Exit 20: MD-140 (to Pikesville and Garrison)

Have you ever noticed how irritating Reisterstown Road is? Driving-wise, I mean. I went there around 1:30 on Friday looking for some food. The line of traffic extended out of the exit ramp and onto the Beltway. At 1:30 in the afternoon. And it's a pretty long exit ramp, too. Of course, that's not the worst of it. You still have to contend with traffic on Reisterstown Road itself. It took me 15 minutes to drive from the exit to just past the library. I do not know why this stretch of road is so horrible to drive, but you should bring a book or something. You're going to be stuck immobile in traffic that long. Imagine how irritated I got when I realized I left my debit card and all my money in my apartment which was 20 minutes in the other direction, prompting me to drive all the way home to get it and start over.

By the time got back to Pikesville, it was about 2:30. I figured I had to hustle, because in just a few short hours it would be sundown. And in Pikesville - a center of Baltimore County's (and City's) Jewish community - many of the delis, bagel places and kosher markets and close down shop as of Friday night, staying closed through Saturday as Jewish observance requires. Being Catholic and hungry, it did not hit me that the businesses would actually close a few hours ahead so they could finish cleaning up after closing - not just shuttering the business just before sundown and walking home (you can tell I've never run a business). This hadn't hit me when I finally pulled into Liebe's New York Delicatessen (map), a place I have gone just once or twice before, and not too recently. The doors and windows were shuttered and a real estate sign was in the window. My first thought: "Oh, I guess it's shuttered down for good." So I drove off to find the Goldberg's New York Bagels (map - their website links to Google Maps, too) - also closed. It still did not click - it just seemed like I had run into a string of closed-down delis and bagelerias. My next stop was another deli, Shlomo's Kosher Meats (map) about 2:45, and got out to find - yep - it was closed. So was the place next door, the Knish Shop (map - check out a very recent review here from the KosherCritic; if it's the same one, they also sell subs). I was quickly figuring out the pattern: everyone closes early on Friday - I mean early, to make sure they aren't even around the store when it hits sundown.

I got to one last kosher business, this one open until 3 (pretty late on Friday). Sion's Bakery (map) is your standard small bakery, with cakes and tons of cookies. There were probably other things on display but, of course, it was certainly put away by the time I got there. I opened the door just as the gentleman came out of the kitchen ready to lock the front door. I asked the "stupid sign" question - "You're closed, huh?" They were about to, but the nice guy let me buy some cookies! I got one chocolate top ($6.49/lb) and two raspberry butter cookie sandwiches. Fortunately I had just enough change to pay for that (I asked the nice man to put the other cookie away). My verdict on the chocolate top? OMG. This was the best chocolate top cookie I have eaten all year, period. Better than Geresbeck's, and y'all know how much I love their chocolate tops. They tell me they're their most popular cookie (Geresbeck's, not Sion's). And now I have to wait until Sunday or even Monday to go back and get more :( The flavor was just so wonderful, all buttery and chocolatey. The raspberry cookies were okay, but I usually like more jelly in mine.

Reconciled to the fact that any kosher food would have to wait until after Saturday, I sought out other cuisines. I had passed by many places, all surrounding the legendary but now-defunct Backfin Restaurant. Among others: the Pikes Diner (map - too much traffic to stop), Mr. Chan's Szechuan Restaurant (map), and the Sunfresh Produce Market (can't find a map - hey I can't even find an address) that opened up since the last time I passed through. I might have stopped in, but I wanted ready-made food and if I went in the market I'd come out with about $50 worth of organic things that I could get for $17 inorganically at Giant (or $32 at the Trader Joe's in the opposite direction). But I eventually stopped at the Mari Luna Mexican Grill (map). I ate here once a few years ago. I got some pork pupusas there but got sick off of them (or the cole slaw they gave me, I don't know). Enough time had passed, and I reasoned it was just a fluke.

Mari Luna, right across from the Safeway and next to a Dominican hair place, sells delicious Mexican dishes (and the occasional Salvadoran dish - to with, their delish pupusas). And the decor is bright and colorful, with deep yellow walls and a rich blue ceiling. The awning over the window into their kitchen has a tile awning over it with some stuffed roosters and chili lights strung across the edge. There was even a mini chili Christmas tree up by their front "desk" thing.

Perusing the menu I found lots of familiar offerings, as well as various dishes named after places in Western Mexico - Jalisco (the state where Guadalajara and all those mariachis come from), Uruapan (a small city in Michoacán state). And I saw those pupusas again ($7). But I wanted more, so I eyed the appetizer platter ($14). I would've gotten it, too, had my eyes not landed on the torta de milanesa (Milanese-style "sub sandwich," $9). Tortas are popular in Mexico, but the milanesa was something I hadn't seen since I left Morelia seven years ago. I was a student at a language school, and the mother of the house often made milanesa de res (beef Milanese). This was basically a tender breaded and fried steak of beef. I was so struck by nostalgia that I forewent the sampler and ordered the torta and a side of the pupusas. The torta came with Mexican waffle fries an two types of salsa. After 20 minutes it was done.

