Yummy Reservations and Delightful Destinations!

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s a little too easy when it comes to being tempted while dining out during the summer months.  Too many temptations for me – ice cream cravings after our dinner out or making that difficult choice of biting into a Maryland crab cake sandwich WITHOUT the roll (and getting a salad instead of the fries).  However, there is some great news here in Northern Baltimore County!  We are privy to some wonderful restaurants where making healthy eating choices is a little easier.  Join me on a little tour up the York Road corridor that will make your mouth water and give you some “food for thought.”

One of my husband’s and my favorite sayings when picking a restaurant is “Where can we eat outside” – if it’s not too steamy.  Ryleigh’s, located at 22 W. Padonia Road, has a great outdoor patio and bar.  We love their happy hour.  If you sit in the bar area, some of their amazing selection of oysters on the half shell are only $1 each.   We will order a glass of wine each (no calories of course), a dozen oysters, 1 pound of their large, mouth pleasing steamed shrimp and a Caesar salad to share.  Their Seafood salad is also a healthy and delicious option .  This time I also added to my Caesar salad a piece of freshly grilled salmon.  The best part… no feelings of guilt!   Plus, Ryleigh’s is a fun place to just kick back after a long work day.

A short distance up York Road is Fazzini’s Taverna @9811 York Road, north of Padonia Road.  I love Italian food and that means pasta, right?  But, if you’re watching carbs like I am, there’s usually not a lot of other choices.  Not a problem at Fazzini’s!  You can choose your own gluten-free “pasta” selection, which includes their veggie noodles.  From there you can select a variety of yummy sauces and proteins.  To me, it is the perfect lunch or dinner, again without the guilt.  All of their food is created in-house – I’ve never been disappointed.  Owners, father and son, Jeb & Ari, plus their wonderful staff (thanks Summer for your great service) will take good care of you and you’ll feel right at home.  On our visit this time (we’re almost regulars) my guest and I experienced a delicious sampling of their amazing veggie noodles made from carrots, squash and zucchini with a tomato cream sauce and sautéed shrimp – YUM!! – and also the Gazpacho with grilled shrimp, a classic Spanish-style gazpacho made with local heirloom tomatoes and garnished with grilled shrimp.  My hubby also got the leftovers from my Little Italy salad with grilled shrimp, salami, hard boiled egg, house lettuce blend, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions & pepper Parmesan dressing.  I hope your mouth is watering by now!  Thanks to everyone at Fazzini’s!

 

 

Travelling north, and a tad off York Road is Pappas Restaurant.  They are one of the few restaurants that we choose when we want a great crab cake.  They just enlarged their bar area, which is where we prefer to grab a booth.

Again, a nice glass of wine, one of their famous lump (large lumps) crab cakes and a salad and you’ll be full and good for not cheating on that diet!  They are located at 550 Cranbrook Road in Cockeysville.  P.S.  Those are not my french fries!

Next on our tour is the Green Leaf Restaurant.  If you’re a sushi fanatic like I am, you probably have a favorite.  But, if you haven’t tried Green Leaf, you need to give them a chance.

Unlike many sushi restaurants, they do have a large selection of healthy choices for lunch and dinner.  Check out their menu on line.  However, my choices always go for the fresh and imaginative selection of sushi on their menu.  Any other place, my husband and I would order 4 Sushi Rolls to share, but at Green Leaf the size of the rolls is comparable to 3 rolls.  I also love their California Style Salad – an upscale of the Seaweed Salad – which is soooo delicious.  By the way, it’s BYOB and there is a liquor store a few doors away.

As we continue up York Road to the “Hereford Zone” as us locals know it, the selections are greatly reduced.  But, of course, we prefer it that way.  If you want a special evening out with your honey, you won’t go wrong with experiencing the Milton Inn – a truly memorable evening of culinary delight.  You can also eat “fine” and not worry about your waist-line.  We had the pleasure of dining on their outdoor patio recently and enjoyed a nice, quiet romantic dinner.  They are located at 14833 York Road, in Sparks.

If I were you, I would also check out the new addition to our neighborhood – Dough Run – located at 16949 York Road, in Monkton.   What a quaint little place to go for your morning coffee or afternoon pick-me-up and some amazing (and I do mean amazing) freshly baked yummies.  I tried their gluten free carrot muffin.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a muffin that was so deliciously moist and bursting with flavor.  However, Sarah, the owner, also bakes daily fresh scones, biscuits, homemade granola, soups and sandwiches and she is just waiting to spoil you.

I hope, especially if you live in the “Hereford Zone”, you will support this new business.  It may not all be low cal., but, Sarah uses “real” ingredients to produce the very best nutritious food and has gluten free and vegan options.

Well, that ends our food tour for now.  If you would like to read more about some of my other Yummy Reservations and also Delightful Destinations, check out my blog at www.yummyreservations.blog.  I also hope you decide to share with a friend!  If there is a place that you love and want to recommend, let me know.