by Michael Vyskocil, photography by Nikola Tzenov
When you pay a visit to Union Bridge, you won’t go home hungry. The Food Spot at Flood Zone Brewery makes sure of that with its bites to eat while you shop the Flood Zone Marketplace and enjoy the attraction’s creekside shopping and sipping.
When you arrive, look for Lucy’s Little Red Wagon, then follow the scents to the Flood Zone Marketplace, where you can find The Food Spot waiting to satisfy your lunchtime cravings.
The Food Spot, open Thursday through Sunday, is a relatively new addition to Flood Zone Brewery, marking its first anniversary earlier this year. It occupies a former grocery store that once served the Union Bridge community. The brewery, owned by Jerry and Beth Stambaugh, serves a diverse lineup of ales and IPAs brewed in houses and wines.
Order up a flatbread pizza, indulge in some wings and dig into some nachos. Enjoy the taste of brisket and chicken on a sandwich. Specials post weekly — an appealing incentive to make repeated visits to discover the tastes of the week. Recent offerings have included a Cuban flatbread topped with pork, ham, mozzarella, Parmesan, pickles and a piquant Dijonnaise.
Old Bay fries are even more irresistible when they come with a serving of cheese sauce, and house-made deviled eggs add a crunch in the mouth thanks to the addition of candied bacon. You can thank Keri Stromberg, The Food Spot’s manager, for her signature deviled eggs recipe.
“We try to make as much as we can in house,” she said. “We make our barbecue and Buffalo sauces and coleslaw. We try to keep everything as fresh as possible. We do offer gluten-free flatbreads, and it’s the best gluten-free crust I’ve tried. Our wings and nachos are gluten-free, so we try to keep everything as food-friendly for everyone as possible.”
Stromberg’s flair for culinary creativity shines in The Food Spot’s specials, like a smoked salmon flatbread that features arugula, red onion, capers, eggs and lemon-chive cream cheese. She said she’s always experimenting with flavors, tastes and textures to build appealing items for regular and new customers alike. “A lot of our regulars look for the specials with different flavors each week.”
Stromberg said she’s hoping to get some tomatoes and cucumbers from Little Red Wagon to make a chilled gazpacho and more fresh raw local vegetables on top of flatbread with perhaps an Italian vinaigrette drizzled on top.
The Food Spot also offers online ordering options on the web. Place your order from the comfort of your home and wait for a text from the team telling you it’s time to pick up your order. If you want to eat on-site, you’ll find an attractive outdoor dining area with seating along the banks of Little Pipe Creek and live music to provide the sounds of summer while you dine.
Fun fact: Flood Zone Brewery occupies a historic building along the banks of Little Pipe Creek. As you can guess from the name, the building has weathered more than one storm in its day, including the flooding from Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.
the food spot at flood zone brewery
50 N. Main St., Union Bridge • 443-937-6170 • floodzonebrewery.com
