- What is the best burger in Howard County? Did you try Fatburger yet? Can we (metaphorically) annex Laurel for the Five Guys? Are there any gourmet burgers you like? Any pubs that go beyond the frozen patties to serve up great meat?
- Where do you get great beer? My first stop in the Baltimore Beer Blog, and my destinations are Victoria Gastropub, Frisco Grill and the Perfect Pour. Where else do you go for great beer?
(Update: This was the best beer post and the best burger post.)
I was going to try Fatburger the other night, but they apparently were still attracting their just-opened crowds. (I chickened out and stopped at Chicken Out instead.) As for carry-home purchases of beer (etc.), while I was walking by this new Fatburger, I tried the Spirits, Wines, Beers store next door. I thought it was going to be an average liquor store but was amazed at the selection -- more single malt whiskeys than I've seen anywhere else around Columbia. I was also happy to find New York state's Ommegang brewery well-represented on the beer shelves, most importantly in regular sized bottles as well as the larger bottles I usually see when other stores have Ommegang.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that place great? That is Perfect Pour. I don't know why the name isn't more prominent, but I only found it because someone posted on the blog when it opened last year. You can search my posts for some about Perfect Pour, but you can get some real details about beer there by searching on the Baltimore Beer Guy blog.
ReplyDeleteChecking in from CA :)
ReplyDeleteI'd also add Ellicott Mills Brewing and The Judge's Bench in Ellicott City for beer. The Phoenix Emporium is supposed to have a decent bottle selection (no taps) but I haven't made my way there yet.
Obviously The Perfect Pour needs mention if talking about bottle shops. A few others merit mention along 40, I forget all of them but there's Jason's, Pine Orchard etc. liquors.
Frisco Grille is THE best place for tap beer in Howard though, followed by Judges or Victoria.
For the non-gourmet, I'm also a sucker for Fuddrucker's.
ReplyDeleteI love the bun, lightly grilled and glossy on top, average burger meat, but that condiment station drives me wild where I usually just bury it in that nacho cheese concoction (guilty pleasure) and grab a few dozen napkins for the inevitable mess.
Frisco Grille has some kind of exotic burger, I think buffalo but I haven't tried it, they usually have a plump patty because if you even slightly overcook the meat I guess it gets all shrunk and tasteless.
Beer: Rams Head Tavern at Historic Savage Mill
ReplyDeletePerfect Pour is THE place in the state of Maryland to buy beer, as far as I'm concerned. I also think the beers at Pub Dog deserve mention. Their pizza is terrific too.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I forgot about Pub Dog.
ReplyDeleteMost of the beers are decent, a notch above Bare Bones, I like the Pale (Hoppy Dog) though.
And yeh the pizzas are good, lots to choose from, no frills.
Ram's Head carries the Fordham line of beers, haven't been there but had the Tavern Ale in bottles and on tap at the new Diamondback Tavern in downtown Ellicott City. Eh.
ReplyDeleteDiamondback deserves some mention as well, as they have six taps, several of which are craft and are moving in a general craft beer direction, some interesting bottles as well.
That might actually be a great discussion, what places have the best bottled beer list?
Victoria probably has the deepest and most diverse, Frisco is probably the most accessible, I sort of enjoy Judge's Bench -- they neatly classify by style and you can see their entire fridged offerings while at the bar, and Diamondback is venturing into craft bottled beer land now. And then there's Phoenix Emporium which doesn't even have taps but I've read has anywhere from 30-80 bottled offerings.