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| Fried chicken from Chick 'n Friends |
My first pitch to visit is a straight-up bribe: If you try the new supermarket in the Long Reach village center, you can get fried chicken before you shop.
The Chick n' Friends takeout is a perfect spot for a good weather snack. Order fried chicken, maybe some sides, maybe a piece of pie. Then eat on a bench, tearing off pipping hot meat and crunchy crust as you enjoy. I ate dinner last week before shopping for groceries, and it's just a delicious treat. Hot, crisp outside with moist meat cooked perfectly.
I don't fry chicken at home. I don't slice sushi. I don't smoke meats. These are skills and equipment that might seem simple, but they take real talent to turn basic chicken and batter into a dinner gives all the flavor with just enough oil. That's real fried food, but not greasy. Definitely worth a summer night or a weekend lunch -- or even a weekday lunch if you work anywhere near Rte 175.
For me, the breast is the best piece for Chick n' Friends. The bone-in piece stays moist, and there is enough meat that I get some fried crust without being overwhelmed with fried taste in every bite. This contrasts with Tian Chinese Cuisine where I prefer to order Korean fried chicken as wings.
Chick N' Friends
Long Reach Village Center
8775 Cloudleap Court
Columbia, Maryland 21045
NEAR: This is in the Long Reach Village Center in central Columbia. Chick N' Friends faces the central courtyard, so you can't see it from the parking lot. Easy access off Rte 175 -- just go north on Tamar Drive and look for the village center on the right. Or from Snowden River Parkway -- just go west on Tamar Drive and look for the village center on the left. Or from Dobbin Road -- turn north (away from Target) onto Old Dobbin Road and then turn left on Tamar after you pass the high school.
8 comments:
Just keep your eyes open in that village center. It is a high crime area - even for Columbia.
Please also check out the "Walk In My Shoes" exhibit at the Columbia Art Center. Those are my shoe paintings on the postcard :)
http://www.columbiaartcenter.org/index.aspx?page=exhibits
I've been going to painting class here for 10 years and never had a problem. It was a little sketchy when the bar was open, but it's been fine recently, especially with Family Market opening.
Sad to say crime can happen anywhere and its the false sense of security in much of the area that causes weird beliefs. Long Reach has been somewhat problematic compared to most of HoCo, but it really isn't that bad.
I live near the village center and regularly use the art center there but agree that it is not always the safest place...the deli there just had its second armed robbery in 5 months (http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/howard/news/crime/ph-ho-cf-glances-deli-town-robbery-0412-20120409,0,4258066.story)this weekend. I do like having the new Family Market and it is a HUGE improvement over the Safeway but I will say I have been disappointed several times already at the quality of some of the produce....
People in Howard County complaining about "high crime areas" is like Miamians complaining about how cold it is outside. Crime, while never ever prevelent in HoCo, has actually decreased over the last twenty years. Not being a liquor store myself, I feel perfectly comfortable enjoying Long Reach Village Center (to the extent you can enjoy a village center nowadays, but that's another discussion).
I gotta agree with Anon #2. I was born and raised in DC plus lived a couple of years in New York. I've gone to the Long Reach shopping center very late and early and I've never once felt threatened. Even going to the liquor store late has been fine.
On topic, the chicken there is outstanding. This is a good reminder that I have to go back there and pick some up.
All due credit to those of you who grew up in high-crime areas and laugh at those who complain about crime in various parts of HoCo, but give it up already. It's like those of us who've lived in really hot conditions (Texas and Kansas) or really snowy conditions laughing at DMV natives for being such skittish drivers when it comes to a dusting of snow or someone changing a tire. Sure it's subjective, but the point is that certain areas of Columbia are relatively more dangerous and crime-fraught than others, and that's a shame. You can shrug and say it ain't that bad, but some of us are more concerned with stemming or reversing the trend, not standing by because it's not Anacostia.
That said, I've taken my older daughter to lessons at the art center quite a few times, and just stay wary when I stop by the center for food. It's pretty far out of the way for me, as I live in Harper's Choice, but Chick 'N' Friends is like crack to me, and the liquor store there is one of the better ones in the village centers.
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