Cool Takeout Idea If You're Coming From The South: Pick-Your-Own Dishes At Soretti's

Takeout dinner from Soretti's in Burtonsville

Add an arrow to your takeout quiver by picking up dinner at Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine in Burtonsville.

Soretti's makes all kinds of delicious Ethiopian stews -- along with crisp fried sambusas.  I recommend the casual spot for eating dinner out, but they now have a special "grab and go" menu where you can pick your favorites and some pieces of the spongy Ethiopian bread.

This is incredibly easy.  You just pick from 11 stews -- seven vegetarian for $4 each or three meat for $6 eat -- and add bread for $1 per disk (or $1.50 for the pure teff versions that are totally worth trying).  For each order, you get a plastic deli packet stuffed with the stew of your choice.

You can be in and out of Soretti's in minutes.  You can warm the stews in a microwave, and you can eat in the cool Ethiopian style -- one bread covering your plate, stews poured on top, then another bread torn into pieces to scoop up the stew.  You get rich flavorful dishes with huge options for healthy stuff and lean meats.

You can pick between spicy and mild.  You can serve a bunch of people for $20.  I picked up three stews -- a spicy chickpea, a mild lentils and a spicy beef -- and gorged for dinner and lunch the next day.  I splurged on four injeras, and two stayed spongy and fresh in a plastic bag.

Soretti's is just west of Rte 29 on Rte 198.  It's easy to reach from Howard County, but the takeout dinner is ideal if you commute home on Rte 29 from the south.  Check the list of "grab and go" dishes on their Web site.  Call in an order.  Grab dinner and head back on the road.