Baltimore County Launches Second Restaurant Week

Not content to let city eateries steal the spotlight, Baltimore County restaurants want to show off their own local cuisine. 

“The city was having restaurant weeks left and right so I thought, why not do our own?” saidMilton Inn Executive Chef Brian Boston. “This dine around was a great way to start. I thank everyone for helping us kick off the two most delicious weeks of the year.”

County Executive Kevin Kamentez and other notables kicked-off the second Baltimore County Restaurant Week at an event Thursday hosted by the Milton Inn in Sparks. 

At the annoucement/kickoff, six of the participating restaurants showcased selected items from their respective menus. Basta Pasta of Timonium featured calamari, Caprese salad and cannoli and Mia Carolina of Glyndon served a pasta dish. 

The "week" actually runs from this Friday, Jan. 14, to Friday, Jan. 28, offering specials on lunches and dinners at 41 restaurants in the county priced from $10.11 to $35.11. The special menus are available on the county's website.

“We are in the midst of the heart of winter and there is no better time to partake at one of Baltimore County’s great restaurants,” Kamenetz said. 

Boston led the initiative to start the first Baltimore County Restaurant Week in August of 2010. The endeavor proved successful and this time around the participating restaurants are receiving promotional support from county government and the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce. 

“This is our first involvement with Restaurant Week,” said the Chamber’s President and CEO Keith Scott. “Small businesses like these are the backbone of our community.”

Baltimore County restaurants have a significant impact on the economy. According to a press release, residents and visitors spend $1.2 billion at the restaurants, which employ almost 25,000 workers. 

Two Dundalk establishments are participating in Baltimore County Restaurant Week:

Costas' Inn, 4100 North Point Blvd., 410-477-1975

Hard Yacht Cafe, 8500 Cove Rd., 443-407-0038

Other nearby restaurants include:

Carson's Creekside, 1110 Beech Drive, Middle River, 410-238-0080

Island View Waterfront Cafe, 2542 Island View, Essex, 410-687-9799

Marli's Dockside Grill & Crab House, 203 Nanticoke Rd., Essex, 410-574-6275

Pizza John's, 113 Back River Neck Rd., Essex, 410-687-7733

River Watch Restaurant, 207 Nanticoke Rd., Essex, 410-687-1422

"We were pretty honored to an invitation from Baltimore County," said Art Cox, who owns the Hard Yacht Cafe with his wife Tina and runs the business with his daughters, Courtney and Jen, as well.

"We've owned the marina (the Anchor Bay East Marina) and the boat yard since 1987, but only opened the restaurant four years ago. "We wanted to support Baltimore County's efforts to help local businesses."

Typically, January is also a slow time of the year for restaurants and if the Baltimore County Restaurant Week specials assist in driving some traffic to area establishments – so much the better. The Hard Yacht Cafe, for example, sits on the water and offers outdoor seating during the warmer months.

"We're very busy from the first of April to mid-November," Cox said. "When other restaurants are slow in August, we're at our busiest."

Mary Triantafilos, part of the family-owned Costas' Inn management team, said the Baltimore County Restaurant Week proved a success last year and so, they joined up again.

"We did it last year and it went well," Triantafilos said. "We have all the specials and they (Baltimore County) advertise and help bring in people."

The longer-tenured restaurant week in Baltimore City runs from Jan. 21-30, with 88 restaurants in the Baltimore area signed up to offer lunch and dinner specials.