Salad Bar

You can create a healthful meal on your way through the salad bar. But you also can create a nutritional nightmare if you're not careful. The basic standbys at any salad bar - lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower - are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals (plant chemicals) and fiber. [cont. from lifestyle ] A four-cup salad bowl filled with a combination of these vegetables weighs in at less than 100 calories, but beware of the hidden nutritional traps lurking among these goodies.

A cruise to the salad bar could be a high-fat trip "I'm on a diet, so I'll just have the salad bar. " How often have you made that remark in a restaurant? Unfortunately, you can go off your diet at a salad bar just as easily as you can with the regular menu. Depending on the choices you make, a 4-cup salad bowl may contain less than 100 calories or more than 1,000 calories! Lettuce is one of the lowest caloric choices at the salad bar. At 5 to 10 calories per cup, it's also the primary reason for salad bar's low-calorie image.

Just because it's called a "salad" doesn't mean it's good for you. Sure, you can create a healthy meal on your way through the salad bar. But you also can create a nutritional nightmare if you're not careful. cont. from lifestyle The basic standbys at any salad bar - lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower - are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals (plant chemicals) and fiber. But beware the hidden nutritional traps lurking among these goodies.

HANCOCK - If you're hungry for a good portion of home-cooked food at a reasonable price, you may want to head on over Fairview Mountain to the western part of Washington County. Small-town family restaurants often provide a respite from today's fast-paced, prepackaged world, and Weaver's Restaurant in Hancock certainly fills that expectation. We drove there on a recent snowy Sunday, taking it easy partly because the roads were slippery but also so we could enjoy the view. The drive from Hagerstown is quite scenic.

Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen marked its first year in business on Sept. 18. Gandolfo's, which is in the Valley Commons Shopping Center off Wesel Boulevard in Hagerstown, is open seven days a week. The menu includes more than 50 sandwiches, wraps, salads and kid's meals, and there is a salad bar, soups, deli salads and desserts. Gandolfo's also provides a full catering service specializing in large corporate events, wedding rehearsals, employee meetings and more.

By ANNE CHOVEY Special to The Herald-Mail My pal, Tom Atoe, and I stopped in for a bite to eat at The Brickyard Grill, a new salad and sandwich shop in downtown Hagerstown. The restaurant is small with a few tables in the shape of huge butterflies. The bulk of the business is take-out for busy office workers who want to grab a quick lunch. The restaurant was spotless. The menu is primarily made up of sandwiches: hot, signature and deli.

Weaver's Restaurant on Main Street in Hancock welcomes travelers with food grandmother might have cooked. Hancock is a nexus for travelers. Interstate 70 whizzes by, connecting urban Maryland with Pennsylvania; Interstate 68 diverges heading west, U.S. 522 crosses the Potomac River to West Virginia. Next to the Potomac is the C&O Canal towpath and the Western Maryland Rail Trail. Traveling works up an appetite and Weaver's is a good place to stop. We walked into the warmth and sweet smells of Weaver's on a frigid March day. Immediately, my eye lit on the wildberry pie where purple juice escaped in cracks from the browned crust.

By Omni Vore Weaver's Restaurant on Main Street in Hancock welcomes travelers with food grandmother might have cooked. Hancock is a nexus for travelers. Interstate 70 whizzes by, connecting urban Maryland with Pennsylvania; Interstate 68 diverges heading west, U.S. 522 crosses the Potomac River to West Virginia. Next to the Potomac is the C&O Canal towpath and the Western Maryland Rail Trail. Traveling works up an appetite and Weaver's is a good place to stop. We walked into the warmth and sweet smells of Weaver's on a frigid March day. Immediately, my eye lit on the wildberry pie where purple juice escaped in cracks from the browned crust.

Wilson Ruritan will host an all-you-can-eat spaghetti supper Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the club, just west of Huyetts Crossroads on U.S. 40.  Tickets cost $6 for those 12 and older and $4 for those ages 4 to 11. Those ages 3 and younger will be admitted free. Dessert and beverage are included.  Valentine's dinner St. Paul's UM Church in Big Pool will hold a Valentine's dinner Saturday beginning at 5 p.m.  The menu includes spaghetti and meatballs, salad bar, garlic bread, beverage and dessert.

GARFIELD, Md. - The King's Kids at Garfield United Methodist Church raised more than $750 by rocking all night at the church on Stottlemyer Road north of Wolfsville, Md. The youth group of 13 children received pledges from adults and gave the full amount to Campus Crusade International. The children attend different schools in Wolfsville, Middletown, Sabillasville, Thurmont, Smithsburg and Waynesboro, Pa. It wasn't all labor from 7 p.m. April 8 until 7 a.m. April 9, since they watched movies while rocking, and played video and board games when relieved by the next team that took over the five rocking chairs.

