HowChowBlog's Profile
Driving from DC to Philadelphia
Stop early and get tacos at R&R Taqueria. It's in a Shell station just east of I-95 on Rte 175 in Elkridge. These are the tacos that made the WPost's 2011 dining guide where the critic picked 40 restaurants in the entire region. http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/dining-guide-tom-sietsema-fall-2011.html
Plus, the food in Philadelphia is good enough that I'd recommend arriving hungry. You can go straight for a cheesesteak or a Capogiro gelato.
Columbia area biz dinner and fun dinner in Balt/DC area
Victoria Gastro Pub is a great suggestion from Nick above -- great beer, great burgers, a menu of interesting food that should please most people.
Some other variations if you want to look around at menus --
Stanford Grill -- a similar feel to Victoria. It's actually owned by a small chain, but it will have service, big menu, etc. that would be good for a lot of people. Get directions. It isn't obvious how to drive there.
Iron Bridge Wine Co. -- Great if your client is into wine. Tables are a bit closer, but the food and wine are delicious.
Sushi Sono -- A tighter dining room like Iron Bridge, but amazing sushi. If your clients would like rolls, sashimi and Japanese specialties, then it's terrific food.
Bon Chon Korean fried chicken opening in Ellicott City
Last I'd heard, they were aiming for late February or March. The owner is training in New York.
something worth eating in Olney/Columbia?
You're in luck. Ten miles from Highland just gets you to Rte 40 and 29, so you're up for food through Columbia, up into Ellicott City and down to Burtonsville. I second Victoria, El Azteca, Bistro Blanc and the other places mentioned by other posters.
Here are some veggie ideas with easy no-wheat options:
1) Veggie bi bim bap, chap chae, and age tofu (hold the fish flakes) or other vegetarian options at Shin Chon Garden in E.C. Add scallion pancakes if you can eat some wheat.
2) Vegetarian platter at Sorreti's Ethiopian in Burtonsville. Upgrade to the teff bread for no wheat issues.
3) A mezze made from the pumpkin, aushuk, bowlani, etc. (hold the meat garnishes) with rice at Maiwand Kabob in Columbia. You may need to ask about wheat in the dumplings. The hot bread is wonderful if you can have some wheat.
4) Great Indian food with rice at any of House of India, Royal Taj, or Flavor of India in Columbia. There is even a counter service Indian on Johns Hopkins Road closer to Highland. That's Tandoori Grill in the shopping center with Facci. I think they do nice curries.
5) Facci Ristorante on Johns Hopkins Road. The Web site is ridiculously slow right now, but I think they have both vegetarian and gluten-free options highlighted.
6) Vegetarian rolls at Sushi Sono -- both the enormous vegetarian special and smaller ones or variations that you request. (Although you may eat fish if you like Sushi King.)
7) All kinds of Chinese food at Red Pearl in Columbia.
If wheat is a possibility, then you can also check out the grilled vegetable sandwich (or whatever variation you ask them to make) at Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery in Columbia.
And, of course, we should all flock to Mango Grove when it opens in its new space. I went past about a week ago. It was still a construction site, but they're making progress. They have an entire vegetarian menu with wonderful dosas.
I'd suggest other resources, but the Chowhound editors are a bit quick with the delete button. Other people might suggest local blogs or other resources. ;-)
Korean fried chicken in NoVa?
Tian Chinese Cuisine in Ellicott City -- very convenient from Rte 29 -- has a franchise for one of the Korean fried chicken places. They sell the chicken along with a menu of "Chinese" food as Chinese food is served in Korea. Your best bet is to bring a friend and start with black bean noodles and an order of chicken.
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Tian
8801 Baltimore National Pike Ste 21, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Best hot chocolate in Baltimore?
You can't go wrong at Glarus in Harbor East. Great little shop. Hot chocolate is a seasonal item there. I assume they'll have it it January, but you might call ahead. The chocolates are wonderful too. Try the bark. The chocolates would be great if you want to bring a Baltimore gift home to someone.
http://glaruschocolatier.com/
Bon Chon Korean fried chicken opening in Ellicott City
The folks who run Tutti Frutti in Ellicott City are going to open a Bon Chon franchise nearby. They have a Facebook page announcing the Bon Chon. They say it should open in "approximately" January.
Solid Korean BBQ, nice atmosphere?
I have to try Woomie. We liked dinner at Honey Pig, but we keep going back to Shin Chon Garden. The food is great, and it's a fun place to take people who are new to Korean food.
Where's a place for one last good meal near BWI?
I love R&R, and that would be great. But the advantage of Grace Garden is leftovers. Make a "mistake" and order one dish too many. Then you can bring some leftovers to the family visit and get one more meal. Definitely worth a slight detour south before heading to PA.
Search this board for Grace Garden. You'll see great advice about dishes to order.
Solid Korean BBQ, nice atmosphere?
Listen to DIning With Doc. He knows his stuff.
