Second Bon Chon Chicken Coming to Arundel Mill

A new Bon Chon is coming to Arundel Mills with the Korean fried chicken fun that you already get at their Ellicott City location.

Josiah stopped the "coming soon" sign in a stand-alone building across from the Arundel Mills mall.  Neither of us knows the timeline, so I'd love to hear if anyone knows when the fryers go hot at this location.

Until then, check out all my posts about Bon Chon.  This is one of my favorite places.  The best fried chicken.  Some great Korean dishes, including the noodle dish chapchae.  But mostly, it's fun casual place where I've grabbed takeout, sat with Lil' Chow or chowed down with an entire group.  I can't recommend it enough.

Thanks Josiah.  Thanks to anyone else who could tell us a timeline for the new Bon Chon.

Blue Sand Seafood & Grill Brings A Seafood Riff To Korean Food On Rte 40: Raw, Grilled, Soup

Seafood dolset

As I'm getting better at understanding Korean food, I feel like the Korean food is getting better in Ellicott City.

The newest find:  Blue Sand Seafood and Grill, which opened in the back of the Bethany 40 shopping center and served a delicious dinner -- fresh, flavorful seafood that tasted authentic, but would also welcome folks looking to try Korean food.

Now, it's just one meal.  But I'm incredibly optimistic.  We had a kid-friendly noodle soup, grilled fish and a seafood rice bowl.  Everyone left happy, even though we hadn't touched the flashy stuff at the heart of the menu.

I say flashy stuff because the restaurant and the menu put the sushi bar and the enormous platters front and center.  We watched hand rolls go past us.  We saw enormous platters -- primarily of sashimi on the night that we visited, but ranging from broiled fish to shellfish to thin-sliced beef on the menu.

Grilled mackerel

We started simple.  Grilled mackerel, seaweed noodle soup, and a dolset seafood.  The dolset is a hot stone bowl filled with rice, vegetables, squid and a shrimp.  This is an ocean version of the dolset bi bim bap that I recommend in my Korean 101 post.

This was really good food.  Mackerel comes split and grilled.  The meat is firm and meaty.  The flavor a step stronger than salmon, but that keeps the meat moist even cooked through.  We pulled the backbone and the fish came off in chunks even with chop sticks.

We alternated with the seafood dolset.  I'm a huge fan of squid, and this was cooked perfectly, firm but not chewy.  Some greens, scallions and other vegetables made the bowl filling but light.  I added some of the spicy sauce served with the dolset, maybe a tablespoon too much for Mrs. HowChow.

In contrast, Blue Sand's seaweed soup was mild.  It was perfect for Lil' Chow, who loves soup, noodles and seaweed.  I'd recommend it, although I may stick him with miso next time and try the spicy seafood noodle soup myself.

I'd actually love advice on other things to order.  I have posted many times about Korean food, but I'm an amateur.  Can anyone leave a comment with suggestions for Blue Sand or for Korean seafood in general?  A group could have a ball ordering those platters or maybe filling a table with grilled fish, soup, a dolset and some sushi.  I also see that Blue Sands could be a spot for people with adventurous tastes like sea squirt and live sashimi.

But I'd recommend our three dishes even for someone just learning about Korean food.  Or consider swapping out the soup for a sushi order or hwae dup bap -- a rice and sashimi mixture that I posted about last year.  That's all accessible and obvious.  Plus, you'll get a good introduction, especially because the small dishes served with the meal -- called panchan -- were really good.  The cabbage kimchi had a crunchy and a warm, but not sour flavor.  The stuffed cucumber kimchi was crisp and refreshing, a terrific taste after some grilled mackerel.

"Push button" -- Lil' Chow

If you work near Rte 40, Blue Sand offers several lunch specials for $11-14, including bento boxes headlined by sashimi, sushi, kalbi and salmon.  Blue Sand replaced the Kimco Seafood restaurant, which I don't remember having as an interesting or as tasty a menu.

If you go to Blue Sands, look for the numbered button near your table.  Many are on the walls at Blue Sands, but they can be on the table at other restaurants.  When you want something, push the button.  Often, the staff in a Korean restaurant doesn't check back with a table.  They wait for a ring, then come to assist.

