Exit 32B: US-1 North (Belair Road, to Belair)

I find myself out this way often, but usually it's just to go to work. Today I made myself linger around, and I was surprised by one thing: there are fewer places to eat this way than I thought. Actually, there are many more options going the other direction (Exit 31A). One option I've already explored (and written about) was the Mount Everest Nepalese buffet, in the same shopping center as the K-Mart and IHOP near Belair Road and Rossville Blvd. Currently the most expensive South Asian buffet I have seen outside of the weekend - now $10 instead of $9 - the food is good, but you can find just as good if not better for cheaper just about everywhere else (qv: the multitude of South Asian restaurants in Mount Vernon, Indiclub in Woodlawn, Indian Delight in Catonsville, etc).

Driving around the Giant and the Putty Hill Shopping Center I saw very few food options. Like every exit, there is the complementary "greasy wok", Peking House (map). The linked Metromix page says it offers "a little more than the usual fare" but that "little more" doesn't look all that unusual to me. Much bigger was Tully's Restaurant (map) - it seems like a restaurant and pub. Most of the reviews mention DJ's and bouncers, but not the food, so I can only assume it is your typical brewpub. A couple who tried to enter tugged on a locked door and turned around. Here's one page of reviews. I have no idea what the hell the reviewers are talking about.

Driving past Putty Hill/Rossville, I eventually came upon Ridgley's Choice, a brand new plaza with only a few businesses inside. The only food-related one was the Ridgeley's Choice Deli and Catering (map). It looks from the outside like your typical deli. I'm not sure how new it is because I can't find much information about it. I did find two very terse yet positive reviews, but nothing apart from that. Maybe this is one to look out for in the future?

If you want seafood, there are a couple of options for you. The Fullerton Pub and Crab House (map) offers more than just crabs, but also standard pub food. Like (I imagine) Tully's, karaoke and DJ'ing are easy to find. Right across the street is the small but still tough-to-miss Fisherman's Wharf (map). Not related to Mo's Fisherman's Wharf - at least I don't think it is - this is Putty Hill's local seafood-specific shop. It's an unassuming, somewhat grody place but carries the typical seafood items: lots and lots of local fish and shellfish, plus frozen seafood from other parts of the country. For example, I found Dungeness crab, frozen, at $10 a pound.

Of course there are the local delicacies: rockfish is easy to find, as are those blue crabs (soft, hard, steamed, picked), shrimp and oysters, hon. Right now there is a sale on shrimp. As for the price of crab meat: my eyes just about bugged out of my head. One pound of Chesapeake Bay jumbo lump crab meat: $28! That is, granted, the highest-quality stuff (even if I still like a little special meat mixed in), but I guess we are in a crab shortage, aren't we?

I arrived around 1 PM, and was the only customer. The employees outnumbered me, with only two in the back. I almost ordered one of the lunch specials: a fried catfish sandwich with fries and fountain drink for only $6. Instead I spent my time perusing the menu, a very diverse one featuring many choices at many different prices for many different budgets. You can get a sandwich for $5 or $6, or platters for $12 to $15. Plus, their many sides fit various budgets as well, from under $1 to upwards of $5. I finally settled on a $6 fried rockfish sandwich on white bread, with sides of onion rings ($1.50) and hush puppies (75¢). Total cost: just under $9.

The one big problem I had turned out to be a big problem: the wait. Perhaps they were getting other things ready for other people, I don't know. But it took HALF AN HOUR for me to get my sandwich and sides (half an hour, that is, from the time I ordered to the time I got my food). How the hell does it take two people half an hour to fry fish and put it between two slices of bread? In all fairness, after about twenty minutes of waiting they did say they were out of white bread and offered me a roll, wheat bread or rye (a fish sandwich on rye?) - I took the roll. Maybe they spent the first twenty minutes looking for the white bread? Anyway, I do know that they started frying up my food that long after I ordered it because after this exchange I distinctly heard a brand new sound in the restaurant: frying. Considering that all my meal was fried, well... at least I got the meal.

About five minutes later four more people came in, including a young mother with child in tow who seemed to know the man behind the counter. At least they have repeat customers. Maybe this was an off day for them? Or she just likes the sloooooooow service!

After waiting 30 minutes for my food I was hungry, and took the time to taste one hush puppy right in my car. It tasted great right out of the bag, almost as good once I got it home half an hour after that.