I broke out the torta and found it cut conveniently into three sections. At around 3:30, in my car in the Mari Luna parking lot, I took one of those torta sections, wrapped it in a napkin and had my very belated lunch. Again, a delicious eating experience. The torta had hot cheese stringing off of it, and two layers of juicy breaded beef covered in tomato, lettuce, mayo and that cheese (mozzarella, I think). I had more a few hours later when I got home (I took a scenic route and got lost, alright?) and dipped it and the fries into both of those delicious salsas, a very mild tomatillo dressing and a smooth toasty and spicy red pepper sauce, in a different league than your typical sour tangy hot sauce.

So I did luck out after all, by finding that torta. But I must come back and visit all those delis again, sometime outside of Friday afternoon or Saturday. Especially to get those cookies.

Other photos:

Here are the leftovers from Mari Luna - the pupusa (not so great the second day), the torta de milanesa (still good, though soggy out of a microwave) and Mexican fries, all with those two lovely salsas.

It's kind of falling apart, innit?

I take many of these photos from my car - mostly because I'm too lazy to get out, and people might think it's weird that some guy just pulls up and begins to snap photos of their business. When I got to Shlomo's I didn't bother to leave my car, because I had already assumed they were closed before I even turned it off.

Not food-related - I just like the photo, which I took from my car in the Druid Ridge Cemetery, which serves as a handy shortcut from Reisterstown Road all the way to Exit 21 (Yes, I used it. Sue me.)

And of course, the famous Backfin, as the sun sets on thirty-plus years of crabs, hon

Places I visited:

Mari Luna Mexican Grill (Mexican) -102 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 486-9910

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? ¡Sí, es cierto!

Sion's Bakery (kosher / bakery) - 302 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (443) 548 0370

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Heck yeah!
  

Places to look up later:

Goldberg's New York Bagels (kosher / bagels) - 1498 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 415-7001

Liebe's New York Delicatessen (kosher / deli) -607 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 653-1977

Mr. Chan's Szechuan Restaurant (Chinese / Szechuan) - 1000 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 484-1100

The Knish Shop (kosher / subs) - 508 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 484-5850

Pikes Diner (diner) - 921 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 653-5545

Shlomo's Kosher Meat and Fish Market (market - kosher / seafood) - 506 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 415-6602

Sunfresh Produce Market (market - produce) - can't find the address. Could somebody help me out here?


For Mari Luna Mexican Grill

Exit 19: I-795 (Northwest Freeway, to Reisterstown, and why I skipped over Exit 18B)

You may be wondering why I skipped all the way from Exit 18A to Exit 19? Well, I did go the other way on Liberty Road. Didn't see much - mostly fast food. The most interesting thing I saw was a New York Fried Chicken (map), but I wasn't in the mood for fried chicken. So I turned around and headed back up the Beltway. Next destination? 795.

795 heads all the way out to Reisterstown and ultimately to Westminster, but I did not feel like going all the way to Carroll County. I got off at the first exit, heading towards Reisterstown Road and Owings Mills (I could've gone toward Pikesville, but seriously, half of the places I'd want to check out are closed on Saturday).

My first stop was that big new town center with the Best Buy, across from the Fire Department. Nothing of interest there - all of it was just chains. The strip mall next door was no better - chains, all chains. Wanting to be unbound from all these chains, I headed out onto Reisterstown Road, toward Owings Mills.

A few places caught my eye, most notably the Euro Deli (map; click this link for a list of area ethnic markets, and search for "Euro Deli"). This Russian deli has foods from the Old Country, with deli meats from Germany, France and Italy. Then there is the Hunan House (map), another greasy wok. But just like the fried chicken, I was not in the mood for fast Chinese. I finally settled on the Big Cheese (map; it's pretty much the same as the Hunan House). It's your standard subs-and-pizza place - no curries (the subs-pizza-curry trend dominating the area has not hit Owings Mills apparently), but like many subs-and-pizza places in town there was a good bit of Greek food on the menu right next to the pizza. The service isn't fast, but it's probably not meant to be anyway, because they make your food to order.

I asked the woman at the front what specials they had, and she showed me the menu with a $7.99 special: one 9" sub (only those worth $6.49), fries and a fountain drink (they ran out of what I wanted, so they let me take a bottle of water instead). I ordered the gyro-in-pita special and waited. Fifteen minutes later my food was up and I was out the door.

