Best Of 2013: How Much I Miss Wordbones

What would Wordbones say?

The photo above is a Tesla outside a vegan restaurant.  Mrs. HowChow and I walked out of Roots a few weeks ago, and we actually saw two of the electric-powered sports cars outside Great Sage.

The sight should have sparked some witty observation about Teslas and vegan restaurants, but it just made me miss Wordbones again.

Dennis Lane died five months ago, and I still find myself wanted to email him or read the Tales of Two Cities blog that he wrote under the nickname "Wordbones."  Dennis used to post about cars that he had spotted.  Quick photographs and stories about convertibles or historic rides that he had happened across.

Dennis joked once about a BMV delivering pizza, and I know that he would have enjoyed two luxury cars driven to Clarksville so their owners could enjoy upscale food without burning gasoline or eating meat

I don't care about cars.  I drive a plastic box on wheels.  But I really did care about Dennis, even though I met him fewer than 10 times.  In a year when lots of wonderful things have happened, I wanted to note that we all lost Dennis last May.  Newspapers are dying, and we're losing the professionals who used to tell stories and keep watch on the powerful.  If we're lucky, people like Dennis will fill their place.

Food Experiences: Best of Howard County 2013

Guacamole from Roots

HowChow is more about food than restaurants, so it always feels more natural to recommend a list of cool experiences where you can work food into a day.

When I write this annual post, I have tried to replace half the items between each list.  You should check out all the "food experience posts" since 2009 because there are great ideas there -- donuts, hot pretzels, Korean Food 101, and more things that we enjoy all the time.  For 2013, I have gone 100% new -- except, of course, Larriland's pick-your-own that is just so wonderful to omit:

• Make an easy dinner with guacamole from Roots.  The Clarksville grocery makes its own guacamole, and that zesty flavor turns almost anything into a delicious dinner.  Guac and chips can make you happy.  Or guac spread on a quesadilla of tortillas and cheese.  Or go crazy by making your own little dishes -- a salad of chopped tomatoes, some cheeses, the guac, and crackers.
• Go for my newest taco find at Linsy's Store in Catonsville.  Linsy's is perfect for food blogging.  They're serving terrific Mexican food in the back of a store off Rte 40.  I heard from one of the owners at Portalli's -- where the Latino employees turned folks onto the tacos.  Cheap adventure and a guaranteed full stomach.
• Mix your own cocktails.  The trend towards fresh ingredients can come into your liquor closet.  I discovered bourbon this year, and you can find all kinds of exotic mixers at local liquor stores.  Vinegar based shrubs at im Wine in Fulton.  Bitters at the Perfect Pour in Elkridge.  Search the Web for cocktail recipes.  Then check any of the nicer local liquor stores, and I'm sure that you can find something interesting.

Restaurants: Best Of Howard County 2013

Hiramasa with ponzu at Sushi Sono

When I wasn't looking, my "Best of Howard County" posts have become a tradition.

This is the sixth year that I have tried to collect recommendations about local food into a week of posts.  I don't know what you love, but I know that you can find wonderful food out here in the suburbs.  And more is coming.  Cindy Wolf, Whole Foods, and the folks behind the Ambassador all want a piece of Howard County, and that must be good.  

This is my "Best Of" list.  These are places where I'd tell you to start if you want something delicious.  In 2012, I literally wrote "where to go" advice for someone just moving to Howard County.  This week of posts is more of an annual writing exercise where I think about stuff I have found and try to spark a little conversation with other eaters.

I don't know if your best restaurants are on my list.  That's why you can write comments!  Tell me the three places that you would recommend to someone who just started eating in Howard County.

Best Of 2013: Thoughts On Howard County Food

Crabs from Frank's Seafood - Awesome, but not on my "Best Of" posts

It has been years since I ate a bulgogi panini.

You may remember Riverside Coffee's Korean take on sliced beef sandwiches, but I was thinking about them this weekend because I haven't eaten one since I first posted in 2009.