Don't seat your children next to the button.  Lil' Chow spent a significant part of our meal alternating between singing "ding dong, ding dong" and asking me to push the button.  I was just glad it was out of his reach.

Food Matters: Learning To Eat From A Toddler, Getting A Gift From This Blog And Jeff's Family

Every time that I feel the blog fizzling out under the weight of so much else to do, I remember that food matters -- even the humblest dishes.

Lil' Chow came from his foster family loving seaweed soup.  We knew that, but I couldn't make the soup.  I could buy seaweed.  I could put it in soup.  But Lil' Chow ate little and never seemed to be in love.

I learned from Jeff Givens' mother-in-law that I just had to make it right.

Jeff runs Southern Skies Coffee just over the county line in Finksburg.  We met through HowChow and have emailed for years. He flagged the French Twist Cafe in Sykesville.  But we probably had met only once or twice when Jeff volunteered late last year that his kids loved miyok guk -- seaweed soup -- and eat bowl after bowl cooked by his mother-in-law.  Then he hand-delivered frozen soup to our front door.  Twice.

Lil' Chow went nuts for Jeff's mother-in-law's soup.  This was real Korean soup.  Meat and seaweed in broth.  Lil' Chow had eaten mostly formula at his foster family's home, but he had an expert's hand to spoon rice into his soup and then scoop, scoop from the bowl into his mouth -- and onto his bib, shirt, pants, the floor and high chair.  It's the only vegetable that he seems to really want to eat.

That kept my hope alive until last month when Lil' Chow and I passed a woman sampling seaweed soup in the new H Mart in Ellicott City.  He drank three samples, then cried when I pushed the cart away.  I couldn't explain that I'd grabbed two bags of dried seaweed to cook the soup.

My payoff came the next night when I put down my seaweed soup.  Lil' Chow picked up his spoon and said "guk."  That's Korean for soup, and it's a word that he hadn't heard since October.  But it was there on his tongue.  Just waiting for someone to serve miyok guk and bring it out.

He still likes her soup more. 

I defrosted our final quart Monday because Lil' Chow was home with a fever.  I hyped him up by saying that we would "eat guk" for lunch.  "Eat," Lil' Chow said.  "Guk."  He ate rice and miyok guk.  So did I.  It's my first food introduced by Lil' Chow.  I'd eaten exceptional Korean soups at joints like Lighthouse Tofu in Ellicott City and Hang Ari in Catonsville, but not this homestyle soup thick with the reconstituted seaweed and the tastes of sesame oil and thin-sliced meat.  We ate quietly at lunch.  It was the only time of our nap-less day that Lil' Chow was quiet.  He used two spoons to accelerate his pace.

And I was grateful for this blog, which connected me to Jeff and his mother-in-law and to miyok guk.  A little food that matters.


So far, the other food that matters: Frozen waffles.  I'm a short-order cook in the morning.  I make pancakes.  I offer cereals, fruits, eggs.  But Lil' Chow's eyes open widest for frozen waffles with syrup.

Tous les Jours Opens On Rte 40; A Top-Notch Bakery And Coffee Shop Mixing France And Korea

Excellent croissant and red bean donut

It's thanks to Lil' Chow that I can tell you that the new Tous les Jours looks and taste just like the top-end coffee shops in Korea.

Of course, Mrs. HowChow and I saw Seoul's coffee shops last year when we went to meet and then bring home our boisterous toddler.  But it was this morning's daycare closing that got me into Tous les Jours for opening day.

And it's worth getting in there even if you've never been to Korea.  This is a terrific coffee shop -- heavy on caffeine and sweet pastries rounded off with croissants, a few sandwiches, smoothies and bing soo.  Clean, modern design.  Big spaces with tables and easy chairs.

Lil's Chow and I split a croissant and a red bean donut.  I drank the espresso on my own.  These were delicious pastries -- as were the other samples that the Tous folks pressed on us.  A light, flaky croissant with a crisp outer shell that reminds me of jet lag in Seoul.  One of the best red bean donuts that I have ever had -- and I've been posting about them for six years.  Lighter and fresher than most local bakeries with a perfect scattering of sugar on top.

