Panera Bread

Editor: On the evening of Nov. 16, Patterson Mill Middle High School PTSA sponsored its sixth annual PTSA Bingo. This event is our PTSA's primary fundraiser, funding activities and programs for both Middle School and High School students and faculty. Without a tremendous amount of help, this event would not be possible. Therefore, Sue Parks and Renee Guerassio, on behalf of the PMMHS PTSA  would like to say a tremendous THANK YOU to the following businesses, organizations and families for their generous donations and support: Arbonne; Applebee's; Arena Club; Aruba Tanning Salon; Back to the Racks; The Baltimore Orioles; The Baltimore Ravens; Barnes & Noble; Bath and Body Works; Bel Air Athletic Club; Billiards Bar and Grill; Chick-Fil-A; Chili's; Classic Snacks - Jay Lloyd; Carol Benson and Family; Coffee Coffee; Dawn Markovic; The Deane Grandparents; Dunkin Donuts; Edible Arrangements; Edna Engle; Einstein Brothers Bagels; Famous Dave's; Firestone - Edgewood; Five Guys; Flowers by Lucy; Fortunato's; Friendly's; Friendship Wine & Liquors; Girlee Gurlz; Angles Hair Team; Dark Horse; Duclaw's; Italian Sensations; Hair Cuttery; Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy; Jiffy Lube; Kathy Yokemick; The Lloyd Family; Looney's Pub; Mary Margaret Jacobs and Family; Mastercuts; McComas Funeral Home; McDonalds; Meryl Norman - Dawn Markovic; Michael Bogner and Family; Michele Deane and Family; Michelle Kennedy; The Mill; M&J Complete Auto Care; Outback Steakhouse;...

The windows are wide open in the messy apartment, the afternoon sky darkening fast. Chrissy Polis can't stand the Essex neighborhood outside, where everyone knows who she is. But she doesn't know how to get out, or where she'd go if she did. "I just want to move because I want to see other things," she says. There was a time when it seemed people from all over the country were talking about the 24-year-old. Many wanted to help her; others condemned her. Polis became an unwitting symbol of the transgender community and the struggle for transgender rights when she stepped into a Rosedale McDonald's one April evening.

Quizno's Subs could become as much a presence in the Baltimore area as Subway over the next two years as the Denver sandwich chain launches an aggressive expansion to quadruple its size. The national chain, which has seven restaurants in Baltimore City and in Baltimore and Harford counties, plans to open as many as 40 franchised stores in those areas by the end of 2004, including four in the next three months. Quizno's, which says its "oven-toasted" sandwiches set it apart from other sub shops, will open new outlets in Reisterstown, Owings Mills, Towson and Perry Hall, said Glenn Gustafsson, an area director for Quizno's.

Bryan and Missy Meyers planned their vacation to Northern Virginia around a trip to Baltimore's Port Discovery - a favorite spot of their young daughters before the family moved to Reno, Nev. With a late flight Tuesday, the Meyers family arrived at 11:30 a.m. only to learn that the children's museum would close in an hour and a half. The reason: Lots of children and no water pressure make for very messy bathrooms. And after seeing the toilets brimming with discolored, soppy toilet paper, Missy Meyers conceded the point.

The developers of Hunt Valley Towne Centre said yesterday that they have signed nearly two dozen new tenants and that the first stores and restaurants will begin opening at the end of the month. Greenberg Commercial, which is redeveloping the center from a depressed enclosed mall to an open-air "Main Street" style market, said the new tenants have leased 90,000 square feet and include national chains and well-known local companies. The first stores will open this month in four free-standing buildings near the front of the mall that Greenberg calls the "fast, casual restaurant corridor."

Two Washington developers want to revamp a large swath of downtown Baltimore's west side with 600 new apartments and a mix of national chain and local shops at street level. Their $150 million plan for the 3.6-acre "super block" along the faded Lexington Street pedestrian mall appears to be the boldest idea for the area received by the city. Other developers propose redoing smaller portions of the area. The Washington team says it could join them while keeping existing merchants in place.

Tragedy brings outpouring of aid On behalf of the members of the Harford County Deputy Sheriff's Union, I would like to express our sincere thanks to the many people who helped us during the last week in reference to our fallen brother, Deputy 1st Class William H. Beebe. I wish I could list all of you in this printing but that would be impossible, as we are overwhelmed by all of the support. Sheriff Golding said in his address at the ceremony that on the night of this tragic incident, the silver star that we wear upon our chest lost some of its shine.

It used to be that people just drank coffee. Then came the upscale designer models - espressos, cappuccinos and lattes. And now, seemingly every coffee shop is selling cool, creamy blends of coffee, sugar, milk and ice - a kind of super-caffeinated milkshake - or "frozen blended coffee beverages," as they're known in the trade. Starbucks has the Frappuccino, Dunkin' Donuts has the Coolatta, Panera Bread has the I.C. Mocha and XandO has the Arctic Chiller. This summer, Dairy Queen and Krispy Kreme entered the fray with their own versions.

The crab cake company that found stardom on the QVC cable television shopping channel now hopes to find similar success in the restaurant business. Chesapeake Bay Gourmet, the 25-year-old Rosedale company that became a household name after debuting on QVC a decade ago, opened its first restaurant, Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes & More, last week in Hunt Valley. In opening the restaurant, the first in what it hopes to become a chain, the company is entering a highly competitive market that includes large franchises such as Phillips Seafood Restaurants and dozens of mom-and-pop operations such as Obrycki's in Fells Point.

This year we had an unusually high number of responses to our readers’ poll which tells us that our readers are more passionate than ever about the businesses and services that are available around town. And though you’ll probably find several repeat winners, there are a lot of new establishments making a very good impression. Thank you all for taking the time to fill out the ballots and send them in with your thoughts and opinions. This poll not only provides the magazine with vital information about our readers’ likes and dislikes, it also provides a very targeted guide to what is very right in Harford County.