Exit 40 - MD-151 (North Point Blvd)

As I've mentioned before, this part of 695 is one of those corners of the Beltway where the exits all take you to more or less the same place (see: Exits 2 - 4, Exits 8 - 10, Exits 20 - 21, Exits 34 - 35). Driving around looking for places to eat, usually the first step in the journey that is this post, I found very few places off of Exit 40 that I didn't already find off of 39. What's worse, You only have to drive about a mile before you run into Exit 41 (Cove Road). So for this post, I am looking at everything along southbound North Point Boulevard (MD-151), including the side streets, stopping at Cove, where the next post picks up.

This is also where the Maryland Transportation Authority starts messing with your mind. No simple relationship between the inner and outer loop exits here! The inner loop Exit 40 takes you to southbound North Point Boulevard. The outer loop, however, off of which the exit numbers go down (easy mnemonic device to tell them apart: the outer loop makes you feel "down and out"), takes you to two places: northbound North Point Boulevard (MD-151), and westbound Eastern Boulevard (MD-150). To make matters worse, there is no Exit 38A or B - but Exit 38E is there to take you eastbound on Eastern. Got all that?

I think I'm insane now.

Apart from that, outer loop Exit 40 takes you to Eastpoint Mall and pretty much the same places that Exit 38A off the inner loop takes you. The one different place I can mention is the Best Buffet (map), one of the only non-chain buffets I know of in the area. It looked pretty full about the time I passed by there.

Back to the inner loop: Whereas Exit 39 yields an embarrassment of riches (food-wise), Exit 40 doesn't yield very much at all. Truth be told, you are the one who has to yield, since the exit turns into a merge from the left into oncoming traffic. Cut across too fast and you may get hit before you get to the Wal-Mart/Aldi's shopping center - just across from the big sign commemorating the Battle of North Point, which occurred around here in September of 1814, during the War of 1812. This is the same shopping center with the North Point / Plaza Flea Market complex (map), that also includes Charlie & Lena's Seafood & Produce and an Amish Farmers Market. I stumbled upon it on Sunday, just as it had shut down for the day. Also recall, as I found off Exit 39 as well, that Caldarazzo's Pizzeria (map) is much easier to get to from this exit. It's next to the Aldi's.

Cruising down North Point Boulevard you find little else before you hit Cove Road. Turning down the side streets just takes you to North Point (or Old North Point) Road - at Cove Road you can make a sharp right turn from North Point Boulevard onto North Point Road. Along the journey from North Point to North Point, you find a small handful of non-McDonald's eating establishments. Perhaps your best bets along North Point Road are the aptly-named North Point Diner (map), and Papa Leone's Spaghetti House (map). The former is a small diner in a red brick building that's pretty easy to miss if you pass by too fast. The latter was pretty empty when I got to it. I don't know much else about it. Another establishment, the Left Field Pub (map), borders both North Point Boulevard and North Point Road. So does the North Point Flea Market, which will inevitably come up on your right.

Much of what you can find to eat, or drink, is along the more well-traveled North Point Boulevard, including Journey's (map) and Michael's Halfway House (map), two taverns that the internet has precious little information about, except that they are places to find karaoke. For lunch and dinner, more promising establishments can be found on the other side of Cove Road (again, see Exit 41).

On the Boulevard side of Left Field Pub lies the Little Village Pizzeria (map). This unassuming little place is your standard pizza and sub shop, bright and clean inside with a television currently tuned into the Olympics (event on screen: men's water polo. Damn those guys can fill out a Speedo). The Little Village was also empty at the end of this lunch hour - a few more cars at the Left Field next door. Less of a wait for me I suppose. A few of Little Village's offerings, as I perused their take-out menu for a while: no slices of pizza but you can get a 12" cheese-only pizza for $7. most specialty pizzas cost just a few dollars more. Also on the menu are stromboli (between $10 and $11 each), subs in three different sizes (the smallest, 8" one will be about $7), salads, fish and gyro platters, shakes in three flavors, and desserts ranging from baklava to cake. I finally settled on the 8" pizza sub ($7) with small onion rings ($3) and a can of Diet Pepsi, which I was surprised to hear referred to as "pop". This must have been a lunch special as my bill totaled just under $10, and I know they added the soda. In ten minutes, as I was told, my order was ready.

The 8" sub is too much food for me. Another thing to point out: they sure know how to keep it hot, wrapping it (as you should) in paper and then foil. It was still hot half an hour later when I got it home (The onion rings? not so much). So the roll was, understandably, soggy when I got it home - and no, it would not have been soggy had I eaten it there.


The chopped meat was juicy and pretty tasty, the cheese was gooey, and the tomato sauce was mostly on the roll. I can't say I enjoyed the onion rings, which tasted like your standard frozen onion rings just out of the fryer. They should change the brand because it's not a very good onion ring.

All in all, Little Village is worth going to, though I wouldn't drive half an hour to get to it.

