Not the least bit surprised - that location while convenient and central to population centers is nondescript and just one more strip mall chainish place, no different from the other strip mall chainish places. We live in a prepackaged world where now even our restaurants are picked from menus. Good lord can't somebody open a nice place where they have something different and unique; where a real chef carefully chooses what's on the menu based upon what we have to offer and what's in season. Right now the new immigrants from La Tolteca look like the heros here. The rest of it is just the same old milquetoast - safe and boring.

That lasted long....
NEXT!

You need to try Pairings Bistro on 924 at Laurel Bush Road. The food is freshly prepared on site and the menu changes in tune with the season. Great food, Great wines, Great service.

Although I agree with Karl’s comment. We are in a world of same ol same ol. I am not too sure though on La Tolteca not being a chain? There are many many La Tolteca’s around. Not just here in MD but also in Delaware and Pennsylvania. A Google search alone brought out some even in Wisconsin and Virginia. So are they really hero’s or just someone’s well planned out business plan? Now, Open Door Café would be more considered heroes. Only because that is more like a home town type restaurant. Not to mention some of the many other type of restaurants along Main Street, Bel Air. That’s were our monies need to be going. Small town business owners. And like Karl said, they are different and unique. Bel Air is heading into the big town direction with adding chain stores one on top of the other. Bel Air is no longer a home town feel but rather a aggravation of traffic and congestion. Just drive down 24 or along route 1. Any more, every road in Bel Air leads to the mall.

La Tolteca is a chain, but it's locally owned and no two are alike in the way the formulas drive these other chains but your point is taken. Colleen you are preaching to the choir - we owe it to our neighbors and our town to help keep the essence of Bel Air alive and we can't do it with all this cookie cutter stuff around here. As far as pairings...everyone keeps telling me to try it and to my shame haven't been there. Will make a point of it however and appreciate the suggestion.

Went to the opening. Food was good but nothing you couldn't make just as good at home. I didn't think this place would last. I think that location in general is cursed.

We thought the food at Marlin and Ray's was terrible and there were lots of errors the night we were there. I had shrimp that were obviously farm raised - unacceptable in any restaurant much less a seafood restaurant! Not surprised and good riddance, although I do feel bad for the employees. Regarding great restaurants that aren't chains ... try Enotria. Their signature dish (ask for it with pink sauce) is fantastic, their crab pretzel is the best I've had, and their eggplant stackers are delish. Not sure we've had a bad dish there. We enjoy Liberatore's and Open Door too. Planning to try Pairings as well as I have friends who love it. Oh and Fisherman's Catch has the best broccoli dish and some good seafood as well.

Put in a Bojangles!

Bel Air has become simply a smaller form of Towson: congestion, chains, strip malls and box stores; nothing unique and anything but "small town". The addition of another Walmart at Plumtree will finish the job of making Bel Air a place NOT to live.
Bel Air is devoid of good restaurants; yes, there are a few and Pairings is certainly one of them but frankly to have a great meal prepared by an actual chef you need to travel to Baltimore, or, travel to Havre de Grace to visit the Laurrapin which prepares some nice entrees using local farm products.

I would love to see a Captain D's it is huge down south and I miss it :-)

I miss Ruby's being Bel air personally. I know it was a chain, but it had a great salad bar and if I was shopping in that area around lunchtime, it was a fave of mine for a light lunch. It was the only place with that kind of salad bar. I do however wish someone would open something original. If not, maybe an Ihop or something. It doesn't have to be a fancy place. Closest Ihop is Edgewood and I will not drive that far from my home ear 543. Just saying.

Who wants to go to the stupid Ihop when you can geat a awesome breakfast for cheap at the double t or greek village

Colin, please be nice. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And honestly, I don't consider the Double T diner to be "cheap".

I'm not sure what some of you are looking for in a restaurant, when you say you want something "different". Goodness, we have steak houses, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Italian, down-home cooking at Cracker Barrel, seafood and more. What do you want, dancing waiters?? Oh wait, we have that now - just a few miles down the road on Rt 1 / Belair Rd at Texas Roadhouse! Anyway, personally, I'd love to see someone open a good ol' fashioned crab house in Bel Air (so we wouldn't have to do carry-out all the time to get steamed crabs). Yum, nothing like hot crabs and cold beer!

More than 90+ of the places to eat In Belair are formula restaurants with formula food.,much like the rest of the U.S. It takes a real effort to find anything remotely unique. I use to travel a lot for a company that I worked for and there are hundreds if not thousands of Belairs out there. Same corporate owned restaurants ,clothing stores, tire, pawn, gold buying,fast food, oil change,Walmart,wasteland. This has become the norm. Crap in crap out.

I would love to see a up scale soul food restaurant...

Love Bagel Works for breakfast and Savona for lunch. Looking forward to trying Pairings. Enotrias is great place for atmoshpere and feeling "Welcome". Carlo has opened a cheese & wine shop right in the restaurant and will making fresh pasta and mozzerella soon. We prefer to spend $ on local grass-fed beef/bison, hand-raised poultry/eggs and eat at home than to hit a frozen-processed food chain.

