Enjoy the end of summer with delicious food at Baltimore-area restaurants, then take a road trip to Virginia
Okay here we are again. I hope you’re ready for another culinary road trip and a visit to a nationally known attraction.
I assume you are. So let’s hit the road. The first stop is 7 West Bistro Grille in Towson, which is located strangely enough at 7 West Chesapeake Ave.
The restaurant is open 7 days a week. It is casual, has a bar and private rooms, and is locally owned. It has happy hour seven days a week, and also has a late-night happy hour, which runs from 10 p.m. until close. The restaurant offers catering on/off premise. It will validate parking if you go to the correct garages (you can call ahead to find out which ones). The restaurant offers weekly specials and weekend brunch until 3 p.m.
I haven’t tried everything, of course. But my favorites are the lamb chops, Atlantic salmon, crab cakes and the New York strip steak.
410-337-9378
How about we stay in Towson and just move about a half mile east to Bread & Circuses Bistro & Bar, which is located at the corner of Chesapeake and Delaware avenues. The restaurant is open 7 days a week, is casual, locally owned, has outside seating, occasional music, and a weekday happy hour from 4-7 p.m. It soon add a bagel shop, It has a bar, street parking, and the craziest names for some of the entrees: How about Bill Murray’s meatballs? Nero’s flaming cheese? Or Oscar Wilde mushroom ravioli?
Some of their entrees include Manhattan filet, short ribs bordelaise, crab cakes and chicken marsala. For an appetizer, I suggest the avocado toast or the fried green tomatoes. The night that I was there the special was smoked brisket with veggies.
410-337-5282
Put this on your calendar: Sunday August 23, noon to 7 p.m., the Server Games. This is a competition between restaurant folks and is held on Delaware Avenue. Join the fun on that day.
Leaving Towson, we not going far, just up York Rd to Costas Inn, which is located on the upper level of the grandstand of the Timonium Fairgrounds. The restaurant is open 7 days a week, is locally owned, has a bar, over 30 TV’s, outside seating, plenty of parking, weekday specials (like crab on Monday and ribs on Tuesday), and jazz music on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. It likely will be very busy during the Maryland State Fair, so reservations are a good idea. And of course you must order the crab cake.
The day that I visited a few of the daily specials were the Baja shrimp or steak tacos, beef BBQ sandwich, rockfish BLT and the lobster grilled cheese. Be advised, there are no steamed crabs here. For that, you have to go to their original location, which is located at 4100 North Point Rd. in Dundalk.
667-406-1975
Okay. Now we have to travel a bit, all the way day down to Luray, Virginia, to the Luray Caverns. They were discovered in 1878 by five local men. The caverns themselves are about 4 million years in the making. The actual address is 101 Cave Hill Rd. That’s in the Shenandoah Valley, west of the Blue Ridge mountains. It is beautiful in the fall.
The caverns are designated as a National Natural Landmark. They are open 7 days a week and have a constant temperature of 54 degrees. They are yellow, brown, and red because of the water, chemicals and minerals. The standard adult admission is $36.47 (ages 6-12 $37.48). There is also a special discovery tour cost of $64.04 (ages 6-12 $37.48). Those tours begin at 8:30 and include an in depth history. The standard is self-guided with a brochure. You’ll walk about a mile-and-a-half (so being in shape helps). I would allow for at least an hour.
Next to the caverns you’ll find the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, Shenandoah Heritage Village and the Toy Town Junction. They all are included with cavern ticket. What’s not included is the Garden Maze and Rope Adventure Park. There are plenty of stalagmites and stalagtites. You can figure out the difference. It is definitely worth the trip.
540-743-6551
And there you have it. Now back to where it all began. Happy summer. And remember it doesn’t end until September 20, in spite of what you might hear or read.
Eddie Applefeld is a Baltimore native and a graduate of Towson University. He has been in the broadcasting profession for over 30 years. Currently he is the Promotions Director of WCBM radio. Before that, he was part of the Rouse & Company show on WQSR, host of a cable TV show called Dining Out and adjunct instructor at Towson.
His past accomplishments include being named a finalist in Baltimore Tourism’s Employee of the Year Program and winner of Toastmaster’s Speaker of the Year contest. He was also twice a heartthrob for the American Heart Association’s gala fund raiser.