Other photos:

The memorial sign pointing out that you are driving by history here - the Battle of North Point happened near these parts

This is the photo I had up on the Exit 39 post. Not much more activity at the tail end of the Sunday shopping festivities.

Walk past the Aldi's from the farmers market and you can get pizza! Though it's probably cheaper frozen at Aldi's.

No I don't need any. But it's still good to know it's here, alright? And yes, I know I need to wash my windows!

Places I visited:

Little Village Pizzeria (pizza and subs) - 3819 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 284-9488

• Would I eat there again? Probably
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Probably not
  

Places to look up later:

Caldarazzo's Pizzeria (pizza / Italian) - 2315 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 284-3354

Journey's (pub) - 2701 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 282-0699

Left Field Pub (pub) - 3813 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-1691

Michael's Halfway House Tavern (pub) - 3814 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-9573

North Point Diner (diner / American) - 2701 North Point Road, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 477-1000

North Point / Plaza Flea Market (market - local foods) - 2401 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-4504

Papa Leone's Spaghetti House (Italian) - 2713 North Point Road, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 284-9770

Exit 39 - Merritt Blvd (to Dundalk)

My next stop off the Beltway is Exit 39, and here I am back in unfamiliar territory. I admit that I hardly ever get to Dundalk all that much, so for me, Merritt Boulevard really is uncharted wudder, hon. Pretty much all my exposure to Dundalk is of the "Hey Hon, Take a Walk Down..." variety (too bad I can't find it anywhere on the internet - and I mean anywhere).

Exit 39 only exists along the inner loop. The outer loop skips right over it from Exit 40 to 38E (or B, or whatever). Exits 38 through 40 are another group of exits that seem to take you to more or less the same place. One notable landmark that is pretty tough to miss are those big twin domes that are impossible to get away from in Dundalk. You know - these:


What are they for again? Not being snotty. I'm just from the other side of town, so I really don't know.

The first thing you notice once you get down onto Merritt Blvd are the strip malls. Sooooo many strip malls here on your way to CCBC Dundalk (map), where I ate once during a day of meetings. The food is cheap and not very good, as with most college food. Theirs is about on par with the other two CCBC campuses, at Catonsville (Exit 12C) and Essex (Exit 34).

As for those strip malls: again, most of your dining options lie in those malls. I was surprised to find any free-standing places to eat (NB: that does not make them better or worse than strip-mall eateries, so don't say I said that). One of the most prominent and popular of restaurants in the free-standing category is the Boulevard Diner (map). I wanted to go here, and I would have. But to be honest, I've been eating at so many diners lately that I just wanted a break. So the Boulevard Diner will have to wait. Maybe when I'm done this Beltway Snackin' series I'll pull a Guy Fieri and visit the diners of the Bawlmer area (only I'll be less irritating than he is - really, he's becoming Rachael Ray with a goatee).

Back to the strip malls. They all look pretty easy to get to, though I can't vouch for the food (reviews on some of the below links are pretty mixed):

• The requisite Chinese places include the House of China (map) in the Lynch Manor Shopping Center on Wise Avenue, and the New China Restaurant, né China Garden (map) on Merritt. I can find no info about New China whatsoever.
• A few pizzerias are in and around Merritt, including Filleti's Pizza (map) - just a hop, skip and a jump from the New China Restaurant - and Caldarazzo's Pizzeria (map) near the Aldi's and the Walmart. (See UPDATE II below).
  
• Captain Harvey's Submarines (map) - in Danville Square, one of the brighter strip malls in the area. They have their own website, touting current contests where you can win a free (of course free) sheet of chocolate chip brownies if you can guess the total number of chocolate chips therein. Sounds like a plan, yes?

There is indeed a sufficient amount of sit-down restaurants around here that also caught my eye. Most of them are not in strip malls, including a few restaurants that clearly don't fit the "hole in the wall" category:

• The Poplar Inn Restaurant (map) has been serving Dundalkers for fifty - no, fifty-five years, hon. They have live music every Friday and Saturday night. I love their website - it has to be one of the best I've seen for a local restaurant. Check out their daily specials.
• The City Paper clearly seems to prefer the nearby Scoozzi Restaurant and Lounge (map), at least for its "down-home bar food", of which they say Scoozzi's has the best in the area. Can't say I'm a big fan of their website, though. They got some purty crabcakes in their photos.
• Merritt House Restaurant (map) is one of the few that is in a strip mall (again, not that there's anything wrong with that). You have to go past the Boulevard Diner and the big, welcoming "Welcome to Dundalk" sign to get to it. It's in the big, gloomy looking strip mall past the intersection of Merritt and Holabird/Wise, but the few reviews I found were pretty good, so maybe this is a well-hidden place worth getting to.

