The War On Food Blogs: When Chefs Attack

Seriously? Pink light? Just to ruin my photos?

Much like Fox News at Christmas, food bloggers can manufacture their own persecution stories.  Even the New York Times has reported about restaurants that discourage people from photographing their meals.

Of course, everyone should discourage photographing their meal.  It's horribly embarrassing and ridiculously geeky.  But some of us need photos for the blog, and a few cell phone snaps can be taken discretely, quickly, and without bothering anyone with a flash.

Unless you're a victim of the War on Food Blogs.

The NYT quoted a few irritated chefs, but it missed the fact that chefs have already declared war on dining room photographs -- by calling in their natural allies, the crazy electricians.  Their secret weapon:  Rotating colored lights that are creeping into too many dining rooms and ruining too many iPhone photos.

Don't tell me restaurants adopt weird neon for design.

No one thinks they look good in a room where a mirrored sign shifts from red to blue to yellow and back to red again.  Sushi Yama was the first place where I came home and saw the lights had defeated my phone.  Now, Xitomate has rotating lights in the bar.  The new Sushi Tendou lit my booth like a circus act.  I love eating at all these places, but look at that pink sushi!

The lights are just the start of the War On Food Blogs.  I predict chefs using video monitors, watching my table from the kitchen, waiting for the food to be delivered and then -- bang! -- switching the dining room lights to orange.

At this point, I am forced to escalate.  I'm planning a backpack photo studio that Mrs. HowChow could wear into restaurants.  They serve our food.  Mrs. HowChow whips out the cardboard-box-turned-light-box (thanks Strobist!).  We blaze a few flashes, and we get our shots.

I hope you won't mind.

The Story Of Water Kimchi (Or "How Do You Know That You're Eating The Right Way?")

Water kimchi at Shin Chon

At Shin Chon Garden, I was watching a middle-aged Korean guy out of the corner of my eye -- and trying to see if his wife thought he was bizarre.

I love to learn new cuisines, but I always wonder about what I'm learning -- especially since I'm often learning on the fly.

I know some basics for eating Korean food.  I've shared a "101 Class" about Korean barbecue. But I'm still figuring out the etiquette.

For example, how do you eat water kimchi?  It's one of the little bowls that Shin Chon Garden serves as panchan with the meal.  A few pieces of vegetable in a cold liquid.  It's good, but it always seemed weird that they serve just a few pieces of vegetable.

That's why I noticed when the guy at the next table lifted the bowl and drank.  You drink the water!  At least, I think.  I was 75% sure, but 25% worried that it was just something weird about this guy.  Maybe that's completely wrong.  Maybe he just has a weird predilection -- fine for him, but embarrassing for the wife and certainly a scene if I ever glug, glug, glug from the water kimchi bowl.

His wife didn't object.  So I'm steeling myself up to drink water kimchi on my next trip to Shin Chon.  Then, it's time to find the next thing that I don't know.

What's The "Bean And Burgundy" Story

Bean & Burgundy Kitchen

Who knows the story behind "Bean & Burgundy" on Rte 40?

The "Bean & Burgundy Kitchen" sign near Arcadia Drive is larger than the signs for most operating restaurants.  It says "coming soon," but people want to know more.

Marie said the owner told them it would be Ethiopian.  The pictures in the window include coffee and wine, which make Anonymous' report of "coffee and wine bar" seem smart.  But I don't really know the plan.  What are they serving?  When?

C&B Italian Delly In Ellicott City

Italian hoagie from C&B Italian Delly

I don't mean to be a sandwich snob.  I just came of age in Philadelphia.

I lived four years on pizza and hoagies, so I came to expect that regular sandwich shops could assemble bread, meat and condiments into something delicious.  But 20 years of bad rolls and tasteless sandwiches have left me happy to order almost anything else.

C&B Italian Delly in Ellicott City won me back over to the sandwich choir.  Honestly, I only stopped because I was looking for the Ethiopian restaurant that they're going to open down the row. It was lunchtime.  It was only a $6 risk to see if C&B could do anything worthwhile.

And they can.  I went with just the "Italian hoagie" -- a relatively thin mix of cold cuts, a white cheese, lettuce, tomatoes on a long roll.  It's the roll.  We all know that sandwiches rise or fall on the roll, and C&B's roll tasted like Philadelphia.  Some Quaker loyalists will complain that only Philadelphia-baked rolls can taste like Philadelphia, but C&B's bread had a light crust and a chewy texture that would have made me happy on Walnut Street.

