Baltimore County's restaurant owners and chefs are hard at work creating new dishes and preparing new ideas for customers to enjoy during this summer's Baltimore County Restaurant Week, which begins Aug. 5.
The event — a full 16 days, despite the name — features original dishes and deals at 63 participating Baltimore County restaurants, including five in Towson. Each of the participating restaurants will feature original brunch, lunch and dinner meals for between $15 and $35, with some creating new meals for returning customers, while others offer heavy discounts on common favorites.
County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce President Keith Scott will hold a kick-off event for the week on Aug. 4 at The Manor Tavern, in Monkton.
Marjorie Hampson, director of tourism for Baltimore County, said this is the sixth year for the program and the 12th Restaurant Week, which is held twice a year in Baltimore County, in January and August. Hampson said the tourism office polled restaurant owners to determine when their slowest times of the year were, so they could schedule the event to bring in additional customers. The wide consensus was that winter and late summer were the toughest seasons for the business owners.
Nick Zahirsky, general manager at Charles Village Pub, in Towson, said restaurant week always gives the business a boost. Typically they do a lot of happy hour specials, Zahirsky said, but the week allows them to draw more people in for dinner service.
"I think it brings more people to the area in general," he said.
According to Hampson, the event is a boost for everyone involved, from residents and business owners to the county itself.
"For the people going out to eat, it's an opportunity for a great meal and a great deal," Hampson said. "It gives the restaurants and the servers a big boost when business is slow, and it brings in some nice tax revenue as well."
Baltimore County is home to more than 1,500 restaurants employing nearly 20,000 people. Last year, food and beverage sales in the county totaled up to $1.5 billion, behind only Montgomery County's $1.9 billion, in the state.
While the event started as a week-long event, Hampson said enough business owners asked them to expand it that it has grown to the current 16 days. She said the current schedule allows restaurants to take advantage of three full weekends in the summer, offering up their deals to hungry customers.
Brendan McKinney, executive chef at Tark's Grill, in Lutherville, said he is excited about the week because it has allowed him to try out new dishes.
"It's a phenomenal opportunity to do something a little different," McKinney said. "Just having the same 45 or so items you do every day gets repetitive. It's nice to step out of the box a little bit. It's exciting."
McKinney said Tark's will be offering steak, fish and vegetarian options for their restaurant week menu. Among the options will be a smoked duck lasagna, which was the most fun to create, he said. It includes fresh pasta, a sage bechamel sauce, caramelized leeks, duck confit and smoked duck.
"Should be lovely," he said.
For a full list of participating restaurants and menu options, visit www.baltimorecountyrestaurantweek.com