A few other places of note off this exit:

• Howard's Pub (map) serves your standard American food, and has a DJ and (of course) happy hour.
• Dundalk Xpress (map), which doesn't look like a Damon's Grill from the outside, has hot wings and the like. At least I think it does. Next door is the snowball stand du jour Moochie's (same map). (UPDATE OCTOBER 5, 2008: the website is changing soon, and Dan from Dundalk Xpress, who noted to me that they do a bang-up business in wings and ribs, let me know that DX is not affiliated with Damon's Grill. Thanks, Dan.)
• Several places to buy fresh or cooked seafood, including the Shore Produce and Seafood (map) - which is almost impossible to find online; the Wise Avenue Crab House (map) - next to an Icy Delights ice cream and snowball place (same map); the Crab Net Inn Dining Room (map); and Ross' Seafood (map). This last one is right on North Point on your left as soon as you get off the exit.
• Also check out the massive North Point / Plaza Flea Market complex (see UPDATE II below)-
  
• There are also a few bakeries to take note of near Merritt Blvd. The Cake Connection (map) has gotten a few reviews - all positive from what I can tell. It's conveniently located on your right as soon as you leave 695. And then there's the difficult-to-miss multiply-rounded roof of Herman's Bakery (map). The Urbanspooners - ummm - don't seem too keen on it but there are indeed positive reviews.

I stopped in Herman's, and the place is just a field of cakes, cookies and other sweets. I got a few things. I kept my eye open for my favorite kind of cookie, but alas, no chocolate tops. They did have a round cookie with a chocolate dot in the center which was okay, but it tasted very almondy. You may love it for that very reason, but I'm not big on almonds, so I wasn't a fan. I did also pick up a black bottom to kill for, and would gladly get it again.

Here they are: Herman's cookies...

...and black bottom.

Unlike most bakeries, Herman's had several slices of sheet cake laying amongst its mock-ups of wedding cakes. Probably, somebody never bothered to pick it up. Lucky me that I got to taste one of their sheet cakes without buying the whole cake. The buttercream (not Bettercreme, God forbid - I hate the stuff) was white, an end piece with a red rose. Both the icing and the cake were buttery and moist and so together were much better than any random slice of cake you'd find at Giant for twice the price. Altogether, the cookies (about 4 of them), black bottom and cake were a few nickels shy of $5. Pretty sweet deal (sorry, had to go there).

Herman's slice of cake, with real buttercream frosting. Honestly, I have no idea why people like the flavor or feel of that Bettercreme sh*t.

My final stop in Dundalk was the eye-catching Weenie World (map), another favorite of the City Paper. Next door to a Rita's, it is a nice little place to sit in or outside with a hot dog or two. Oh my God, the variety of hot dogs easily outdoes Zack's of White Marsh, which is saying something. In addition to their standard corn dogs, footlongs, kielbasas, and Italian sausages you'll spot many varieties of regular hot dogs piled with quite a bit of things. Among the more sinful selections I spotted, both on a massive black chalkboard and the easier-to-read take-out menu, were their Junkyard Dog (a hot dog covered in pork BBQ), their Reuben Dog (a hot dog with Reuben toppings), the Weenie Burger (a hamburger shaped like a hot dog), their Bull Dog (steak and cheese and hot dog on a potato roll), and - I love this one - the Politician ("bologna wrapped around a weenie").

My selections

I opted for a Volcano Dog (chili, jalapeños and Tabasco sauce) and a simple corn dog (grand total: about $3). Both were amazing. They pride themselves on using all-beef hot dogs. I wish I knew the brand, because it's a delicious one. If you choose the right frank, then you are one step closer to a great dog. Their chili was delicious and the jalapeños and Tabasco didn't make it too challenging for me - throw on some habaneros and you'll have me in real pain. As for the corn dog? A little greasy (as are all corn dogs fresh out of the fryer), but crunchy and juicy and hot. That was the best part about these weenies - they were both hot. Granted, it was painful to eat them, but I'd rather have hot and fresh than lukewarm and, well, blah.

UPDATE I - A few of you mentioned Squire's (map), which is indeed in Dundalk. I looked it up and it turns out that I didn't get far enough on Holabird to get there. But it looks rather easy to get there from Exit 44 (Broening Avenue) so instead of listing it here as a place to visit off Merritt, I'll just save it for my Exit 44 excursion. In fact, thanks to y'all there's now one place I already have on my agenda to try out when I get that far - which shouldn't be too much longer. The Beltway only goes up to 44. I am nearing the end of my mission. Thanks to Minx and thanks (and apologies) to I Am So Wise.

UPDATE II: Driving around today, I just discovered how much closer to Exit 40 the North Point Flea Market and Caldarrazzo's are. I don't usually do this but I have since removed them from this post, and am featuring them in the next one (for Exit 40), since it's right there on the exit.

Other photos:

Welcome to Dundalk, hons!

My humps, my humps - my lovely bakery humps!

The Poplar Inn Restaurant. Every little town has a place like it. This is one of Dundalk's.

And the invisible-to-the-internet Shore Produce. Since it's not easy to find online, here's a photo.