With the bread, everything came together.  Some good thin-sliced meats.  Some hot peppers, a little oil and vinegar.  A sharp cheese that I think was provolone.  An Italian sandwich can be a really simple thing, but C&B pulled that off.  Even with generic lettuce and tomato, that sandwich was easily one of my favorites around.

Two years ago, I posted about sandwiches and highlighted Bon Fresco and New York Deli in Columbia.  Bon Fresco remains the gold standard with gourmet breads and delicious ingredients, but C&B's Italian leads in my "traditional Italian" category.  Well worth the effort to check out.

Of course, the real test will be Mrs. HowChow because she grew up in Philadelphia.  You know how those people are.

(Update: Note that Adam hit up C&B in 2010 and posted about pastrami and other sandwiches on Grub Grade.)

C&B Italian Delly
8457 Baltimore Pike (Rte 40)
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-465-4499

NEAR: C&B is just off Rte 40 east of Rte 29.  The shopping center has some stores actually facing Rte 40, then some behind those.  C&B is in the back section.  You actually need to turn south off Rte 40, then turn into the parking lot.

Damn You Rte 40! I Wanted Chipotle Near Me

Congratulations Rte 40 and St. Johns Plaza -- You're getting a Chipotle.

I don't write a lot here about chains, but I can happily line up for a an enormous burrito at Chipotle.  When my neighborhood got a McDonalds, person after person kept saying "I wish it was a Chipotle."

Now Anonymous has left a comment linking to an H&Retail site showing a Chipotle to be built on Rte 40 in the parking lot of the Mars supermarket.

Cookbooks For Next Summer: Flip Now To See If You Want To Pickle Or Can The Best Of 2013

Cukes, hot peppers and snow peas ready to be pickled last summer

Think now about the upcoming spring, and start to make a few plans if you want to play with canning.

Over the past two years, I have dabbled a bit in preserving vegetables.  Some spectacular tomato sauce and pickled beets.  Some good salsas, a tomato relish, and yellow tomato jam.  Still learning how to pickle cucumbers successfully.  All in all, I have poured a lot of vinegar, and it has been mid-winter fun to pour the flavor of summertime out of a jar.

The real point of canning is to grab a whole lot of something when it's cheap or when you have time to cook.  Then you preserve that flavor in glass jars for the rushed nights when opening a can feels like a victory.

For my ingredients, I have gone two ways.  The romantic is Larriland Farm in Woodbine, where I have picked blueberries, tomatoes and beets on the volume discount.  The practical is the Asian groceries stores like Lotte or H Mart in Catonsville.  Beets, snow peas, cucumbers and more are seasonably cheap, and I buy a bunch to put some away.

Either way, it's a fun project for anyone who likes to cook -- but maybe bursts of cooking rather than steady time every week.  It's great fun to put away salsa or jelly or relish and then be able to create a weeknight meal with the twist of a wrist.  Simple tomato sauce is a revelation in January.  It's like covering pasta with the taste of August.  Grate some cheese, and it's so much better than a jar of commercial sauce.

HoCoBlogs Party Tuesday At Union Jacks

If you're into Howard County or its local blogs, check out the HoCoBlogs happy hour at Union Jacks from 5:30 to 7:30p this Tuesday.

Claire Bolden McGill of UK Desperate Housewife and Bill Woodcock of The 53 are co-hosting the event.  These have been fun events -- a chance to meet folks from around Howard County, including some who write local blogs.  Sign up to attend at the Everbrite page.

Berger Cookie Shortage of 2013: The Reason

The Berger cookies factory has been shut down because the company didn't have a license, but they're hoping to supply the fudge-topped celebrities back on the shelves soon, reports Richard Gorelick in the Sun.

The great service of newspapers is that they have reporters -- people who just go out, figure out what has happened, and write about it.  They're the reason you learn about things that aren't corporate press releases.  Little stories like this make me realize why we should notice that teams of reporters have been replaced by people like me.  I'm fun.  They can be important.

Start Planning For The Whole Foods

The process to build a Whole Foods in Columbia has started -- reports Duane on the HoCo Connect blog.

Duane saw a posting for a March 7 meeting of county planning board to discuss the plans to build a Whole Foods in the former Rouse Company headquarters near the Columbia Mall.  Last I heard, the Whole Foods was slated to open in 2014.

The Best Things In Life Are Free -- But Where?

