Month: September 2019

Fresh Bakery – Owings Mills, MD 9.12.19

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I first found Fresh Bakery when I was driving around during lunch when I was working up in the Owings Mills area. I enjoyed the different products (cakes, cookies, cupcakes, brownies), so it was only a matter of time before I would head back up there. A bit more of a drive than it used to be, but it was still worth it.

I started with the Banana Cake. They make their cakes square, and I think it works for these slices. I enjoy a traditional cake, but when eating a slice over multiple days, this one at least gives a better chance of having equal portions. Something that I do when making a cake is adding a thin layer of frosting on the bottom of the container. They do the same thing with theirs, so you get a slight layer of frosting on the bottom. The cake itself was nice and moist, but did not have a strong banana flavor. The buttercream frosting was portioned properly, so there wasn’t too much of one or the other in the bites. I enjoyed this cake, but would have preferred a little more of a banana flavor.

The next dessert I got was their Decadent Chocolate Mousse. This was a very large portion (more than one serving, even for me). The chocolate mousse had a nice flavor to it. It wasn’t an overly indulgent chocolate and it wasn’t too heavy on the sweet. The chocolate crumb was layered throughout the mousse, which I thought worked better with this than traditional layers. Some bites were more heavy on mousse than on the chocolate crumb, others were the opposite. The whipped topping was a nice final touch. The bites with all three were the kind of things you would expect from a special mousse dessert. I will be getting this again, but might have to try their banana pudding first.

It took me some time to finish both, so this wasn’t one big dessert for me. When I was younger, I might have been able to do it, but not anymore. Since I have a big sweet tooth, I like to try different bakeries here and there. If they are a small, local bakery, even better. I’ve still got plenty more to visit, but will still take the time to have my return visits here.

Krispy Kreme – Pumpkin

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I decided to go to Krispy Kreme to try some of their pumpkin offerings. I was unfortunately a few days late to the pumpkin spice stuffed donuts party (it ran from 9/2-9/8), but I was still able to get their Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut and their Pumpkin Spice Frozen Latte. I added in an original glazed donut just because I could.

I started off with the original and devoured it in three bites, which is easy to do when it’s nice and warm (having a big mouth helps as well). I then went on to the pumpkin spice cake donut. The glaze was on the top but not on the bottom of the donut, but that didn’t really matter. The donut had a nice texture to it and the flavor of the spices were not overwhelming. It was a very good cake donut. The coffee drink was an interesting one for me. It was a bit too thick to start and very heavy on the pumpkin flavor. I was not a fan of my first few sips. After I gave it a couple of minutes, the consistency got better, and I was able to stir in some of the cinnamon that was sprinkled on top of the whipped cream. Once this happened, the drink was the perfect thickness and the cinnamon perfectly complemented the pumpkin flavor. This ended up being a very good frozen coffee drink, much to my pleasant surprise.

Big Belly Deli – Sykesville, MD. 9.10.19

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I am going to start with a disclaimer. I really enjoy Big Belly Deli. I will sometimes go there multiple times a week. Sometimes I will get food. Other times I will just go in to see if there are any special desserts that look good. This is a local place in Sykesville, MD and it is not visible from a major road, but gets quite a few visitors, including regulars. The staff is really nice and friendly. There aren’t long wait times. And you get a lot of food for the price you pay.

I check in the mornings and lunch time to see if there are any specials for breakfast or lunch. I’ve gone through most of the sandwich items on the menu and will most likely go through them again, so there will be multiple posts from Big Belly Deli on my site.

Tuesday morning, they posted that the special was going to be Sloppy Joe’s. My taste buds let me know that I had to go and get it for lunch. It also turned out to be dinner, since the portions were so huge. The bread was a homemade bread. It was very light and fluffy, and had a slight sweetness to it. The sweetness was a good balance for the meat mixture. This was not a canned mixture or a pre-packaged mixture. There were some good sized peppers and onions in there with the meat, and the sauce had a nice flavor as well. Not too spicy, but the seasoning worked well and made this a very good sandwich. To be fair, I was not able to eat this with my hands, but it was worth every bite.