I drove it back to my place without much time to eat - had to get to that winter beer tasting at the Wine Source, so it was sitting for about fifteen more minutes in my car. It's totally on me that it was not hot when I got it home. But even after that, it wasn't the most satisfying meal I have had. The first thing I noticed was all the grease - later I discovered that a lot of this was just water vapor - on the bag. The fries were soft and salty coming out of the bag, which I don't mind. In fact, I prefer them that way. The problem I had was with the gyro. There was a LOT of it, but what it was, basically, was a a big blob of tzatziki sauce smothering pretty weak onions, slightly brown lettuce and pretty juicy tomatoes, all burying some sad, unevenly cooked little strips of lamb, dry in some places, tender in others - all this piled on a pita bread that, altogether, I could not fit in my mouth. At all. I couldn't even really cut it apart, so I wound up tearing pieces of the pita off and wrapping what I could actually cut off into it, and eating it like that (sort of a combo injera-tortilla technique but with pita). After finishing the meat and onions there was still so much lettuce, all drowning in that same blob of tzatziki, which was weak in and of itself, tasting pretty much of just plain sour cream and very little cucumber. Not the best gyro I have eaten. But hey, maybe their other offerings are better - there certainly were enough of them. If I'm in the area, I'll drive by again and see. After I check out that Euro Deli that is.

Places I visited:

The Big Cheese (subs and pizza / Italian / Greek) - 10724 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117; Phone: (410) 581-3600

• Would I eat there again? As long as I don't get the gyro
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No
  

Places to look up later:

Euro Deli (grocery store - Russian /deli; ) - 10520 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117; Phone: (410) 654-8660

Hunan House (Chinese / Hunan) - 10720 Reisterstown Rd Owings Mills, MD 21117; Phone: (410) 902-5968

New York Fried Chicken (off Exit 18; fried chicken) - 6035 Liberty Road, Gwynn Oak, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 265-6554

Exit 18A: MD-26 (Liberty Road, to Lochearn)

I have been so busy lately, but on Sunday night I found time to stop by the Windsor Mill area for some food on the way home. Exits 18A and 18B are kind of strange to me - it seems like you can go both ways on Liberty Road, from both exits. As it was, I took 18A into away from the city, towards the intersection of Liberty and Milford Mill Roads (satellite road map - and look at this! Google Maps is now doing Terrain Maps). I drove by a few places that I want to check out later, and one I did check out, but plan to again.

I've been by this intersection before. The ALKO clothing and shoe outlet is perhaps the most prominent part of it, but there are a few restaurants in that shopping center. The only one that looks at all interesting to me is Kimmy's Soul Food (can't find any address; here's a map to Alko). Mind you, City Paper's anointed best soul food in Baltimore is farther along, Symone's Soul Café in Randallstown (map). I've heard wonderful things about this place, but I stopped short of it. Have to make another trip I guess.

It was night already, and some places were already closed. I didn't know there was a Caribbean market on Liberty Road near the Beltway, but there it was! Had I not just spent an absurd amount of money on Thanksgiving I would have stopped in - well, if they were open at least.

I did eventually stop, by chance, at another Chinese restaurant. But this is no ordinary Chinese place - this is the semi-legendary Benny Der's Golden Dragon Inn (map). The City Paper was, well, less enthralled with them than the various locals were, those who came in and chit-chatted with the owners like they were old buddies. The Sun, about as "whoop-dee-do"-ish.

Benny Der's is a little messy in the front, but the back... well, I never got to go back there, because I got take-out, but it looked fine. The decor, however, is fun, bright, loud, chunky Chinese motifs that are yellowed only by the years. They must have been put up a few decades ago (Johnny Dollar, you have got to see this place if you have not yet seen it).

I looked over the menu, and could've gotten some of the cheaper stuff. Instead, I ended up ordering the relatively cheap-looking backfin crab chow mein ($8), with a side of shrimp egg rolls (I thought it said 4, but I only got 2, for $4 - you will soon see why this was not a problem). The woman took my order and I watched patrons come in and out, asking how the Ravens were doing (badly - are they turning into the O's? Seriously!) while I sat there reading the City Paper.

Fifteen minutes later I get my food. Twenty minutes after that I am in my apartment putting it on the plate. There was enough, I reasoned, to make at least two meals (I eventually yielded three, the last of which I just finished).

The backfin crab chow mein may not have been the most exciting dish, and there are certainly are better ways to prepare crab. But I did like it enough that I'd get it again. The vegetables that surrounded it were plentiful, if forgettable. More memorable were the crispy chow mein noodles that were on top, not small and hard like those La Choy chow mein noodles, but a bit lighter, greasier and puffier (though not by much). They also tasted better than the ones you get in the stores.

The thing that made me jump back, however, was the egg rolls. These things were big - I mean huge. Two egg rolls easily equaled four normal sized ones. And the best thing about them was that I had finally found an egg roll similar to those I grew up eating at the New Asia carryout in Arbutus (those egg rolls are now the only edible thing they make, and they are good). They must be popular - one guy came in and ordered five of them. Seriously it's, like, almost a burrito's worth of egg roll!

So in short, I don't know what to make of Benny Der's. I liked what I ate, even if the egg roll was dependably greasy. And I'd get them again. But at least next time I'm up near Randallstown I'll stop by Symone's for some soul food.

Behold, the meal: that egg roll took up a good chunk of the plate. I could not finish the other one! I saved it for lunch - and dinner - later in the week.

