Despite all of the new development in downtown Towson the last decade or so, the county seat does still have some pockets of actual character. Ridgely & Ferrens restaurant/market is one. It's just that I'm not exactly sure how to describe that character.
With its hardwood floors and shelves of basic household items (think toilet paper and frozen pizzas), the market has a nice old-timey feel to it. But there are also white, dangly Christmas lights over the butcher's case and colorful banners depicting sandwiches and utensils over the deli area. Call it "suburban funky."
As for its food, Ridgely & Ferrens offers perfectly solid, if uninspired, food for the downtown Towson crowd. There is a basic breakfast menu - eggs, French toast and creamed chipped beef. But the restaurant does its biggest business at lunch, serving a wide variety of deli sandwiches and hot dishes, including hamburgers, grilled chicken wraps and fried shrimp.
We tried a pork barbecue sandwich ($3.99), which featured heavily sauced shredded pork that was pulled out of the deli case and reheated - served on a soft kaiser roll. The sauce, while a little sweet, had an appealing smoky bite.
Chicken tenders ($4.99) included five large pieces of white meat deep-fried in a peppery batter, and covered with a mountain of fries. The chicken-tender expert in our family pronounced them "very good, actually."
A shrimp-salad sandwich was overpriced at $7.99, but was well-seasoned and included coarsely chopped celery pieces and romaine lettuce. All in all, the sandwich had a chunky, "real" homemade feel to it, as if it had been individually chopped and prepared.
The Hutzler club sandwich ($5.50) included wonderful turkey with real texture, not that slippery stuff you get tired of buying in other deli sections. The bacon was irresistibly smoky although the ham was unexceptional. All in all, a solid effort, albeit drowned in too much mayonnaise.
The potato salad ($2.99 a pound) was straightforward, pre-Martha Stewart - that is, basically mayo and chunks of potato.
Ridgely & Ferrens doesn't make any of its own desserts. But it does offer Berger cookies - 40 cents apiece - and some teeth-jarringly sweet candies from Baltimore's own Moore's Candies.
The restaurant sits on Allegheny Avenue, just west of York Road. Parking is at meters and can be difficult to find.
Ridgely & Ferrens
Food: ** 1/2
Service: ***
Waiting area: **
Parking: *
Where: 11 Allegheny Ave., Towson
Phone: 410-823-2030; fax: 410-823-FOOD
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday
Prices: Sandwiches and entrees from $2.99 to $7.99; credit cards accepted