The Best Shopping Centers -- Progressive Dinners As You Walk Restaurant-To-Restaurant

La Palapa Too on Johns Hopkins Road -- that lot fills at night

I have an idea that's better my imagination.

The new Mango Grove made me think about shopping centers around Howard County that offer more than just a single bite.

Obviously, some of the best food is served in shopping centers.  But even more, some shopping plazas are becoming centers for food.  They have options.  They have outdoor seating.  Parking might be tight, but it's the crowded buzz of popular restaurants.

I want to imagine a progressive dinner.  I did this years ago with the original Maple Lawn restaurants -- appetizer at one restaurant, entres at a second, dessert at a third.  Mrs. HowChow doesn't really want to eat this way, so it's mostly a mental experiment.

Pizza at Facci: Second course?

Two shopping centers come to mind.  First, the Johns Hopkins Road center with La Palapa Too, Tandoor Grill, Kloby's Smokehouse, Ginza of Tokyo , and Facci.  I can make meals -- ceviche at La Palapa then pizza at Facci then bread pudding at Kloby's or garam masala wings at Tandoor then sushi at Ginza then cannoli at Facci.

But I have to admit those aren't meals that naturally flow course to course.  (Garam masala-sushi-cannoli?)  So I thought about the Stanford Boulevard center in Columbia where Mango Grove and YogiPop have joined Riverside Coffee, Hanamura, Noodles Corner, and Pub Dog.

Ice cream makes the progression seem easier -- a dosa at Mango Grove, then authentic Chinese at Noodles Corner, then frozen yogurt at YogiPop.  Or maybe beer and pretzels at Pub Dog, then curries at Mango Grove, then green tea ice cream at Hanamura.  Fun idea, but still not an inspiration to make my date getting up three times for dinner.

Do you have a three-stop menu that sounds fun?  Recommend three dishes to eat at either of these shopping centers -- or recommend three that people could enjoy walking Main Street in Ellicott City.  Maybe Pure Wine Cafe to Johnny's Bistro to Portalli's?

Kloby's wings

I may play with this idea because you could do an Asian version among the restaurants at the Lotte center in Ellicott City.  Or a takeout version where you bring everything home -- wings from Kloby's, pizza from Facci, dessert from La Palapa Too or Tandoor Grill?


Has anyone actually done this -- walked from restaurant to restaurant over an evening?  Any other shopping centers with good food?