Places I visited:

Benny Der's Golden Dragon (Chinese / American)Address: - 8109 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD 21244; Phone: (410) 922-7800

• Would I eat there again? Yep
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Well, maybe - the jury's still out
  

Places to look up later:

Kimmy's Soul Food (African-American / American) - located in the Alko Clothing & Shoes Shopping Center, 8053 Liberty Rd, Randallstown, MD 21244

Symone's Soul Café (African-American / American) - 8700A-2 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD 21133; Phone: (410) 655-8500

* Exit 18A sign adapted from http://www.aaroads.com/mid-atlantic/i-695e_md.html.

Exit 17: MD-122 (Security Blvd, to Woodlawn)

Exit 17 branches off into two distinct directions - towards Security Square Mall, and into Woodlawn. Since I knew of good places in either direction, I broke this up into two trips.

I don't really know Woodlawn side of Exit 17 as well as the Security Square Mall side. I do know that there is the big City View Bar & Grill (map), which seems to offer just about every generic item of American (and specifically Maryland) food there is. But I've never gone in. I almost did, however, until I caught a gander of a brand new Indo-Pakistani buffet across the street. Since I'm a sucker for South Asian food, I headed right, to the IndiClub.

A combination banquet hall and restaurant, IndiClub (map) - which looked emptier than it was, probably due to the size - serves foods from all over South Asia, with specific Southern Indian foods I had never before tried (and I've eaten a lot of Indian). Best was the uttapam, a savory pancake with leeks and other vegetables inside. A bit more sour was the idli (rice cake), though the texture was unusual and interesting. I didn't like that too much, but it wasn't awful, and everything else was quite good. I liked their sambar (a type of curry) quite a lot.

Other items in the buffet were a bit more familiar to me - two types of naan bread, chicken tandoori, various curries and vegetarian dishes, chutneys, basmati rice and the standard desserts (including a very satisfying gulab jamun). All of this came to a mere $8.95 (is that the set price for Indian buffets in Maryland? It seems like it). And, as I did, you can get the buffet as take-out, only in this case (as with most carry-out buffets) it is all-you-can-fit-into-one-styrofoam-container, instead of all-you-can-eat.

A few days - okay, a whole week - later (I've been busy, alright? Don't judge me!!!) I headed in the opposite direction. I could've headed towards Security Square Mall (map) again, but mall food is not typically on my radar (it's just not very good), though there is a restaurant or two I should probably explore, including Shaheen (another Indo-Pakistani place; mall map), and maybe the Cactus Willie's (mall map; I've talked to people that like the place, but I have never bothered to try it out). And of course, there is the Seoul Plaza (mall map), the City Paper's Best Ethnic Shopping Enclave of 2006, which has tons of goods for the Korean-American crowd. Nearby are some strip malls with other places to eat, one with a Panera Bread and a deli, still another up Rolling Road with a halal market and deli, next to the Salvation Army.

I, however, headed up Dogwood Road for some restaurants I had seen before and wanted to try out. Two on my list (map for both): Buon Giorno (traditional Italian food) and Lake Trout (traditional, well, lake trout, with various Southern and soul food accoutrements, even though lake trout itself is typically found farther north). I opted for the latter, and headed in for some lake trout.

A report some years ago in the City Paper mentions what good lake trout should be like: fried on the spot, with two pieces of white bread, as few bones as possible, etc. and so forth. At this Lake Trout, which is apparently the third location in what is now a local chain, they did indeed fry it up on the spot. For the price, I got a good bit of food - $6 or so bought me two pieces of trout (they also offer whiting), with two sides (I went for the greens and cornbread), plus a 24-oz Diet Pepsi for which I paid extra. I got it back to work and started in on it.

In retrospect, looking at the criteria for great lake trout, this didn't really fit the bill. Every other bite - I am not exaggerating, every other bite - had lots of little bones and often some bigger bones. Maybe my idea of "as few bones as possible" is different from most lake trout aficionados, but by most standards, it had a lot of bones. For the amount of work I spent picking bones out of my fish (and spitting them out of my mouth), I had relatively little fish. There was no way I could expect to eat this on the bread they gave me. Well, that is what the cornbread was for anyway, but it was small, dense and sweet, kind of like a cornbread brownie (a cornie?) than anything else. The one real bright spot was the greens, which were butterier than I normally expect greens to be, but quite tasty anyway.

I don't know. Maybe next time I'll just head back on over to the IndiClub.

Places I visited:

IndiClub (Indian / South Indian / Pakistani) - 1660 Whitehead Ct., Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 594-9600

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

Lake Trout (lake trout / seafood) - 6860 Dogwood Rd, Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 265-0122

• Would I eat there again? Maybe to try the whiting
  
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Um, no

Places to look up later:

Buon Giorno (Italian) - 6860 Dogwood Rd, Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 298-7781

Cactus Willie's Buffet and Bakery (American) - located in Security Square Mall, 6901 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244; Phone: (410) 265-1205

City View Bar and Grill (American / Maryland) -6700 Security Boulevard, Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 944-4013

Seoul Plaza (Korean market) - located in Security Square Mall, 6901 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244

Shaheen (Indian / Pakistani) - located in Security Square Mall, 6901 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244; Phone: (410) 265-6666

* Exit 17 sign adapted from http://www.aaroads.com/mid-atlantic/i-695e_md.html.