We have lots of good food around here.  In my early years, this blog often argued against people's knee-jerk idea that there was nothing in Howard County except chains.  But those jerks have disappeared, and the truth is that the county has so much good food that I barely touch the surface each year.

I haven't stopped for a bulgogi panini because I always have something else to try -- guilty pleasures like cheesesteaks or great adventures like the tacos joints that span from Columbia to Catonsville.  In the same way, I haven't done justice in the past year to the fish at Today's Catch in Columbia or the egusi at Kuramo in Columbia or the hot pretzels and other goodies at the Dutch Country Market in Laurel.  I often think about a sweet from Touche Touchet as I see the exit off Rte 29, but I'm on my way somewhere or I'm already full or I'm too hungry to risk eating three desserts in the car.

These are all wonderful places.  They're places you should know about.  But we have so many good places for food that I'll write two days of "Best Of" posts this week without mentioning them.  Tuesday will be "Best Restaurants."  Wednesday will be "Best Food Experiences."

Both posts are chances for me to spark ideas about the food scene, and, if anything, that scene is just getting better.  Since 2012, Wegmans has changed the way that I shop.  I love the bakery, the cheeses, the speck.  We have gotten a row of new restaurants in Turf Valley.  We have been promised low country food at the Highland Inn, Indian at the Polo Club, and "farm to table" pub food at the White Oak Tavern, along with other new spots from Fulton to Ellicott City.  That all sounds excited, even though it pales in comparison with the coming remake of Columbia's lakefront with a Whole Foods and a restaurant from Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman.

HowChow is a hobby.  It is mostly short posts -- often about new stuff at the expense of great places that I wrote about over the years.  In its own way, I hope HowChow is an ad hoc guide to eating around Howard County.  I hope you'll click to the past posts linked from the "Best Of" week, and I hope that you'll click through the "labels" in the right column to see what else you might have missed.  Want to know where to find Nepalese food?  Or Vietnamese?  There are labels that will take you through many topics.

I also hope that you'll comment on the "Best Of" posts.  The county is so big that folks have favorite restaurants that I still haven't tried -- like Coho's in Columbia that Duane posted about last week.  I love hearing about great places or just great dishes.  That's how I learned about the tacos at Linsy's that will be among the "Food Experiences" and how I heard about Frank's Seafood -- the retail spot in the Jessup seafood market.  They sell amazing crabs, and, like that bulgogi panini, I left them off the "Best Of" posts because I'm trying to give you new ideas.

Feel confident about Howard County food.  It's not Baltimore or DC, but you can eat better here than in most places in this country.  And you can certainly fill a year with delicious items -- both old favorites and new finds.

Five goals for my upcoming year:

• Try the tofu soup and brisket casserole at Yetnal House in Ellicott City.
• Have more fun on Main Street in Ellicott City -- maybe try Rumor Mill or the Portalli's patio, definitely hit up a "Second Sunday" where you can eat and shop outside.
• Get out to the beer spots.  Columbia Alehouse, Frisco Tap House, T-Bonz, Kloby's Smokehouse, Victoria Gastro Pub and other places are trying to do great beer with great food, and they're worth checking out.
• Cook more fish.  I need to try some whole fish at Today's Catch or Frank's Seafood.  Maybe do more with clams and squid from Lotte in Catonsville or Wegmans in Columbia.
• Get back and eat Riverside Coffee's bulgogi panini one more time.

Up Tuesday:  The Best Restaurants In Howard County.  Up Wednesday:  Food Experiences In Howard County.  If you can't wait, check out the "Best Of" posts going back to 2009.

Food Finds: Best Cooking Ingredients 2012

Mini-cheeses from Roots

Wegmans has come to Columbia and changed the scene.  You could make 1000 meals shopping just among the breads, cheeses, meats, and prepared food, and I have written about our fun there.  But great shopping remains spread across Howard County, and you can find wonderful food at ethnic, organic and other markets from Highland to Ellicott City.

