The new owners of the former Josef's Country Inn in Fallston are overseeing an extensive renovation of the interior of the restaurant, which closed in March 2015, but the exterior of an establishment considered an "icon" of the community for about 30 years is expected to remain the same.
The building, at 2410 Pleasantville Road and owned by Fallston Seafood Restaurant owners Alex and Dana Theodoropoulos, will become the Black Forest Taphouse.
"What we wanted to do was pay tribute to Josef's," co-owner Dana Theodoropoulos said Tuesday.
The new establishment, which is expected to open by the late summer or early fall, will have a taphouse area with 20 to 30 rotating taps from which craft beer, unique drafts and major national brand beers will be served.
"We want to appeal to a variety of clientele," Theodoropoulos said.
Black Forest will also have a dining area, where "pub food with a slight German influence" will be served, she said.
Her son, Matthew Wharton, will be in charge of beer selections. He has spent more than a year selecting craft beers for Fallston Seafood.
Theodoropoulos said keeping the exterior the same, the slight German influence on the food and the name, Black Forest Taphouse, are ways to honor the founder of Josef's, Josef Gohring, and his heritage.
"Josef, who was an icon here in Fallston, was from the Black Forest region of Germany," she said. "It's just a tribute to him and where he came from."
Josef's Country Inn received a liquor license from the Harford County Liquor Control Board in December 1985, and the establishment remained in operation for nearly 30 years.
Josef's liquor license was turned in after the restaurant closed, and the new owners must apply for a liquor license so they can serve beer on the premises, according to Judi Powell, special projects coordinator for the Harford County Liquor Control Board.
Powell said Wednesday the liquor board has not received an application from the Black Forest Taphouse owners. Operators of new restaurants typically apply for a beer and wine license, or a beer, wine and liquor license if they have invested at least $250,000 in capital improvements to the dining area and kitchen, she said.
It takes about seven to eight weeks to complete the application process, which involves submitting an application packet, passing a building inspection, health inspection and fire marshal's inspection and going through a hearing before the liquor board. Members of the public can make comments at the hearing, and the restaurant operators can state their case, Powell said.
Keeping part of the history
Josef's was one of the oldest fine-dining restaurants in Harford County, and the new owners want to keep "a little bit of the history" of Josef's in the Black Forest Taphouse, Theodoropoulos said.
She and her husband have owned Fallston Seafood, on Route 152 around the corner from Josef's, since January 2006.
They purchased Josef's in December as they were in the process of selling their former Middle River restaurant, the Long Beach Restaurant & Tavern. The sale of the Middle River establishment was completed in February, and it is now the Long Beach Oyster House, Theodoropoulos said.
Fallston Seafood has grown from a crab house to offering "very high-quality family dining that has something for everybody," Theodoropoulos said.
The restaurant offers crabs, as well as other seafood, steaks, pizza, subs and salads, with nearly everything on the menu made from scratch.
"Everything is made fresh and to order," Theodoropoulos said. "People appreciate that quality, and they can expect the same quality at the new restaurant."