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| Amanda's photo of the Grille Chick N' Pollo |
Amanda posted a photo of signs announcing a January 3, 2013 reopening. The space had been Chick N' Pollo, but they closed last year. Folks have said to expect a similar menu of roasted chicken and other Peruvian foods similar to the old menu. I'm holding out for the delicious cookies and the grilled beef heart.
In other news, a Mexican restaurant is slated to fill the Rte 108 slot that used to be Donna's. Xitomate appears to be the name, and an anonymous commenter linked to a Craigslist post that seems to confirm that Xitomate will be a new menu from the folks who run Azul 17 in Columbia. There are several, so it seems they're still hiring folks for the kitchen and the front of the house.
Let me know if try the chicken when Chick N' Pollo reopens, and let me know if you hear a timeline for the opening of Xitomate. And what about the timing for the new Indian restaurant that broke ground in Fulton?
8 comments:
Hopefully it'll be more family-inviting than Azul 17. We love their food, but it's not a great place to take the kid.
I know someone whose son works at Azul 17 and he said they were intending this new restaurant to appeal more to families.
I found the website for Xitomate,
Xitomate
So, this is off topic, but I saw on HGTV Dream House this week a bit of a tour called Savor the Flavor in Charleston, SC. It looked like a tour where a group of people visited several local restaurants and tried sample sizes of the local specialties. I imagine it's good for the restaurants in terms of new customers and exposure. And, I thought, we should do that around here. As a business or as a unique fund raiser. In Howard County, or Baltimore, or Ellicott City (walking tour downtown?). And then I thought, HowChow should do that! :) So there you go. ~Cindy H
Husband, toddler, and I ate at the new Peruvian chicken place in Hickory Ridge. I grew up in NoVA so unfortunately, I have high standards :) Verdict: Not bad! Will go back. We ordered the whole chicken with rice and beans and the yucca sides, plantains, chicken burrito, and alfajores (sweet biscuits with dulce de leche/caramel type filling). The chicken itself was very very tender and juicy, although not as spicy and the chicken itself not as meaty as what I'm used to. My Toddler LOVED it (sans the white and green sauce, the latter which has an awesome kick.) The yucca fries are the best I've tasted, definitely better than what you get at Pollo Campero in Laurel. Surprisingly "moist" for yucca and seasoned and fried to perfect crispness. The plantains and rice and beans are solid sides. The alfajores are so-so...good to satisfy a craving but the biscuits are too crisp and crumbly - I prefer when it's like a soft cookie. I'm crossing my fingers they keep up the quality, because it's great to have this option in Columbia! -sesame (waiting for a Korean place that reminds me of home...HowChow if you are ever in Annandale, VA be sure to check out Yechon and the nearby Breeze bakery for their Bingsoo dessert; and A and J restaurant also in Annandale for Dim Sum!)
On opening day there was quite a crowd. They were also offering a buy-one-get-one-free on whole chickens, but...they were backed up an hour if you went for that special. Since they were backed up on the chicken, I ordered the steak burrito and the creamy potatoes. Both were good, and the green sauce added the right amount of heat to the burrito when I applied it. The creamy potatoes were quite tasty and served as a good cool down from the middling heat of the burrito + green sauce. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it, thinking it'd be like double backed potatoes, but it's not that at all. Creamy potatoes are boiled potato slices covered with hard boiled egg slices with sliced olives scattered on the plate, covered in a yellow sauce which seemed cream based, but I wasn't sure if the yellow was egg yoke or saffron or something else. I think it would go really well with the chicken.
Went to Grille Chick'n Pollo in Hickory Ridge for a late take-out lunch yesterday. Got home to discover they had mistakenly given me cole slaw instead of yucca - bummer! Turns out the replacement was actually a help though, because the chicken was very dry; probably sitting too long during the slow afternoon. Not sure if I'll go back - maybe in a month or two to see if they've got their act together.
It's not the same. I ordered the Thai Burrito. There was no questioning about how spicy I wanted the curry sauce. That's because there is none. I longed for the sauce that I recall before they closed but no deal. The people behind the counter apparently aren't the same. It's just not the same if you know what taste you're looking for. I'm disappointed about that. Until the original cook returns...or at least the recipe...I can't say that I'll be back for the burrito.
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