Earlier this fall, I wrote about the revolution of great bread in Howard County.  That's my top story for 2012.  But there are so many great ideas that I can still suggest almost everything from the 2010 and 2011 lists -- while offering up these 10 beauties that you can grab and bring home.  

• Make a cheese plate from the salad bar at Roots.  The cheese mongers at the Clarksville store sell small chunks of high-end selections at the salad bar.  One is a treat.  Three is a cheese plate.
• Indulge in a box of macarons at Linda's Bakery in Columbia. The newest bakery has improved its recipe, and the French pastries are light and fruity.

Food Experiences: Best of Howard County 2012

Challah from Bon Fresco and Great Harvest

HowChow is more about food than restaurants, so it always feels more natural to recommend a list of cool experiences where you can work food into a day.

On this list, I have tried to replace half the items between each list for 2009, 2010, and 2011.  But some stuff just must be repeated -- like Larriland's pick-your-own.  

The Breadery's croissant

• Pick fruit at Larriland Farms in Woodbine.  You can't get better food than peaches and berries from the fields.   Go for the fruit and vegetables.  Go on a date.  Go with your kids.  Go to fill up for canning.  Just go to get outside.  Picnic option:  Pick up barbecue at the Town Grill on your way.
• Go try Korean food.  Howard County's unique cuisine is the Korean options along Rte 40.  You can get everything from barbecue to soup to tofu.  Read an overview post.  Start Korean 101 with bi bim bop and barbecue.  Or just scan the posts about Shin Chon Garden.  
• Challah from Bon Fresco.  Bring home a soft eggy loaf for your Friday dinner or your weekend French toast.

News 2012: Wegmans, What Did It Mean?

Cheese, glorious cheese!

The funniest food moment of 2012 was realizing that Mrs. HowChow was slightly disappointed as she walked around a supermarket.

Wegmans opened in Columbia, and it changed the scope of food in Howard County.  But, in my house, Wegmans did the impossible and turned Mrs. HowChow into someone excited to grocery shop.  What did it?  Variety, flavor, and samples, samples, samples.

Until this year, food was my job.  I cooked, so I shopped.  But then Wegmans arrived and started hitting on my wife.  Across the store, they'd scatter people with pickup lines like "Do you want to taste the mozzarella?"  Mrs. HowChow drove there alone for yogurt, and she came home with three loaves of bread, two cheeses, and a 12-inch apple pie.

That's why she actually felt disappointed when we shopped late on a Sunday night.  At 9 pm, they're restocking and cleaning up.  No crowds, but no samples.  No one offers to pair a slice of apple cider bread with the perfect soft brie.  Mrs. HowChow arrived in great spirits, but slowly deflated when she realized that she was just walking around a grocery store.

Of course, Wegmans is the big news of 2012 because it's more than a grocery store.  Detractors complain about price or size or employee pay, but no one can deny that the right half of the store is a revelation -- breads, bakery, prepared food, seafood, deli, cheeses and produce.  The food is delicious.  The offerings are vast and seasonal.  The people want to help.

Restaurants: Best of Howard County 2012

Maiwand Kabob's gyro

I have been eating in and around Howard County for seven years, and I can assure anyone that they can eat well even in the suburbs.

What's going to be your favorite?  Well, that I can't predict.  Tastes differ.  Restaurants change.  We have beaten down the stupid lines about how everyone in Columbia eats at chain restaurants, but we haven't reached some boring consensus about the best places to eat.

This is my "Best Of" list.  These are places where I'd tell you to start if you want something delicious.  Earlier this year, I literally wrote "where to go" advice for someone just moving to Howard County.  This post is more of an annual writing exercise where I think about new stuff I have found and try to spark a little conversation from other folks eating their way along.

I don't know if your best restaurants are on my list.  That's why you can write comments!  Tell me the three places that you would recommend to someone who just started eating in Howard County.

Food Finds: Best Cooking Ingredients 2011

Estrellita Market

When you want to make great food at home, Howard County offers you way more than the standard supermarkets.  Until Wegmans opens in 2012 (or the Whole Foods comes in my dreams), you'll need to cobble together good cooking at ethnic, organic and other markets.