Bread and olive oil dipping sauce at Facci

Facci Ristorante has changed its bread, and you'd be surprised at how much that seems to matter.

Free stuff matters in restaurants.  I know owners hate the waste, but these little things can set the tone -- and even make the meal.

That's why we noticed the bread at Facci on Johns Hopkins Road.  For a long time, they'd served some kind of pre-buttered bread.  Very soft.  A bit greasy.  We like the food at Facci, but we normally said up front not to bring the bread because we didn't want it.  And didn't want to waste if we didn't eat it.

(Waiters -- You don't re-use the bread bowls, do you?  Okay, maybe you shouldn't tell me.)

But we were at Facci a few weeks ago, and the waitress brought sliced Italian bread.  Plain, basic bread with a terrific olive oil dipping sauce.  Mostly oil with a bunch of salt and spices.  It immediately jazzed up the afternoon.

So what are the best free extras in Howard County?  Great bread.  Great chips in a Mexican restaurant.  These can be basic items, but I understand that thin margins make restaurants reluctant to give anything away for free.  That makes me pay extra attention when a kitchen cares enough to send out something special.

Delicious food makes me happy.  Plus, it sets the stage that the kitchen has aspirations -- and won't cut corners on anything that you order. As I read my list, I think it isn't a coincidence that these places rank among my "Best of Howard County."

Five great items for me:

• Thick, earthy tortilla chips at the new Xitomate in Columbia.  These were really unique.  They dip into wonderful salsa.  The waiter offered a second bowl.  The chips make the point that Xitomate wants to serve unusual food.

Wishes For Lebanese Food: I'll Take The Taverna, But Real Connoisseurs Dream Of Dearborn

One of my great desires is a Lebanese Taverna, and reader DonkeyKong says it could get even better than that.

Mrs. HowChow and I have always loved Lebanese Taverna -- from the upscale ones like Harbor East to the cafes in Rockville and Silver Spring.  But DonkeyKong went to Dearborn, Michigan on business a came back with desserts that I had never seen before -- fried honey dumplings call awame.  And he came back with a dream:

A couple of weeks ago I found myself in Dearborn, thinking about what is missing in Howard County.  Anytime you're feeling envious of Dearborn, it means one of two things 1) you love the good music coming in from the Canadian radio stations that are yet to be taken over by Clear Channel playlists; or 2) you're eating phenomenal Lebanese food.   

Of all the world's cuisine, Lebanese is among the most comprehensive (everything from breakfast to dessert to unique wine styles) and the most tasty, but unfortunately among the rarest in Howard County. 

It occurred to me how deprived we in Howard County are as I was popping my fifth awame in my mouth after a big meal of lebneh, kafta, and schwarma.  Sure, there's Lebanese Taverna in Harbor East, or Bethesda Row, or Pentagon Row, or Cleveland Park, or Tyson's Corner (walkable, revitalized, and with a Whole Foods) but I want one to call my own...and honestly, once you've had Lebanese food from the Arab neighborhoods of Dearborn, Lebanese Taverna becomes the Olive Garden of the cuisine pretty quickly. 

"Food Lovers' Guide To Baltimore": A Quick Guide For The People Who Want To Explore With Food

Food Lover's Guide To Baltimore

If the Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore had been published five years ago, I might never have started to blog.

Exploring through food is great fun, but it's pretty hard if you have no guide.  I started HowChow because I couldn't find a place that recommended restaurants and markets.  Now the couple behind the MinxEats blog have created a terrific guidebook that touches locally, but concentrates on "the city" and "the county" -- as used by the Baltimore locals.

This is a book to inspire trips.  Quick summaries of restaurants from Harbor East to Catonsville to Towson.  Great lists of food markets that I have never heard about before.  Would you drive to Timonium for great chocolate and coffee?  Ice cream with vegetables in Charles Village?  Italian groceries on Paca Street?

Kathy and Neal Patterson write hundreds of blurbs, and they're funny while still being informative and helpful.  Trust me, it's hard to write over and over about food without resorting to the same descriptions.  I fail all the time.  The Pattersons cover everything from the "meat hangover" at all-you-can Brazillian to a list of their favorite crab cakes.  Where I know the places, they're right on point.  That makes me trust the recommendations that are new to me.

The smartest part of the book is that the Pattersons messed with the normal guide book vocabulary. Instead of just recommending places, they break them into categories -- including "foodie faves" that range from white table cloths to holes in the wall and "landmarks" that are the well-known joints.

