Greek Pizza?

The Greek eatery mentioned in my previous post is not just a Greek eatery, I found. Not only do they have every Greek dish from Moussaka to Baklavah, but they have pizza and Italian food too! They're still a Greek eatery, but they just serve Italian food as well.

I couldn't believe it when the Italian food was just as good as the Greek food!

Baked Ziti:


Pizza (mushrooms, olives, pep's)

Hooter's

Given, the Hooter's in Towson is not the finest establishment, especially compared to the Hooter's in the Baltimore Harbor. The great thing about Hooter's is that no matter what each location looks like or how trashy it is, the food still tastes the same!

Hooter's wings are by far the best wings I've ever had. These are the mediums and they still look delicious!


The mozzarella sticks were soo good too! The cheese was still hot when I bit into them.



We also got the fried pickles! It comes with really good tangy dipping sauce.

Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich

BALTIMORE, of all the places, was one of the first cities to test out Chick-fil-A's new spicy chicken sandwich! The testing started at the end of April 2009 in a chain in California and the chain tested in Jacksonville, Florida and good ol' Baltimore, Maryland!

I'm wondering if that's because the secret is out that we are all obsessed with food here, or actually because we have good taste...hmmm,

Either way...everyone knows about the sandwich now, so we must be doing something right! Mmmm, love me some Chick-fil-A!

Baltimore Restaurants...Desparate

In light of the economy, restaurants are taking a huge hit. People are going to the grocery store more than eating out these days to save money. Not only that, but the times people do go out to eat, they're choosing their restaurants a little differently.

What used to be a nice outing at a fine-dining restaurant is now a trip to Applebee's. So, what the restaurant geniuses decided to do is ban together and hit the problem head-on. Fine dining restaurants, which are obviously getting the worst of the hit, are joining together to promote their food and service in their time of need.

I imagine their motto to be: it's better to be active than reactive.

The restaurants such as Morton's and Rusty Scupper have even shared a $1,000 table at a Towson bridal shower. They've also hosted tasting seminars together.

Restaurants that were once fighting for territory and customers are now sharing them both. I guess it gives a whole new meaning to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Man, a poor economy can do crazy things.

Towosn Diner

Now let's talk about the REAL diner in Towson (Bel Loc vs. Diner)! First of all, the Towson Diner on York Road is one of the original diners in Towson from the 1950's...pretty impressive.

Secondly, you can always tell an authentic diner by looking at one thing only...the hours. Towson Diner is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day! That's what makes a great diner!

It's also strategically placed less than a mile away from all of the Towson bars. All of you TU students, you can count on seeing all of your friends and classmates there in the middle of the night...it's packed! Who wouldn't want to hang with friends eating greasy food after a long night of drinking!?!?

Courtney Rice wrote about the diner in the Johns Hopkins Newsletter.

Bel Loc vs. Diner

WOW! The Bel Loc Diner in Towson on York and Joppa Road used to be the diner of the town. Then the Towson Diner moved in and everyone in Towson realized what they were actually missing.

The last time I was at Bel Loc my food came out cold and my friend and I were the only people in there, except for the one random lonely person you find in every diner.

Once the Towson Diner became the hot-spot for students during the after-hours, Bel Loc's true colors were revealed. The fact that it looks like it's going to fall apart did not help business.

It's not just me people!

Pleiades wrote in Chowdown: "Anyone notice the Bel-Loc diner was the featured venue for wierdness in Tuesday's Zippy? Never eaten there, so I got to wondering if anyone else has. As usual, the wacky antics of the patrons drove me to not laugh at all."

And here are some of the responses:

Peckish
"The Bel-Loc's okay if you don't mind pretty grim waitresses and prefab food. The reason to go is the time-capsule look--which I admit is probably worth it, but only every once in awhile. For my money, any diner with bad pie isn't really a diner at all. But it's kind of an expirience."

DD
"I went there after someone told me it was a Baltimore landmark and I was sorely disappointed. I took one bite of my food and left the rest.

If you are out checking out Baltimore landmarks, drive by, maybe even go inside. But don't bother ordering."

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!

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.

Universal Pizza & Subs

I'm not a big fan of sausage, bacon, or cheese alone. But boy, when you put it all together on a pizza from Universal Pizza & Subs, IT...WAS...GOOD. When my coworker suggested Universal's "Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger Pizza," I was a little scared. Usually over-sized names with bacon in it usually doesn't produce anything positive from random pizza delivery places! They pulled it off. My coworker and I almost ate the whole pizza! Delivery took about 20 minutes at 1 p.m., pizza came with a hilarious, friendly delivery man too! Universal also offers FREE delivery! I would suggest Universal to everyone in Towson...annnd the BCC Pizza!


Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger Pizza:
-bacon
-ground beef
-cheddar cheese
-provolone cheese
-mozzarella cheese


The bacon was sprinkled on top, underneath was provolone. In between the dough and provolone was the ground beef, cheddar and mozzarella. It had to be at least a half inch thick, delicious for any college night or work-day lunch!