Secret Lives of Interns: A Visit to the new Suburban House

A blog post by Rachel Ellis.

My fondest memory of the old Suburban House is how they used to make me a matzo ball soup without the broth. A single matzo ball in a bowl, because I was 10 years old and vegetarian, and wanted to avoid the chicken broth.

Always a backdrop in Jewish Baltimore, S&H was the place to see and be seen, the place for Jewish food and social life. My grandmother admits to going about once a week—surprisingly infrequent compared to some patrons.

After a fire on July 8, 2009, Suburban House closed, and we all wondered when they would ever reopen.

Now, about one year later, the Pikesville staple has opened their doors for business. The restaurant occupies a new location: 1700 Reisterstown Road in Pomona Square, where Fuddruckers formerly stood.

Entrance to Fuddruckers

Fuddruckers leaves an amusing footprint on the doorway

They have not had their official grand opening, but are currently in a “soft opening” with reduced hours (7 am – 6 pm most days).

Last Thursday, I went with my brother and grandmother to check it out.

Inside...

Intern and grandmother enthusiastically await lunch

We waited half an hour to be seated, and even longer for our food to arrive. Clearly, this is a new place, still working out the glitches. And yes, the rumors are true: a soda costs $2.59.

Some things are the same. Beloved waitress Mitzu was flying around from table to table, hugging customers who had missed her in the past year. And of course my grandmother ran into a billion people she knew. Not to mention the desserts remain old favorites.

Despite being there for over two hours and encountering some mistakes with our orders, we enjoyed Suburban House. We’re glad its back.

Still delicious, courtesy of suburbanhousedeli.com

However, this experience left me with some questions: will this new S&H maintain its position as the go-to Pikesville deli? How will it fare in its new location? Can a new space, menu, and atmosphere still be a classic? What happens when a tradition changes?