I didn’t just stop with lunch. I also checked out the sweets they had, and there was a chocolate peanut butter cake that was calling my name. The cake itself was very moist. There was a nice layer of frosting in between the layers. The glaze that was surrounding the cake on top and two of the sides added an additional sweetness and the Reese’s pieces toppings completed the assemblage of a culinary piece of art. I apologize that my picture won’t do it justice, but it was a two dessert slice of cake that was worth every bite.

Big Belly Deli really does homemade food well. Their sandwiches are exceptional, and having daily specials and special desserts and treats really take it to another level. This is a place I’ve gone to again and again and will continue to do so. I still haven’t had a bad experience there, so this is definitely one of those happy places for me.

Driving in a Generally Southern Direction

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On September 8th, I drove South, which included driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge and driving on the 95 and 695 in Maryland. The scenery was once again great. I took a few stops along the way, and wanted to highlight just a couple of them.

The first stop I made was while I was on the New Jersey Turnpike. I stopped at the Thomas Edison Travel Plaza (Woodbridge, NJ). This had been closed for quite awhile, but was now re-opened. After having been there in the past and seeing it now, I must admit that I am very impressed. They have completely redone the interior and it is much cleaner and open than it was before. If they continue to make over the other Travel Plaza’s along the New Jersey Turnpike, I will look forward to making extra stops to see the differences. While I was at the Travel Plaza, I decided to stop in Pret a Manger. They had little brownie bites, so I purchased one with the expectation that I would be eating it later on after lunch. I did wait on it, and the wait was worth it. I have had these brownie bites before, and they still taste really good. It’s a two bite brownie for me (maybe four bites for some people), and it is a nice little treat.

I already knew where I was going to be eating lunch. When I got into Maryland, I stopped at the Chesapeake House Travel Plaza (North East, MD). I went to Earl of Sandwich and got the Original 1762. Roast Beef, Cheddar and Horseradish sauce on their special bread. The roast beef was nice and easy to bite through, the cheddar was the perfect amount and the horseradish sauce was not overpowering and the combination of flavors made for a delicious sandwich. I look forward to going back around Thanksgiving time, when they will have their Holiday Sandwich.

I also went to Peet’s coffee to get a seasonal coffee drink. Their specialty drink was billed as pumpkin chai, and so I ordered the Pumpkin Chai Ice Blended Javiva. Unfortunately for me, I had Pumpkin Spice in my head, so the first couple of sips were a bit too much. When it clicked that I was getting a pumpkin chai instead of pumpkin spice, I focused on the flavors that I ordered. It was a good drink. The flavors for the pumpkin and the chai seasonings work well together. If you were expecting chai, you would think there was too much pumpkin. If you were expecting pumpkin, you would think there was too much chai flavor. But as a pumpkin chai drink, the flavors worked well. They have some other specialty drinks that I might try instead the next time, but I definitely didn’t mind giving it a try.

I ended up having a very nice drive. It took about 6 hours, but I had my playlist and the weather was pretty nice most of the way. It was only the last hour or so where the weather creeped into the mid to upper 80s. I’ve definitely been a road warrior these last 10 months or so, and I’m happy to share some of my experiences with you moving forward as I continue on the road.

Happy Sweet Tooth

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September 7th was a day of many goodies and sweets, and my sweet tooth (more like teeth in my case) was very happy. I started the day by picking up some treats at La Bonne Boulangerie in East Norwich. I got some Chocolate Rugelach for breakfast and a chocolate iced brownie for later on. This bakery is a go-to place for me when I’m in the area. I get their Chocolate Rugelach most often, but they also have other assorted pastries, cakes, cookies and treats that are also good. This day was no different. It started with some fantastic Chocolate Rugelach and ended with a delicious brownie. What I enjoy most about the rugelach is how soft and moist it is. Some rugelach can be a bit dry or overly flaky, but theirs is always really good.

We went over to Roosevelt Field in Garden City later on. My main reason was to go to the Nordstrom Ebar. I go to the Ebar from time to time, but wanted to make this stop since it is time for the pumpkin flavors. I ordered myself a medium Pumpkin Spice Ice Storm and it did not disappoint. One thing that stands out with their pumpkin drink is that they use a scoop of pumpkin pie mix. This not only helps with the flavor, but it also helps with the consistency of the Ice Storm. This is one of the places where I will get a pumpkin frappe multiple times while it’s available.