However, it is an easy drive up Rte 29 from Silver Spring to Ellicott City if Woomie isn't your place. (I haven't been.) Right at the exit for Rte 40 East, you can stop at Shin Chon Garden. Casual Korean. You can get barbecue and even a barbecue table. But it's a classy casual place. Very nice atmosphere. Very nice food.
Check out posts here or various blogs around town.
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Shin Chon
8801 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD
Whole Foods Negotiating For First Howard County Store In Frank Gehry-Designed Rouse HQ
Whole Foods is negotiating to open its first Howard County store right next to the Columbia Mall, reports the Tales of Two Cities blog.
The blog says Whole Foods is in the final stages of taking over the first floor of the former Rouse Company headquarters that was designed by Frank Gehry.
Howard County dining on Thanksgving Day
I second the idea of Victoria. When I asked last year, ther people suggested Turf Valley, Tersiuguel's in Ellicott City, and Venegas Prime Filet in Fulton.
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Venegas Prime Filet
8191 Maple Lawn Blvd., Fulton, MD 20759
Baseball Weekend in Baltimore with a Toddler
I recommend Doc's advice over my own in that neighborhood. But consider taking a water taxi to Doc's suggestions. They run between the Inner Harbor, Harbor East and Fells Point. A boat ride could be good fun for a toddler and might let you walk farther out if you know you're riding back.
Where can I buy Korean rice wine (for cooking) in Virginia?
Thanks. Hmart (with a Virginia liquor license) did the trick, although the folks there steered me to a small bottle of rice wine.
They said it was ch'ongju and good for cooking. It looks like the brand is ChungHa, and that matches up with a Wikipedia page that I found for cheongju (and that cites to same cookbook).
Where can I buy Korean rice wine (for cooking) in Virginia?
A cookbook calls for ch'ongju, a rice wine from Korea. They say you can substitute vermouth, but I'd like to find the real stuff.
Korean markets in Maryland say they can't sell ch'ongju because they can't sell wine.
Is this something available at any HMart in Virginia? Or are there liquor stores that might carry it?
At one point, I was also looking for a Shaoxing rice wine for Chinese dumplings. Again, Maryland markets only have heavily salted variations.
Thanks.
ISO tres leche cake
I second Cuba de Ayer, although I know that people who write "preferably n D.C." rarely are going to come all the way up here for cake. But it's good cake!
Facci?
I recommend patience. On the wrong night, the parking lot can be horrible and/or the Facci staff can be brusque.
But I enjoy the place, and I'd start maybe with the Italian boat appetizer to share. Then pizzas (like the wild mushroom pizza) and the house-made pastas (like gnocchi at one point, but ask because they only make some of the pasta). Last time I was there, I had a salad topped with a piece of salmon. I thought the fish was delicious and perfectly cooked -- that one step more rare than I let myself go at home.
Teres Latin Market Ellicott City Meal Report
That sounds great. I don't think the taqueria was part of the store a few years ago.
Any comparison to R&R Taqueria on U.S. 1 at Rte 175?
A place to feed 95 high school kids/staff
Or the foodcourt at Union Station. There are tons of restaurants in the basement, plus other spots like Pottbellies, Chipotle, etc. I think these three plus the Ronald Reagan building are cluster spots for big tourist groups at lunch time.
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Chipotle
14925 Shady Grove Rd Unit L, Rockville, MD 20850
Best Deli for catering in Columbia/Howard County
You want to impress Europeans with a spread like deli meats, bread and sandwich stuff? You should try the new Pita & Rye in Fulton. It's a kosher deli. They're new, so they're still figuring stuff out. But it might have unusual stuff for you, and they definitely do platters, etc. Also, New York Deli in Columbia has good sandwiches. I assume they would deliver platters too.
If you aren't going too big, there are good places that will deliver. Any flexibility to push out beyond deli?
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New York Deli
4926 Edgewood Rd, College Park, MD 20740
Best Mul Naengmyun in the Baltimore Area
I think I ate this Saturday at Tian Chinese Cuisine in Ellicott City. It's a Korean-Chinese place, so it may have been a different dish. (I don't remember the name, but it wsa #18.) It was an icy broth with noodles, some egg, a few slices of meat, radishes, etc. Thin noodles. Tian has started making their own noodles for black-bean noodles, but the soup had a thinner, more-glassy noodle.
For Korean, I suggest looking down Rte 40 in Ellicott City -- Shin Chon, Lighthouse Tofu, the Korean-Chinese places like Tian, etc.
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Shin Chon
8801 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD
Tian
8801 Baltimore National Pike Ste 21, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Gluten Free Restaurants in Baltimore and Columbia Area
I had great success at Portalli's in Ellicott City where everyone took care of my friend.
A guest post last year suggested Great Sage, Eggspectactions, Lee Lynn's, Victoria's Gastro Pub and the Sweet Sin bakery items at Roots in Clarksville. She also recommended (although hadn't tried) Indian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine -- so that might be Mango Grove, Bangkok Garden and An Loi as starters. I also think Korean barbecue would be perfect for you -- meat, rice and vegetables. Check out Shin Chon Garden.