Places I visited:

Community College of Baltimore County, Dundalk Campus (cafeteria food) - Building K, 7200 Sollers Point Rd, Dundalk, MD 21222

• Would I eat there again? Only if I had to
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Um, no.

Herman's Bakery (bakery, with locations in Dundalk and Towson) - 7560 Holabird Avenue, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 284-5590

• Would I shop there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to shop there again? Yes

Weenie World (hot dogs) - 1099 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 284-9495

• Would I eat there again? Oh, yeah!
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Definitely

Places to look up later:

Boulevard Diner (diner) - 1660 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-8660

Cake Connection (bakery) - 700 Merritt Boulevard #A2, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-2064

Captain Harvey's Submarines (subs) - 1543 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288 8990

Crab Net Inn Dining Room (crabs) - 7703 German Hill Road, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 282-6267

Dundalk Xpress (subs / wings) - 7620 German Hill Road, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 282-0902

Filleti's Pizza (pizza / Italian) - 1784 Merritt Boulevardl, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-5628

House of China (Chinese) - 7820 Wise Avenue #B, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 284-2288
Howard's Pub (bar / pub) - 7312 Holabird Avenue, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 282-6050

Icy Delights (ice cream) - 7812 Wise Avenue, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-3400

Merritt House Restaurant (American) - 1780 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-2321

Moochie's (snowballs; next to Dundalk Xpress) - 7620 German Hill Road, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 282-0902

New China Restaurant (formerly China Garden Restaurant - Chinese) - 1163 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-0191

Poplar Inn Restaurant (American) - 7700 Wise Avenue, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-2590

Ross' Seafood (seafood / crabs) - 1109 North Point Road, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-1200

Scoozzi Restaurant and Lounge (American / seafood / Mediterranean) - 7625 German Hill Road, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-1060

Shore Produce and Seafood (seafood / crabs / produce) - 7802 Wise Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-2547

Wise Avenue Crab House (crabs / seafood) - 7812 Wise Avenue, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 282-5275



for Herman's Bakery



for Weenie World

Exits 38A & B: MD-150 (Eastern Blvd)

The first exit after the MD-702 off-shoot takes you not to the mythical Exit 37 (who knows where that would have taken you) right back to Eastern Blvd. The inner loop divides this 38th exit into two, the outer loop does not, but they all take you to the same place - so I'm just doing them together. And if I had driven too far in either direction, I would have wound up at locations I have previously hit up (qv Exits 33A and 36).

Exit 38A: East Point

Until you get to Hopkins and the Broadway Diner, there are relatively slim pickins going this direction. This exit's main attraction is the new and improved Eastpoint Mall (map). I didn't head in - pretty much fast food. This doesn't count the Golden Corral, which closed down - not a rarity among businesses in this area, sadly. Now the only food you can see driving by Eastpoint Mall is the Checkers. Yes, this Mobile, Alabama-based chain is a big chain, and yes it is fast food. I never realized they are, according to Wikipedia, the largest double-drive-thru fast food chain in America. That's a pretty unique distinction, no? Their sings are starting to bear a striking resemblance to the ones at Hardee's, now a subsidiary of California's evil Carl's Jr. Hell, even Hardee's and Carl's carbon-copy websites clog your arteries!

If you're really hankerin' for a buffet, too bad. But there is a Cactus Willie's (map) across the street, which serves many of the same types of foods you'd find at a buffet. It's one of five in existence.

Fleeing Easpoint Mall, you could turn up MD-151 to North Point Blvd. I stuck with 150 and headed a bit further west, towards the city and Oak Lawn Cemetery. In case you were wondering, this isn't the same cemetery you can see off of I-95 just out of the tunnel. You've seen it. It's the one that slopes down a steep hill and looks like it's about to fall onto the freeway but never quite does. I think it's Mount Carmel.

A few of the offerings I found between Eastpoint and Oak Lawn Cemetery and the city/county line:

• Zetto Subs & Pizza (map) - This is a smallish pizza and subs place across the street from Eastpoint Mall. I didn't get the chance to stop in here. It's one of the few places other than McDonald's in this stretch of Eastern Blvd.
• Oh look! Another Mo's Seafood Restaurant (map)!
  
• Greek Village Carry-Out (map) - Greektown's influence reaches as far as the county with this place. They're all on vacation until mid-August, so I'll have to wait before I can go there.
  

Exit 38B: Back River and Essex

The lack of options off 38A is made up for when you go the other way, as your options really open up past the Back River. Even before that is the Blue Fins Seafood Restaurant (map), which is really difficult to photograph while driving by. I passed by this riverside seafood restaurant a few times (once around the dinner hour, once around lunch time), and each time it looked like there were a few cars. Hopefully I will get a chance to check it out at some point. I might not, though, since it's up for public auction. Let's wait and see.

