Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Comments on Azul 17, Frisco Tap Room, And A Host Of Other Places That Got People Excited

Comments are a great part of HowChow because people report news and provided detailed reports or sugestions about what you might want to try.

Chicken Stirfry w/ Cumin at Red Pearl
Jade's Mama suggests the E2 Sliced Lamb Stirfry at Red Pearl in Columbia -- and reported that they'll soon add authentic Cantonese and Mandarin dishes to the Sichuan menu. Michelle, Laura, Jagsters and others have given their early comments about the new Frisco Tap Room in Columbia, Bon Appetit Cafe in Ellicott City, and El Hidalgo in Elkridge.

But many great comments fall on old posts. For example, Bboyneko wrote a long review of dinner at Azul 17 in Columbia -- an ambitious restaurant where I had some mixed experiences. Bboyneko says the prices are fair for unusual goods like the bar drinks:
For example, the Mojito is made with Mexican ingredients for a very unique take on the classic drink. Then there are other surprises like using very hard to find Colombian juices for their drinks. (read, colOmbian, NOT ColUmbian.) Ever had Maracuya, Lulo or Guanabana juice? Well those use it in their Margaritas with very good effect. . .
I try to collect comments regularly so you get to hear from more than one mouth.  This is just a blog about food, and everyone has different taste and a different voice.  Here is a sample of the recent thoughts:

8 comments:

  1. That is really interesting about China Chefs remodeling, and reopening. That comment was made over a month ago. Can anyone confirm that China Chefs will be reopening? If it's true, I will be very happy!

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  3. Have you eaten at Royal Taj, near the Greene Turtle/Smoothie King? We were there on Monday for their lunch buffet and the place was packed. This is my new place for Indian, their dishes are more flavorful than House of India and the staff is incredibly nice. They have Chicken Tikka Masala as a buffet entree, which is a huge plus with me.

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  4. Good post. I guess this is as good a time as any to chime in with a recent lunch outing at Bistro Blanc. I have to say, their sandwiches are really very good. In fact, I would say they are the best in HoCo for a casual sit-down place. I had the Peppercorn Turkey. It was paired masterfully on a flaky and buttery croissant with melted brie and crisp apple slices. The turkey portion was hearty and amazingly flavorful. The black pepper coated breast meat was very succulent and had a great peppery sweetness, and it really went well with the buttery richness of the croissant and the milky brie. I'm usually not one to order sandwiches on a croissant, but this was well worth it! I love how they don't charge extra for fruit instead of fries, and was glad to find an honest-to-God fresh fig in my side of fruit. The rest of my family members all got sandwiches as well and really enjoyed them. Yea, the service is a little odd (long waits, odd wait staff, stuffy interior) but the food is worth it!

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  5. Azul 17: love the mole and the enchilada with crab and shrimp. But the red snapper is mild and bland, even though the waitress recommended it.

    Also, for Thai, we've been enjoying Cha Ya on McGaw Rd. I love the massaman curry there.

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  6. Has anyone else tried Indian/Nepali at Gateway Pizza? I like the momo.

    Gateway Pizza is in East Columbia/Elkridge, on Old Waterloo Road, a short distance from the Columbia Best Buy.

    Address:
    6520 Old Waterloo Road

    Website: http://www.gatewaypizzeria.net/

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  7. I got hungry reading the stuff about Bon Appetit Cafe and decided to give up my AM bagel and go there for breakfast instead.

    All I can say is... wow. It was awesome.

    I loved that they had a bunch of samples out, too. I ended up picking some extra food up to share at work.

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  8. I definitely echo Kristi's call to try the lunch buffet at Royal Taj in Columbia. The buffet also offers milky chai tea and freshly made dosas in the buffet too.

    Morty- I've tried the Gateway Pizza. I tried it and it's a good alternative to the traditional Indian restaurants in the area. It's extremely spicy, so I would stick to milds and mediums unless you're particularly familiar with this type of food. There's a few reviews on this place on yelp.com.

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I love comments -- especially comments that specifically recommend dishes or items to buy. Tell people what you like and why. If you can, please don't leave it as "anonymous." Just choose "name/URL" below, type in a nickname and leave the URL part blank. I like following people's comments even if I don't know your name.