The 2010 list was pretty good.  So I scrapped all of those and offer 10 new simple things:  

Frank's Seafood

• Make a dessert plate with a box of good cookies jazzed up with the candied fruit from Estrellita Market in Elkridge.
• Stock up on bulk coffee at Sidamo in Fulton.  They roast delicious coffee (and make great sandwiches that they should advertise more).
• Grab smoked trout at the Town Grill in Lisbon.  (Last year, I pushed the smoked salmon.)  It's a great stop on the way to or from Larriland Farms.  Grab the house-smoked salmon and use it for pasta or other recipes.
• Pick a skirt steak at Laurel Meat Market.  You also can't beat the ground chuck.  Ideal for hamburgers, the ground chuck would also work wonderfully for meat balls or pasta sauces.  This is real meat, ground in the shop.  The only kind that I want to eat these days.
• Grill some oysters from Frank's Seafood in Jessup.  They'll sell you delicious bivalves, along with the oyster knife and Kelchner's cocktail sauce.
• Grab the guacamole at Roots Market.  It's second to Mrs. HowChow's recipe with the chipotles, but Roots makes fresh dip that makes an easy dinner.
• Sweeten your vegetable buying by also picking up a bottle of Gorman Farm's honey.  The bees work the fields, then their honey ends up in the stand with the tomatoes, peppers, greens and other produce.
• Purchase a turkey from Maple Lawn in Fulton.  Go beyond a Thanksgiving beast and consider buying their smoked turkey, ground turkey or their dark-meat "saddles" for stock.
• Start checking out the Asian grocery stores like H Mart and Lotte.  An easy start: the udon, soba and somen noodles that could make a dish right out of your pantry.
• Spice up your cooking by driving to Penzeys in Rockville.  That's a run from Howard County, but you can buy so many different spices and mixes.  It's an inspiration to spend $30 on small packages and throw away all those dried out herbs that have lived for yours in your drawer.

This week, I'm posting a series of "best of" posts starting with best restaurants and best food experiences.  Then some posts about finds at stores -- the best grab and go items and the best ingredients for cooks.  You can click for all the "best of" posts.

Food Experiences: Best of Howard County 2011

Laurel Tavern Donuts

Most of my favorite food doesn't reduce to my list of the best restaurants in Howard County -- even after I supplemented with a second list of food finds at special groceries.

So, like in 2009,  I'm taking Elizabeth Large's inspiration for a list of "great experiences" to create a separate list of ways that you can enjoy great food in Howard County. I arbitrary replaced half the items the 2010 list (and almost everything from the 2009 list).  Please add comments with your favorite Howard County food experiences -- places to shop, places to eat, etc.

• Pack a picnic, then eat a peach right off the tree at Larriland Farm in Woodbine. From berries in early summer through apples and pumpkins in fall, nothing beats the flavor of the first peach that we split driving away from the farm stand.  Picnic option: fried chicken from Harvest Fried Chicken in Woodbine.
• Buy a hot pretzel, then walk around the Dutch Country Farmers Market in Laurel. Start with a hot pretzel, then circle the relocated market to check out Amish salads, butchers, candies, baked goods, etc.
• Pair a cookbook from the Howard County library with a market that you would like to try.  Steven Raichlen's grilling cookbook has options for almost any cuisine.  Or try a Rick Bayless book with Lily's Mexican Market.
• Shop along U.S. 1 on the Jessup/Elkridge line.  Tacos and agua fresca at R&R Taqueria.  Stop at Mom's Organic Market.  Maybe buy fish or oysters at Frank's Seafood.  Then grab a goat milk lollipop at El Patio for the ride home.
• Stop for a milkshake at the Duchess.  The Ellicott City spot makes thick shakes from ice cream.  It's the ultimate local spot and everything you'd want in a treat.
• Try ground lamb at one of the local halal butchers like Nazar Market. They'll grind it for you, and you can make delicious kabobs.  Start with Steven Raichlen's recipe.
• Run a fried chicken taste test.  American at Harvest Fried Chicken.  Import at the Mad for Chicken franchise inside Tian Chinese Cuisine in Ellicott City.
• Go try Ethiopian food at Soretti's Ethiopian in Burtonsville -- start with sambusas, which are like samosas, and one of the meat or vegetarian mixes.

