The Green Turtle

2 Restaurant Park Drive
Owings Mills, MD 21117
443-501-3822
443-510-3834


This is my birthday week and I've been milking it to the best of my ability. My coworkers treated me to lunch at The Green Turtle in the Owings Mills Restaurant Park in Owings Mills in what was formerly the horrible Hops Restaurant.

They (The Green Turtle) have done some work in the restaurant since the days of service the speed of glacial movements provided by Hops. There is now an outside patio with seats and T.V.'s. The bar was moved from the middle to the back corner. The seats have been rearranged and there are more bar tables and stools and less booths.

The fair is Americana - subs, sandwiches, some grilled items, and some salads. I ordered the Reuben sandwich with fries. Another friend got the sliders, one got a hamburger, one a veggie wrap, another a shrimp salad, and the final member of our group got the grilled chicken platter.

The waitress was definitely friendly. Drinks were quickly served, but the delivery of the meal was a bit slow. Not Hops slow, but definitely not as fast as the nearby Red Robin would be.

When the meal finally came the presentation was good. My sandwich was buried under an avalanche of fries. The sandwich was phenomenal. The meat was salty, yet tender. The saurkraut was perfect - not too much, and the cheese was tasty. The fries were pretty good, too. I easily could have eaten another sandwich is was that good.

My friends enjoyed their meals and had no complaints. In celebration of my birthday my friends treated me to the ice cream over chocolate cookie desert. It was really good. The cookie was half-baked (maybe three-quarters). Amazingly (well, not really) I was able to eat it all.

I was very impressed with my first lunchtime visit to The Green Turtle. I would have hoped for the service to be a little quicker, but I can't complain too much. The food definitely made up for it.

Also, if you're in the happy hour crowd, you can reserve a mug. It'll always be there for you. It's a great place. Check it out!

Vito's Express

Vito's Express
11000 Owings Mills Blvd
Owings Mills, MD
410-363-8486


I recently had to run a few errands during lunch at work. A coworker went with me and we decided to go to Vito's Express in Owings Mills for lunch.

Located across the street from the Owings Mills campus of Stevenson University in a small strip-mall, Vito's Express offers your regular pizza, subs, fries, and Italian deserts.

My friend ordered 2 slices of plain cheese pizza because he hates cheese. I don't get it either. I ordered a slice of the cheesesteak pizza and a slice of meat lover's pizza and we split an order of fries. With 2 sodas, our bill was $17 (4 slices of pizza, fries, and 2 large drinks).

The meal was quickly delivered and it was hot and toasty. And ENORMOUS. Why did I not realize how big the slices were? Each slice was the equivalent of 2 slices. I can hear you asking the question - did you eat both of the slices? No.

I started with the cheesesteak pizza. And it was G.O.O.D. It was loaded with steak, onions, peppers, and different kinds of cheese. I'm salivating thinking about it now. And by the time I ate that and some fries, I was d.o.n.e. I could eat no more.

The great thing about this is I got to eat the other slice later! Let me tell you - the meat lover's pizza did not disappoint. Full of sausage, ham, pepperoni, maybe even some burger? Lots of cheese. And I wasn't able to eat the entire second piece in one sitting. It took me two meals to finish the meat lover's pizza.

So basically for $9 I got 3 lunches. Not a bad deal! If you're in the area and looking for great pizza, check them out! It's pretty darn good!

Fuddruckers

11515 Reisterstown Road
Owings Mills
MD, 21117
410) 654-3001

Not the fanciest place in the world, but I got a coupon for a free burger there and, gosh darn it, I intended on using it!

I happened to take off from work the other day and I gave my kids a choice of several places where we could go for lunch. They all wanted Fuddruckers.

While standing in line I noticed they had some new items - an Elk Burger, a Boar sandwich, an Ostrich Burger (which I don't think is new), and a Bison Burger (which we eat at home all the time).


My daughter and I both decided to order the Elk Burger with a side of fries, and my son got the cheeseburger kids' meal. Even with my coupon, the meal came to $23. Yikes! Hint - always ask for a to-go cup. Otherwise they give you a plastic cup and you can't take any with you!

Fuddrucker's has a great fixin' bar. Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles (really good pickles), tomato and onion relish, and jalapenos. And I always load up on the cheese dispenser cheese. Why pay extra for cheese when you can get liquid cheese from a bag that heated up and dispensed like ketchup.

My elk burger was medium rare and very tasty. Little or no fat. Topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese and jalapenos, I was in heaven. So tasty. And I'm not sure what they do to make their buns taste so good. And the fries are seasoned really well. Good stuff.

My daughter also like her burger, so overall, I think lunch at Fuddruckers was a success. If you're looking for a good burger and willing to pay a little more for it, this is a good place to get it. And you get those vibrating coasters that the kids can play with while you're waiting!