The Korean bakeries have really expanded along Rte 40.  First, La Boulangerie in Ellicott City.  Then Bon Appetit and Shilla.  Now, chains actually from Korea seem to be coming -- Caffe Benne that will open next to Soft Stuff and Tous les Jours.  The Tous is on the north side of Rte 40 west of Rte 29 in the shopping center with a Boston Market and Lighthouse Tofu.

You should definitely check out Tous les Jours  this weekend.  It's classy and delicious enough for adults to lounge, but the pastries are kid-friendly enough that you could break your cabin fever by letting your youngsters sugar up.  You could go for lunch or grab dessert after dinner at Lighthouse or fried chicken at Bon Chon.  Folks have wondered how Rte 40 can support all these coffee shops, but I have to say that Tous les Jours tops my list now -- exceptional food and a really nice space.

If you're interested in the Korean coffee shops, I absolutely recommend checking them out.  Pastries, drinks and desserts are a few dollars each.  Right now, Shilla and Tous Les Jours are my favorites, but you can read all the posts about Korean bakeries.

If you go to Tous les Jours, look in the corner for the display of trays and tongs.  Again, that's right out of Seoul coffee shops.  Pick up a set and select what you want from the pastry displays.  Then take them to the register to be boxed or carried to a table.  I love the modern trays.  I'd buy some for our house.

Hat tip to Min who saw an opening day advertisement in a Chinese newspaper.  That's how I knew that Lil Chow and I could check it out.  The Purim parade was postponed again today because someone fed our daycare stories of ice and snow.  Since Lil Chow couldn't have hamantashan, it seemed only fair to get him out of the house and feed him red bean donut.

Tous les Jours
9338 Baltimore National Pike (Rte 40)
Ellicott City, MD

NEAR: Tous les Jours is in a shopping center with Boston Market and Lighthouse Tofu on Rte 40 in Ellicott City.  It's on the north side of the road west of Rte 29.  Coming from Rte 29, you'll see signs for Asian Court, a Chinese restaurant with excellent dim sum.  Then watch for Tous on the right.  It is in the "back" of the shopping center so its windows look parallel to Rte 40, not onto the road.

Da Rae Won Black Bean Noodles And Lollipop Chicken; The Best Fuel For Ikea Shopping

"Lollipop" chicken wings at Da Rae Won

For a Korean food deep cut -- or just a great way to jazz up a trip to Ikea -- we recommend Da Rae Won in Beltsville.

This is Korea's Chinese food.  No more authentically Chinese than General Tso's chicken, but just as tasty. 

You can get black bean noodles, sweet-and-sour pork and other Korean-Chinese dishes at Tian Chinese Cuisine or Hanjoongkwan in Ellicott City.  But the noodles -- called jajangmyeun -- may be a touch more delicious at Da Rae Won.  Just a little most-complex flavor in the black bean sauce and an even-more-toothsome noodle.  Some Korean friends have definitely said Beltsville has the best.

From Howard County, the real beauty of Da Rae Won is that it is on the way to and from Ikea in College Park.  Look for directions, and you'll see you get to Da Rae Won from Rte 212, then shoot down U.S. 1 to the Swedish home store.  We ate lunch on the way home earlier this month, and I promise that it's better than anything you'll get in Ikea's meatball shop.

Personally, I suggest jajangmyeun and an order of the chicken wings -- sliced into lollipops and then fried with a slightly-spicy sauce.  They're different from the crunchy crisp of Bon Chon's chicken, but they might be just as delicious.  We have also had the sweet-and-sour pork, which a friend has compared to the deep-fried morsels of fried clams.  It's traditional and good, but heavy enough that I prefer the chicken unless I'm with a crowd and can order a bunch of dishes.

On our next trip, I want to try the spicy seafood soup. They use the same noodles in the soup, and people have recommended it as delicious and terrific for winter.

Da Rae Won is really casual.  It's the corner store in a shopping center just off U.S. 1.  Parking can be tight, but the place opens into a good-sized restaurant.  You can hear the bang-bang-bang of the noodles being made in the kitchen.  That's the gold standard for jajangmyeun.  If you're into  Korean food, this is worth driving to check out.  And if you're going to Ikea, this can turn your chore into some fun.