Restaurants: Best of Howard County 2011

Grace Garden

The best restaurants are the ones that make you happy -- the places that you want to return for your old favorites or for new discoveries.

So this is my best restaurants.  I can guarantee that you can get great food in (or just outside) Howard County.  These are the places that I'd tell you to start if you want something delicious.  

Frankly, I don't eat out enough to change my "best" list that often.  I'm always finding new "favorite things."  So this is a post to spark a little conversation and to help people start out when they find HowChow for the first time.

I don't know if your best restaurants are on my list.  That's why you can write comments!  Tell me the three places that you would recommend to someone who just moved to Howard County.

Crisis Question: Where Is The Best Takeout 2011? My Week-Long List Without Pizza Or Chinese

Where do you get the best takeout in Howard County?  It is a crisis question for Lyss who posted that she is renovating her kitchen and can't cook at all.  Below is a week of suggestions, not religiously the best but certainly a delicious week:

• Indian at House of India or Mango Grove both in Columbia -- mango lassi, naan, baighan bartha and either a chicken curry (at HoI) or dal makhani (at MG).  You could easily add a dish or two and eat a second day.  If you have a toaster or oven, consider frozen naan from one of the Indian markets.  
• Sandwiches from Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery in Columbia.  I love the Capri or the hot corned beef.  I have also asked them to personalize the turkey by garnishing it with roasted vegetables and tapanade.

Food Finds: Best Cooking Ingredients 2010

When you want to make great food at home, Howard County offers you way more than the standard supermarkets.  You have no Whole Foods, but there are ethnic and organic markets where you cobble together some good cooking.

I wrote a series of 2009 posts about shopping, including Asian supermarkets, ethnic markets and organic stores, and I wrote a week-long review of Steven Raichlen's grilling cookbook with explanations about where to buy his international ingredients.  Today's list is just 10 simple things:

• Orange blossom water at one of the Middle Eastern groceries.  Buy a small bottle and make a flavored lemonade.
• Smoked salmon at the Town Grill in Lisbon.  It's a great stop on the way to or from Larriland Farms.  Grab the house-smoked salmon and use it for pasta or other recipes.
• Kabob skewers at Pars Market in Columbia.  Pars sells the flat skewers that work perfectly with ground-meat kabobs.  Perfect for lamb kabobs, especially now that you can buy ground lamb either at Pars or at the Nazar Market just up Snowden River Parkway.
• Ground chuck at Laurel Meat Market.  Ideal for hamburgers, the ground chuck would also work wonderfully for meat balls or pasta sauces.  This is real meat, ground in the shop.  The only kind that I want to eat these days.
• The scallops at Today's Catch in Columbia.  The fish market sells the scallops that haven't been injected with saline.  They're not cheap, but they infalliably sweet and need nothing more than a little butter to saute.
• Cheese at Roots  in Clarksville and Mom's in Jessup.  When I wrote about cheese, Roots was the best selection.  Now, Mom's has expanded and added more cheese.
• Fish and crabs at Frank's Seafood in Jessup or fish at H Mart in Catonsville.  Pick your own.  Have them cleaned and cut.  Get out of the salmon filet rut.
• Fresh tortillas at Lily's Mexican Market in Columbia. They make them there, and you can check the shelves while you're there.  Peruvian yellow peppers.  Cactus for tacos.  A full butcher.
• The most-local fruits and vegetables.  Pick your own at Larriland Farm in Woodbine, especially my favorite peaches and apples.  Or shop the stand at the Gorman Produce Farm in Laurel.
• One stop trip around the world at the Super Grand in Laurel.  It's Korean-run like Lotte or the H Mart, but it is aimed at broader with entire aisles of Mexican, Indian, Jamaican, African, and Asian food.