Far more options lie on the other side of the river, where Eastern Avenue magically transforms into Eastern Boulevard. Among the ones I saw on the way:

• Safa Pizza and La Nueva Esperansa Grocery (map). I put them together because they have the exact same address. This caused me some confusion at first - is one open while the other is closed? Nope - they're just in the same building. I should have stopped by La Nueva Esparansa since I needed to pick up one or two things, but I'll have to go back. Safa is a small local chain with three locations around the southern side of the Beltway, including ones in Glen Burnie, Dundalk and here in Essex. One reviewer liked the pizza at the Dundalk location. Nobody seems to have reviewed the one in Essex.
• The Smokehouse Barb-B-Que (map) hasn't even opened yet. I think they'll be selling barbecue. Coincidentally, it's scheduled to open on the day after this post goes up - August 4.
  
• Man Hing (map), with just about the most colorful and fun sign of any Chinese restaurant I have seen, well, anywhere in Baltimore. I didn't stop in but if the owners are putting as much care into their food as they do in their signage, then maybe it'll be one of the better Chinese restaurants in Baltimore County. I haven't found anything negative about it yet.
  
• So many crabs! At least three locations in the stretch of a few blocks. Since the bank account doesn't afford a sit-down crabfeast at this time, I didn't stop in. But with so many around there is just no excuse to not go back and visit at least one.
  
• One place, CC's Crabs and Catering (map), is in a big, square yellow building and does catering as well as eat-in. Plus, CC's is also a bar and grill-type establishment, with nightly happy hours, almost nightly Ladies' Nights, and the occasional karaoke contest and entertainer. Their happy hour extends not just to their drinks, but to their crabs, crab cakes and pit beef sammiches as well.
  
• Across the street is better-known Mr. Bill's Terrace Inn (map). Mr. Bill's is next to Man Hing, and advertises its crabs prominently on its sign. They sorta have to. The Sun's Liz Large visited a few years ago. The food and the atmosphere were both good, though the service was closer to fair than to fine. Since it gets touristy around this time of year, now may not be such a good time to visit. When you do, based on reviews like these and these, you'll probably like it.
• A few doors down from Bill's is Crabland (map), "Home of the Big Dozen", which is next to, and certainly affiliated with, the "Home of the Big Bushel", Fruitland (same map). They also share a parking lot and the world's largest crab basket. Karen Lee Ryan includes both Crabland and Fruit near the northern terminus of her College Park-to-Baltimore "Road Trip" for the Washington Post.
  

I didn't stop in Crabland, but I did pop into Fruitland for a minute. They do sell fresh, raw, local seafood (local meaning Chesapeake, though much of it is from Maryland). And they do sell lots of produce. I wanted to snap a photo or two before I bought anything but the folks there give you almost immediate service (and it's embarrassing to explain that you just want to take a picture of the place before you go shopping). It was strange, actually: it was as if I wasn't allowed to browse the produce (most if not all of it is locally grown - again mostly Maryland). A few things I learned here: peaches are now in season in Maryland, and the guy who helped me said he picked the corn he was selling that morning. Whether or not, I bought six ears for $2.75, a bit less than at most farmers' markets. I also got me six soft-shell crabs for $10 (larger ones went for 3 or 4 for $10).

Mmmm. Soft crabs and corn.

I stopped in two restaurants over the course of as many days. My first visit was to Uncle Eddie's (map). They caught my eye because not only were they the same yellow color as CC's (lighter shade - looks a lot better than the older color), but because I had an Uncle Eddie when I was a very young child. But he died in the mid-70's so my memories of him are, at best, vague.

Uncle Eddie's is a family restaurant-type establishment, with that familiar family restaurant smell, only a bit darker and dingier. Price-wise, the offerings at Uncle Eddie's are about mid-range. If you want a full-course meal, expect to pay about $20. That's what I did. I wanted to go for one of their nightly specials, but one dish that Uncle Eddie's touts as a mainstay for the past 60 years is its pan fried haddock ($15). I thought it'd be good to try a signature dish and I spent the few extra dollars for it. With it came a complementary soup (I went for the Manhattan clam chowder) and my choice of two vegetables. I chose corn - a safe bet - and fried sweet potatoes. Not sweet potato fries, not sweet potato hash and not mashed sweet potatoes. These were just chunks of sweet potato, fried, probably in butter, maybe with a little brown sugar. I couldn't tell. I also got free bread with my meal. I'm not sure if Uncle Eddie's believes in portion control or not.

One note about the service: it is pretty friendly. They seem to have a rapport with the patrons here (makes sense in a 60-year-old establishment). My waitress constantly asked if the food was alright and if there was anything wrong. I like that kind of concern.

The Manhattan clam chowder. I never got a good shot of my entrée.

