Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Alcohol Delivery!

Seasons Pizza on York Road delivers alcohol, just like Pizan's. They're open until 1 a.m. and they deliver liquor and beer. Delicious pizza too.

"We do everything," is what the Season's man on the phone told me.

If marijuana becomes legal, I wonder if they'll deliver that too!?!?!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Pickles and Chips Deli and Grille















Thanks to Brian, Ruthie and Matt, I got to go behind the scenes at Pickles and Chips on Joppa Road in Towson. They're known for their delicious signature sandwiches and college students love the all-day breakfast menu. They offer over 25 delicious signature sandwiches named after various community characters like Ozzie Newsome and Maria Dennis.

P and C delivers and Students can bring in their Student ID and get 15% off anytime!

P and C's signature sandwich, the 98 Rock Hercules, was featured as one of the 29 best sandwiches in the Food Issue of the Baltimore Magazine.


Here's Matt, making the 98 Rock Hercules..



Print the picture below, bring it to your next visit to Pickles and Chips and get a FREE Pickles and Chips sports bottle and 15% off your check!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Cheesecake Factory

Towson Town Center was hit with the unexpected when The Cheesecake Factory graced our presence in October of 2008. Does this mean Towson is just as sophisticated and popular as the Inner Harbor? I'd say probably not, but at least they're making the attempt.

Towson is the only place that seems to have an undying goal to fit as many stores and restaurants in the smallest amount of space ever (Towson Town Center Gets A Luxury Facelift).  I wonder how the small, local restaurants feel about the colossal cheese chain stealing Towson natives. I wonder. But, does anyone care? Probably not. We all know convenience and popularity win over loyalty (just look at Netflix versus Blockbuster).

All of the "meet me at Friday's" turned into "Cheesecake at 5, right?" Although, I do not think TU sophomores will ever leave their second home at the Friday's bar. The Factory's prices and ability of their customer's to make you feel inadequate with one look at your Towson sweatpants keeps the students out, and the professionals in.

There was no wait on a Thursday at noon when I met my professional Aunt for lunch (no, I was not wearing Towson sweatpants). It was everything I expected: beautiful decor, great customer service, and delicious food.

The food portions were outrageously large. I saw my plate, and for the first time felt bad for the homeless guy that harasses me at the median on Dulaney Valley Road. I was so happy that I actually had more than one sliver of chicken stuffed in my quesadilla and on my salad. Delicious.

Appetizer:

Quesadilla's with Chicken

Lunch:

Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad


Grilled Chicken Tostada Salad


Will I go back to The Factory? Of course, everything was on time, lovely waitress, great managers (who did make sure our experience was satisfactory on the way out), and delicious food. I wonder what Towson will squeze in next to top this. I suggest a Sonic to counteract the professionalism, how about you?

Read another Towson Cheesecake experience.
Big Boyz Pizza

Deliver?
Yes

Located:
23 Allegheny Avenue, Towson
410 769 8880

Hours:
Mon-Thurs
10am-12am
Friday
10am-2am
Sat
12pm-2am
Sun
12pm-11pm


Delivery Time:
About a half hour within Towson, pretty good considering it was lunchtime.

Customer Service:
Great! The second time I called in an order, the girl recognized me and our company's address, and said hi. Delivery man was polite, but in a rush as always.

Best things to order:
SUBS! Big Boyz has the best cheesesteak sub I've had so far in Towson. Delicious!


Veal Parmesan Sub...I'm not a big fan usually, but I tasted it and it's something I would definitely order now.



Stay away from:
Snicker's Cheesecake dessert. Does not even taste like cheesecake, the chocolate part was good though.




