Monday, January 4, 2010

Good News For January: Local Restaurants Opening Or Expanding This Month

To leaven the bad news about local businesses, I remind you of three new opportunities this month to sample some food with aspirations around Howard County:
  • Chick'n Pollo should fire up the Peruvian chicken around January 7 to the Hickory Ridge Village Center in Columbia. This is roast chicken -- and Mexican food according to the menus -- that should be a lunch or takeout option. They're around back closer to the Luna Bella pizzeria than the Giant.  (Update: Chuck emailed me that people were hanging a "Grand Opening" banner on January 6. And now, Chick'n Pollo is open in Columbia.)
  • Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery in Columbia will start selling breakfast. Dzoey left a comment saying that the talk in late December was that the egg sandwiches and other items will be flying in early January, maybe the second week. I'm a huge fan of Bon Fresco's breads and sandwiches. They serve fresh, flavorful fillings on their own baguettes, ciabattas, and other breads and really qualify as one of my best restaurants in Howard County.
  • Facci Ristorante will bring wood-fired pizza and full-service Italian to the Columbia/Fulton line with a grand opening around January 11. I hate the official designation of the JHU Applied Physics Lab neighborhood because "Laurel" to me means U.S. 1, but I love seeing Gino Palma-Esposito turn the Pasta Blitz on Johns Hopkins Road into a casual table-service restaurant. This is the shopping center with that includes La Palapa Too and Kloby's Smokehouse just west of Rte 29.
On top of those, keep an eye out for Union Jack's to open in mid-January in the former That's Amore near the Columbia Mall. I haven't heard anyone tout Union Jack's food, but it does sound like a lively scene along the lines of Looney's in Fulton. Union Jack's in Columbia was seeking employees and talking up a pub with a separate fine dining room in a Craiglist posting in December. You can sign up for news on their Web site.

(Update:  Five Guys does appear to be opening in Columbia, replacing the former Party, Party, Party store on Dobbin Road.  Apparently, there is now a sign there, according to the comment below.)

(Update: Honey Pig Gooldaegee Korean BBQ is opening an Ellicott City branch on Rte 40 west of Rte 29.  They have pulled building permits, and they're having their plumbing inspected this week.)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

FWIW, it looks like they are putting a Five Guys Burger & Fries in Dobbin Center just down the line from Wal-Mart in the old Party! Party! Party! space (6435 Dobbin Rd, Suite 6, Columbia MD 21045). At least that's what the sign outside says.

Trip Klaus said...

Just a heads up, Howard county Restaurant week is coming up.

http://www.howardcountyrestaurantweek.com/

kam said...

Am so annoyed about the Five Guys. I loved Party!Party!Party! for all the neat things I could find there. Meanwhile, this new Five Guys will be across the street from Fuddrucker's, up the street from CheeburgerCheeburger, and 10-15 minutes away from the Five Guys in the mall. We really needed another burger place in that exact spot, right?

inagada.davita said...

And don't forget about the Five Guys just up 295 at Arundel Mills. Someone doesn't want me to lose any more weight.

Anonymous said...

diversity in food is just as important a diversity in peoples. let's not fail to mention the mcdonalds burger king wendy's...
you can get a burger at famous dave's, victoria's, eggspectations,champs,cheesecake,clyds,ellicott mills brewery,phoenix,bare bones,.... it's a burger nation.. you can get them everywhere!!!!! AAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!! its the same food everywhere.... some of these burgers are good and some really suck, but just the same can we get a burger place that really makes burgers and sticks to burgers?

Unknown said...

and you forgot fatburgers

Unknown said...

No one's mentioned the competition from Red Robin, Columbia Crossing II.

HowChow said...

@kirkpasf -- I do like the Red Robin burgers, although that place can be just overwhelming when it is fun of kids. It is the onion rings that particularly make me want to go back.

DaveyDo said...

Facci is open and pizza was delicious. Seats about 80 people. Upscale Italian menu with many small plates plus some full blown entree's. Recent write up by Elizabeth Large has apparently been a big boon to business. Went for lunch and was told that weekend(night) wait times are up to two hours--no reservations are taken. Looks like a winner for the foody group. Extensive mid-priced wine by the glass or bottle.