Exits 16A-B - I-70 (to Frederick)

Unless you're going to the Park and Ride off Exit 16B, you have to drive a ways to find food off of I-70. But you don't have to go all the way to Carroll or Frederick Counties. Sure, Westminster and Frederick have good enough food. but if you want food, like, now, just stop off the Route 29 exit (towards Columbia, not Washington), leading ultimately to Route 40 and Ellicott City. And yes, you could go to the Historic District (which is always fun), but again, you don't have to go that far either. I went as far as the Normandy Shopping Center for grub this Sunday. I found a lot - enough to have to make a second trip.

Normandy is somewhere between Route 40 and the former Enchanted Forest. The biggest part of the shopping center is a Safeway. Ignore it (supermarkets are a dime a dozen) and head instead for Ganesh Brothers (map). A somewhat nicer Indian grocery store than most I have found. Many Indian grocery stores, oddly, have a wide selection of dusty boxes and cans; at Ganesh, there's not a lot of dust. I found a dizzying array of ready-made spice mixes, frozen foods, flours of all kinds, jars of pickles, bottles of rose syrup, and of course, bags and bags of basmati rice. Apparently the good stuff comes from India; I got a bag of cheaper basmati from Pakistan for $6. Add to that a little box of Shan brand Achaar Gosht (Meat in Pickling Spices) Mix for $1 and I walked out with groceries I hadn't even realized I needed (though I had wanted them, to be sure). The guy before me bought some pretty tasty-looking Indian sweets, but I didn't feel like getting out of line to find them too.

A bevy of restaurants caught my eye for lunch - a very late lunch. Next to Ganesh was Niko Japanese Restaurant (map), but I didn't have the cash for sushi. (I left my card at home, in an ironic attempt to not spend much money. It's worked.) Further down the parking lot was Kelsey's Irish Restaurant and Pub (map). I catalogued it for the possible Hungover Gourmet fish & chips crawl and continued on. I finally settled on Nora Cafe (map), which looked quite promising. Until I found out that the door was locked. You see, I got there about an hour after they closed (3 pm on Sundays). So no Nora Cafe today - have to save it for another time as well.

After passing a nondescript little Chinese place in the same plaza I finally settled on the Ledo's Pizza (map) at the other end of the strip from the Irish place. I don't normally review chains in this Beltway series - and at 80 restaurants this is definitely a chain - but it looks like a local chain. Scattered below the Mason-Dixon Line (as far south as Florida), 50 of the locations are in Maryland - the first Ledo was in Adelphi - and most of the rest are in Virginia. And here's a fun fact - they are a sponsor of the Mid-Atlantic Skateboard Series (not that I know much of anything about skateboarding - I don't know anything about it actually).

I sought out the cheapest item on the menu. Originally I set my sights on a nice calzone, but my stomach gave way to a small personal pizza. I got the small Hawaiian pizza ($6.25), but added anchovies (another 75 cents - yes, I am an anchovy person). About 15 minutes later it was done. I took it home to eat.

This Ledo pizza was square - this I knew, because the girl behind the counter showed it to me to make sure they got it right. It was also a little greasy, but so are all American pizzas. It was a tasty pizza, and I'd eat it again, but I've had better. It's easy to do pineapple on a pizza right, and Ledo didn't disappoint, though it had an irritating habit of falling off each slice that I picked up. The ham was sufficiently melted into the cheese, and the anchovies just popped out from the cheese too. For what it's worth, I ate five of the nine pieces they cut it into, and saved the rest for lunch the next day.

Places I visited:

Ganesh Brothers (grocery store - Indian / South Asian) - 8450 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21043; Phone: (410) 203-2525

• Would I shop there again? Certainly
• Would I go out of my way to shop there again? Again, yes.

Ledo Pizza (pizza / Italian) - 8480 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21043; Phone: (410) 750-7087

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

Places to look up later:

Kelsey's Irish Pub (Irish / pub) - 8480 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, Maryland 21043; Phone: (410) 418-9076

Niko Japanese Restaurant (Japanese) -8450 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD; Phone: (410) 418-8400

Nora Cafe (American) - 8450 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD; Phone: (410) 461-6902

Exit 15B: US-40 West (to Ellicott City)

I haven't been eating out much lately, but I did get out to Route 40 for some lunch. Actually, I'm no stranger to Route 40 West. My parents dragged this willing boy and his sisters out to the Enchanted Forest all the time when I was young. Here's what it looked like then; it's now a business park, though the nice folks at Clark's Elioak Farm have carted off lots of Enchanted Forest booty and refurbished it for modern kiddies.

