treetop tom's Profile
Great Mom and Pop places Highpoint NC
Broadway Diner on Eastern Avenue (MD 150) in Baltimore is good, Greek family-owned. Just west of I-95 at Exit 59. Really good Greek dishes, meatloaf, goulash, terrific baked goods.
Best fried chicken near Howard County
I agree that Red Rooster is not the chicken joint it once was. Years ago I would've put it at the top without question. Still a "good" selection. Plus you have Jimmie Cone just up the road for dessert.
Actually, I've always been a big fan of the FC at Royal Farms stores. There is one in Glenelg on Ten Oaks Road. Fresh out of the pressure fryer it ain't too shabby, either.
Best fried chicken near Howard County
Good - Red Rooster, Damascus
Better - Henny Penny Fried Chicken at the Forest Diner, Ellicott City (While/if you can still get it)
Best - Harvest Fried Chicken, Woodbine (Great sides, as well).
Brach's Fiesta Malted Easter Eggs
First Sighting for 2012 - Good old dependable MARS Supermarket on 40 West in Ellicott City. $2 per bag,
good eats on the drive from DC to Rehoboth Beach, DE?
That's a tough one. Can you be more specific geographically? Was it nearer to the beach or the Maryland line? Was the alternate route off of 404 or 50? Did you come in north or south of Rehobeth, etc. That would help narrow it down. Pizza Empire in Henderson, MD, near the state line certainly meets that description and they have good pizza. The road it is on does become "Old Sandtown Road." Might be worth a google street view.
Pizza Empire
24700 Goldsboro Road, Henderson, MD
Kolache - can you buy the good stuff in the DC Area?
If you ever find yourself in Ellicott City (Howard County), Kolache Kreations on MD 144 (Frederick Road) makes some mighty tasty kolaches, both sweet and savory.
Bon Chon Korean fried chicken opening in Ellicott City
I think I read it will open some time in February on Plum Tree Drive, next to Serafinos.
Korean food in Ellicott City
Depends on what you're after - that's kind of like asking "Which American restaurant is best." The best article I've seen on the topic is one from the HowChow blog:
http://howchow.blogspot.com/2011/01/korean-restaurants-ii-barbecue-bar-food.html
My favorites are Kimko Seafood for the lunch buffet and the soondubu at Lighthouse Tofu, both on US 40 West. Shin Chon is probably the largest and "classiest" of the restaurants.
Best lunch choice on Kent Island
Skip all of the usual suspects at Kent Narrows and go to the Kentmorr Restaurant south on MD 8, just on the other side of the Bay Bridge. Best seafood on the island, casual atmosphere.
www.kentmorr.com
Fractured Prune Donuts? How Good are they REALLY?
Ellicott City had a Fractured Prune franchise for about eight or nine months a few years ago that never caught on. Guess it's just an OC thing.
Hendler's Ice Cream--Baltimore
The old Hendler's Creamery still stands (or did last time I drove by) at 1100 E. Baltimore Street. It's a very cool piece of old architecture.
Made in the Baltimore Region
Handmade candy from Rhebs or Wockenfuss, depending on which side you're on.
Gingerbread-flavored foods in DC?
Hostess is out with a limited-time offer for the holidays - Gingerbread Spice Donettes. So delicious.
Usinger's sausages in DC/NoVA/MD
Weis Markets carry many Usinger's products - I have bought their knackwurst and summer sausage and they are both very good. They are located in N Montgomery, Howard & Frederick counties.
Heading to Chincoteague Island VA this weekend..
We have a house at Chincoteague and get there as often as we can. For breakfast and lunch Bill's on S. Main Street is good, but we no longer go there for dinner since they have gone "black tie & white tablecloth." Etta's on Eastside Drive is a better bet and has great waterfront views and terrific crab dishes. Ray's Shanty is on the road from the mainland to Chincoteague (VA 175) and has good crabcakes, shrimp and excellent softshells in season. Other than the steamed shrimp, they are heavy on the fried seafood. If you go to Ray's, go early because the wait can be awful. Sadly, we can no longer recommend the former Island Family Restaurant on Ridge Road in its latest incarnation as "Mr. Baldy's." We also like J&B Cold Cuts (S. Main) for subs and the Sea Star Cafe (N. Main) has good sandwiches and salads. There are two good ice cream places on the island, Island Creamery on Maddox Boulevard (homemade, hand-packed) and our favorite, Mr. Whippy (soft-serve) also on Maddox. Also on Maddox at the circle is Woody's BBQ & Chicken shacks w/ good pulled pork & ribs with different sauces (NC, Memphis, etc.) and fried chicken. Famous Pizza is OK, and Saigon Village on N. Main Street is an interesting change of pace, but can't recommend the Chinese or Mexican in town. If you go to the Carnival Saturday night an oyster or clam fritter sandwich is a delicious tradition.