If you want to spend a little time on the phone, I think there are a bunch of places that are sophisticated enough either to have identified gluten-free items or to work with you. That's how it was at Portalli's. They suggested a main course, and they shifted some sides so that we could order safely. This list is just good places that you might check on the Web and call to see what they can do -- Victoria's, Aida Bistro (for risotto?), Iron Bridge Wine Co, Bistro Blanc, Red Pearl . . . .
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Shin Chon
8801 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD
An Loi
7104 Minstrel Way Ste 9, Columbia, MD 21045
Iron Bridge Wine Co
10435 State Route 108, Columbia, MD 21044
Bangkok Garden
5810 Robert Oliver Pl, Columbia, MD 21045
Mango Grove
6365 Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD 21045
Great Sage
5809 Clarksville Square Dr, Clarksville, MD 21029
Bistro Blanc
3800 Ten Oaks Road, Glenelg, MD 21737
New to Baltimore / Steamed crabs. Portions? Prices?
When are you coming to Baltimore? If you're here soon, you won't eat Chesapeake Bay crabs. I think the seasons starts April 1, and the Gulf and North Carolina crabs will dominate for a while. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
This is a request common enough that it often doesn't get a great response. I can't help on restaurants because I tend to buy crabs at a fish market and eat them at home. But look for some prior threads and a 2009 City Paper pick:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/511463
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/711673
http://citypaper.com/bob?issueDate=9/16/2009
Catering in B-more/Columbia??
Do you mean cater as in "food and staff?" Or do you just mean a restaurant that would provide/deliver the food?
I think there are many restaurants that will put together the food, but can't staff the reception.
MD Food Center
Joel -- Can retail buyers shop in the produce market? I have this idea to get a box or two of tomatoes when they're delicious and actually making tomato sauce this summer.
Wegman's -- Columbia
They submitted building permits at the end of January. Still aiming to open in mid-2012.
New Kosher Deli in Howard County -- Anyone Know Pita & Rye?
There is a new deli coming to the Maple Lawn development in southern Howard County. Apparently, it will be a kosher place called Pita & Rye.
Does anyone know more about Pita & Rye? Not much on their Web site.
MD Food Center
The seafood is absolutely worth going. Search for posts about Frank's Seafood in Jessup. They're a retail store inside the wholesale fish market. Great fun. Whole fish. Crabs in the summer. Oysters now along with clams, mussels, shrimp, etc. They'll fillet fish for you.
I don't know about the produce. I considered driving in on my last trip to Frank's, but I was busy. Mom's Organic Market is on Rte 175 so I often do a double trip of Frank's for whatever looks great and then whatever produce I need to cook the fish.
Where to dine between Bethesda and Baltimore?
Mrs. Wheatie offers a great list. Grace Garden is epic, although not hip. For hip American fare, I'd think Victoria Gastro Pub, Iron Bridge or Pure Wine Cafe. Pure WIne has great small plates, and Portalli's a block down Main Street does Italian. A little bit of curvy roads to get from the highway into downtown Ellicott City, but it's a fun spot.
I'd emphasize Sushi Sono, Sushi KIng, House of India and Mango Grove -- all in Columbia and all easy to find. Sushi Sono may qualify as hip. I also recommend Shin Chon Garden on Rte 40 in Ellicott City for Korean BBQ -- better than you'll get in either Baltimore or Bethesda. Or maybe Honey Pig in Ellicott City if you want BBQ and hipness.
I'd also think about Red Pearl in Columbia. The Washingtonian critic posted a recent chat where he talks about an off-menu salt-and-pepper lobster. The irony is that he loved the regular food, but disliked the dim sum. I think the dim sum is terrific. I think it's a winner. http://www.washingtonian.com/chats/restaurants/18115.html
And read about Ranazul in Fulton. It's a small-plate place, sort of tapas with a Mexican vibe. It's hip, more expensive than the Asian places. But people like it.
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Shin Chon
8801 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD
Victoria Gastro Pub
8201 Snowden River Parkway, Columbia, MD 21045
Mango Grove
6365 Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD 21045
Grace Garden
1690 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD
House of India
9350 Snowden River Pkwy Ste F2, Columbia, MD 21045
Sushi Sono
10215 Wincopin Cir Ste 101, Columbia, MD 21044
Dim Sum, again...
Search for Red Pearl in Columbia. They started in 2010, and they're excellent. Large, modern place. Lots of carts on the weekends. Menu options during the week or at night. Definitely worth a drive from Annapolis, and I think they'll take reservations for a large group. I'm not an expert, but I'd give it an edge over Asian Court in Ellicott City for decor and slightly more-interesting food.
I'd say Red Pearl and Asian Court are both the equal to Oriental East. They should be slightly closer to you than the MoCo places.
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Oriental East
1312 E West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Asian Court
9180 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042
