New Food Shop On Main Street In Ellicott CIty: Randy & Steve Open A "New General Store"

A new food shop has opened on Main Street in Ellicott City -- a cooking store that appears to be adding a delicatessen.

Randy & Steve's is on Main Street just south of the main parking lot and above the Old Columbia Pike intersection.  It's a curated display of gourmet brands -- salts, oils, pastas, syrups, jellies and drinks.

You could buy gifts for the cook in your life.  You could also just grab delicious foods to pop open and enjoy yourself.  Everything looks good.  Nothing appears be a bargain.  You'll find unique jellies and sauces, but this is a place where the cookbook comes from El Bulli and the crab pasta costs $6 for less than a pound.  (Mrs. HowChow has paid more for pasta at Williams Sonoma, but not on purpose.)

This is really a place for shopping.  They have unusual brands and delicious-looking stuff like cocktail mixers made with real juices. You can entertain yourself by looking around.  They have a shelf of salts, tons of Stonewall Kitchen items, and a short stack of interesting cookbooks including Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi, which I need to write about.

You could actually buy gifts for anyone who likes interesting food.  We bought honey lollipops for $2.  They went in a gift to a tea-lover so that she could swirl them to sweeten a cup.

Randy and Steve are also trying to add sandwiches.  They already sell sodas that range from gourmet to ironically vintage.  They have candies and chips.  They have a deli sign and a glass case ready to display.  Once they have approval to sell food, Randy & Steve's will be a spectacular place to buy a picnic and walk down to the river.  If you see them selling sandwiches, you need to let me know!

(Update:  Check out the post on the Bare Midriff blog where Elizabeth also describes the store.)

Randy & Steve's also sells soaps and some beauty products.  But that would be another blog.  Overall, we're liking Main Street more and more these days.  The parking system seems to work.  We paid a minor amount for an afternoon of gift shopping, and we just got better gifts than we'd get on-line or poking around Target.  (We love you Target!)  I feel like clutter, old stuff stores are steadily being replaced by shop owners with a point of view.

Randy & Steve's
8249 Main Street
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-461-5840

NEAR:  Randy & Steve's is on Main Street in Ellicott City.  It's just downhill from the main parking lot and Tersiguel's.  It's just uphill from the intersection with Old Columbia Pike.