Restaurant

By E.T. MOORE SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - A top-end restaurant wants patrons to feel like royalty, being served exquisite food by attentive servers in a sumptuous setting. Shaharazade's Tea Room and Restaurant, a new establishment in Shepherdstown, comes close to hitting this mark. Although my party had complaints on our recent visit, overall, we were pleased. I predict Shaharazade's will only get better as the restaurant matures. A few minutes after my seven-member party was seated at Shaharazade's, we were in agreement on two points: n This was one of the most beautiful and exotic restaurants we had been in. n We were upset at how we were being served.

A meal at Aqua 103 in Hagerstown's north end is a delight to your senses, but you must be prepared to pay the price of fine dining brought to you with a little flourish and much skill. One of the area's newest restaurants -- it opened in mid-March with no fanfare -- Aqua 103 is located in the Lyles Building north of the U.S. Post Office on Leitersburg Pike across from Long Meadow Shopping Center. The building looks like a standard office building, making the inside of the restaurant a surprise.

Western Sizzlin' restaurant and the Williamsport Blue Band Boosters invite the public to this month's Blue Band Night on Wednesday, April 21. The restaurant is at 17567 York Road in Halfway. The restaurant will give credit for any orders placed with a flier that day. All money raised will be used to pay for the band's uniforms. For more information or a flier, e-mail missy@nashhomes4u.com "> missy@nashhomes4u.com.

Taking cues from cities like Philadelphia and New York City, Borough of Chambersburg officials are exploring whether a restaurant would be appropriate for Chambersburg Memorial Park. The Chambersburg Borough Council this week approved preparing bid documents for potential restaurateurs. Borough Manager Jeffrey Stonehill said those bid documents will be posted soon at www.borough.chambersburg.pa.us. The borough would likely lease land on which the restaurateur would build a structure to his or her specifications, Stonehill said.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com RANSON, W.VA. - About 60 firefighters from the Tri-State area responded to Ranson early Friday for a restaurant fire that one fire chief said was the biggest blaze in the town in several years. Boss's, a restaurant and bar at 200 N. Mildred St., was declared a complete loss, with damage estimated to be $1 million, Independent Fire Co. Chief Ed Smith said. Firefighters were dispatched to the restaurant at 3:23 a.m. They arrived to find a fire inside and smoke pouring out from all levels, Smith said.

Hagerstown Police are looking for a person who robbed a McDonald's restaurant at gunpoint early Thursday. The robbery at the McDonald's at 316 E. Washington St. was reported at 2:07 a.m., police said in a news release. Store employees told police that a man wearing a ski mask and dark clothing entered the restaurant and displayed a handgun. The man then went to the safe and took an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the store in an unknown direction, the release said.

An individual attempted to rob the Dolce restaurant at 792 Frederick Street on  Wednesday night, according to a Washington County 911 supervisor. The male entered the restaurant at the rear of the building but was unsuccessful in the robbery attempt, which was reported about 7:30 p.m., the supervisor said. Additional details were not available Wednesday night. The restaurant is just down the street from an AC&T gas station, which has been robbed three times recently. After the last robbery at the gas station, Hagerstown Police Department officials installed two security cameras in the area.

The owner of a chain of Mexican restaurants in Maryland and Pennsylvania intends to open next month in the space that was home to the former Al Pomodoro Ristorante at 1101 Opal Court in Hagerstown. Ernest Camarena, owner of the La Tolteca restaurant chain, told the Washington County Board of License Commissioners, known as the liquor board, that he wanted to apply for a liquor license during a hearing Wednesday. La Tolteca will open in about six weeks if everything goes as planned, Camarena said after the hearing.

By Anne Chovey Special to The Herald-Mail WILLIAMSPORT --Tony's Pizza Time Café on Salisbury Street in Williamsport has been around for a long time. It has always been a favorite of high school students and local residents in the mood for a good pizza.   Recently, however, Tony's has expanded and remodeled, taking over the Laundromat facilities next door, and become an honest-to-goodness sit-down restaurant. My dining companions, Pap Ricka, Penny Pasta and Mack Aroni joined me for a visit.

How it works The Herald-Mail periodically publishes the findings of initial food establishment inspections by the Washington County Health Department. Food service facilities are inspected on a regular basis to make sure they are following the regulations that govern such establishments. Inspectors also conduct follow-up inspections and monitoring inspections, and investigate complaints and food-borne outbreaks. Potentially hazardous food means any food rich in protein that will support the rapid growth and reproduction of food-borne disease microorganisms.

