Restaurant

El Paso Mexican Restaurant at 700 Dual Highway in Hagerstown recently was remodeled. The business, owned by the Gomez family, has been in Hagerstown for approximately 20 years. The sunroom and dining area were updated with tile and new seating. The bathrooms have been updated and an outdoor patio was added so customers can dine outside. To celebrate the remodeling and the restaurant's 20 years of service, El Paso is offering lunch specials for $4.99 through the end of the year.

The following food service establishments were inspected by the Washington County Health Department in May and found to have critical violations that needed to be corrected immediately: Cafe del Sol , 1481 Salem Ave. - * sandwich prep unit containing ham, feta cheese, deli meats, lettuce and tomatoes out of temperature (corrected, all food less than two hours old removed and cooled in walk-in cooler, no food was discarded); french fries and ciabatta panini observed on floor of walk-in freezer (corrected)

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., will take a walking tour of Berkeley Springs Tuesday. He will begin at Mi Ranchito Mexican restaurant at 4 p.m., proceed to Washington Street, continue through Berkeley Springs State Park and end at Fairfax Coffee House at approximately 4:30 p.m. Anyone may join in the walking tour or meet Manchin at the coffeehouse. The visit will end at approximately 5 p.m.

The owners of two Hagerstown restaurants faced off Monday at LJ's & the Kat Lounge in a challenge similar to those seen on the Food Network. Kathy and Jay Reeder, co-owners of Hempen Hill BBQ, faced off against Alex Tiches, owner and general manager of LJ's & the Kat Lounge to raise money for the patient programs and services of the Meritus Healthcare Foundation, according to Laurie Sexton, executive director of the foundation. “We're doing a throwdown each round, kind of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

Jay Zuspan's first experience in the restaurant business was washing dishes when he was 15. Now, the 28-year-old Virginia native is the owner of his own restaurant in downtown Hagerstown. “I'm up for the challenge,” Zuspan said about opening his restaurant, 28 South, at 28 S. Potomac St. “I think we need some young blood downtown to get things rolling. I think downtown needs some young people to invest in it or we're never going to get anywhere.” Zuspan said he wants to open Sept.

Hagerstown Police are looking for two people who robbed a restaurant in the Shoppes at Hagerstown shopping center at gunpoint late Sunday night. The robbery at the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 18003 Garland Groh Blvd. was reported at 11:54 p.m., police said in a news release. Two males, wearing dark baggy clothes and wearing pillowcases - one black, one white - as masks, entered the rear of the store through an open door, according to the release. One was armed with a silver handgun and the other carried a black handgun, the release said.

A Hagerstown man told Washington County liquor officials on Wednesday that he was interested in buying a popular restaurant on East Franklin Street. Perry White said during a hearing before the Board of License Commissioners for Washington County that he wanted to buy Laila's Kitchen at 4 E. Franklin St. near Hagerstown City Hall. He said he needed to know what he would have to do to apply for a liquor license. Robert Everhart, liquor board chairman, said that among other things, the business would have to pass inspections from the health and fire departments.

Crowds of area residents turned out Wednesday for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day in Hagerstown, braving hectic traffic and lines of hungry customers to support the restaurant's values and the business' freedom to express its opinions. In Martinsburg, W.Va., Chick-Fil-A was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after reportedly receiving a bomb threat that later was determined to be a hoax, the Martinsburg Police Department said. The day of appreciation was suggested by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as a way to counteract boycotts sparked by company President Dan Cathy's statement that he and Chick-fil-A are “guilty as charged” in opposition to gay marriage.

Two new restaurants are set to open at Valley Mall as part of a project that mall officials said will give the shopping facility a more modern appearance. Cafe Rio Mexican Grill is expected to open around the end of October, while Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, a Celtic-themed sports bar, will open by the end of the year, Valley Mall Marketing Director Michele Wills said last week. Exterior enhancements will be a significant part of the project, she said. As another benefit, the eateries will bring approximately 150 new jobs to the area, she said.