They also offered tomato. After what I've heard in the news, I'm glad I turned it down.

The meal was substantial and tasty enough, though certainly not good enough to warrant standing around for half an hour just to read all the brochures on Maryland's seafood industry.

The rockfish flavor was a bit muted under all that batter and bread. To be honest, I'm not sure if rockfish stands up to breading and frying very well. It's too delicate in my mind. Other fishes are quite strong enough to bear it: trout, catfish, etc. But rockfish needs to be broiled and on a plate. Or if fried, definitely on a plate, no bread. Some better ways to prepare it can be found here.

As for the sides: again, the hush puppies were thoroughly cooked through and pretty tasty. In fact they were the best part of the meal. I could have done without the onion rings. They were crunchy but inconsistently fried - everywhere from golden brown to near-burnt, and this was often all in the same onion ring. Plus, the little cardboard boat literally leaked oil onto my kitchen table, making my phone bill perfectly translucent. I threw the rest away.

In short: this is not a place I would go back to. To justify that wait, the food needed to be damn good. It was merely okay.

Other photos:

They don't know it's locked. I guess it's not martini time yet?

In case you can't find the Ridgely's Choice Deli, just look for this big marquis!

Places I visited:

Fisherman's Wharf (crabs / seafood) - 7928 Belair Rd, Baltimore, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 668-4330

• Would I eat there again? No, specifically because of that wait. Otherwise, maybe.
  
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No. Not at all.
  

Places to look up later:

Fullerton Pub and Crab House (pub / American / crabs) - 8027 Belair Road, Nottingham MD 21236; Phone: (410) 661-5910

Peking House (Chinese) - 7916 Belair Road, Nottingham, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 661-1702 and (410) 661-1703

Ridgely's Choice Deli & Catering (deli) - 8615 Ridgelys Choice Drive, Suite 101, Nottingham, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 248-8850

Tully's Restaurant (pub / American) - 7934 Belair Road, Nottingham, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 665-9100

Exit 31C: MD-43 East (White Marsh Blvd, to White Marsh)

Ah, White Marsh! Or Nottingham, if you go by what the post office says. Land of shopping, shopping and more shopping! Standard mall shopping, upscale shopping and IKEA shopping (and have you tried their cafeteria? I have. Even wrote about it a while back).

Exit 31C only exists in the inner loop, and it's one of those irritating left exits. And once you're there, you have to do some serious driving to get to anything other than half-foreclosed condos, past a Wal-Mart and a storage facility, past Route 1 (coming up next time), and on to White Marsh. First stop: White Marsh Plaza, your typical supermarket-anchored strip mall.

Driving around White Marsh Plaza, I found one mom & pop restaurant, the China Wok (map) next to Giant. They seem to be doing what a lot of Chinese places are doing these days - selling not just Chinese, but also Thai, Korean or (in this case) Japanese. It's worth a look, but I've had my fill of fast Chinese food for one month. So I headed to White Marsh Mall (map). And of course, I found lots and lots of junk, specifically in their food court - the enticingly named "Carousel", appropriate only due to its large carousel in the middle of the food court.

The two most viable dining options were, in fact, sit down places. Lin's China Buffet, with its 100 item buffet (I've had issues with 100 item buffets in my life) was massive but had more employees inside than customers. So no. The other was that old reliable standby known as Friendly's, which I've eaten at many times, though never at the one in White Marsh. I passed it up for other options.

I headed out to the Avenue at White Marsh (map), which has mostly national chains and outlets (Don Pablo's, Starbucks, Chili's, Omaha Steaks - which isn't an eat-in place, and opening soon, a Cold Stone Creamery) and some I have written about before (Kobe Grill, Red Brick). But a few places I did consider:

• The Bayou Café, one and only one location - the Avenue. Packed for lunch on this beautiful day. They look like a bar and grill, and serve what seems like a combo of Chesapeake, Cajun and barbeque. Some interesting items on their menu, which will probably draw me there soon enough, include their Cajun blackened scallops ($10 - I love scallops), their po'boy ($9. It's a sandwich I haven't had this close to the Mason-Dixon Line for a good while - and don't go to Popeye's if they say they've got one), and their "Avenue Alligator" ($9) which features - yes - alligator, wrapped in bacon and done up in a mango barbeque sauce.
• Della Rose's, which has two locations - White Marsh and Canton, their original location which has been around since 1944. When I first saw the place, I naturally assumed (from the name) that it served Italian food, but they do serve more - a combination of Italian, Maryland, and American comfort food. More interesting menu items include their Caesar Bruschetta Salad, chicken parmigiana with spaghetti, Cuban burger, and various menu items tapping into the wonders of the Chesapeake Bay, including the standard Maryland Crab Soup, but also their Grilled Norfolk - Virginia ham and Chesapeake Bay blue crab (good LORD). I found these on the online menu, but alas, I saw no prices next to them.
  