Specials:
$12.99 for 2 8'' subs, 2 fries, and 2 12 oz. sodas...awesome deal!
$16.99 - 2 Large 1-Topping Pizzas
$16.99 - Two X-Large Cheese Pizzas
$12.99 - Two Medium 1-Topping Pizzas

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

TU Senior on Towson Food

I've never seen a tiny girl eat as much as Katie Hogg. The funny thing is she wouldn't be offended by me saying that at all. She's a senior at Towson University and her major is Business Management and HR Management. If anyone knows Towson food, it's Katie...and she'll tell you like it is.

Q: What is your favorite place to order from in Towson, and why?


Probably Jerry's, the only thing is that they take forever to deliver! I live in Lambeth Apartments right by the Towson gym and on average it takes them between an hour and an hour and a half to get here. I'm right around the corner so it's really annoying, but they're still my favorite only because of how delicious their food is. I usually get a 4 inch sub and a medium pizza, but last time there was hardly any meat on my sub.

Papa John's would be my second choice because I really like their pizza and they have Pepsi products, Coke is nasty.

Q: Who has the best customer service in Towson?

O! That Asian place...Kikumoto! It's right on York Road. I eat there a lot because their sushi is ammmmazing! The second time I walked in there they treated me like a regular. The owners came out and asked how everything was and we got to know each other. They are soo nice. Now, I get the best customer service. They treat you like gold, it's kind of weird, but good for me.

Q: What are the most important things you would want to know about a place you would order from?

- delivery time
- customer service
- best things to order
- specials...On Monday nights Jerry's has a special for a large pizza for $5.99. Not a lot of people know about that. Dunkin' Donuts is open 24 hours too, it seems no one knows that but me. I seriously go there alll the time late at night.
- when the place is most busy
- special qualities...things Pizan's delivering alcohol.

Q: Some things you would like to see in Towson...


Yea, how about faster delivery! Hire more people so you can get the food to me faster.

I would looove to see a Sonic, Five Guys or Fudrucker's. I want a Sonic here so badly, I'm seriously thinking about opening one myself after I graduate. It would get so much business, it's a drive-thru that serves breakfast all day, yeah. O! And a closer Taco Bell! Gosh, that would be nice.


Q: Where do you go the most and why?

I go to Pizan's the most. It's most convenient and right next to the liquor store and it's always open.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

5 Questions for Applebee's Kitchen Manager

Chuck Porter is the Kitchen and Training Manager for Applebee's in Eastpoint, Md. He has been with Applebee's for five years and just recently was promoted to Training Manager, which means he travels to different stores to improve the efficiency of each kitchen. Porter has traveled and worked at Applebee's in Towson, Eastpoint, Bel Air, and Aberdeen.

Q: As a former manager at the Towson Applebee's, what differences did you see working in Towson versus other areas?

Porter: One of the biggest and the most important was staffing. Bei ng close to Towson University, with so many students ensured a large job pool to pull from. Hiring a student gave you at least 4 years of dedicated work. There are so many college students in Towson. Even compared to other cities such as Bel Air, Towson is more more alive with the young workers and students.

Q: How have you seen the current state of the economy affecting the restaurant business?

Porter: I am not at liberty to give out our numbers unfortunately. However business is still booming and families are still eating.

Q: What is the most difficult aspect in being a manager of a restaurant?

Porter: As a kitchen trainer, I try to turn kitchens around to be faster and better. Right now, we are trying to make the swith from the "cook" title to the "chef" title. Instead of aportioning everything ahead of time, we are putting that responsibility on the "chef" to scoop or handle the correct amount for the customer. This is the hardest part becasue that is all they have been used to and it really is a brand new concept to them.

Q: How important are restaurant inspections to the managerial staff at Applebee's?

Porter: Restaurant inspections are important to ensure a quality and consistent product. They are very important to us. We make sure our kitchens are always up to standards on a daily basis. It is the manager's job to make sure our employees know and uphold these standards as well.

Q: On average, how often is an Applebee's store inspected, and what types of inspections?

Porter: We have what's called an in-house inspection. They inspect everything from the kitchen to the floor. The inspections are random.