Keep the Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore in mind if you want a spectacular homewarming gift for friends who move from out of town.  Where should we go out?  Where is great sushi?  What could we turn into a Saturday drive for special food?  The answers are all in the Food Lovers' Guide, and your friends -- or your new neighbors or the new residents in your hospital -- can eat well while they learn the charms of the city.

I could tease and say that the Food Lovers' Guide did us a disservice by lumping Howard with three other counties in a chapter called "Worth The Drive."  But the Pattersons did pick good local spots, and I'm pleased to see that the "Food Lovers' Guide To Howard County" remains an open possibility.  Maybe I'll get on that once I can sell the movie rights.

Hat tip again to Kyle who had pre-ordered the book and wrote the first review last month.  The link for the book goes to Amazon though an affiliates program.  They give me credit when people buy through the link.  So I encourage that!

Viewing Party At Kloby's Tuesday For Their Appearance On The "United States Of Bacon"

Kloby's Smokehouse gets on television Tuesday night, and you can watch it as part of a celebration there at 9 pm.

The Destination Channel (Vios 168 / Comcast maybe 113) sent cameras to a bunch of Baltimore restaurants for its "United States of Bacon" show.  Richard Gorelick has a short piece about the filming.

At Kloby's, the show appears to focus on the jarbecue -- which you can recreate at home with takeout from Kloby's and your own jar.  We don't get the Destination Channel.  With the amount that we pay Verizon, I can't believe the channels that we don't get.

Also, keep an eye out for a Bizarre Foods episode that features Shin Chon Garden in Ellicott City.  Andrew Zimmerman has tweeted that Shin Chon is in the Baltimore episode, but I don't know when it airs.

Hat tip to Gorelick and Trip Klaus.  Thanks.

First Thoughts: Sushi Tendou in Fulton

Yellow Angel and Pinky Control rolls

You don't add this much rock to a shopping center unless you have high expectations.

Sushi Tendou opened last week in Fulton -- across the lot from the Maple Lawn Harris Teeter -- and the little restaurant opened big.  Stone walls.  Cool lights.  A sculptural school of fish swimming along the ceiling.

I run a media empire eating in shopping centers, and even Mrs. HowChow and I were surprised to walk into Sushi Tendou and find a place that wants to compete with the best sushi and date night spots around.

This is high end sushi.  The prices and the dishes are clearly aimed at competing with Sushi Sono and Sushi Yama, not takeout fish.  Sushi is already one of Howard County's deepest cuisines, but we thought Sushi Tendou can swim with the big boys.  Unusual, interesting rolls.  A variety of classic sushi.  Japanese dishes like teriyaki, udon and soba.

We had two specials rolls that pulled off the trick of mixing fish, rice, fruit and other toppings.  "Yellow Angel" -- shrimp tempura, cucumber, mango and spicy, crunchy salmon.  "Pinky Control" -- spicy salmon, shrimp tempura, kani, avocado and spicy mayo wrapped in a pink soy paper.  Both were fresh, creative and delicious.  Strong salmon flavor with no fishiness.  Crunchy shrimp even on the last piece.

Inadvertently, our rolls both had salmon and shrimp tempura, but they tasted completely different.  Open less than a week, Sushi Tendou has already thought enough about the food to make unique items.  At the same time, our third roll was just one of their basics, and it came out particularly enticing.  Great fish tartar, and Mrs. HowChow pointed to the rice, which was moist and tender.

None of the great sushi in Howard County is cheap.  The big rolls at Sushi Tendou run $13-16 for a not-so-enormous size.  Most sushi pieces are $3 each.  An age tofu and three rolls filled us up, but we're not the biggest eaters.  We came warned by comments on a prior post, so it's seemed fair -- although probably not an every-week spot for most people.

Overall, Sushi Tendou is aiming high.  The interior design with stone and artworks looks like Facci or Iron Bridge, not like the Hair Cuttery down the row.  It's friendly enough to bring kids, but it's cool enough to bring a date -- especially if you can get one of the two-seat booths against the wall.

If I had one complaint, it was that I think they're still working out the kitchen.  We ordered a spicy, crunch tuna roll.  The waitress confirmed that when we asked, but there was nothing crunchy or spicy about the roll.  It tasted like great salmon so we snapped it up.

