Recently, my wife, Kristen Hertzog, and I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Gibraltar Restaurant. It’s a restaurant that has been around for over 17 years that used to be located near F&M College. Recently they moved to a convenient location just outside of Lancaster City near the Village of Old Hickory (488 Royer Dr #101, Lancaster, PA 17601).

Gibraltar Restaurant offer’s indoor and outdoor dining options. The decor inside contains a Mediterranean flair, both in the thoughtful color-scheme of the rooms, the paintings hanging from the walls, and the European maps scrolled across the wall.

It was a welcome respite for my wife and me, a chance for us to be adults for a little bit. Our server made our experience all the more special. We were seated in a fairly quiet room; music played in the background but was not so overwhelming that we couldn’t comfortably converse. The waiter was very helpful with suggestions, describing specials of the day, and answered our questions. He was attentive but not invasive.

As far as food goes, we started out our evening with Kristen ordering a glass of the Nero d’Avola and I ordering the blue cosmo. Our appetizers included in freshly made bread in a basket with butter and olive oil mixed with Parmesan cheese. I often order calamari.  The exquisite taste of Gibraltar’s calamari is due to the frisee, pickled peppers, ginger-sesame vinaigrette, and wasabi aioli with sesame seeds. Kristen loves their shrimp cocktail.

For the main course, I ordered the whole roasted Branzino (I ordered it fileted) which came with roasted golden potatoes, french beans, chorizo, and seasoned with a basque style pepper sauce.  I had never had it before, but this Mediterranean fish was perhaps one of the best-prepared fish I have ever tasted. Kristen ordered the fettuccine with lobster which was served with sweet corn, roasted tomato, crème fraiche, and parmigiano.

For dessert, and yes this is one restaurant you DO need to leave room or dessert, Kristen went with the crème brûlée. She had ordered it here before and could not pass up having it again. I ordered the key lime pie cheesecake with a hint of blueberries. While the combination may seem unusual, it was absolutely delicious.

Perhaps the best part of the evening was the chance that Kristen and I had to sit down with Chef Carl. We discussed his background, how food arrives at Gibraltar, and what crafts Gibraltar’s unique experience. He shares it so eloquently, and you really need to take a listen to the podcast. It was truly a delightful evening. I could not believe that three hours had passed by. Gibraltar provided not a just a meal out, but an experience we won’t soon forget.