We also took a stop over at Carvel in Syosset for some ice cream. I know that we went on a Saturday, which is contrary to the Wednesday is Sundae, but I had a craving, so we went. Carvel is another place that brings up fond family memories. There used to be a shop right across the street from my dentist’s office. So we would go to the dentist and then walk to Carvel afterwards for a treat. When family is in town, we tend to go on Wednesdays, since that is when Carvel has their buy one, get one free promotion for soft serve sundaes. Carvel does soft serve ice cream really well. When we got there on the 7th, I decided to order their special flavor: Kit Kat. I had it topped with hot fudge and whipped cream, and it made for a very tasty sundae. The Kit Kat soft serve has a chocolaty base with some finely ground pieces of cookie in there.

I did actually eat real food in between all the sweets, but these sugary treats were definitely the highlight of the day!

Friendly’s 9.6.19

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We went to Friendly’s in Syosset, NY on September 6, 2019. Since there were only three of us, there were no appetizers. I had the Philly Steak and Cheese Super Melt. I’ve had this before and like this sandwich. It might be better with some more gooey cheese, but it’s still good as it is. I ended the meal with a large Reese’s Pieces Sundae. Three scoops of ice cream (I chose Vienna Mocha Chunk, Brownie Batter, and Forbidden Chocolate), Peanut Butter Sauce, Marshmallow Sauce, Hot Fudge Sauce, Whipped Cream, Reese’s Pieces, Cherry, and Chocolate Sprinkles. I took a picture (the Reese’s Pieces are under the whipped cream), but it doesn’t properly reflect the enormity of the sundae. It was still a fantastic way to finish off my meal. Even though we went there for lunch, it filled me up so much that I wasn’t hungry enough for dinner.

When I was younger, my family went there quite a bit. I remember having a much bigger metabolism than I do now. We’d start with Mozzarella sticks, then I’d have a Big Beef Bacon Cheeseburger with a side of Chili, and finish it off with the large Reese’s Pieces Sundae, which had 5 scoops back then. We used to have a favorite one and I had a friend, Dudley G., who worked there. But that one closed, and a couple of others closed (Jericho and Westbury). But I try to make it back there a couple of times a year, if possible. When my sisters and their families come out, we try to get over there as well. So an old family tradition continues with the new generation. The food may be slightly different and there may not be as many locations as there used to be. But what doesn’t change is what it means to be there with family and to remember all the times we were there together over the years.

Driving in a Generally Northern Direction

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I took a drive up on September 5, 2019. I drove up the 95, over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and on the New Jersey Turnpike and beyond. I had created a new playlist for my car, so it kept me entertained for the 5+ hours. When I take these drives, I enjoy taking in the scenery. Right now, there is a lot of green with little bits of yellow coming through on some of the trees on the New Jersey Turnpike. I look forward to another month or so when the leaves are in the middle of changing colors and I’ll be able to see some green, yellow, orange, red, etc. on the way.

I stopped at China Palace in Glen Cove, NY to pick up some lunch. I ordered two sides – Wontons in Spicy Sesame Peanut Butter Sauce (without the sauce) and Hot Noodles in Sesame Peanut Butter Sauce (with the sauce). I really enjoy the noodles and have gotten them both hot and cold. I prefer them cold, but getting them hot makes it easier to incorporate the sauce. The wontons are really good. One of my sisters and I went there one day and saw them making the wontons fresh, and we’ve gotten them every time since. It made for a nice meal with the family.

I took a scenic route home after picking up the food and got to see some horses and some swans, so it made for a very productive drive.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 9.5.19

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I’m catching up on some writings and wanted to start with my visit to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Pikesville, MD on September 5, 2019. Continuing with my seasonal flavors, I decided to go for the Pumpkin Spice Ice blended. This was a definite favorite of mine. The flavors were on point and the consistency was fantastic.

I have a bit of a bias when it comes to The Coffee Bean, though. When I lived in California, this was one of my favorite coffee places to go to on a regular basis. I would go on a walk or run with one of my sisters on the weekends and this would be one of the places we would stop at, depending on our route. So this has sentimental value, since I associate The Coffee Bean with seeing my sister and her family. And stopping for an ice blended drink after running or walking for 3+ miles felt pretty good, especially in the hotter months.