This week, I'm posting a series of "best of" posts starting with best restaurants and best food experiences.  Then some posts about finds at stores -- the best grab and go items and the best ingredients for cooks.  You can click for all the "best of posts" going back.  

If you're looking for more, check out two prior series of posts -- a "tour of Howard County" describing restaurants and markets in specific areas or my guide to what I've learned about Howard County from "best Chinese" and "best takeout" to "best BBQ" and "best burgers."

Food Finds: Best Grab And Go Items 2010

Good food can be absolutely simple.  So simple that you just grab it and go.  No cooking.  No recipes.  These are your excuses to go try some new places -- candy in Elkridge, coffee in Fulton, crab cakes in Highland.  You can't go wrong picking up any of these items, and they're the easiest way to introduce yourself to new places.

• Pistachio nougat at Caezar's in Elkridge or Caspian Market in Ellicott City.  Nothing has been a better find that the Fard brand nougat that mixes rose water and pistachio for a perfect dessert.  Be brand loyal.
• The house roasted coffees at Sidamo Coffee & Tea in Fulton.  Sidamo's coffee are full of flavor, but never bitter.  I rotate between the Ethiopian varieties, buying whole beans and grinding them at home.
• Michelle's Granola at any of the organic markets.  This Baltimore brand has become Mrs. HowChow's breakfast with some Greek yogurt and honey.
• Alfajores cookies at Chick'N Pollo in Columbia.  The Peruvian cookies are filled with caramel, and they're a great dessert if you stop for some roasted chicken.
• Empanadas at El Patio Market in Jessup.  Argentinian savory pastries.  Served hot, they're a great snack or lunch.  Buy a bag-ful, and you could serve them as appetizers or along with drinks.
• DeDe Basil Seed Soda at the Columbia Halal Meat in Elkridge.  It's the craziest soft drink that I have ever seen, but it actually tastes tame.  Honey, a slightly odd texture like tapioca.
• House Wine at i.m. Wine in Fulton.  The Washington State wine has become a Mrs. HowChow favorite.  (Although I have to admit they were talking about discontinuing the brand on my last visit.)
• Popped rice bowls at the H Mart in Catonsville.  H Mart is a priceless place for all kinds of food, but the popped rice bowls are a simple way to grab something unique and easy.
• Crab cakes at Boarman's Market in Highland.  Okay.  So this takes a few minutes of cooking, but you literally just toss the cakes into your broiler.  While you're there, check out the sausages.
• Opera cake -- or really any pastry or bread -- at Bonaparte Bakery in Savage.  These are formal pastries, the kind that you could serve at the fanciest dinner party or grab for a decadent, romantic treat.

This week, I'm posting a series of "best of" posts starting with best restaurants and best food experiences.  Then some posts about finds at stores -- the best grab and go items and the best ingredients for cooks.  You can click for all the "best of posts" going back.  

If you're looking for more, check out two prior series of posts -- a "tour of Howard County" describing restaurants and markets in specific areas or my guide to what I've learned about Howard County from "best Chinese" and "best takeout" to "best BBQ" and "best burgers."

Food Experiences: Best of Howard County 2010

Most of my favorite food doesn't reduce to my list of the best restaurants in Howard County -- even after I supplemented with a second list of food finds at special groceries.

So, like in 2009,  I'm taking Elizabeth Large's inspiration for a list of "great experiences" to create a separate list of ways that you can enjoy great food in Howard County. I arbitrary replaced half the items from the 2009 list.  Please add comments with your favorite Howard County food experiences -- places to shop, places to eat, etc.