Today there's lots of good eatin' out along Route 40, and lots of so-so eatin' as well. There are the typical fast food joints: the McDonald'ses, the Arby'ses, the Wendy'ses, the Starbuckses, the ToreOres. Wait, what's that last one? ToreOre (all in Korean, but the song is cutesy and infectious, whatever it means), from which I got a free sample the last time I was free-sample hunting at the H-Mart. They deal in fried chicken pieces. And unlike most fast food, theirs is pretty juicy and actually tasty. Most of their locations are in South Korea, but there are five state-side. Two are in Georgia (Johns Creek and Riverdale, both around Atlanta), and one each in Ridgefield, New Jersey; Fairfax, Virginia; and - you guessed it - Bawlmer (map). Look for it past the Korean / sushi cafeteria-style seating, near the kimchi. Next door to the H-Mart is the Cham Mat, the seemingly re-christened food court of the Be-Se-To (BEjeing-SEoul-TOkyo) Department store, which has Korean food served cafeteria-style that is just a wee bit more expensive than I would like to pay. Most of the dishes were around $10 - $13. Okay, I could've paid for it, but for some reason I thought it'd be cheaper. I'll try it out sometime.

For lunch today, I went elsewhere. I entertained the thought of CiCi's Pizza (map) and the Pho Nam (map) next door. But I couldn't help coming back to the ever-famous Double T Diner (map). It's a local chain with diners in Annapolis, Ellicott City, Pasadena, etc. and so forth. I had always liked Double T and was looking forward to a nice cheeseburger, which I ordered as take-out with some fries. What concerned me when I was looking for the phone number to call 'em was the dearth of very good user reviews over the past year floating around in cyberspace. Overall, there were some pretty mixed reviews (note here for a glowing review, here for some mixed ones, and here for some pretty average ratings, and here's a mixed review of the one in Pasadena).

Initially deterred, I forged ahead and decided for myself if Double T was still worth the effort. The place was packed, as it usually is (24 hours a day). Service was brusque but relatively quick for the lunch rush. I paid about $7.50 for my cheeseburger and fries, and went back to work.

Sadly, my suspicions were confirmed, as I was indeed disappointed with the food. The burger was the bright spot of the meal, though it really was your average burger. The cheese glued the roll to the meat, which isn't such a bad thing until you stop to consider that the lettuce, tomato and condiments are put on the side and not on the burger - so when you open up the burger to put them on, half the bun stays on the burger! It was juicy enough, and had a good flavor, but was not something I'd order again. To Double T's credit, they certainly have enough on their encyclopaedic menu. But I've had better burgers, and out of all the things a diner serves, they should at least get that right.

Part of the reason that the burger was the best thing about the meal were the fries. Inconsistent and flavorless all around, half of them were hard and dry as rocks (and tasted freezer burned), and half of them were soggy (not just soft but soggy) and smooshed. Truly a throwaway item (which is what I did with half of them). Don't even ask about the little tub of cole slaw. At least the pickle was good.

I don't see myself going back to Double T for a while. At least there's the ToreOre!


Places I visited:

Double-T Diner (diner / American / Greek) - 6300 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 744-4151

• Would I eat there again? Only because of the variety
  
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No
  

ToreOre (chicken / Korean fast food) - Located in the H-Mart, next to the kimchi case, 800 N Rolling Rd, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (443) 612-9020

• Would I eat there again? Sure
  
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Maybe
  

Places to look up later:

Cham Mat (Korean, formerly the Be-Se-To food court) - Located in Be-Se-To Department Store, 822 N. Rolling Rd., Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 744-3027

CiCi's Pizza (pizza) - 6473 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 719-1001

Pho Nam (Vietnamese) - 6 Get Directions477 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 455-6000

Other photos:

The one thing all reviewers in cyberland agreed on was the ambience - Double T does not hurt in this category.

Exit 15A: US-40 East (to Baltimore)

US Route 40 is one of the oldest cross-country highways in the nation. Dating to the 1920's, it extends all the way from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Park City, Utah (originally going as far west as San Fran). Like I-95, Route 40 - Baltimore's own slice of the National Pike - cuts the Beltway in half, going through Baltimore City. On the west side of the beltway, you can get to Route 40 by Exits 15A (into the city) and B (to Ellicott City).

I wanted a quick, cheap dinner this evening, and this time I had a good idea of where I wanted to go. I passed on the former IHOP-turned-"Shirley's Family Diner" (map, Google Earth still thinks it's an IHOP), which sounds fun enough that I may go there next time. Also passed by the Pho 1 Restaurant (map and review) in the Westview Mall. Instead I decided on Mr. G's Hamburgers (map), a small little place that is quite familiar to me, because I ate there all the time in high school. My high school girlfriend (neither of us knew, okay?) even worked there. My favorite thing to get was the foot-long hot dog, though the hamburgers, onion rings and milkshakes were always a safe and satisfying bet. So unlike many of the places I am visiting for this series, I already know Mr. G's.

