Saturday, June 28, 2014

Chef Paolino Opens In Ellicott City, But Hunan House In Laurel Has Closed; Know Why?

The restaurant cycle continues as Chef Paolino opens a new joint in Ellicott City, but we need to pay a tribute to the passing of Hunan House in Laurel.

Good news first: Chef Paolino's Cafe has opened just off Rte 40 in the former home of Serafino's, says Alicyn on the HowChow Facebook page.  She ate there.  They don't have a liquor license yet, but the kitchen is open.

But there was bad news off Rte 216 where Hunan House has closed.  Several people have emailed me.  I don't know the story.  BT has been going for more than two decades with family.  We'd both love to know if anyone heard what happened or whether the Hunan House folks have relocated, and she wrote a little tribute:
Hunan House had great sauce; it was extremely flavorful. My mother wrote a review of it for the Sun in 2000; there is a little info about the restaurant there, The owners and staff were always so friendly and recognized and remembered people, and dining in was a nice experience - dishes were served beautifully. I also appreciated that they had an extensive vegetarian menu with a lot of good choices. I believe the owners were relatives of the Hunan Manor owners, and there are many of the same type of dishes at both. Hunan House was the only place I would eat Chinese takeout; it was always so flavorful! I hope that helps some. It has been there for many years; I'm 28 and my parents tell a story often about a time we were dining there and I was very young. I can remember going there for takeout as far back as five or six.

4 comments:

Adam said...

Is the pizza by the slice at Paulino's any good? I am always looking for a good slice place (oxymoron?)

David Hobby said...

Trattoria's, in DH or KC village center have great slices. They even undercook the slice pizzas slightly, to finish them off just right when you order it.

Jess said...

@Adam, while I agree with David, I think Chef Paolino's slices are good too. They're actually my two favorite local pizza joints (at least for slices).

No Man said...

Chef Paolino in EC has good pizza. Good crust and salads. Went there with our kids after a soccer game. Sort of like Pasta Blitz and Anthony's.