• Eat a peach right off the tree at Larriland Farm in Woodbine. From berries in early summer through apples and pumpkins in fall, nothing beats the flavor of the first peach that we split driving away from the farm stand.
• Try ground lamb at one of the local halal butchers like Nazar Market. They'll grind it for you, and you can make delicious kabobs.  Start with Steven Raichlen's recipe.
• Dim sum at Red Pearl or Asian Court.  Both joints do weekday dim sum from a menu, but take a group for weekend brunch when you can pick from a card and sample both the standards like shumai or steamed buns along with exotic items like chicken feet and savory cakes.
• Reserve a private room at Sushi King in Columbia. The private rooms are really walled-in tables for four to six. Romantic or impressive, but also surprisingly useful to keeping a toddler confined during a meal.
• Sample craft beers and spicy burritos at Frisco Grill in Columbia.  If I drank more, I would spend more time at the bar sampling the best beers and eating the Southwest cuisine.  Frisco is moving soon to a new place and changing its name to Frisco Tap Room.
• Grill your own meats at Shin Chon Garden in Ellicott City. Korean restaurants serve some of Howard County's best food, and Shin Chon is pretty, welcoming to beginners or immigrants, and fully-outfitted with grilling tables. Go with a group so you can try several meats.
• Eat ribs on the side of U.S. 1.  If Lonely Planet wrote about Howard County, there would be European tourists eating our street food on summer weekends along Savage and Jessup -- like the flanken ribs being sold this summer in Savage.
• Buy a hot pretzel, then walk around the Dutch Country Farmers Market in Laurel. Start with a hot pretzel, then circle the relocated market to check out Amish salads, butchers, candies, baked goods, etc.

• Treat yourself to a sweet at Touche Touchet bakery in Columbia.  Easy to reach from Rte 29.  Start small with a cupcake.  Build up to a tart or a cake.
• Buy authentic Mexican ingredients at Lily's Mexican Market in Columbia.  Start with shepherd's tacos from Steve Raichlen's cookbook or anything from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday.  Lily's has all the spices, the canned peppers, even fresh cactus.  And Lily's makes fresh corn tortillas.
• Grilled kabobs, naan and Italian ice on a summer night at Maiwand Kabob and Rita's in Columbia.  Harper's Choice Village Center is the spot for a perfect casual dinner.
• Fried chicken and frozen yogurt on a summer night (or any season) at Rainpia and Tutti Fruitti in Ellicott City.  Korean fried chicken is a spicy treat, and Tutti Frutti seems the leader among all the tart yogurt spots on Rte 40.
• Pho on a winter night at An Loi or Pho Daht Trahn in Columbia. People complain that both of Columbia's Vietnamese restaurants have gone downhill, but the noodle soup makes for a warm, full night (and is great takeout) -- even though it's traditionally a breakfast in Hanoi.
• Buy your vegetables right off the farm at the Gorman Produce Farm in Laurel. The Likers run a CSA and a seasonal farm stand on Gorman Road just east of Rte 29. Expect nature. People have correctly pointed out that every selection isn't mind-blowing, but the Likers improved throughout 2010.
• Sample beer and a burger at Victoria Gastropub in Columbia. Five half-pours and the best burger in Howard County. Even better if you can enjoy the "parking lot cafe" and eat watching your car.
• Shop for kitchenware in the Hanoori Home Mart.  The Asian kitchen store near the H Mart sells decorate items like tea cups and chop sticks, along with knives, steamers, bento boxes, and rolling pins that you won't see a Williams Sonoma.  You can buy all the supplies that you'd need for Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumplings recipes.
• Take your meat-eating father-in-law to Mirchi Wok in Columbia. This is the vegetarian's trick. Sit in Mirchi Wok, and the meat-lovers in your life can order Indian or Chinese-Indian fusions. But you can order off the menu from vegetarian Mango Grove next door. No fuss, no conflict. (Eventually, they'll be enlightened enough to respect the food at Great Sage in Clarksville.)

What would you add?

This week, I'm posting a series of "best of" posts starting with best restaurants and best food experiences.  Then some posts about finds at stores -- the best grab and go items and the best ingredients for cooks.  You can click for all the "best of posts" going back.  

