Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Comments About Turkshish Kebap, Pong's Orchard, And A Few Dozen Places To Buy Wings

So much to learn from all the comments and the emails that people send.  I appreciate them all and try to highlight a few in case you want to check them out.

For example, Rob emailed me about Turkshish Kebap House in Columbia.  He had eaten Turkish food in Europe, so he went with expectations.  On the first visit, he ordered lamb and got a sandwich that was a little bland -- and was beef.  But he called back for delivery --
We ordered a Doner Kebab platter, a falafel sandwich, sigara borek, and a Doner Kebab sandwich. I would say all were acceptable, but dry, well past serving. I am hopeful that they reach that critical mass that restaurants need to reach in order to stay in business. Right now, it seems they are forced by economics to keep product around too long to be fresh, which hurts their long-term prospects at gaining a good reputation. Delivery also took over one hour. Howard County residents seem to be a bit more worldly than some and can be unforgiving of a new restaurant's mistakes, so I hope they get it straight before going out of business. Turkshish could fill a culinary gap in town. 
Al Pong of Pong's Orchard posted a long comment about the unusual fruits and trees that they offer in Fulton. They do have calmonsi, lemons and kaffir limes. Pong also talked up Hunan China in Fulton.

Icolithic recommended the tamales at Lily's Mexican Market in Columbia. He likes the ones filled with seasoned chicken. They sell out. So he calls ahead and places an advanced order. Those sound wonderful, and they're just the start of people's recommendations:

14 comments:

  1. For Little Audry, I realize it isn't Howard County, but the best crab cake in Maryland, (and therefore the world) is just down the road in Baltimore. Nancy Divine's crabcake at Faidley's in Lexington Market makes eating one here in HoCo a waste of my money. Go for lunch (the only time they're open) and eat at the stand-up tables for that truly Baltimore experience. Hey it only takes me about 25 minutes to get there from my house in West Columbia. And, there are plenty of other unique food experiences in the Market to try. I suggest some fresh Berger's Cookies for dessert!

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  2. I unforunately have to second the comments about the Turkish Kebaps. When we went during lunch they were *out* of chicken and several other items. The stuff they did have were dry and bland. Fail!

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  3. I'd like to add a Kloby's Comment in the Comment Post: Went to Kloby's Saturday Night with the family for dinner. First off we ran into 2 sets of friends that we had not seen in a while which cements my idea of Kloby's becoming a locals gathering place that will only increase with the expansion. Steve is doing a lot of cool things with the 'flip menu' on the table. The four of us shared basket of Homemade Potato Chips. The thick ones were perfectly crunchy on the edges and a little soft in the center (which I love) and the bottom of the basket (bag) had those small crunchy dark pieces. They served the chips with 4 shakers (Old Bay, Cajun, Their Butt Rub and Their House Seasoning) so everyone could season their own on their plate. My wife stuck with the Malt vinegar and Old bay, the girls did straight chips with ketchup and I had to try all the combinations….and washed it down with a jar of Racer 5.

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  4. More on Bon Appetit - had the Mushroom Brie Bisque over the weekend and it was delicious!

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  5. I also agree that you have to venture up to Baltimore for crabcakes. A fun night out is Duda's in Fells Point. Pretty good crab cake, and good beer!

    (I would also recommend buy fresh Berger cookies from the market. Soooooo much better than the ones at the grocery store)

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  6. RE the BBQ truck... there was one that used to set up outside of Grandfather's Garden (at Phelps Luck Drive and High Tor Hill). I'm not sure if it was still there last summer...

    I've also seen a food truck revving up on weekday mornings at Gerwig Lane, but I'm never there in time to see what they're all about.

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  7. After many visits to Maiwand Kabob, I finally gave Turkshish Kebap a try about a month and a half ago. I don't know why this is – but the food was much better as cold leftovers than it was when first on the table.

    Still looking for falafel and shwarma at least comparable to that in Israel...

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  8. Re: BBQ Truck

    I take R1 into work everyday and he closed down about a year ago and I saw a for sale sign on the truck.

    Bummer, because I never had a chance to try the food there.

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  9. From the BBQ thread:

    The truck was run by a Mr. King (Clarence?) IIRC. People would do u-turns on US1 (always a dangerous proposition) around lunch time due to the aroma.

    If found his ribs overcooked. However, I've order a platter with ribs and chicken with corn and baked beans as the sided. Then stripped the meat off the bones and stirred the sides and the meat together to form a great stew.

    It's been a long time since I've been down that road myself. And he wasn't in the best of health the last time I saw him a decade ago. But an interesting guy. Always had handouts describing his battles with PG County to run a food truck. How times have changed.

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  10. Thanks for the replies on crab cakes! I like Faidley's cakes but not the location, sorry - I'm not about to take guests there. I'll keep Duda's and Loafer's in mind. But I was hoping there was a sit-down restaurant in HoCo that serves a good or at least decent crab cake. The crab bomb at Jerry's Seafood is my favorite, but they're so far and so crowded. It would be fantastic if they would open a branch up here!

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  11. Audrey -- People like the crab cakes at Timbuktu in Elkridge. I haven't been in probably two years, but it was a good crab cake. http://howchow.blogspot.com/2009/01/timbuktu-in-elkridge.html

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  12. Agreed that the world's best crabcake is Faidley's. But for here in Howard County (and surrounding areas), it's definately at Shannon's Saloon.

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  13. the kebap place is not turkish. It's false advertizing. It has little to do with turkish cuisine.
    In fact, if that place was in Istanbul and served food like that, the locals would probably kick his ass:-) It's more like a med/arab food, not well prepared. If you want to try better Turkish Food, check out Nizam's in Vienna, VA.

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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.