In honor of Valentine’s Day (or in spite of it) there’s a dessert that needs to be tried: Baklava cheesecake.
There’s also a specific restaurant that needs to be tried that goes along with the delectable dessert.
Find a car, a zipcar, a friend with a car, a visiting parent, a teammate with a car or, like me, a co-editor with a zipcar and get yourself to Nautilus Diner in Timonium.
The Nautilus Diner, one of a group of three local diners that offers an amazing array of desserts and diner delicacies. One of my co-editors discovered the diner while staying in the Towson area last year. It was the weekend of Hurricane Irene and the Nautilus Diner came to the rescue as the only restaurant open for miles.
Ever since then, it has been a traditional spot, not only because it was a saving grace, but also because the food was some of the best around.
The atmosphere is special too. It’s a place straight out of the 1960s with jukeboxes on every table and colorful murals covering the walls.
The waiters wear bow ties, and swing around the diner as if in a choreographed routine. They seem like a fun group of people, not only offering great service, but also laughing and having fun with the dinner-goers. One of our favorite waiters, Tom, occasionally chimes in on our conversations, picking up the nicknames we have for each other and joking along with us.
And in some strange way, it’s a great place to go for dinner when things are in full swing, and everyone’s playing music and laughing.
If — dare I say it — the baklava cheesecake is not enough temptation, there are plenty of other tempting options. If it’s a struggle pouring over the large diner menu or if the craving is for something not so sweet, order the double cheeseburger. It’s more double on the cheese than the burger, but in an delicious way. With it, order the sweet potato fries (ask for them well done). If sweet potato fries aren’t your thing, they also have waffle fries —one of my personal favorites.
It’s the perfect place to go if you’re sick of Tamber’s, Chipotle, and the range of other restaurants around Charles Village. Stop at the mall, do some grocery shopping and then drop in for a bite.
The Nautilus Diner in Timonium is a place that needs to be visited as soon as possible. If it’s not this weekend, whatever you do, do not go four years without getting to this diner.
But If you happen to go there around 8 o’clock this Saturday, you may or may not catch a couple of News-Letter editors enjoying — I’ll say it one more time — the mouthwatering baklava cheesecake.
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