The Baltimore Beer Guy tipped me to Frisco Grille's secret menu back when I was bemoaning the fact that Hunan Legend's secret menu wasn't a secret anymore now that I had circulated a translation and the owners had done their own.
To truly parallel the Chinese "secret" menu at Hunan Legend, Frisco's menu would only be readable by people with a slight beer buzz. But the "secret" menu is actually handed to everyone as a little sheet titled "adaptions and new items." Anyone can ask for specials like buffalo chili and a flank steak sandwich with chipotle barbeque sauce, sriracha sauce, avocado and goat cheese.
I have had Gus' Green Tacos -- firm white fish sauted in a mixture of tomatillo sauce and the house-made green hot sauce. It's a nice taco, and I especially liked the mango salsa on the side. I always love food that surprises me. I don't know that I would have ordered tacos with a creamy sauce lined across them. But Gus' Green Tacos had a really nice balance -- little
creamy, little lime-sour and just enough heat to be refreshing. That's a nice addition to a restaurant that serves a southwestern menu with highlights in the burritos and the pub items like onion rings and a unique spicy mustard. The food compliments a beer selection that is more curated and aimed to please beer aficiandos.
Most of the Frisco Grille secret menu is modifications of the regular menu, and they warn that they're mostly served spicy. I doubt they're hitting the heights of the Two Youngs' soon du bu, but that Adam Bowl lists chipotle, two hot sauces and spicy mustard in a single dish.
As the BBG reported last week, Frisco Grille is expanding into the tailor next door. They'll double their beer taps from 20 to 40. (Still no reliable report about where the tailor is going.)
Frisco Grille is one of Howard County best places for beer in Howard County. It is also in a shopping center with several strong places, including Hanamura, Riverside Coffee, Noodles Corner and Pub Dog. Great place to check out some casual food.
Frisco Grille & Cantina
8865 Stanford Boulevard
Columbia, MD 21045
410-312-4907
NEAR: Frisco Grille is off Dobbin Road south of Rte 175 in a shopping center with Pub Dog. From the north, take Rte 175 and turn south on Dobbin Road at the intersection with a Chik-fil-A and a Kmart. The shopping center is on the left after the second light. From the south, take Snowden River Parkway and turn left on McGaw Road at the light with Apple Ford. Turn right at the light with Dobbin, then look for the shopping center on the right.
NEAR: Frisco Grille is off Dobbin Road south of Rte 175 in a shopping center with Pub Dog. From the north, take Rte 175 and turn south on Dobbin Road at the intersection with a Chik-fil-A and a Kmart. The shopping center is on the left after the second light. From the south, take Snowden River Parkway and turn left on McGaw Road at the light with Apple Ford. Turn right at the light with Dobbin, then look for the shopping center on the right.
Hey, HowChow. In your directions, I think you mean Wal-Mart instead of KMart. There is no KMart there. Just a heads up.
ReplyDeleteWe got a hold of this menu last time we went to Frisco. I wish there was at least one veg option on there! It's not something that they openly advertise anymore, but many of Frisco's menu items are animal-product free. This is great for us because it can be difficult getting to the root of whether mexican food (especially rice & beans) are cooked with pork or other animal products. I love the spinach enchiladas grilled spicy! YUM!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it used to be a K-Mart before it was a Wal-Mart. Heck, I remember when it was Bradlee's before it was K-Mart. I still call the Macy's in Columbia Mall Hecht's from time to time.
ReplyDeleteWow I didn't even know that about Frisco (animal-product free items)!
ReplyDeleteOwner Adam Carton's an interesting dude, really cool guy, I'll have to ask him about that the next time I'm in.
For what its worth, the 'Adam Bowl' used to be my favorite dish there before I discovered the BBQ chicken tacos (the sauce is delicious).
And yeh, the Adam Bowl can get pretty hot, I usually ask for them to hold off on the jalapenos just to crank the heat down just a touch, that seems to do the trick. Its delicious though, the combination of rice and beans and the extremely moist and tender chicken in there plus the creamy hot yellow sauce in there, great stuff, I just stir it up and go to town.
Great review Brent!
Their tofu tacos cannot be beat!
ReplyDeleteKam, I remember when it was a grassy field before it was a Bradlees...
ReplyDeleteLOVE frisco's chorizo anything. Tacos, enchaladas, etc. It's a common stop for us for a quick or a relaxing meal. Owner is an interesting dude. Worth any effort to go there.