Destination: beautiful downtown Bel Air
Surprise. Here I am in beautiful downtown Bel Air. I'm working on a Destinations feature, the four-hour walking tour that appears periodically in the Saturday paper. Believe me, I would not have volunteered for beautiful downtown Bel Air if I HAD KNOWN IT WAS GOING TO BE 110 DEGREES AND NO SHADE. Please, beautiful downtown Bel Air, plant some trees on Main Street. My shoes are sinking into the asphalt.
The good news is that with my unerring nose for food finds, I stumbled into the Carried Away Gourmet for lunch. ...
It looks like any small town cafe with nothing in the way of style, funky booths and a long counter, except on the chalk board it says, "Wine bar Thursday and Friday nights 5 p.m. to 9 p.m."
Wine bar? You get your iced tea in a styrofoam cup and bus your own table and it has a wine bar? I would love to see this.
I also had a very good lunch, something called a Bedford Blue Salad. My photo doesn't do its looks justice. It had hearts of romaine, a ripe avocado half filled with blue cheese and chopped tomatoes that seemed pretty summery.
One difference between downtown Baltimore and downtown Bel Air: the covered parking garage here costs 25 cents an hour.
Comments
You should make sure to eat at Savona next time you are in the area- or at least step inside to enjoy the smells!
It was closed for some reason :-( although by its posted hours it should have been open. I'm definitely including Savona in my story, though. It looked good. EL
Posted by: Melissa | July 8, 2008 4:11 PM
Stop by in the evening sometime....the trees are lacking due to the streetscape project in progress. But there are lots of good treasures to be found on Main Street!
Posted by: Holly | July 8, 2008 4:55 PM
Since I moved away, Bel Air isn't nearly as hip and interesting.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | July 8, 2008 4:58 PM
EL, at 110 degrees, asphalt feels spongy, like a well-padded rug, but you won't sink into it. I've been to Phoenix in the summer and I know.
Posted by: Retired in Elkridge | July 8, 2008 5:06 PM
Bel Air ... my home for the last 18 years. For a couple of years there was a special once a month Friday night farmers market at Rockfield Park, with the addition of wine and beer by the glass, live bluegrass music, and a stall loaded with CAG goodies, hot & cold. Their crabcakes were not only better than most, they were a good bargain, as I recall.
EL, please forgive our appearance, as the whole Main Street corridor has been under reconstruction for the past year. The trees will be planted soon I trust. Parking meters on the street have an unusual feature -- you can push a button and get your first 20 minutes for free.
Ditto the reference to Savona, above, where the folks are as wonderful as the aromas. Word is that they are tentatively approved for a beer & wine license, providing they get a variance for their small space. I often stop in Fridays just for a loaf of their good Italian bread.
Posted by: MD Canon | July 8, 2008 5:23 PM
Savona is a really great addition to Bel Air. The owner is so nice, and I'm obsessed with their turkey-artichoke panini. Last time I was there I bought a giant container of nutella, as well.
Posted by: ShaLO | July 10, 2008 9:34 AM
I love the laid-back, devil-may-care quality of thesephotos. It's almost if the photographer is saying, "Hey, am I paid to do this?"
Posted by: Anonymous | July 16, 2008 9:09 AM
You need to come back to Bel Air. The fall weather is gorgeous, Main St construction is done and new trees are in place. Savona is better than ever (now licensed to serve wines by the glass with your food), and there are new boutiques--B. Fabulous and an expanded Tiger Lily. Keep you eye on this town!
Posted by: Deborah P | October 23, 2008 1:23 PM