Caribbean Food Truck Rolls Into Columbia

The food trucks keep coming to Howard County, and Rob spotted a new one (at least new to us) selling Caribbean food off Columbia Gateway Drive.

The Bennett 5 Star Grill sells lunch from 11 am to 3 pm, including Jamaican jerk chicken.  It joins mobile food spots selling Mexican barbecue in Columbia, Korean bulgogi and teriyaki in Jessup, and the taco trucks along U.S. 1 like Pupuseria Lorenita's in Elkridge.  Rob tried out Bennett and gave a report:

They specialize in Caribbean food, which makes me very happy. We do not have enough Caribbean represented in the HoCo.  I ordered the jerk chicken with mac & cheese and rice. It was fairly spicy, which I really like. I will definitely go back. 

The jerk chicken cost me $9.01. I'm noticing a trend here. Just like Pupuseria Las Delicias #2, they load you up at 5 Star. That styrofoam container was heavy, easily more than two pounds. You could take some hom for dinner. They did not skimp on the chicken either. Great flavors, great spice.

At Rob's suggestion, HowChow needs to add some new labels -- Trucks.  Long ago, I thought the taco trucks were unique, but we now you can get a handful of different cuisines from a roll-up restaurant.

Bennett 5 Star Grill

John McAdams Drive, just off Columbia Gateway Drive

Columbia, MD

301-325-3280

NEAR:  The truck is located on John McAdams Drive just off Columbia Gateway Drive.  If you are driving onto Columbia Gateway from Rte 175, go past Aida Bistro then turn left onto John McAdams Drive. The food truck will be immediately on the right. If driving from Robert Fulton Drive, turn right onto Columbia Gateway and follow the circle around until reaching John McAdams, then turn right.

Pink Ting at Super Grand (and Golden Krust)

If I had a summer drink, it would be some creation made with grapefruit soda.

Not with Fresca, but with Ting -- Jamaican brand that sells little bottles of soda that really tastes like grapefruit and sugar.  I bought the regular flavor of Ting at the Golden Krust Bakery in Catonsville.  I finally tried the pink grapefruit flavor when I was trolling at Super Grand in Laurel.  I'd swear that it tastes like I remember pink grapefruits -- a little sweeter, a little less acidic.

Pink Ting mixed with vodka?  That seemed nice for a warm evening.  Wikipedia says that Ting with citrus vodka is called a "Ving."  It also says that people mix with lime rum for a "Ting 'n Sting."  Those should be inspiration enough for you to troll at Golden Krust where you could get beef patties (although the patties don't get the best reviews) or at the Super Grand where you can get almost anything.

Super Grand stands out among the Asian markets for its broad selection.  H Mart in Catonsville still excels for fish and produce, but Super Grand has way more non-Asian items.  That means regular American brands plus products from Mexico, India, Jamaica and West Africa.  Ting sits in an aisle where you can get Ghanaian staples that I'm still figuring out.  I also notice that Super Grand's workforce lacks the hard distinctions that you see at other stores -- only Latino guys working produce, only Asian women on the cash registers, only Asian men in management.  People mix more at Super Grand, and they have been keyed to customer service.  Whereas Lotte's produce workers range from nervous (the Mexican kids) to brusque (the Korean managers), I have had a Latino Super Grand employee walk me across the store to explain in English where I could find Japanese noodles.  That global shopping, and it's a welcoming, friendly vibe.

Jamaican Beef Patties at Golden Krust

There is an interesting problem when you try to write about a food that you don't really know how to cook.

Jamaican beef patties.  I discovered them at the Golden Krust bakery in Catonsville, and I thought they were pretty good.  It's cheap snack food -- a dry crust wrapped around a meat filling.  I liked the beef more than the chicken version, and since I have never had them before, I was sort of struck by the dry, unusual crust.

So was Kevin of the Kevin & Ann Eat Everything blog -- who clearly knows that the crust shouldn't be that dry.  He excoriated Golden Krust in a review that I found earlier this month when I was thinking about this post:  "gum shredding shards" and a "crust that wasn't even that golden."  These haven't been a common snack, mostly because Golden Krust is in the shopping center with the H Mart where I often find something that I want to eat.  But now, I wonder if I need to go sample beef patties elsewhere before I go back here.

Aunt Susan's Kitchen in Laurel

Jamaican patties intrigue me -- a minced, sometimes spicy filling wrapped by a dry, flaky dough that stands out from the other turnovers that I love.

Empanadas and samosas are truly fried pastries.  Knishes are baked, but still with a thick dough.  Jamaican patties come out flaky even crisp on the outside, and they're a delicious snack at Aunt Susan's Kitchen in Laurel.