If you're looking for more, check out two prior series of posts -- a "tour of Howard County" describing restaurants and markets in specific areas or my guide to what I've learned about Howard County from "best Chinese" and "best takeout" to "best BBQ" and "best burgers."

Restaurants: Best of Howard County 2010

Best restaurants in Columbia or Ellicott City? The spirit of HowChow is that the great fun is finding your own favorites, but my annual post aims to offer starting points. This is my favorites right now, my "Best of Howard County 2010." 

This is an update from my July 2008 post and my October 2009 post about the best restaurants. I'm sure that it differs from yours, and I would love comments listing your top restaurants or "favorite dishes" -- especially if you'll tell people why you pick them.

My lists change all the time. I'm staking this list to spark a little conversation and as a starting point for people checking out HowChow for the first time. Later this week, I'll follow up with a list of great food experiences and great shopping finds to supplement these.

A Few Of My (Current) Favorite Things:

I love great food, and great items appear at some places that aren't great restaurants. For example, R&R Taqueria is a takeout joint, but you can't beat lunch at the counter overlooking the gas pumps.  I arbitrarily forced myself not to repeat anything from my 2009 list.

• Tacos and lamb soup at R&R Taqueria in Jessup.
• Authentic Szechuan dishes at Red Pearl in Columbia
• Pizza at Facci in Laurel, just off Rte 29 at Johns Hopkins Road
• Corned beef on marbled rye at New York Deli in Columbia
• Fried chicken at Rainpia in Ellicott City
• Fried yucca at Pollo Fuego in Jessup
• Barbecue - especially the weekend ribs -- at Town Grill in Lisbon
• Cuban sandwich at Cuba de Ayer in Burtonsville
• Steamed pork buns at Asian Court in Ellicott City
• Pork belly and kalbi with the hip crowd at Honey Pig in Ellicott City

My Top Restaurants in Howard County:

Not claiming to be "The Ten Best." This is an alphabetical array of recommendations to anyone moving to Howard County. My list tilts to flavorful and affordable, and it changes over time.  Plus, it omits places like Tersiguel's and Aida Bistro that I haven't tried recently enough to post about.

• Bistro Blanc in Glenelg for imaginative, upscale American food (that exceeded even the worst in service) 
• Bon Fresco in Columbia for sandwiches -- and for takeout bread
• Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia for tapas and wine
• Grace Garden in Odenton for authentic Chinese -- with Mrs. HowChow still voting for Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro in Columbia, especially if you can get it delivered
• House of India in Columbia for northern Indian
• Maiwand Kabob in Columbia for Afghan 
• Mango Grove in Columbia for southern Indian
• Shin Chon Garden in Ellicott City for Korean
• Sushi Sono in Columbia for sushi
• and a spot for a 10th place, which I haven't settled on yet

Others that make the list: Facci in Laurel for pizza and the house-made pasta, Aida Bistro in Columbia for superb Italian food and wine, Victoria Gastropub in Columbia especially for burgers,  Bethany Seafood Restaurant in Ellicott City for Korean, and Sushi King in Columbia for sushi, especially in the private rooms.

Five Places On My List To Try:

My favorite part of HowChow is that it is my excuse to try new places. These are joints on my list to try for the first time or to try again so that I could post:

• Tersiguels in Ellicott City for French
• Aida Bistro in Columbia for Italian
• Tian Chinese Cuisine or HanJoonKwan in Ellicott City for Korean Chinese food
• Second Chance Saloon in Columbia for Old Bay wings
• Pure Wine Cafe in Ellicott City for small plates

This week, I'm posting a series of "best of" posts starting with best restaurants and best food experiences.  Then some posts about finds at stores -- the best grab and go items and the best ingredients for cooks.  You can click for all the "best of posts" going back.  


If you're looking for more, check out two prior series of posts -- a "tour of Howard County" describing restaurants and markets in specific areas or my guide to what I've learned about Howard County from "best Chinese" and "best takeout" to "best BBQ" and "best burgers."