But while the service was good, the food was pretty mixed. Here's what I liked and what I didn't like:

• The Manhattan clam chowder - which is red, not white - was still the creamiest I had ever had. I liked it, and only had one chewy-beyond-belief clam. I'd eat this again. Same with the fried sweet potatoes, which were delicious once cooled down.
• Sadly, I didn't care for the haddock. I really wanted to like this, but with every bite one thought kept running through my mind: "This has been a popular dish for six decades?" Maybe I just caught them on an off-night (since there are a few good user reviews floating around about this place): I got a pound or so of fish, which was dense, heavy, a little dry and not flavorful at all. The most disappointing part was the breading - if the breading is crispy and tasty I can forgive the rest, but while it wasn't greasy at all, it also was not crispy or, again, flavorful. The texture was literally as if they warmed up a brown paper bag, wrapped the haddock in the bag, and then gave it to me. And there were some hard bits on the breading that weren't very good. The corn was pretty bad - I hardly touched it.

With tax and tip - you tip for service, not for how the food tastes - I paid about $19.

A bit better was what I got the next day at the Essex Diner (map). It's easy to miss if you're racing down Eastern Blvd (which you shouldn't be doing in the first place), but driving at a normal pace you'll find this diner on your right just after you cross eastbound on the Back River bridge. It must be relatively new, as just three year-old photos of this building show the Casa Luna Pizzeria Restaurant.

If Uncle Eddie's is dark and dingy, the Essex Diner is brighter and more colorful. Essex Diner is not a shiny, flashy diner like the ones I have visited recently. It's actually more of a beige color. And it's pretty small and cozy, with photos of staff, friends and family all up and down the doorway into the kitchen. This does not detract from the soaps playing on the two TV's at either end of the restaurant.

The menu is not small, and has all the typical offerings of your standard Baltimore diner: the pastas, the subs, the burgers, the platters, the Greek selections, the Italian selections, the breakfasts, and the refrigerated case of pies and cakes (well, cake slices at least). I wanted a regular burger but instead opted for a plate of sliders (3 for $5.50) and some gravy fries (about $2.50). With tax I paid about $8.50.

Sliders and gravy fries. Jerry O'Connell not included.

I should've eaten there because they would probably have been moister right out of the kitchen, instead of sitting in a styrofoam container for a half an hour car ride (oh, and I went to Fruitland before I got home). So I understand why the sliders, tiny things that they are, were as dry as they were. Plus, it was easy to lose all that meat underneath the massive pile of fried onions and chopped-up pickles on top of each slider (they used dinner rolls for the buns - good idea). There were about as many onions on this slider as I would've put on a regular-sized burger. I'm not knocking the flavor. They were tasty. The fries were filling - very filling. I liked the flavor, but the gravy was really the only thing making me like them. I love 'em gravy fries.

Other photos:

They're coming to get you, Bar-ba-ra...

Eastern Avenue, looking east towards Eastern Boulevard (and Essex)

Jus' speedin' bah de Back Rivver, Mis'r Po-leece Man, hon. Ah didn't wanna fall in. 'Oniss!

Welcome to yer Essex Wunnerlaaaand!

That's a big bushel!

Places I visited:

Essex Diner (diner) - 15 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 238-1400

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

Fruitland (market - local produce) - 106 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 574-9866

• Would I shop there again? Sure
• Would I go out of my way to shop there again? Probably for the seafood, but maybe not the produce - local farmers' markets have much the same stuff without me using as much gas to get to it.
  

Uncle Eddie's (American / family restaurant) - 424 1/2 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 686-1321

• Would I eat there again? It depends on what I ordered
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No
  

Places to look up later:

Blue Fins Seafood Restaurant (crabs / seafood) - 8247 Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD 21224; Phone: (410) 282-5050

CC's Crabs and Catering (crabs / American) - 409 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 780-2626

Crabland (crabs) - 120 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 687-6260

Cactus Willie's (American - one of five locations in Maryland and Pennsylvania) - 7940 Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD 21224; Phone: (410) 282-8268

Greek Village Carry-Out (Greek) - 7308 Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD 21224; Phone: (410) 282-1700

La Nueva Esperansa Grocery (market - Latin American) - 437 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 686-1000

Man Hing (Chinese) - 204 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 687-2010

Mo's Seafood Restaurant (seafood / crabs) - 7600 Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD 21224; Phone: (410) 288-2424

Mr. Bill's Terrace Inn (crabs) - 200 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 687-5996

Safa Pizza (pizza) - 437 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 682-3806

Smokehouse Barb-B-Que (map) - 210 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 686-7888

Zetto Subs & Pizza (pizza and subs) - 7842 Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD 21224; Phone: (410) 288-2833




for Essex Diner



for Uncle Eddie's

Exit 36: MD-702 (Southeast Blvd)

After Philadelphia Road and Pulaski Highway, the Beltway shoots off into MD Route 702 (Southeast Blvd). This was supposed to be the beginning of the fabled Windlass Freeway. This legendarily unfinished part of 695 was supposed to continue on to I-95, ultimately connecting Moravia Road to Perry Hall. Instead, the powers-that-were officially gave up on it sometime in July 1978 - exactly 30 years ago this month (according to MDRoads.com)! So 702 ended up as a 4.5 mile long offshoot of 695. This also explains the ghost signs directing travelers to no place in particular, and it explains why there is no Exit 37: they held off, in case they did decide to finish the Windlass Freeway.

