Check out Café Troia in Towson and National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Café Troia Photo by Eddie Applefeld.

One restaurant, a bakery, a neat museum and a half dozen items of interest, mostly to me, make up this edition of whatever this is.

So to get them out of the way early, here are those items. Don’t change the page just yet.

1)  I was disappointed with Coming 2 America (Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall) on Netflix. Just wasn’t as funny as the first.

2)  The oldest airport in the country, established in 1909, is the one in College Park, Md. Said to be founded by Wilbur Wright.

3)  The Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway on the eastern shore is said to be one of the prettiest drives in the country.

It’s 419 miles.

4)  Jurassic World is the name of the new 4,700 foot roller coaster at Universal Orlando. It reaches speeds of 70 mph.

5)  This might open up a career change, in 2019 at JFX airport over $100,000 in loose change was found.

6)  The Netflix film Deadly Illusions might be the worst film I’ve seen in years. It stars Kristin Davis and Dermot Mulroney.

Okay with that out of the way let’s proceed to Towson and visit Café Troia, 31 Allegheny Avenue, open since 1986. That’s a great run for a restaurant. It’s owned and operated by Lisa and Carol (daughter and mother). And guess what, they get along just fine.

When you walk in you’ll think this is a small place, nay, nay, there’s seating on two levels for about 175. This includes two outdoor areas, the Courtyard on the lower level and the Deck upstairs. Reservations are a good idea. There’s street parking and an adjacent lot.

They will pay for parking after 6 pm.

Days of operation are lunch Tuesday thru Friday, dinner Saturdays, closed Sunday and Monday. Their mission statement is simple, ‘to deliver authentic Italian cuisine with warm, attentive service in a comfortable environment.’

Here are some menu items in various categories: Sandwich – grilled chicken with mozzarella, tomato, basil pesto served with roasted potatoes: Salad – grilled romaine with candied walnuts, roasted potatoes, and gorgonzola dressing: Pasta – taglierini con gamberi with homemade pasta, roasted jumbo shrimp, pesto, zucchini, pecorino romano cheese: Entrée – veal scaloppini, mixed mushrooms with a white wine sauce, roasted potatoes: Dessert – chocolate flan.

Masks required and they do adhere to the 6-foot rule… 410-337-0133…cafetroia.com. By the way, they will be participating in Baltimore County Restaurant Week, April 16-May 2. Okay, that’s longer than two weeks.

Before we head to Hampden, let’s make a quick stop at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 East Patrick Street, Frederick.

It was established in 1990 and its focus involves the medical, surgical and nursing practices during the Civil War (1861-1865). Believe me you would not have want to be treated for anything serious during this time.

Its 7,000 square foot building consists of five exhibits that recreate aspects of Civil War medical issues like life in an Army camp, a field dressing station and a field hospital. It also contains surviving tools and equipment from the war, including the only known surviving Civil War surgeon’s tent and items pertaining to veterinary medicine.

It is currently open by appointment only: reservations@civilwarmed.org. Self-guided tours take about 1 hour, guided tours can last for two hours. School groups welcome.

And now here we are just two blocks off The Avenue, Harmony Bakery, 3446 Chestnut Avenue, Hampden. Open Thursday thru Sunday. Vegan and gluten-free items are an option. I’m told everything is made on-premise. And there is quite a selection, salad, soup, pastry, quiche, cookies, donuts, cake, and more.

There is also a pickup window, you can call in an order, or just pick something up when you get there. And there’s a new Grab and Go fridge. The bakery is locally owned by Lisa with a mighty assist from Don & Renee. If you like sweets, I had the best chocolate chip cookies, this is your place. 410-235-3870…harmonybakery.net

And here we are back where we started. Glad you stayed with the group. See you next time. Oh, before I go, one shameless piece of self-promotion.

I am one of the hosts on a one-hour live radio show on WCBM (680 am). It’s called Movie Talk, but we talk about more than movies. The other hosts are Ira Miller and Bob Wienholte, both men owners of the five Horizon Cinemas in the Baltimore area, and with the best popcorn. It airs Saturdays from 4 to 5 pm.