Get Your Drink On: Liquor In The Suburbs

Victoria's sampler on the patio

Man does not live on bread alone.  He needs a drink every once in a while.

The liquor story in Howard County seems to have two chapters as far as I can tell.  You have bars -- places where you can eat, but you're scanning the crowd more than the menu if you know what I mean.  Then you have focused joints -- beer bars or wine bars that pour delicious flavor and serve food that measures up.

This is part of HowChow's 2012 guide to Howard County -- "Welcome Home."  Ten posts to prove there are dozens of places worth your time, that you can find great food all across the county.  It's written for someone new to Howard County (maybe a link you send a friend thinking about moving here), but hopefully it's useful to anyone.

Let's party first.  This is where I need advice from local experts.  I did my drinking in smoky joints back when exotic beer meant Sam Adams and we thought women actually liked Zima.  (So much that we didn't know about women.)  So I would love comments that explain the scenes or the differences between the local night-life places -- and that recommend others or recommend good eating among them.

I know they're out there because I drive past packed parking lots, and I see tweeted specials that emphasize fun and price.  Young people are having fun in Howard County, and I know there is good food at some of these places as well.  Here's some places that seem to be hopping:

Flying Dog's Raging Bitch IPA

• Looney's in Fulton
• Green Turtle in Columbia
• Diamondback Grill in Ellicott City
• Pub Dog in Columbia
• Rams Head in Savage
• Union Jacks in Columbia
• Second Chance Saloon in Columbia
• Nottingham's in Columbia
• T-Bonz in Ellicott City
• River Hill Sports Grille in Clarksville

Now, let's talk about places trying to sell you high-end alcohol.  Obviously, lots of joints serve good wine and beer.  But there are places that curate the stuff.  Craft beer bars, often giving great advice and serving flights so you can sample.  (Anyone for a night out with the boys?)  Wine spots, maybe with one of those specialized systems to sell by the glass.  (Perfect for "Girls Night Out.")

Again, I'd love anyone's advice.  When I travel for business, I like to eat at a restaurant's bar because it's easy and somewhat social.  I could imagine people sitting at the bar at Ranazul or Venegas Prime Filet in Fulton.  But if you're looking for liquor, here are some places to go if you're drinking to go with the food:

Craft beer and "jarbecue" at Kloby's

• Frisco Tap Room in Columbia for beer.  It's a casual place that built its own space a few years ago.  People talk up the Southwestern food.
• Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia for beer, including a flight of sample sizes.  Another place to eat at the bar.  I love the burgers, and the menu runs from imaginative sandwiches through upscale entrees.
• Kloby's Smokehouse on Johns Hopkins Road for beer and bourbon, including flights as well.  Great barbecue, including ribs, pulled pork and smoked chicken wings.
• Aida Bistro in Columbia for wine.  They have upscale Italian food, and they have a wine program that includes 30 wines on tap.  It's a hightech system that lets you sample the good stuff.
• Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia for wine.  They created a cozy spot with bottles for sale and a rotating menu of small plates and entrees to go with them.  Great food.
• Bistro Blanc in Glenelg for wine.  With a similar wine-store-restaurant arrangement as Iron Bridge, they brought high end food to the western county.  It's the fun of a menu that changes with the seasons.

(Update: The comments below rightly argue that T-Bonz and River Hill -- and others -- qualify as "curate" beer bars.  For more [although maybe outdated a bit], check out a 2009 post about Beer in Howard County.)

Personally, my first recommendation is the most casual because Kloby's barbecue makes for a casual meal with the delicious beers.  The wings are top notch.  You get the full wing -- both pieces smoked and then fried in my favorite "dirty and old" version.  You can also try pulled pork and the variation that is world famous -- maybe blog-famous -- "jarbecue."

If you want local beer news, check out the Baltimore Beer Guy blog for craft beer spottings.  If you want to buy your own liquor, there seem to be liquor stores everywhere.  The Perfect Pour in Elkridge is an enormous store, and i.m. Wine in Fulton is my local.

What I Don't Know: Where do you drink?  Beer folks talk up the Judge's Bench in Ellicott City, although I haven't imbibed there.  For beer news, I recommend the Baltimore Beer Guy blog.  Honestly, I don't know anything about the real drinking scene.  I had hoped the HoCo Hangover blog would fill that gap.  Any thoughts on Looneys vs. Green Turtle vs. Diamondback vs. somewhere else?  Any food suggestions at the drinking joints?  Also, I assume someone caters to gay or lesbian drinkers around here.  What's good?