Aunt Susan's Kitchen offers the closest Jamaican takeout for Howard County, along with American comfort foods and a few vegetarian dishes that trend Indian.  There are a few tables to eat there, but most people seem to come in for carry out like jerk

 chicken, fried fish, oxtail stew, or curries.  The entrees comes with side dishes that range from greens to rice, green beens to macaroni salad.

On my last trip, I tried goat.  Not something I cook at home, and the meat came out tender and flavorful.  The curry is spicy and balanced nicely with sauteed cabbage and the collard greens. I ate a huge dinner and still had enough to carry for lunch the next day.  For me, Aunt Susan's is worth the drive for something unusual like the patties or the oxtail stew that I'll try on my next visit.  But I watched several people walk out with real basics like fried fish.  You can get the full meal or a fish sandwich on coco bread.

(Update:  Check out the comments where Jeremey and Bets each recommend other Jamaican places in Laurel -- Island Flavors and Red Snappaz.  I'm adding them both to my list.)

If you want Jamaican takeout but live north of Columbia, consider Golden Krust in Catonsville.  The takeout in the same shopping center as the H Mart serves up nice patties, other takeout and even Jamaican-style ice cream.

Aunt Susan's Kitchen

15101 Baltimore Avenue, Ste 111

Laurel, MD 20707

301-362-4201

NEAR: Aunt Susan's Kitchen is just east of U.S. 1 near the intersection with Rte 198. It faces onto Rte 198, although you can only reach it from the north-bound lanes of U.S.1. From Howard County, you need to take U.S. 1 south past the Five Guys, then U-turn back onto north-bound U.S. 1 and turn into the last parking lot before the Rte 198 intersection. Turn left on a little access road parallel to U.S. 1, and Aunt Jenny's is on the corner of a shopping center that also includes Indian groceries at Eastern Bazar.

Golden Krust: Jamaican in Catonsville

You can't fit a much better meal in your hand than a Jamaican patty from the Golden Krust Bakery in Catonsville.

Pastry wrapped around a meat or vegetable filling is a universal treat -- the empanada, the knish, etc. Jamaicans made it their own with spicy meat fillings, including the ubiquitous "jerk" seasonings, and Golden Krust serves them up warm and delicious from a takeout location on Rte 40 near the Super H grocery store.

The Golden Krust patties are spectacular because they aren't greasy. The pastry is flaky, almost dry. The fillings are flavorful, but spiced more with the discretion of mild Indian food than with the blazing heavy hand of kimchi or jalepenos. The pastries run $1.65 to $2.30 each, so you can explore from the spicy ground beef to the curry chicken to the jerk chicken. That was my journey, and I have to admit that three patties was too much for a single lunch. I got too full, and Mrs. HowChow finished off the last patty when I re-heated them at home. Pair up the pastries with some grapefruit-flavored Ting soda or some Jamaican-style ice cream.

Golden Krust also offers vegetarian versions -- one with steamed vegetables and another with whole-wheat pastry and a soy filling. It also sells "cocktail" patties by the dozen if you order in advance. Those would star as party finger food.

From the menu, Golden Krust appears to be a New York-based chain. Beyond the patties, they sell full takeout meals, including jerk chicken, curried goat, braised oxtail and fried fish. The guy in front of me carried out an entire tray that smelled delicious. Golden Krust also sells baked goods, which I will sample next time. Gizzarda -- baked pastry shells will with ginger-flavored, grated coconut! Bulla Cakes -- ginger cakes to serve with cheese, butter or just coffee. Those sound like fun.

If you like patties, you should also try the empanadas at El Patio Market in Jessup. If you want to know more about Golden Krust, check out the Baltimore Snacker post about trying a chicken special.

If you drive to the Golden Krust, you should also check out the Super H grocery store next door -- my favorite place for food, but also an easy place to pick of stuff even if you don't cook. If you are looking for Jamaican products, check out Julie's International Market in Elkridge.

To reach Catonsville off Rte 40 from HoCo, you probably will pass the Lotte Plaza shopping center at Rte 29 with both the Lotte grocery store and the Shin Chon Korean restaurant. Both are worth visits. You'll also pass Tere's Mexican Market on Rte 40.

Golden Krust Bakery

838 N. Rolling Road

Catonsville, MD 21228

410-719-2788

NEAR: This is in the same shopping center as the Super H grocery store. It is on Rte 40 just west of I-695. If you are driving east on Rte 40 from HoCo, you'll see a Starbucks and a FedEx at the end of the shopping center. Turn right immediately after the Starbucks. If you miss it, just turn right at the next intersection.