It also explains why I won't be visiting Exit 37.

The first exit off of 702 is MD-150 - Eastern Blvd, which I have already visited once before (Exit 33A). This leads off towards Essex, and then Chase by way of Middle River. I'm a bit more familiar with the Middle River side of 150, but I headed off towards Essex first.

MD-150 towards Essex:

The first thing you notice going towards Essex is the Middlesex Shopping Center on your right. Not only can you renew your driver's license and get a library card here (the MVA and Baltimore County Public Library each has a location here), but you can get a few quick bites to eat: Italian at the Pasta Blitz of Middlesex (map) - notice that dazzling neo-Disney lettering on the sign, and is it related to the ones in Timonium or on Carroll Island Road? - and Chinese at the New China Express Inn (map). I guess if you work at the MVA or, more likely, wait in line for a few hours there, you have probably sampled the fare. If you want to expand your pizza-and-orange-chicken horizons beyond Middlesex, try the Essex franchise of Delaware-based Seasons Pizza (map) further down the road, or the Lucky Dragon (map) across the street.

Despite these and a Latin American mercado/restaurante (map), this stretch of Eastern Blvd, about a mile either way from the intersection of Eastern and Old Eastern, is "bar-and-grill" territory, such as the Fatties Bar & Grill (map).

Hey, wasn't there a Friendly's here? Yes? Well there isn't anymore.


MD-150 towards Middle River and Chase:

Going the other direction will take you into Middle River towards Bowley's Quarters and Chase, past Martin State Airport, Lockheed Martin, and eventually Bengie's Drive In and Gunpowder Falls. Go this far and you'll find a few good seafood places and (again) more bar-and-grill establishments, crab and crabcake joints, and pit beef stands. Go far enough and you'll even find a small fish & chips joint - Original Fish & Chips (map), whose fish & chips I have had once or twice. Very greasy, but that's what makes them original, right? You'd have to wrap it in the Mirror to make it any more original. Sure, it's greasy, but it is tasty and crispy. And you get wonderful, wonderful hush puppies - more Southern than English, but an absolute necessity with fried fish in these parts. And yes, like all other seafood establishments in these parts, they have all manner of crab offerings.

It's pretty tough to get away from the crabs in these parts. Family, friends and acquaintances have been giving us crabs here for years. Um, let me re-phrase: they've been giving us steamed crabs for years. Not as many this year as last. My sister went out with her father-in-law the other weekend to go crabbin'. They came back with two crabs. Not two traps worth of crabs. Not two pots full of crabs. Not even two pounds of crabs. Two crabs. The harvest is bare, very bare indeed.

You don't need to go as far as Bengie's to find good food in these parts. In fact, right off the exit to Chase is the locally famous Al's Seafood (map, which puts it right on the off-ramp instead of just past it where it should be). Whether coming from Eastern Blvd. or Stemmers Run Road, it's impossible to miss the large blue crab sign and the big white letters that say "AL'S SEAFOOD". They do both take-out and eat-in. I've only ever done take-out, once. I had a crab cake sandwich a while back. It wasn't the best, but I would go back for other things. Far more memorable was a good batch of steamed crabs that a friend got once for a backyard party. Goooooood crabs.

Yep. Tough to miss.

A further ways up, between a non-descript chicken & fish place and the Middle River (the river, not the town) is the Mars shopping center, which has (whoopdee doo) a Ruby Tuesday's. It also is the home of the Bacoli Delight Italian Restaurant (map), whose patrons suggest that the quality of the food and service have certainly improved in the past year. Just as notable are the Hollywood Video that closed down, and the bank that was all set to open up until the "recession-that-isn't-a-recession" hit.

On past the scenic Middle River (again, the waterway not the town) is the Hawthorne Shopping Plaza, home of Geresbeck's and many a "Manic Monday" outing on the Don & Marty morning show on WJZ. A few "restaurant & carry-out' options here:

• Jilliano's (map), with pizza, subs, and the usual sub shop fare. I haven't eaten here yet.
• Little China (map), which is pretty tasty as far as "Mom-&-Pop" Chinese restaurants go. Unlike most Chinese restaurants, this is a free-standing restaurant in its own little building. I haven't eaten here in a while, but I haven't found anything negative about it. One recent reviewer loved the fried rice.
• And of course there is the traditional Baltimore snowball stand sitting right next to it in the parking lot. This time of year there's always a line.