My choice of good food believe it or not is Fisherman's Catch in the bowling alley. They have the BEST cream of crab soup and crabcake special. I also like Famous Dave's and Enotria. When we went to Ruby Tuesday's one time it was horrible. They made us wait over an hour for our food. The bathrooms had no toilet paper and they seated people in the walkway. We got so disgusted that we jus took our food home when it finally was served, Yes I am not surprised that they closed up.

What's next or should that pad site revert to parking?

We had no problem with Ruby Tuesday. We'd actually like to see it return to that location. They had nice fish dishes with freshly cooked broccoli, ribs and burgers were good and we always loved the salad bar. It's just that they need servers that actually can be efficient and professional. I know, I'm dreaming. Where's good restaurant management when you need it.

Red Lobster Junior
This is not fine dining nor is it good dining. To start off had to ask for everything, glass for my beer, silverware and napkins, by the way when I asked for a glass for my beer, my secondary waitress seemed put off, when she did bring it she just plopped it down, didn't bother to pour the beer in the glass. I guess I expect too much out of a restaurant to get good service.Now to the food. The usual 16-20 count shrimp, very small. Had the seafood sampler, the lobster tail was OK but the crab cake was horrible!!!! My waitress explained that it was made of imitation crab, come on, we are in Maryland!!! Even if you can't get Md Crabs, fresh crab meat is still available form Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, The 4 small shrimp on a stick had no taste and were overcooked.Our waitress after hearing our concerns came back with a card for 1 free appetizer, like that would entice us to come back for horrible food and service!Another flop for Bel Air, we need some up scale eateries in Bel Air, but until then ,it is to Harbor East where you can get excellent service and fresh food from "Top Chefs"!!!!!

Don't forget the Fiesta Grill on Tollgate Road. Food is made to order....they make everything from scratch and it is delicious! If you haven't tried it, stop in some time and give it a try.

It would be great if "Rain Forest Cafe" would come to Bel Air. I like to travel just outside the congested area of town to Mountain Branch, for upscale dining. They offer great specials though out the week, have a wonderful wine list, and friendly service. Much better than Pairings.

They should put a Burger King there!!! Hahahahaha!!!!! Marlin and rays food was HORRIBLE!!!!

I'd like to see a buffett restaurant. (No offense Wegman's.) I rode by the Aberdeen Golden Corral today in the middle of the day-and there wasn't a parking space available! Was thinking another choice for a buffett restaurant is much needed. Also, who are all these people who can take the time on a Wednesday afternoon for Golden Corral? Not me!

California Pizza Kitchen, anyone? That would just be the greatest.

If you are looking for good food and want something different, try the Probst resturant on Route 272 in Port Deposit. Authenic German food at it's best. For good home style cooking give Mamie's a try. Mamies is located in Aberdeen in the same strip shopping center where Home Depot is Route 22 and Beards Hill Road.

Doesn't suprise me one bit that they closed. Anything Ruby Tuesday is associated with is a joke. Screw the chains and start wearing at your local small business owner establishments. Won't be long before all Ruby Tuesday dumps close down. Service and food sucks. They really thought going more fine dinning is going to help them? Ha!

Aside from Bonefish, we have always thought that the chain restaurant food is "so so". Support the local establishements! Plenty to choose from in Bel Air. Sean Bolan's, Freddies, Looney's, MaGerks! Liberatore's, Basta Pasta, Scotto's has great italian.

I've lived in Bel Air (yep, that's right; it's TWO words for those above making it one !!) since 1949. What used to be a lovely, rural town, has turned into a bedroom community for those working in Baltimore and D.C. and now a 'thriving metropolis' on its own. With the construction of Rt. 24 in 1987, originally proposed as a bypass to I-95, (NOW they do the bypass of a sort!!) the city has come to Harford and straight into the Town of Bel Air!! We have a diverse selection of cuisines in Bel Air and all around Harford County I see absolutely no reason to place another one , where Marlin and Ray's just closed. The parent company, Ruby Tuesday, will most likely find some type of restaurant to be placed there but I, for one, see no need. If I want something unique to tickle my palate, I'll find a good recipe and cook it myself!! Our locally-owned businesses do need our support. But for now, for me, my kitchen serves me just fine!!

Agreed with above comment "garbage in and garbage out". Sadly chain restaurants are designed to appeal to the average palate...and since everyone's palate is different it's a recipe gauranteed to provide milquetoast bland - neither great nor offensive we are expected to dutifully gobble down moderate quantities of dull and be glad for it. I grow weary of being manipulated by carefully chosen decors each reflecting the careful sameness that we can all recognize as suburban. How very sad that the limited few restaurants in HdG have greater variety and interest than the dozens we have on this side of town.

Turn the entrance toward the shopping center and maybe a chikfila or box hill crab cake joint can thrive