The Dish: 2 new restaurants have the Baltimore County suburbs buzzing

Where is this?

How was it?

The queries from friends came in response to two very different photos I shared online recently after two very different lunches at the same Baltimore County strip mall. Vito’s Pizza and Sushi Oishii both opened restaurants last month at Timonium’s Yorkridge Shopping Center.

You know the mall — it’s the one with the Old Navy and the Michaels, in the thick of a particularly unscenic part of York Road near the Maryland State Fairgrounds. The thoroughfare is dense with places you need to go to but perhaps don’t want to, like the after-hours pediatrician, Best Buy and Aldi. But increasingly, patrons might be heading there, by choice, to eat.

Here’s an idea: Psych yourself up for your next grocery run by promising yourself a slice of pizza or some sushi at one of the following new spots.

Vito’s Pizza

• 1810 York Road Store G, Timonium

An offshoot of the Towson restaurant, Vito’s Pizza first came on my radar thanks to a tipster who called its pies “easily one of the best slices I’ve had in a long time.” Obviously, I made it my next stop.

The shop is geared mostly toward takeout, with just a few seats inside and a larger patio outside. Owners Giuseppe and Maria Mantova are natives of pizza’s birthplace: Naples. While the restaurant’s expansive menu includes numerous pasta dishes, salads and subs, the real draw is the New York-style pizzas on display by the cash register.

What looks good to you? Is it the Caprese, coated in fresh tomato sauce and medallions of melted mozzarella with leaves of basil in them? Is it the cheesy white pie with clouds of ricotta and a gentle dusting of herbs?

I ordered and devoured one slice of Caprese before deciding I had to try another one to make sure it was just as good (it was). The crust crackled deliciously, the toppings tasted exuberantly fresh, and the oversize slices required two paper plates, as all New York slices should.

My recommendation, though, is to eat on the premises. The two additional whole pizzas that I took home to share with family seemed to have lost some of their magic on the long drive home, even after getting toasted in the oven.

Yet this restaurant has already found its way into my regular rotation. After taking my toddler to the Maryland State Fair, I decided to skip the $16 Polish sausages there and treated us both to Vito’s instead.

And the shop has residents in the area excited, too. With limited options nearby, “this is like a pizza desert,” customer Susan Antol said as she picked up her order during a recent evening. No longer.

Sushi Oishii

• 10 W. Ridgely Road, Timonium

Sushi isn’t usually thought of as a meal that leaves you so full you could burst. Enter: all-you-can-eat sushi, a dining format that’s hit the greater Baltimore area hard in recent years. Sushi Oishii, which already has a branch in Owings Mills, brings the trend to Timonium.

Neighbors seem to be flocking to the restaurant, which boasts sleek and modern decor in the dining room with plenty of natural light. “Did I just find the best new restaurant in Lutherville?” Baltimore County Realtor Marianne Mehrer wrote in a video about the restaurant.

There are ground rules. Customers must spend no more than 90 minutes at the table. Your servers will stop you when they think you’ve ordered enough, though you’re always welcome to come back for more. Have more than a few leftovers on your plate? Expect to pay for them.

Yet it’s hard to argue with the price: $24 for lunch and $34 for dinner. Children can eat for less, but I’d be cautious about bringing any young picky eaters unless you’re willing to hoover up their scraps.

The menu is extensive, offering a range of nigiri and carefully prepared specialty rolls as well as soups, salads, apps and entrées, with sashimi available only at dinner. But the prohibition against leftovers discourages risky ordering. A plate of udon noodles was fine, but I wouldn’t get it again.

Some of the biggest standouts were deep-fried. The tempura-battered vegetables were crispy, crunchy and light as air. A deep-fried “crazy roll” with whitefish, avocado and crab inside and spicy mayo and eel sauce on top was punchy and comforting all at once. For dessert, check out the deep-fried Oreos, drizzled with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with nonpareils.

When it comes to all-you-can-eat, there’s a fine line between feeling like you’ve got your money’s worth and feeling like you’ll need your stomach pumped afterward. So pace yourself, particularly if you’re planning to stop by Aldi next.