Don’t miss out on delicious meals this summer at Baltimore-area restaurants
Is it me or is the summer going by much too quickly? It always does.
But that doesn’t have to stop us from visiting Baltimore-area restaurants and tourist attractions. So here we go. Let’s begin in Cockeysville with a very popular seafood restaurant. Isn’t summer the best season for seafood!
So here we are at Pappas Restaurant & Sports Bar. This one is located at 550 Cranbook Road. I say this one because there are four other Pappas locations-Parkville, Glen Burnie, Belair and Perry Hall.
The restaurant is open seven days a week (lunch and dinner), has plenty of free parking, at least 30 TV’s, and is casual. Making reservations is a good idea (it’s always crowded, but open seating in the bar).
Pappas has space for private events, has lunch specials, is locally owned, and has a gluten-free menu. It has happy hour on weekdays and delivery through local services. This is definitely ‘crab cake territory’. And yes, Oprah did dine here. The chair she used is displayed at the main entrance.
There’s more than crab cakes. There are items such as soup, salad, steak, lamb, pork, pasta, wraps, sandwiches, burgers and a full bar. The carry out has a separate entrance.
The crab cakes are as good as you heard. 410-666-0030. https://www.pappascockeysville.com
Now it’s off to Owings Mills and the Ginza Japanese Restaurant. This is where food is prepared on a giant grill in front of you. People seem to like that. Actually it is fun. The location is 9616 Reisterstown Rd, in the Valley Village Shopping Center.
The menu offers various combinations, such as shrimp & chicken, steak & shrimp, chicken and steak. All come with Miko soup and a salad. A special dining option is filet, shrimp and scallops. And then there’s lobster tail, filet, shrimp and scallops. If that doesn’t make you hungry, I don’t know what does! And there are lots of sushi items by the way.
The restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. It has plenty of free parking, private rooms, and is locally owned. There’s also a room where diners can sit on the floor at a special table. Very Oriental don’t you know!
They offer what is known as Bobat Tea. That was new to me. There’s a special machine in the lobby that offers various varieties. They include matcha, milk tea, slushy, fruit and milk foam. 410-863-4636.
Now let’s take a break from eating and visit Cylburn Arboretum, which is located at 4915 Greenspring Avenue. It is just about across the street from Sinai Hospital’s emergency room entrance. There are about 200 acres of grounds, displays, wooded trails, flowers, a mansion house, a visitor center, and a nature center. It is a perfect place for a quiet stroll.
Picnics are limited to ten people or less. No grills, tents, furniture, ball playing, frisbees or kites. But on Saturdays at 8 am thru September, there is yoga on the lawn. It is open all year from Tuesday-Sunday 8 am to 8pm. Dogs must be on a leash. Tours are available for a small charge. Memberships are offered. 410-396-0180.
And there you have it. Try these restaurants, or for that matter, anyones you want. The point is: go out and enjoy a meal. There are lots of choices.
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.