Or at least, I thought I knew Mr. G's. After the place got gutted by fire a few years ago, it seems to have expanded, a lot. Gone was the little waiting room where you sat while they made your food. Now there's a small clutch of tables, complete with blob of condiments and flies on top (ick). Still, most of Mr. G's is behind-the-counter space, as before. And behind those counters lie a dizzying array of soft-serve ice creams, burgers, fried chicken, trout, ribs, breakfast foods, spaghetti (or as it was billed by Mr. G's, "SPAGETY"), Western fries (for the uninitiated, the best description I can find is here, on the Royal Farms web site) and mammoth onion rings.

I got a bit buggy-eyed when I saw the prices for the combo platters - especially the half-cheeseburger for $8! It did dawn on me that this wasn't just a cheeseburger but a cheeseburger sub, but I did notice the glaring lack of prices for most items. Not a great way to prepare your change. The young woman behind the counter told me the cheeseburger was $3.50 (or so). To that I ordered some Western fries (mmmm), for a grand total of $5.80. Only later did it hit me to order some of their delicious-looking onion rings (nope, no flies in this case). I would have, but there was a fairly long line at the counter.

Some of the food on display looked wonderful - the ribs and mac and cheese were tempting, and again, there were those onion rings. There were some pretty average-looking items as well, specifically their fried chicken, and some stuff that looked downright inedible. To wit: there were some green beans that had a very unnatural hue; and a large, gummy and dried-out blob of angel-hair "spagety" is hopefully never going near anyone's mouth.

I took my burger and fries to the parents' house and ate it there. The burger, which had provolone, onion, lettuce and pickle (toppings of my choice, instead of a pre-set selection), was juicy and set between two halves of a soft, not-so-thick kaiser roll (I hate the thick ones - I don't eat sandwiches for the bread, after all). I have had tastier, and much thicker burgers than this one, but for what it was worth it was quite satisfying. The dog and cat thought so too, as I threw little shards of meat and roll at them (those two, they are a pair). Along with that were some satisfyingly salty Western fries. They could've been a little crispier on the outside, but you don't really order Western fries for the crispiness of the coating anyway - it's all about the thickness of the fry and the flavor of the coating. And for a small order, it was a pretty large sample of fries that they gave me - easily a whole potato in that bag.

One thing that hits me now: no more foot-long hot dogs on the menu? That much is disappointing. Well, at least they still have those intimidating onion rings.

Gorgeous onion rings, with a gummy lump of SPAGETY in the background

Places I visited:

Mr. G's Fast Lane Hamburgers (American / hamburgers / ice cream) - 5600 Johnnycake Rd

Gwynn Oak, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 744-0011

• Would I eat there again? Depends on what I'd order - at least for the onion rings
  
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Again, to try the onion rings
  

Places to look up later:

Pho 1 (Vietnamese) - 5764 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 719-7500

Shirley's Family Diner (diner / American) -5600 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 788-9270

Exit 14: Edmonson Ave (to Catonsville)

Well, I had another lackluster lunch today. I took my car to Edmonson Road, which has little in the way of food. There is a Pizza Papa John's and a Royal Farm. As far as independent places? Not so much.

I stopped by Moontime's Cafe, the former Mo & Trish's Place (map), but I wasn't in the mood to enter a bar today. So I continued on to the other restaurant on Edmonson Ave. Hunan Joy (map) serves Cantonese, Szechuan and other healthy Chinese dishes. Hunan Joy is pretty small - there's a table and some chairs. That's it. It is pretty homey, though. I looked at the menu and after a few questions, I ordered the Chung Ta Beef ($5.25 for lunch) with fried rice.

Twenty minutes later I was at work eating my beef. The dish, overall, was pretty average. It was the fluffiest fried rice I have ever had (that's for sure). The beef was soft and a little flavorless. One thing I liked was the addition of so many pieces of broccoli and slices of carrots - much more than a typical Chinese take out. It was all swimming in a slightly sweet, somewhat salty sauce that tasted good at the time. But on the whole, it was an average eating experience.

In retrospect it didn't turn out too well. I'm now nursing a little gastrointestinal disturbance. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? But I'm feeling it now.

Places I visited:

Hunan Joy (Chinese / Cantonese / Szechuan) - 829 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 788-8877

• Would I eat there again? Likely not
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No

Address:Places to look up later:

Moontime's Cafe (American / bar and pub food) - 408 Ingleside Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 788-8877

Exit 13: MD-144 (Frederick Road, to Catonsville)

When I woke up this morning I truly thought that I knew Catonsville. I now realize just how little I knew about it! I headed there en route to work looking for some food. I left a little early so I decided to explore some places I hadn't tried before. Now I am no stranger to Frederick Road - that is, Catonsville's Main Street. It's a charming little town, kind of Mayberry-esque, with lots of little stores lining the street. I am a frequent denizen of the library, and pass through here for work all the time.

