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| Challah from Bon Fresco and Great Harvest |
On this list, I have tried to replace half the items between each list for 2009, 2010, and 2011. But some stuff just must be repeated -- like Larriland's pick-your-own.
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| The Breadery's croissant |
- Pick fruit at Larriland Farms in Woodbine. You can't get better food than peaches and berries from the fields. Go for the fruit and vegetables. Go on a date. Go with your kids. Go to fill up for canning. Just go to get outside. Picnic option: Pick up barbecue at the Town Grill on your way.
- Go try Korean food. Howard County's unique cuisine is the Korean options along Rte 40. You can get everything from barbecue to soup to tofu. Read an overview post. Start Korean 101 with bi bim bop and barbecue. Or just scan the posts about Shin Chon Garden.
- Challah from Bon Fresco. Bring home a soft eggy loaf for your Friday dinner or your weekend French toast.
- Go get a Saturday morning waffle. The Thomas Waffle truck does Saturdays in Clarksville. You can go sweet or make a bacon-egg-and-waffle sandwich.
- Go for a walk with delicious breakfast from The Breadery in Oella. Just minutes from Ellicott City, you can get amazing breads, sweets, and savories -- along with Zeke's coffee. Then walk the most-beautiful path around -- a tree-covered walk on the former railroad down to Main Street.
- Try a CSA. Local farms like Gorman, Breezy Willow, and One Straw Farm offer annual deals where you pay up front and pick up weekly packages of whatever has ripened. I love Gorman (and have written about CSAs), but other blogs do a great job posting about their shipments and how they cook, including Kitchen Scribble and AnnieRie Unplugged from 2012 and Sarah Says from 2011.
- Try ground lamb at one of the local halal butchers like Nazar Market. They'll grind it for you, and you can make delicious kabobs. Start with Steven Raichlen's recipe.
- Dim sum at Red Pearl or Asian Court. (Update: Whoops. Red Pearl closed yesterday.) Both joints do weekday dim sum from a menu, but take a group for weekend brunch when you can pick from a cart and sample both the standards like shumai or steamed buns along with exotic items like chicken feet and savory cakes.
- Hit the local shops for your holidays. Seafood at Today's Catch or Frank's. Sausages and steaks at butchers like Boarman's, J.W. Treuth or Laurel Meat Market. Sweets at bakeries like Bonaparte Bread, Oh! What A Cake, and more.
- Imagine your own progressive dinner. Good restaurants cluster, and you can create your own urban feel by walking from appetizers to entrees to desserts. I recommended a few, and other folks added great ideas in the comments.
- Go spicy. DonkeyKong and I have talked about planning "Spicy Week." Can you handle the chili naan at Tandoor Grill? Habaneros at R&R Taqueria? Thai heat? Korean heat? Who else brings the spice?
This week, I'm posting a series of "best of" posts starting with best restaurants and best food experiences. Then some posts about finds at stores. You can click for all the "best of posts" going back.
If you're looking for more, there are several long series. First, check out the two weeks of 2012 posts with recommendations for people new to Howard County. Then, look at two prior series of posts -- a "tour of Howard County" describing restaurants and markets in specific areas or my 2009 guide to what I've learned about Howard County from "best Chinese" and "best takeout" to "best BBQ" and "best burgers."
4 comments:
From your previous post, it sounds like you should cross Red Pearl off your list. Shame, their dim sum was quite good...
Came here to echo Zevonista's comment on Red Pearl.
My weekend breakfasts have gotten to be quite packed--Saturdays specifically. T&J Waffle Truck is amazing. And to me, R&R Taqueria's best offering is its breakfast--specifically the chilaquiles con huevos. I'm usually happier getting my tacos from the trucks--but none of them have breakfast.
In Severn (not HoCo, I know), Carlson's Donuts is a favorite spot for something delicious, quick and inexpensive. Next door to Carlson's is a new establishment, New Orleans Kitchen & French Market. They just started serving Saturday southern breakfast. I tried the chicken and waffles, which weren't bad, but I didn't feel were worth the price tag. New Orleans Kitchen has really good po boys, but can be a bit pricey.
Sadly, croissants are a distant memory at The Breadery. They pretty much stopped making croissants soon after HowChow reported on croissants a few months ago. I really hope some of you got in on them because they were a true rarity: a completely handmade croissant. Not just hand shaped, but even the rolling was done completely by hand. That's unheard of these days, and probably also why they had to discontinue making the croissants. I loved the variation (charm) inherent in a completely handmade product, but it seemed like the labor involved wasn't enough to offset cost and the inconsistency bothered them.
Scones have been back for a while now, though. They introduced brioche loaves and brioche pastries last week, but call before you go because brioche seems like a once-a-week item.
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