I stopped by the shopping center because La Casa De Sweets tweeted about a menu on the door of the former Mongolian Grill. Rohit mistook me for someone coming to work on the space, and he came out to talk to me. My cardinal rule is that I'm not a reporter, but I had to ask Rohit when I was going to get to eat a Mango Grove dosa again. The giant crepes filled with vegetables make this one of my favorite kitchens in Howard County.
The new Mango Grove will be about the size of the combined restaurants from their old location, which was bulldozed to make way for a drive-through Starbucks. They're building out two kitchens -- one vegetarian for the Mango Grove menu heavy on southern Indian items and one meat for Mirchi Wok's Indo-Chinese selections.
The veg section will include an open kitchen right at the entrance. It's the space where Mongolian's chefs cooked the food, and it will let you watch the dosas as they crisp up.
Mango Grove & Mirchi Wok (aiming to open December 2011)
8865 Stanford Boulevard
Columbia, MD
NEAR: This is the shopping center that faces Dobbin Road south of Rte 175. You enter by turning from Dobbin onto Standard Boulevard. This has Pub Dog, Hanamura, Riverside Coffee and Noodles Corner.
I find it interesting how so many Indian restaurants are very close together in Columbia. Remember when KC area had King's Kabob (not really a kabob place), House of India, Akbar, and Bombay Peacock Grill. Only two survived. And Royal Taj, Mango Grove, Flavors of India, are also all very close to each other as well as the KC locations. What we really need in this area is another Mongolian (to replace Mongolian Grill) or a kabob place that is closer than Mimis or Maiwand. Or how about a regular diner?
ReplyDeleteAnon:
ReplyDeleteThere was a post a while back about Maiwand opening a new store in Columbia Crossing, but I haven't heard or seen anything about it since.
~kam
It's hard for me to tell from the picture of the blueprints (really just from my inability to read blueprints) but I assume that the new Mango Grove will take up both the old Mongolian space as well as the vacant space adjacent to it in the shopping center. Is this assumption correct?
ReplyDelete@anonymous: there is a kabob place in East Columbia. Parsa Kabob is tucked away behind the Best Buy, at 6590 Old Waterloo.
ReplyDeleteMorty, I was hoping for something closer to 32, but I will try that place some time. I almost forgot there is another kabob place in Columbia Mall but for me it was not as good as Maiwand or Mimi's. I have also tried the place in Burtonsville and did not care for it. It might be another Maiwand? Columbia Crossing would be better than nothing.
ReplyDelete@Anon -- I don't know if it will eat the vacant space next door. I looks like a V. The door opens into the Mongolian Grill dining room, which is now empty. Then at an angle to the left is the kitchen hidden behind walls. I don't know that Mango Grove's footprint will be any bigger than Mongolian Grill.
ReplyDelete@anonymous: try ordering kebab off-menu at a different place. I bet you could get an off-menu kebab at an omnivorous Indian place like Akbar or House of India.
ReplyDeleteYes, the kebab place in Burtonsville is another Maiwand. [Their #2 location, IIRC.]
Didn't you mean before Christmas 2011? "December 2012" sounds like their building VERY slowly.
ReplyDelete@Skywriter -- So true! I fixed that so it says 2011 now.
ReplyDelete