The donut and lunch joint on Dobbin Road in Columbia closed last summer, but the lights have gone back on with new owners and a new menu that will include kabobs and Indian food.
The sign in the photo says "Dobbin Donuts & Kabob Korner." When I stopped by, the place still looked like a minimal takeout or lunch joint, and the owner said that they're still adding to the menu as they get up and running.
Dobbin Donuts & Kabob Korner is in a shopping center on Dobbin between McGaw Road and Oakland Park Boulevard. It's south of McGaw, and it's on the right if you're driving from Rte 175 or McGaw.
18 comments:
I knew I saw this!
sounds good, right across the street from my work. wasn't here a year ago, was the donut place pretty good back then?
Just curious, but do you just troll around howard county in an effort to try crappy places and then add a spin to make it seem like they are decent? Because you seriously pimp some incredibly average restuarants for the most part. I'm just curious.
"Average" being entirely in the eye of the beholder.
I'm rather happy that HowChow is on the job - he does a great job of sharing the local flavors with us.
I truly enjoy your comments - so do not pay any attention to Anonymous (apparently he does not want anyone to know who he really is!!)
Seriously whats up with some of the hate in the comments in the last few entries?
The snobbery is profound, like out of that South Park episode where everyone smells their farts.
HowChow is a nice dude relaying what he can to a mostly appreciative audience. There's genuine critique and then there's just being an ass.
Try more of the former.
news: Baja Fresh in Dobbin Center is apparently closing later this year. See this leasing flyer: http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/D/8/A/D8A8E3ED-32B6-4EB7-BA11-286979A5F7DB.pdf
The Baja Fresh space is available Oct 1, 2010.
Guess the competition from Chipotle and Qdoba took them out, just like California Tortilla on McGaw.
I don't think it was the competition that took out that CT. Those people were always on a "happy substance" and constantly screwed up orders.
Don't listen to the haters! There are so many places in Howard County I would have never known about if it wasn't for this blog!
Does anyone worry that the donuts will taste like curry?
@ Anon #1 --
Please. Please. Please. Start your own blog.
Of course, I troll around Howard County looking to try places and add a spin. I'm glad everyone gets the theme. Thought that was clear in the "parking lot cafe" post when I wrote about restaurants where you eat and see your car. Perhaps it wasn't obvious until today's post about double alliteration in the new name of a donut & Indian food takeout. Joshing about "Dobbin Donut & Kabob Korner" isn't exactly an Elizabeth Large review or a Bon Appetit profile.
HowChow is for fun. I used to drive around Howard County looking for food options, and *I* didn't know half of these places existed until I stopped for the blog. People hear about joints on HowChow. They can go if they want. They can return if they like it or ignore the place if they don't. That seems good.
HowChow is positive. I write what I think. That means I pimp the places that I love. I highlight specific items on some menus, and I stay silent on the bad ones. I'm explicitly not here to slash some guy who invested his life savings and seven days a week in a venture that happened to serve me a greasy pizza or a sub-par bowl of frozen yogurt. That seems like a weird way to spend anyone's free time.
No one blogs about the crappy places. No one is writing hard-hitting, yet literary pieces about how Howard County is a suburb with tons of chains and tons of crappy places. This is fertile territory. Personally, it seems obvious and depressing so I'd run out of interest and posts. But go for it! I'll link to you. I'll send people your way! You could be famous!!
(But watch out. You'll probably have people leave negative comments about you and about the fact that you buy all your Perisan goods at PARS MARKET. If that's too much, then email me a post and a cell phone photo of a place that you love. Teach the masses!)
Cheers to you, HowChow!
I enjoy reading your blog, and I am fully aware that it is from your perspective. It's like how I read all those reviews on TripAdvisor for hotels and restaurants. I take everything into consideration because it is based on an individual poster's point of view, I weigh the comments -- what sounds personal and what sounds reasonable -- and I take the risk if I think it's worth it.
Keep on doing what you do.
And it always amuses me when haters post because they are only confirming that your view counts to them.
Signed, A different anonymous
I know we live in the Web 2.0 age and the economy is global, but there is an unmet need I see... right here.
How appetizing does a combination donut and kabob shop sound? To this eater, not very. Anyone whom has traveled has seen English borrowed heavily, especially in marketing, and witnessed their own Kodak moments. Nothing says "Cock Soup, with real cock flavor!" like an unfortunately labeled package of Korean dry soup mix. See engrish.com for more lols...
There is a need to advise those attempting to market in English on the -possible- faux pas that may occur in just sprinkling English words over a product. Until then, I will pass on the curry donut and kofta with maple glaze.
wooooww,HOWCHOW you are doing a great job and keep going,we will support you and love you
please don't pay attention to these craps which useless people say....
Stopped in today for a couple minutes...
I'm certain the donuts are just for breakfast and not mixed into any curries. This spot used to be Dobbin Donuts and Deli, serving breakfast and lunch. They are continuing on that theme, with breakfast (they have krispy kreme donuts) and deli items, as well as adding Pakistani food for lunch and dinner. If they can do it properly, without any carryover curry/kabob smell into breakfast the next morning, then why not?
They are also fully halal, which is great news for halal meat eaters. It's very hard to find a halal roast beef sub. (The cook was very disappointed I wanted a sub over his Pakistani food, lol.) Right now the Pakistani food consists of just hot tray items like biryani, chick peas, shami kabob, etc. The owner told me they expect their charcoal grill to be in place 2 weeks from now and will start grilling kabobs immediately thereafter.
"How appetizing does a combination donut and kabob shop sound?"
I spent a few years living in the SF Bay area, where (at the time) you could find good independent doughnut shops. My favorite, mainly for the "WTF?" value, was a combination doughnut shop/Chinese carryout on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale. Good doughnuts, with no added shrimp toast or black bean sauce flavor. I may swing by Dobbin Donuts tomorrow for a little nostalgia (and dessert).
Fair warning, as long as I'm here - the April 4 WaPo restaurant review is Sushi Sono, and it's quite favorable. Prepare for a longer wait! Good thing we went there last week...
Just had a disappointing visit to Dobbin Donuts - it was 11:30, but the Pakistani lunch items weren't available yet. If I'd wanted those craptacular Krispy Kreme donuts, I would have just gone to Giant! So I'm at Sidamo with a marginal chicken salad sandwich (is this canned chicken?) and a magnificent latte which makes up for the sandwich quite nicely.
That's sad news about Baja Fresh. I enjoy the Chipotle Carnitas as much as the next guy, but I really liked the variety of having Baja and CA Tortilla as well. And to think that the Burrito Bros in the KC Village Center recently closed as well. I'm thinking there might be some sort of burrito serial killer out there...
I've eaten several times at Dobbin Kabob, and while I have not yet had the Pakistani food due to schedule issues, their regular food is very tasty. The roast beef subs and sandwiches in particular are very good. :-) It's good to have a local breakfast/lunch place again.
David
Lunchtime Columbia has a review up as of May 5. Not bad. The shop is gaining customers nicely.
http://lunchtimecolumbia.com/?p=644
I'm very pleased with the freshness of the food, and the friendliness of the owner and staff. It's not 5 star food, but for breakfast and lunch it's tasty and convenient.
- David P
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