And then there's Zack's Hot Dogs. I went to this last place for a small lunch. It's a compact but colorful hot dog joint with minimal seating - best to just do what I did, and take it outside to eat by the fountain. I've never seen so much variety in hot dogs, except at, say, Jerry D's in Parkville. Orange Julius doesn't even come close to that variety, nor does that hot dog place at Arundel Mills (the one with the lemonade). They also serve sausages and "not dogs" (subs, reubens and the like). Typical dogs (all around $3.50, $6 for a combo) include:

• New York Dog, covered in chili and NYC-style "street cart" onions;
• Chicago Dog (those Chicagoans love their hot dogs, don't they?), covered in chopped tomato and onion, with spicy mustard, relish, peppers and a pickle wedge on top (always difficult to eat, always tasty, wherever you go to get it;
• Southern Dog, basically a Carolina Dog, covered in cole slaw and chili;
• Southwestern Chipotle Dog - a sausage with salsa, jalapeño, cheddar cheese and chipotle mustard on it. That one sounds like a mess - I'm avoiding it;
• And here's a nice surprise: the Baltimore Dog! I thought it would be something silly, like a hot dog topped with crab or something. (I love hot dogs, I love crab. Still, ick.) But no: it's a kosher dog wrapped in a piece of fried bologna. My mother made this for me every time we went to Attman's for kosher dogs, bologna and whitefish. I don't know why she did that, but I guess it is a Baltimore thing after all!

Despite the allure of a hometown hot dog, I stuck with the Southern Dog. But I will go back at some point for the Baltimore Dog. I ordered the combo, with fries (can also get cole slaw, potato or pasta salad, mac and cheese, or beanies and weenies) and a 20 oz drink for $6.

The Southern Dog Combo ($6 exactly, before tax that is), with curly fries and a Diet Pepsi

I liked the hot dog, including the roll, which seemed like a moist and tasty potato roll. The cole slaw is crunchy and better than I had expected it to be, while the chili is pretty standard. The fries were a throw away item, even after I smothered them in Old Bay and various other spices lined up along their wall. I would certainly go back, but probably just for the hot dogs. I love those frankfurter sandwiches.

Other photos:

Okay, I know it's a buyer's market. Oh hey, is Giant for sale?

I really don't know how to follow that one.

Ummm, hello?

You just know they're heading for that last copy of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Mmmm. MSG and hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup an other preservatives.

Places I visited:

Friendly's (over 500 locations in sixteen states up and down the Eastern seaboard - not on this trip but many times in the past. I don't eat there much anymore.) - White Marsh Mall, 8200 Perry Hall Blvd., White Marsh, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 931-7216

• Would I eat there again? If I had to
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No

Zack's Hot Dogs (hot dogs - four locations in the Baltimore area, including Carney, Bel Air and the Inner Harbor) - The Avenue at White Marsh, 8137 Honeygo Blvd. (next to the movie theater), White Marsh, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 931-1234

• Would I eat there again? Yes I would
  
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Probably

Places to look up later:

Bayou Café / Blues Bar (Cajun / Chesapeake / American) - The Avenue at White Marsh, 8133 #A Honeygo Blvd., White Marsh, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 931-2583

China Wok (Chinese / Japanese) - 7916 Honeygo Blvd., Nottingham, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 931-3586

Della Rose's (Italian / American / Chesapeake - with two locations in the Baltimore area) - The Avenue at White Marsh, 8153 #A, Honeygo Blvd., White Marsh, MD 21236; Phone: 410-933-8861

Lin's China Buffet (Chinese / Japanese) - White Marsh Mall, 8200 Perry Hall Blvd., White Marsh, MD 21236; Phone: (410) 933-8878