The seafood market next to Fresh Pride supermarket on Cleveland Street has good crabs. His & Hers Seafood on Maddox has terrific fresh shrimp and fish. The produce stand out at T's Corner (next to the entrance to Food Lion at the intersection of US 13 and VA 175) is good - hit it on the way into town. In town, there is a good little stand sometimes open on Chicken City Road and Circle Drive depending on how much they have to offer. There are a couple on Maddox that I've never really been impressed by.
Have a great time!
Razor Clams near College Park, MD or the Greater Washington DC area?
H&A Supermarket in the old Hechinger Plaza Shopping Center near the intersection of University Boulevard and Riggs Road has them. It rivals H-Mart and Lotte as far as selection goes.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/h-and-a-supermarket-langley-park
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H-Mart
800 N Rolling Rd, Catonsville, MD
Looking for Wrights Liquid Smoke Hickory Seasoning
I think almost all of the SuperFresh stores in MD/DC/VA are now closed. I have bought Wright's at the Columbia Harris Teeter, I'm guessing it can be found in the other HTs in the area..
Best Deli for catering in Columbia/Howard County
Just remember Pita & Rye closes at 4 pm on Friday and all day Saturday for observance of the Sabbath.
College Park restgaurant for midweek lunch
The Jungle Grille in the strip center behind Town Hall Liquors (8145 Baltimore Avenue) has good burgers, wraps and salads. Lots of vegetarian choices. http://www.junglegrille.com/
Sardi's Pollo a la Brasa has terrific charcoal broiled chicken and sides (10433 Baltimore Avenue, just north of the Beltway in Beltsville). http://www.sardischicken.com/
Plato's Diner on Route 1 is OK, but keep it simple - a club sandwich or chili and a grilled cheese. They often fail miserably when it comes to entrees. Most of their breakfast stuff is pretty good.
Mama Lucia's at the intersection of Route 1 and Cherry Hill Road is decent Italian, but for pizza I second Ledos at Route 1 and Knox Road.
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Plato's Diner
7150 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740
Jungle Grille
8145 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740
Excellent and not too expensive ribeyes a possible combination? Butcher or Grocery Store?
Treuth & Sons in Ellicott City/Oella on Oella Avenue is a good beef retailer/wholesaler. They have a retail store in the front of their slaughterhouse.
Anyone know what happened to the Hollywood Diner on Rockville Pike?
Apparently they closed in January, blaming a rent increase. While I never thought they were particularly good (especially after changing from Broadway to Hollywood), they were an alternative to the equally mediocre Silver Diner down the Pike. Hadn't been there in a long time but the reviews of late were not complimentary.
Late night in Baltimore
Broadway Diner at Eastern Avenue and I-95 is a cut above your usual shiny diner. Don't let the fact that it was on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives dissuade you. Boulevard Diner on Merritt Boulevard at Holabird in Dundalk is decent, open 24-hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Either gets my vote over the ubiquitous Double Ts around the region.
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Broadway Diner
6501 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224
Boulevard Diner
1660 Merritt Blvd, Dundalk, MD 21222
Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch - DE/MD/VA on DE Rt 1/ 113/ 13
Tammy & Johnny's on US 13 in Melfa, VA, has the best fried chicken I've ever had. Their signature chicken in brown and orange buckets put KFC and Popeyes to shame.
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Tammy & Johnny's
27352 Lankford Hwy, Melfa, VA 23410
Zagnut candy bars
Beacuse it doesn't have chocolate, Zagnut is a niche market candy bar much like Zero or Payday. When it was acquired by Hershey it only made things worse. That being said, you can always find it at any Five Below store.
Malt Syrup in DC?
Whole Foods carries the Eden Organic brand, as does Wegmans and Roots Markets.
Wegmans in Frederick?
They started hiring in January 2010 for the Wegmans here in Prince George's County and it didn't open until October. By that yardstick, maybe early summer is too ambitious.
Wegmans in Frederick?
The last article I read in the Frederick paper quoted the future manager of the store estimating that the construction will be completed in March/April with the opening coming early in the summer. I think a March opening is a little too early given that it will take a couple months of cleanup and stocking once the building is finished.
Palm sugar at Hmart?
Just around the corner in the Westpark Center (Behind Popeyes) on US 40 West is Patel Brothers, the big Indian grocer. They also have the discs but sometimes have the granulated palm sugar. If they don't have it, Ganesh Brothers just across into Howard County in the Normandy Shopping Center may have it.
Authentic Kolache in Ellicott City
I spoke with the owner this morning about a custom order for work - she said apricot was no problem with a day's notice and that she could probably accommodate my co-worker's request for traditional poppy seed kolaches without any difficulty. I think they also make blueberry kolaches, as well.