There are a couple of other reasons I’m a fan of The Coffee Bean. They tend to have specialty drinks more frequently than other places, so there is always a chance for something different or new. I also enjoy the way they make their ice blended drinks. The ice is crushed more finely, so there is less of a chance of getting pieces of ice coming up the straw. This makes it a much more enjoyable experience for me.

There was a store inside a hotel in Baltimore, but it was not a full store and had a limited menu. It was still good, but not the complete experience. I was very happy to learn about the store that opened in Pikesville. I’ve been there quite a few times over the past year or so (maybe once every couple of months). It is nice to go into a store and have the people recognize you, even if you haven’t been there for a couple of months.

This was an overall nice experience. I enjoyed the Ice Blended Pumpkin and would definitely get it again while it’s still out. I’ll look forward to the next batch of specialty flavors, and I’m sure I’ll be writing about that as well.

Labor Day

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Today has been a pretty good Labor Day. I had an early start to the day and decided to head out early for a coffee drink. My plan was to go to Westminster for a very specific coffee place, but I got there more than an hour before it usually opens, and I wasn’t even sure it would be open today. So I had to improvise and go to Wawa’s. I’ve been there a number of times for their coffee drinks and continue to be impressed at how good they are at their job. Since I am still going on the seasonal theme, I decided to go for a Pumpkin Spice Frozen Cappuccino. The dangerous part of this is that Wawa is currently running their Siptopia promotion. This means that a 24 ounce drink is only $3 and a 16 ounce drink is only $2. A lot of temptation and I felt that I should go for the 24 ounce drink. The drink itself was good. Mainly the pumpkin spice flavor, and no issues with too much ice. It’s a larger drink than I usually have, but the consistency lasted and didn’t melt to pure liquid, which is another plus. I also decided to get an apple cider donut. The flavor was good, but the donut was not as moist as I would prefer.

The coffee place I was going to visit (and will be visiting in the next month or so) is called Furnace Hills Coffee (www.furnacehillscoffee.com). I’ve had their coffee drinks before and they do a good job. I’ve also gotten coffee beans for family, and they have gotten positive reviews. The thing I like about this place is their mission. It is Special Coffee roasted by Special People. And that will have me continuing to back there as long as I can.

The rest of the day went well. I tried the new Mountain Dew flavor (Voo Dew). It is a mystery flavor, so I won’t even try to guess. My favorites are still Baja Blast, Pitch Black, Livewire and Code Red, but it’s nice to have something a little different for a change. I grilled myself a cheeseburger and had some beans on the side, so I think it is fair for me to say that this has been a successful Labor Day!

Enjoying a Quiet Sunday

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Today got off to quite a good start. I decided to make my way over to Harvest Inn – located in Eldersburg/Sykesville – for some good, old-fashioned diner food. I grabbed a seat at the counter and ordered biscuits and gravy (sausage gravy) with home fries on the side. The picture is below. The biscuits and gravy is a Sunday only treat, so I felt this would be an opportune time to order it. It did not disappoint. It was as good as usual. The gravy has a nice flavor to it. There are some chunky sausage pieces and the gravy is nice and thick. The biscuits are the right size for the amount of gravy. And the home fries help put it all together nicely (especially when combined with a little of the gravy). The staff that works there is great. They have a real connection with each other as well as with the patrons. The back and forth between them and some of the “regulars” enhances the experience even more.

After that meal, I decided to stop by Starbucks to get the pumpkin Frappuccino. I admit I’m not the biggest Starbucks fan, but enjoy trying their seasonal drinks. There was a little more ice than I prefer, but there was a nice pumpkin flavor to the drink with hints of the spices. The pumpkin flavor wasn’t too overbearing, and the shake of cinnamon on top helped round out the flavors. All in all, it was a good drink. Not the best I’ve had, but still worth it for the season.

A little bit later in the morning, I decided to head over to the Sykesville Farmer’s Market. I enjoy Farmer’s Market season, so I still have a couple of months to go out and have some fun. The Sykesville Farmer’s Market had some nice options. There were 15 or so vendors, some local, some a little more spread out. There was a Mexican grill that was doing fresh breakfast and lunch options. There were a couple of baked goods places, a few fruit and vegetable stands and some liquor booths. Even though I was in and out of there in about 10 minutes, it’s still nice just to experience and see the people.

I’m not sure what the rest of the day has planned for me, but when you get a good start to the day, it helps the time go by in a more enjoyable way.