Towson Tavern

At least once or twice a week I find myself in Towson after work. Usually it's to meet up with Deana before she heads back to work on one of her long days and sometimes it's just to get some exercise walking around the never ending mall. On one of those occasions we were looking for somewhere to eat when we walked up to the circle and found Towson Tavern calling our names.

The inside of Towson Tavern was very nice. It had a very modern look, and if I remember correctly the bar even had a marble bar top. Very swank when you consider most of the other casual restaurants in the vicinity.  Given the look and the prices on the menu, I think it's safe to assume they aren't looking to attract the college crowd that most everyone else in the area goes for. 

Not knowing what to expect going in and dining without the biggest appetite we had a little trouble finding something on the menu to fit our appetite and our budget. Nearly every entree was over $20. We weren't looking to spend quite that amount so I ended up with the $16 Burger and Deana decided to order the Pork Lollipop appetizer.

Happily, the lollipops were of fairly substantial size for an appetizer and it was more than enough for Deana on that day. The pork lollipops were covered in a ginger marmalade that served as a bit of a sauce. The sauce was very good, but at times the ginger could smack you in the face. The lollipops themselves were very crunchy and reminded both of us of fried chicken. I can't say that this was my favorite appetizer of all time but Deana commented more than once that she would order the lollipops again. So, I guess you can chalk these up to personal taste. If you're a fan of pork and ginger there's a pretty good chance you'll like this one. 

When it comes to my meal, I'm not sure I've ever spent as much on a burger as I did at Towson Tavern. Obviously, my expectations were pretty high. At $16 their margin for error was pretty slim. As fate would have it, this was a damn good burger. Was it $16 good? Eh, I don't know, but I didn't leave feeling like I was had. Taking that and the fact that I annihilated the burger in record time into account, I guess I can't really complain all that much. My burger was large, juicy, tender angus beef topped with tomato, homemade aioli, and arugula. I really enjoyed the arugula as opposed to traditional iceberg lettuce. Not only did it add a nice freshness to the burger, but the peppery taste was quite nice as well. Typically, they serve the burger with sweet potato fries but I passed on them for traditional fries. The fries were delicious and you get served a TON.

So, despite their prices being a little on the high side you can go in knowing that they don't skimp on the portions and the flavor is there.  Overall, Deana and I had a good dinner and we look forward to visiting them again some time in the future.

Before I go, one thing I thought I should make mention of was the fact that despite referring to themselves as a Tavern their draft list at the time of our visit was lacking. It wasn't the all-time worst or anything. In fact, in the grand scheme of things it was probably somewhere in the middle, but given their upscale menu I think it would behoove them to ditch some of the typical big beer brands and replace them with more craft options. They had a few, but I'd like to see even more in the future.

Price: Expensive
Recommendation: If you're looking for something a bit fancier in Towson, this is a good place to try.
What to Order: Burger

Charley's Grilled Subs

I'd say I buy my lunch almost 50% of the time Monday through Friday. Since, I eat out a fair amount I'm always looking for something nearby that is not only quick, but reasonably priced, and delicious. That's a tall order, but Charley's Subs meets all three criteria. 

Charley's Subs opened inside the White Marsh Mall cafeteria some time last spring/summer. They were opening inside a stand that has housed failed restaurant after failed restaurant the past 5 years. Because of this, I wasn't overly excited about what they had to offer. But, I'm a brave guy and since I'm always on the hunt for something good to eat I decided to give them a try one fateful day. Summary....stuff tastes good.

But you want details!

I went with a regular chicken cheese steak (to help maintain my girlish figure), buffalo fries (to maintain a bit of masculinity), and a blueberry lemonade (because I thought it sounded tasty).

My food came out hot, it came out fast, and it came out tasting good. The chicken cheese steak, while it won't have the kings of cheese steak trembling, has plenty of good flavor. Good bread, tender chicken, cheese, mayo, and a little crispy lettuce....I'm not complaining about any of that.

The buffalo fries were the best part of my lunch. I loved that they used real blue cheese crumbles. I'm very much a blue cheese snob and the thought of nasty liquid blue cheese dressing on my french fries had me a bit worried. But no fear, Charley's came through with the crumbles and the fries themselves were fried perfectly.

And what better to wash some spicy fries down with than some blueberry lemonade. You get a huge glass with some pretty good lemonade and a bit of real blueberry flavor. It's good, not great, but Charley's amounts (in my opinion) to a fast food establishment so if you're looking for some exquisite beverages, you're probably not eating at the right place. It definitely beats "Coke or Diet Coke" everywhere else in the food court.

Overall, this place is a winner in my book. If you work anywhere near White Marsh Mall, check out Charley's for a quick, affordable, and delicious meal.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: Great Place to visit for a quick lunch.
What to Order: Buffalo Fries

 

Gino's Burgers and Chicken

Gino's Burgers and Chicken restaurants have been popping up everywhere lately. Being an out of towner I hadn't heard of them, but my girlfriend let me know that they used to be quite popular once upon a time. Naturally, my interest was peeked. When we found a Groupon offer to the Towson location we had the perfect opportunity to see what Gino's was all about.
We ended up at the Towson location on Friday night and it was PACKED. The line was nearly to the door but it moved surprisingly quick. The first thing I noticed was the giant sign of milkshake offerings. As you know from the By the Scoop review I'm a huge fan of peanut butter and I ended up with a Reese's Pieces Milkshake. My girlfriend, on the other hand, decided on a Cherry Cheescake shake.

The shakes were really big and thick. The huge straw you see in the picture came in very handy. However, on the whole they were kind of "ehh" on the scale of tastiness. They weren't bad but they weren't anything special either. My Reese's Pieces Shake tasted like a pure vanilla shake with a bunch of broken candy that eventually sunk to the bottom.  Deana's Cherry Cheesecake didn't have any cherry flavor and even worse there was no cheesecake presence to be found either. That was kind of a letdown.

For dinner I ordered a Bacon Blue Burger and Deana had the Chicken Caesar Wrap. Out of the two, the wrap was easily the winner. The chicken tasted really good and we both really liked the ceasar dressing. My burger, while okay, was a huge bummer. The bun was nearly twice as big as the burger but that was the least of my concerns. The fact that the "Bacon Blue" burger didn't have any blue cheese crumbles on it really annoyed me. Putting cheap mass produced blue cheese dressing on a burger and calling it "blue" doesn't cut the mustard with this guy. With that said, the bacon on the burger was really tasty.

The best part of the dinner were the Wild Fries we decided to split. Wild fries are french fries with cheese, ranch dressing, and bacon crumbles over the top. The fries alone were really good and crunchy. I was a little worried they were going to be soggy and covered in ranch dressing (not typically a huge fan) but it was really well balanced. Both of us agreed the fries were worth coming back for.

Because we went with a Groupon deal we had some extra money left over and were able to order chicken fingers and a cookie to go. Even though I didn't get to the chicken for a full day it was really good. The breading they use was a big hit with my tastebuds.

It seems to me that the chicken is the way to go if you end up at Gino's. Between the chicken fingers and the wrap Deana had, I think it's safe to say they know what they're doing the chicken. On the other hand, the burgers and the shakes were a big let down.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: It was okay, but it has its strong points. Give it a shot.
What to order: Chicken Caesar Wrap and Wild Fries.