Best known to me are some local music stores, all within walking distance from each other: the Bill's Music House (I refurbished my grandfather's violin here, and I still haven't bothered to take lessons), the Appalachian Bluegrass Shoppe (bought an extremely used cello here in fifth grade for $150), the Piano Man (okay, not too familiar with it) and several guitar shops. Oh, and how can I forget the Record and Tape Traders that my sister and I have gone to again and again over the years? It's as if this section of Frederick Road, near the firehouse and the HQ of local representative Elijah E. Cummings, was just a big music neighborhood.

In and around here is excellent food as well, including faves of mine: Thai Heaven (map; not the best Thai, but it's alright), Sam's Bagels (map; never written about it but I've been enjoying their bagels all over Baltimore since the early 90's) and Indian Delight (map), whose $8 carry-out buffet is one of my favorite things to eat for lunch. It's about damn time they got a website up! I've written about Indian Delight before. It was my first exposure to Indian cuisine, and it's certainly been a frequent one.

But I sought out places I hadn't yet visited. The Sea Hut Inn (map), a long-standing favorite with a big neon crab in the window, was an obvious choice, but I wasn't in the mood for seafood today. As luck would have it, there was a parking space in front of SugarBakers Cakes, a bakery I haven't entered before. I rectified that today when I went in looking to see what sweets awaited me. And no design flaws here (pace Julia and Suzanne, no relation)*: it's damn charming - goddamn charming! It even has a little eatery to the side where you can go and eat cake! And some of the cakes on display looked like something out of Ace of Cakes, including a hilarious "barrel of monkeys" cake done up all in fondant. Okay, most of their cakes aren't nearly that, well, over the top. But there were some gorgeous cakes that looked too purty to eat. The display case in front has some cakes, plus several slices of cakes (all $3), lemon bars and other assorted baked goods. I got a slice of their "Neapolitan" cake - yellow on chocolate on yellow cake with raspberry icing sandwiched between the various layers, all iced with vanilla buttercream. I couldn't wait to try it, so as soon as I got out to my car, I opened it and took a bite. I gotta say: it was one of the softest, moistest, most mellow and buttery cakes I have eaten in a long time - and I hate fruit icings! Puts anything out of Whole Foods to shame.

I tore myself away from this cake to find some sustenance. I remembered that several people, my baby sister included, have recommended the Taneytown (pronounced "Tawneytown") Deli and Sandwich Shop (map) - my sister Cathy was, in fact, indignant that I had never set foot in the place! So I set foot in the place. Again, charming with an eating space - where have these places been hiding all my life? Very busy, which is always a good sign. After perusing the menu I was quite bewildered - they offered so much! And when a restaurant offers that much, I get easily befuddled because I can't make a decision to save my life. But as I usually do in delis and sammich shops, my eyes zoned in on the Reuben. Did you know that Taneytown Deli offers not one, not two, but five different Reubens? Corned beef, turkey, imported ham, etc (you have to go yourself to find out the rest). I stuck with the standard corned beef Reuben, plus an iced tea with Splenda on the side (I can't take sugar in my drinks; I need something artificial and chemically). Total cost: $6.41. I didn't eat it right away, but headed off to work. Half an hour later the bread was a bit soggy, but that's typical of any Reuben. The flavor however? Wonderful. Not all goo'd down with excessive cheese. I do like cheese, but they didn't go overboard with it. Fattening as it was, I didn't feel guilty after eating it. Both the corned beef and sauerkraut were nice and juicy, and the bread was buttery on the outsides. It was one truly satisfying sandwich.

Including my cake at SugarBakers and my Reuben and iced tea at Taneytown Deli, I spent just under $10 for lunch and a snack that is lasting me all day. I don't usually aim to spend so much for lunch, but for so much and such a high quality (and satisfaction), it was money well spent. I just have to pack PBJ for lunch tomorrow!

* Why isn't Designing Women on TV anymore? Man, I loved that show.

Places I visited:

Sam's Bagels (bagels / sandwiches) - 728 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: 410-719-6668

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Yes indeed!

SugarBakers Cakes (bakery) - 752 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 788-9478

• Would I eat there again? OMFG Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Yes indeed!
  

Taneytown Deli (deli / sandwiches) - 10 Mellor Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 747-2673

• Would I eat there again? Hell yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Yes!!!

Thai Heaven (Thai) - 6413 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 455-9239

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Nope, I'm just not feelin' it
  

Places to look up later:

Sea Hut Inn (American / seafood / Chesapeake) - 729 Frederick Rd, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (410) 788-0388

Other photos:

Catonsville really is a quaint little town, depending on where you are at it at least. And that's not even including that part of Frederick Road on the Irvington side of the exit



From this angle, you can see the Indian Delight. It's conveniently sandwiched between the Piano Man and a Jiffy Lube (and some other buildings)

Mmmm. Enough to make you want to jog around the block twenty times just to eat 'em. And you should see their cakes!




It's like they did their decorating at the 4H Hall at the State Fair. Yes, it is charming. Mind you it isn't what I decorate my home to look like, but it's charming enough for a half hour of lunch.