Next door, just past the McDonald's (ick) is the Eastern Plaza, and there are two food options here. One is the Looni's Pizza & Subs (map), which looked closed, except for the wide-open door. It's probably open. Again, it serves pizza and subs. The other is a small market, All African Delights (same map as Looni's). A few years ago, I checked out this tiny West African / Caribbean market for some injera bread, hoping they might have stuff from all over Africa. No such luck - if you need it, just call Dukem and order it to save yourself the trip to DC. I did try my luck again recently, stopping in the other day to ask about banana leaves. The clerk had to call the proprietor to find out if they did - "Nobody' ever asked before," she said. While she did the banana leaf recon, one little girl playing there started quizzing about foods that "you guys" don't eat. It was actually too funny. I didn't know the one large, cassava-on-steroids African tuber she showed me but the onions and coconuts I was quite familiar with. She kept chatting and chatting and chatting with me, which seemed to bother the clerk a little. As for myself, once I found out there were no banana leaves, I just tried to figure a way to end the conversation with this talkative child and go on my way. It's a very small market, but it's the only African market I know of in this part of town.

One final place to mention: if you do take the turn off onto Martin's Blvd (MD-700), you'll quickly run into the Baker's Tavern and Pit Beef (map). I avoided the tavern altogether and just made a beeline for the pit beef stand, a bit nicer than most I've been to. The proprietor had several bags of water hanging on the walls - he said it was to keep the flies away. While there were a couple, it made me wonder if there might actually be more had he not done that.

Baker's has pit beef and fries, among other things. I came for pit beef, as did a line of people waiting for their pit beef sandwiches. I ordered mine with raw onion, and fries - total: a little under $7. There were squeeze bottles of ketchup, mayo, vinegar (for the fries of course) and different BBQ sauces. The horseradish (not sauce but the actual horseradish mash you find at pit beef stands) is just inside the window to the kitchen. I put on some BBQ sauce there, and shoveled a little horseradish sauce into a clear little plastic cup with a lid


I ate a fry in the car before heading out, and quickly burned myself - these were some hot fries, unlike many you get at restaurants. Literally, fresh out of the oil - so yes, a little oily, but the heat was much appreciated. When I got the pit beef home I did have to heat it up a little. Very juicy and good, and I liked the crunch provided by the onion. Again, the fries were hot, though oily enough that I didn't finish them all. Maybe I'll just get them with gravy next time, provided I'm in the area.


Off to Exit 37 - oh wait, there IS no Exit 37. Off to Exit 38...

Other photos:

Needs no explanation whatsoever.

Hey, when you got Geresbeck's, who needs Charm City Cakes anyway!?

This used to be a Friendly's.

Another shot of Middle River - no, the river, not the town.

Places I visited:

All African Delights (market - West African /Caribbean) - 2201 Eastern Boulevard, Middle River, MD 21220; Phone: (410) 780-9323

• Would I shop there again? I don't know - I haven't had much of a chance to explore it.
• Would I go out of my way to shop there again? Again, can't say for certain.
  

Al's Seafood (crabs / seafood) - 1551 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 682-4828

• Would I eat there again? Yes, but moreover for the crabs.
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Sure, but again, mostly for the crabs.
  

Baker's Tavern and Pit Beef (pit beef / American) - 2233 Old Eastern Avenue, Middle River, MD 21220; Phone: (410) 687-9419

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No need with all the pit beef stands around, but I might
  

Little China Restaurant & Carry-Out (Chinese) - 2117 Eastern Avenue, Middle River, MD 21220; Phone: (410) 686-1922

• Would I eat there again? It's been a while, so I really need to visit it again to answer that question.
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? See above.
  

Original Fish & Chips (English / fish & chips / seafood) - 105 Carroll Island Road, Suite B, Middle River, Md 21220; Phone: 410-335-0004

• Would I eat there again? Maybe
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? You kind of have to. Probably would.
  

Places to look up later:

Bacoli Delight Italian Restaurant (Italian) - 151 Orville Road, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 238-1922

Fattie's Bar & Grill (bar & grill) - 1030 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 686-9111

Jilliano's Restaurant Carry-Out (pizza and subs) - 2105 Eastern Boulevard, Middle River, MD 21220; Phone: (410) 391-5222

Latin American Market / Restaurante (Latin American) - 1009 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD 21221; cannot find phone number

Looni's Pizza & Subs (pizza & subs) - 2201 Eastern Boulevard, Middle River, MD; Phone: (410) 391-6162

Lucky Dragon (Chinese) - 1221 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 391-3337

New China Express Inn (Chinese) - 1338 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 238-1858

Pasta Blitz of Carroll Island (Italian) - 154 Carroll Island Road, Middle River, MD 21220; Phone: (410) 335-3433

Pasta Blitz of Middlesex (Italian) - 1328 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221; Phone: (410) 238-0604

Seasons Pizza (pizza, with nineteen locations in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey) - 1004 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, Maryland 21221; Phone: (410) 780-7005

snowball stand next to Little China (snowballs) - open seasonally; in the Hawthorne Shopping Center, 2117 Eastern Avenue, Middle River, MD 21220