On the next trip, I want to try more Japanese food -- maybe the udon soup or the octopus appetizer.  I was also captivated by hand rolls.  Maybe that's a way to try get a taste of eel while eating with "no eel" valentine.

On that age tofu, does anyone have advice about how to eat it?  The tofu was beautifully fried, crispy but not greasy.  We just couldn't lift the soft tofu easily with chopsticks -- and often couldn't maneuver the tofu into the dipping sauce.

(And since the Internet often lacks humor, we all know "media empire is a joke, right?)

Sushi Tendou
8194 Westside Boulevard, Ste G
Fulton, MD 20759
301-317-3303

NEAR:  Sushi Tendou is just off Rte 216 in the Maple Lawn development.  It shares a parking lot with the Harris Teeter.  From Rte 216, you turn at the traffic circle for Westside Boulevard, which is just west of the main Maple Lawn entrance.  Sushi Tendou is on the end of a strip shopping center facing the supermarket.

Top Secret Tangerines Are Back -- And They're Not So Secret At The Front Door Of Wegmans

The Sumo tangerines are back, and they're worth checking out wherever your find them.

Sumo tangerines are a special variety grown in secrecy in California.  Last year, we found them at Family Market in Columbia.  Today, they were right at the front door of Wegmans.  They're sampling, not secrets.

They're also absolutely delicious, large and sweet with lots of juice. The peel pulls away easily. The sections have a skin so thin that it's almost like they're all pulp. You get a strong citrus flavor, less sweet than those tiny oranges and more flavor of great fresh-squeezed juice.

Check out the Sumos at Wegmans.  Anyone seen them elsewhere this year?

(Update:  The Sumos are expensive.  I hadn't noticed the price when Mrs. HowChow grabbed a box.  I had remembered that they were really unique and special.  Even boxed, they're more than $2 each.  So just make sure that's worth it for you.)

Party Food: Honey Pig Steamed Buns At Lotte (And Look For Fried Chicken In Catonsville Soon)

Takeout stuffed buns from Honey Pig at Lotte

The newest party food for the HowChows comes from the newest big supermarket, and the food looks like it just keeps getting better.

The steamed dumplings at the Honey Pig counter were a hit on our December's first visit to the new Lotte in Catonsville.  They're softball-sized buns with light steamed outside wrapped around a range of chopped meats and vegetables.

(Update: Honey Pig Dumpling -- and the chicken place -- closed later in 2013.)

On Sunday, we turned a snack into a party.  We got a dozen wang mandu to serve for Korean New Year and steamed them at home.  Seriously, this is easy and delicious.  A few minutes in a steamer warmed everything, and we served a crowd by slicing the dumplings in half.  It's showy fun.  It was delicious dinner for 10 people with leftovers for lunch.

These dumplings are easy party food.  Some rice and kimchi could make a simple lunch.  Or you can get a little complex with a soup or chapchae or bulgogi.

I have a steamer from my fun with Andrea Nguyen's cookbook Asian Dumplings.  Buy one a little farther east from the new Lotte at the Hanoori Home Plaza, the Asian homegoods store in the shopping center with H Mart.

The new Catonsville Lotte is spectacular, and I'm thinking about a bunch of posts fromt here.  But the big news looks like Korean fried chicken may be coming to the Lotte has well.  Honey Pig has a sign on the space next to the bun counter that says "Honey Pig Chicken Coming Soon."

That could be the greatest takeover ever -- steamed dumplings and spicy fried chicken.

Ernesto's Fine Mexican Food Coming To Rte 40

Folks are seeing a sign for Ernesto's Fine Mexican Food in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center on Rte 40.

On the Facebook page, Rich posted about the sign and gave a link to a small Texas chain that he thinks may be expanding into Ellicott City.  The Web site seems to show restaurants near Dallas, and that makes me think they'd be pretty good Mexican.  Does anyone know more?

Has Sushi Tendou Opened In Fulton?

The new Sushi Tendou has opened across from the Harris Teeter in Maple Law, reports DonkeyKong.

Is this a full open?  A soft open?  Has anyone been?

Weekend Plan: Go Check Out U.S. 1

Oysters from Frank's Seafood

Wordbones wrote last week about the gentrification occurring along U.S. 1 as property owners knock down motels and other buildings to put up townhouses, office space and other new development.

It will be interesting to watch because I think corporate landlords prefer corporate clients.  The food along U.S. 1 hasn't been as packed as places like Snowden River Parkway, but the smaller buildings have turned out some great experiences.  I hope that rising tides will raise those boats -- and not swamp them with higher rents.