The owner of a popular Hagerstown restaurant and lounge who failed to renew his liquor license on time said he had to close for dinner Wednesday before the issue was resolved. Alexander Tiches, owner and general manager of LJ's and the Kat Lounge at 1130 Conrad Court, said he was told by Washington County liquor officials that he would have to reapply for the liquor license because he paid the renewal fee on May 1 - a day after the April 30 deadline. As a result, he said he made the decision to cancel dinner service Wednesday evening.

The administrator and former chief of The Volunteer Fire Co. of Halfway, Md. Inc., requested a jury trial on theft  and theft scheme charges during an appearance Thursday in District Court. District Judge Ralph H. France II ordered the case of Jeffrey C. Ringer forwarded to Circuit Court. Ringer, 53, of 11221 Hollywood Road in Hagerstown, was charged earlier this year with misusing more than $10,000 in company funds over four years to pay for bar and restaurant bills, and a family member's tuition, according to the application for statement of charges filed by Maryland State Police.

What is the secret to operating a long-lasting, successful restaurant in downtown Hagerstown? Some restaurants keep their doors open for years and years; others last for a few months and then close. The Herald-Mail visited with two restaurant owners, a former owner and a chef. We asked about their secrets for business success in downtown Hagerstown. They are:  Charlie Sekula, host and former owner of Schmankerl Stube, which opened in 1988.  Paul Deputy, co-owner of The Gourmet Goat and GG's Restaurant & Martini Bar, which opened in 2000.

A nearly 240-year-old building next to Hagerstown Speedway east of Clear Spring is housing a new bar and restaurant that is scheduled to open Saturday. A luncheon and ribbon-cutting ceremony were held at Thunder Road Bar and Grille, at 15124 National Pike on Tuesday. The Washington County Commissioners and other county officials attended. The restaurant is in a building that opened in 1778 as a hotel for people traveling by horseback and has since served as a hospital, nursing home, and various other restaurants, said Jim Mills, director of marketing and events for the restaurant.

Two local food establishments closed their doors Sunday, one a family-owned bakery, the other a chain restaurant. Icing Bakery & Cafe, a family-owned store in downtown Boonsboro, closed Sunday, as did a Shoney's restaurant at Hagerstown's Valley Mall. The Boonsboro bakery, which opened in May 2010, was known for its baked goods and sandwiches, including a chicken salad sandwich with cranberries and walnuts, a patron said. Lacy Barnhart, owned the store with her husband Tom Barnhart, said she and husband became the parents of twin girls last year, and the arrival of Avery and Eden was one reason for the closure.

El Paso, a longtime Hagerstown eatery, plans to move to downtown Hagerstown in May. The Mexican restaurant, which has operated at 700 Dual Highway for the past two decades, is slated to move to 10-12 E. Washington St., according to the restaurant's manager, Jose “Joey” Gomez. Gomez has been working at the restaurant since his father, Jose, and mother, Marie, opened it in 1994. “I think we're going to be a great addition to downtown,” Gomez said earlier this month, noting many of the restaurant's customers work in the city.

Sunday's Easter crowd will be the last big holiday the Mountain Gate Family Restaurant staff will serve before closing its doors on April 7. After serving its country-style meals for 16 years at 10530 Buchanan Trail East in Waynesboro, the Mountain Gate Family Restaurant is closing. “It's time that we condense down and get a little more focused, and see if we can do a better job at our other location (in Thurmont, Md.),” said Keith McCleaf, of the McCleaf family who owns the Mountain Gate Family Restaurants in Waynesboro and Thurmont.

A resident of Main Street in Mercersburg has announced his candidacy to become the town's next mayor. Jeremy Jones, a Republican, is the chief operating officer for Flannery's Restaurant Group. In this capacity, he serves as general manager and executive chef for the local business. Jones also owns Jc Jones and Company, which is a private management and culinary consultation business, according to a news release. Jones serves as a volunteer coordinator and speaker for JIL Ministries International of Biglerville, Pa. He has been appointed by the Mercersburg Borough Council and the Tuscarora Area Chamber of Commerce's board of directors to serve on the “police/safety committee” of the borough.

A new restaurant is coming to downtown Hagerstown. On Wednesday, the Board of License Commissioners for Washington County granted a liquor license to Greg and Marjorie Kane to serve alcohol at the Flying Pie Co. at 43-45 S. Potomac St. The Kanes told the liquor board that they intend to open the restaurant by mid-May. Marjorie Kane said after the liquor board hearing that she didn't want to discuss a lot of details, but the restaurant would feature woodfire pizza. “We'll have a wonderful restaurant filled with a variety (of dishes)