Wilson Ruritan will host an all-you-can-eat spaghetti supper Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the club, just west of Huyetts Crossroads on U.S. 40.  Tickets cost $6 for those 12 and older and $4 for those ages 4 to 11. Those ages 3 and younger will be admitted free. Dessert and beverage are included.  Valentine's dinner St. Paul's UM Church in Big Pool will hold a Valentine's dinner Saturday beginning at 5 p.m.  The menu includes spaghetti and meatballs, salad bar, garlic bread, beverage and dessert.

Whether you're making a trip through the salad bar or creating your own salad at home, side and main dish salads can be a great way to eat more colorful fruits and veggies every day.  Green salads can be a powerhouse of nutrition; however, they also can become loaded with fat and calories if you're not careful.  • Begin with the greens. Gone are the days when green salad meant only iceberg lettuce. Today there are many types of greens available. Look for red leaf, red and green romaine, mixed greens, butterhead, spinach, kale, watercress and arugula.  Salad greens are a good source of many vitamins and minerals with the darker green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, romaine lettuce, watercress and arugula, generally containing more nutrients than paler varieties.

By ANNE CHOVEY Special to The Herald-Mail My pal, Tom Atoe, and I stopped in for a bite to eat at The Brickyard Grill, a new salad and sandwich shop in downtown Hagerstown. The restaurant is small with a few tables in the shape of huge butterflies. The bulk of the business is take-out for busy office workers who want to grab a quick lunch. The restaurant was spotless. The menu is primarily made up of sandwiches: hot, signature and deli.

o Read more Kristy Smith columns at washingtoncountyliving.com Greetings, neighbors I trust you are all back in to a routine for fall by now. The best part: It's football season. The BHS Warriors kickoff the season Friday at home at 7 p.m. Town festival on the horizon Also, right around the corner is Boonesborough Days. Plan now to get your Christmas shopping started Saturday, Sept. 11, and Sunday, Sept. 12, at Shafer Park. You can park at Trinity Lutheran Church and make a donation to the youth group in the process.

Weaver's Restaurant on Main Street in Hancock welcomes travelers with food grandmother might have cooked. Hancock is a nexus for travelers. Interstate 70 whizzes by, connecting urban Maryland with Pennsylvania; Interstate 68 diverges heading west, U.S. 522 crosses the Potomac River to West Virginia. Next to the Potomac is the C&O Canal towpath and the Western Maryland Rail Trail. Traveling works up an appetite and Weaver's is a good place to stop. We walked into the warmth and sweet smells of Weaver's on a frigid March day. Immediately, my eye lit on the wildberry pie where purple juice escaped in cracks from the browned crust.

By Omni Vore Weaver's Restaurant on Main Street in Hancock welcomes travelers with food grandmother might have cooked. Hancock is a nexus for travelers. Interstate 70 whizzes by, connecting urban Maryland with Pennsylvania; Interstate 68 diverges heading west, U.S. 522 crosses the Potomac River to West Virginia. Next to the Potomac is the C&O Canal towpath and the Western Maryland Rail Trail. Traveling works up an appetite and Weaver's is a good place to stop. We walked into the warmth and sweet smells of Weaver's on a frigid March day. Immediately, my eye lit on the wildberry pie where purple juice escaped in cracks from the browned crust.

The lesson at the Fireside Restaurant is simple. Stick with the specialty of the house and you can't go wrong. Venture further afield - like, into the land of specials - and you might not be as happy. My dining companion and I stopped by the Fireside one recent Sunday evening. The restaurant was not crowded - in fact only a couple other tables were occupied - and we were quickly shown to our table by a friendly and helpful wait staff. The restaurant is at one end of the Plaza Hotel on the ground floor.

Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen marked its first year in business on Sept. 18. Gandolfo's, which is in the Valley Commons Shopping Center off Wesel Boulevard in Hagerstown, is open seven days a week. The menu includes more than 50 sandwiches, wraps, salads and kid's meals, and there is a salad bar, soups, deli salads and desserts. Gandolfo's also provides a full catering service specializing in large corporate events, wedding rehearsals, employee meetings and more.

The following food service establishments were inspected by the Washington County Health Department in August 2007 and found to have critical violations that needed to be corrected immediately: Always Ron's, 29 N. Burhans Blvd., Hagerstown - pasta on salad bar not kept at adequate temperature (discarded); items under fryer and preparation table must be removed (corrected). Battleview Market, 5331 Sharpsburg Pike, Sharpsburg - soup improperly stored in containers (corrected)

GARFIELD, Md. - The King's Kids at Garfield United Methodist Church raised more than $750 by rocking all night at the church on Stottlemyer Road north of Wolfsville, Md. The youth group of 13 children received pledges from adults and gave the full amount to Campus Crusade International. The children attend different schools in Wolfsville, Middletown, Sabillasville, Thurmont, Smithsburg and Waynesboro, Pa. It wasn't all labor from 7 p.m. April 8 until 7 a.m. April 9, since they watched movies while rocking, and played video and board games when relieved by the next team that took over the five rocking chairs.