with your standard lettuce, tomato, pickle, onions and their unique fry sauce or you can request your sandwich be specialized. For example, the Indiana is fresh corn salsa, American cheese and lettuce while the Virginia has pimento cheese and some other stuff. The Ohio, of course, is topped with Cincinnati chili, shredded cheese, mustard and onion.

The fries are good. They also have a kiddie menu, milkshakes and shareable plates of things like pretzel bites. The food is good and the atmosphere is relaxed but noisy. We lingered a while and it was pleasant.

The Cincinnati location is an old speakeasy and I believe the Chillicothe one is an old bank. You know how I like buildings with a story – even if that story isn’t really told. I would really like to know more about this building.

We enjoyed our time there and I will absolutely go back another day. Oh! And did you see the sign? It’s awesome.

Want to learn more? Click here!

Lincoln Memorial Bridge

I live in southern Ohio where US Route 50 passes through rural areas and towns, providing a scenic look at the region. If you stay on 50 and travel west, you will eventually find yourself in Vincennes, Indiana.

This is a charming town on the Illinois line. I delighted in my brief stay here a couple of years ago and wouldn’t mind going back sometime.

There’s a good bit to do and see including the Red Skelton Museum and the George Rogers Clark Memorial. You can also tour William Henry Harrison’s mansion where the Shawnee leader Tecumseh visited. This was sort of a thrill for me given that I once worked in the box office of the outdoor drama Tecumseh and my little nerd heart appreciated the connection to my own past. My tour guide was thrilled to meet someone who was familiar with Tecumseh and was from his part of the world.

There’s also the bridge in the above image – the Lincoln Memorial Bridge which spans the Wabash River, connecting Indiana and Illinois. If you cross it, you can visit a nice roadside memorial to Abraham Lincoln. Come back into Vincennes and you’ll find yourself in a charming downtown with some nice mom and pop shops and restaurants.

I stood on the Indiana side – between a church and the George Rogers Clark Memorial to capture this image and I think it’s a nice perspective.