Restaurants At Charlestown Focus on Collaboration and Socialization

Every day, residents at Charlestown, an Erickson Senior Living community in Catonsville, Md., savor delicious dishes prepared by professional chefs using the freshest ingredients.

More importantly, each meal provides the opportunity for social connection. Whether catching up with neighbors over lunch or celebrating a special occasion with loved ones, dining is a highlight of community life.

Dinner and drinks with friends is something Joe Carrick, who moved to Charlestown in 2021 from Anne Arundel County, looks forward to throughout the week.

"I eat in the restaurants here at least three days a week," he says. "I usually arrive about 30 minutes before dinner and enjoy a beer or a glass of wine at the bar. It's a great place to catch up with friends and meet new people."

Variety for every taste

Charlestown's seven dining venues feature their own distinct menus and atmospheres, which residents love.

The Atrium is an intimate dinner venue with gallery seating overlooking the main dining room and an outdoor patio. Seasonal specialties such as shrimp tacos, grilled ribeye steak, and sauteed lemon chicken with broccolini are available on the menu.

Chesapeake Bar offers tapas-style small plates, like fried green tomatoes and mussels marinara, while Chesapeake Restaurant offers a sit-down dinner experience with wait service.

Fireside Restaurant serves classic lunch and dinner items like soups, sandwiches, and pasta. Favorite entrees include penne with sausage, vegetable lo mein, miso-glazed salmon, and pickle-brined fried chicken. Fireside is also home to an expansive bar, where residents often catch up with friends over a handcrafted cocktail.

The Short Line Café is a casual lunch and dinner spot best known for its milkshakes, pizza, and other short-order favorites. Cauliflower tacos, Thai chili salmon, chicken marsala, and pork tenderloin are also on the menu.

The new Terrace Restaurant, which opened in June, serves a variety of entrees for dinner and features outdoor dining as well.

Serving breakfast and lunch, the new Café on Main offers bagels, breakfast burritos, and deli classics like tuna salad, hot pastrami, and Swiss on rye.

Made-to-order meals

With so many options to choose from, Dining Director Paul Edelman and his team of professional chefs prepare hundreds of entrees every night. Meals are cooked to order, ensuring dishes are always fresh and flavorful.

"We prioritize using fresh, whole ingredients and plant-based options for our menus, which also include a Healthy Choices category," he says.

Recently, global dishes were introduced to the weekly menus, including Mediterranean and Asian-inspired entrees and Latin American flavors.

Powerful partnership

To ensure residents continue to enjoy high-quality dining experiences, Edelman and his team meet regularly with residents to gather suggestions.

Residents appreciate that their voices are heard and that the menus can evolve to meet their needs.

"Resident input plays an important role in developing our menus and the overall dining experience," says Edelman. "Through resident focus groups and online surveys, we are able to solicit direct feedback on menu items, portion sizes, service, and special events. Many residents have new ideas to share as well."

Dining together

At Charlestown, dining is about more than just creating and serving delicious dishes--it's about fostering relationships. Many residents enjoy regular group and club meetings in the restaurants, while others never miss special themed dinners for occasions like Mardi Gras, Cinco de Mayo, or a Fourth of July barbecue.

"Each month, we host three to four themed events, such as Italian nights, luaus, and Oktoberfest," says Edelman. "These events often include interactive elements like music, carving stations, and wine pairings."

He adds, "Maryland natives know how popular crabs are, so we also hold two crab feasts each year and occasionally feature crab cakes on the menu."

For Joe and his neighbors, it's this camaraderie and excitement that truly define the dining experience at Charlestown. "[Dining] enabled me to meet new people and make new friends," says Joe.

"We intentionally design our restaurants to not only be a place to eat, but also a place to meet. Each restaurant features comfortable seating, varied table sizes, inviting atmospheres, and a focus on hospitality-driven service that makes it easy for our residents to gather and connect," says Edelman.

Request more information today to learn more about the restaurants and social dining experiences residents enjoy.