Today I'm starting a Friday series with suggestions for you to check out over the weekend.  Three links on a theme to hopefully inspire some folks to go try new food:

• The gem of U.S. 1 is R&R Taqueria in the Shell station at Rte 175.  Literally, in the Shell station.  The tiny kitchen turns out spectacular Mexican food -- lamb soup, a dozen taco variations, housemade salsas, horchata, agua frescas.  They're all there, and you can pick your favorites to eat in your car or at one of the stools.
• Frank's Seafood in Jessup is just a few blocks east of U.S. 1, conveniently located near the Mom's Organic Market so you get fish, produce and everything else you need.  Frank's is my place for crabs, oysters and other specials.  But they're cutting and selling great fish six days a week.



Cochinta tacos at R&R Taqueria

• El Patio Market also in Jessup looks like a convenience store, but they have unusual products worth a visit.  For now, you can eat the empanadas that they sell from the counter and will heat up for you.  For later, you can carry out the empanadas or even buy frozen wrappers and make them from scratch.  (Update: Oh, no! See the comments.  Has El Patio closed?)

The obvious weekend trip would be snacking at R&R or El Patio, then shopping at Mom's and Frank's.  But there are lots of good options along U.S. 1 -- and even more once summer comes and the weekend stands roll out their roadside grills with ribs, chicken and pork.  For more options, check around on the blog, starting with a 2009 tour of U.S. 1 that remains pretty useful after almost four years.

Takeout Jarbecue -- Do It Yourself Goodness

"Takeout" jarbecue

This is a crisis HowChow style: You want a jarbecue, but you need to pick up the kid so you can't take time to eat in at Kloby's Smokehouse.

The "jarbecue" -- as we have already covered -- is a Kloby's creation where they layer pulled pork, coleslaw and baked beans in a Mason jar.  Great flavors.  Great fun.

The crisis was faced by the '34 Act Gourmet, who didn't want to take out a jarbecue because he figured it would be just a mess into a styrofoam clamshell by the time that he got his terrible toddler home from daycare and under control.

So he went DIY jarbacue.  He ordered the two-meat platter with all pulled pork.  He got the coleslaw and the beans as sides.  He layered them up at home.  The verdict:  Success.  The hot stayed hot.  The cold stayed cold.  Until, that is, he filled his own mason jar and then enjoyed a little Kloby's inspiration at home.

Mini Sweet Peppers At Wegmans: My Secret Healthy Treat (And Then There Are Sliders)

Mini Sweet Peppers

One of my great Wegmans finds has been bags of tiny sweet peppers -- three-inch-long treats in the form of yellow, red and orange peppers.

They're tiny.  They're delicious.  They're useful in a thousand ways.  I cut them into omelets last night.  I sliced them to dip in hummus.  I have just through a handful in a bag as part of packing a last-minute lunch.

And that's one bag.  You pay $6 for a two-pound bag, but that's fine when they're so sweet and where they last weeks in my fridge.  They become convenience food.  Eggs, feta cheese, an onion, and the peppers were dinner on a night when I thought that I had no food in the house.  One dinner that I didn't expect makes them worth grabbing every time.

Sliders on Wegmans rolls

To me, this is one of the great innovations of Wegmans.  The produce is so good that we just eat more.  It's easy.  It's versatile.  It's really unique because the small peppers are so beautiful, even just sliced and seeded.  They're definitely worth checking out.

And, if you're looking small, get more of those Wegmans' rolls.  I started with the pretzel rolls.  Now, we keep four to six frozen at any time.  Grab ground chuck from Laurel Meat Market (or even ask for the firecracker mix), and you can make great wintertime sliders.  Grill or just use a cast iron pan.  Either way, the plain rolls are sized perfectly for little burgers.

Winter Baker's Market Coming Sundays

The Little French Market in downtown Ellicott City is hosting an event Sundays into March showcasing breads and pizzas by a new mobile baking company.

Nathan Sowers has started a new business called River House Pizza that's a mobile wood-fired pizza company.  Sowers appears to be a former baker at Tersiguel's, and the Little French Market is hosting a "Winter Baker Market" where they'll have their own muffins and pastries to go with Sowers' breads and pizzas.

Start up from 11 am to 3 pm Sundays -- starting February 10 and running through March 24.  For more information, check out the Facebook page.  Hat tip to Hoco Food on Facebook.