Da Rae Won
5013 Garrett Ave
Beltsville, MD 20705
(301) 931-7878 

NEAR:  This is just off U.S. 1 in Beltsville.  Garrett Avenue intersects with U.S. 1, and Da Rae Won is in the back corner of a shopping center that also has another Korean restaurant.  On-line maps often send me from Howard County to Ikea through a back way using Rte 212 (Powder Mill Road) and Odell Road.  That actually takes you with a few blocks of Da Rae Won.  So you can just go for the great food, then head from Da Rae Won to Ikea by just turning  south on U.S. 1 and watching for the store on your right.

Two Kinds Of Hand-Made Noodles In Catonsville; Or "Pair Your Clam Soup With Clam Pancakes"

Hang Ari's clam soup

I have raved before, and I will rave again:  Something terrific is going on at Hanoori Town in Catonsville.

The three restaurants have been revamped in the Hanoori Town section of the H Mart's shopping center.  Hang Ari's hand-cut noodles are the shiny new star.  Imported from Los Angeles.  Unique in the area as far as I know.

But they're not the only hand-made noodles in town.  Chan Mat -- the restaurant in the back -- appears to have chef Chang Yon Huh banging out the noodles for black bean noodles as well.  Those are jajangmyeun, a cornerstone of Korea's Chinese restaurants.  The chef works in an open space where you can see and hear him throughout the dining room.

Hang Ari's clam pancakes

Seriously, these are exceptional, reasonably priced, casual meals.  I treated my parents to lunch of Hang Ari's clam soup and a clam pancake.  One order of each served three of us.  The clam broth alone is worth driving to Catonsville. The bowl can filled with tender clams and again had perfectly-cooked squash and potato.  The noodles are slightly chewy and contrast beautifully with the briny flavor of the clams.

The clam pancake was just as perfect.  Imagine chopped claim with just enough batter to brown and crisp.  The minimal-filler construction of a great crab cake.  That means they don't stay together like a finger-food latke, but they're delicious cut with a fork and dipped in a sauce.

New parenthood definitely makes blogging tough.  We are still learning to be efficient enough to have any free moments.  So I'm writing short posts this weeks on the theme of two items that you could buy at a single stop.  At Hanoori town, you could pair clam soup with clam pancakes or order one dish from each restaurant and pair Chan Mat black bean noodles with Hang Ari's noodle soup.

These are videos below of both the hand cut and "Chinese" noodles being made.

Noodles And Fried Chicken: Pair Chapchae With Spicy Wings At Rte 40's Bon Chon Chicken

Chapchae at Bon Chon

Lil' Chow dances for noodles.  Thick noodles.  Thin noodles.  Fetticine with tomato sauce.  Udon with sesame oil.

That how we discovered the chapchae at Bon Chon Chicken, where we normally just ordered fried chicken and called it a day.

Bon Chon is the local outpost of a Korean chain that does amazing fried chicken -- crisp and crunchy  shell around moist and delicious meat.  We have left satisfied many times after nothing more than chicken and beer.

Fried chicken -- still amazing

But chapchae is a Korean noodle dish -- glassy sweet potato noodles stirfried with vegetables and sometimes meat.  I've recommended them as a vegetarian option at Shin Chon Garden, and I needed them for a boy who will sit patiently through dinner if you keep filling his plate with noodles.

Bon Chon's chapchae was exceptional.  Noodles with a terrific chewy texture.  The mild flavor of a sauce made with sesame oil and soy sauce and a generous mix of vegetables and thin-sliced beef.  Lil' Chow chowed and flirted with the waitresses.  I actually ate some chapchae because it was delicious enough to forgo even a few pieces of that great chicken.  Easily as good as Shin Chon Garden, our standard in Howard County where Lil' Chow had chapchae as recently as Sunday night.

Don't get me wrong.  You can go to Bon Chon just for the chicken and beer -- or the "Chi Mec" as it is known for the first syllable of the Korean work for beer.  But the chapchae makes a great pair if your group wants to try several flavors.  You could also order it vegetarian if your carnivore friends drag you to Bon Chon for dinner.

If you go to Bon Chon, definitely check out Shilla Bakery for dessert.  Bon Chon is in a shopping center that is parallel to Rte 40, but set back from the main road.  You actually enter from Plum Tree Road.  Shilla is in the shopping center that separates Bon Chon from Rte 40, and it has great coffees, pastries, cakes and other sweets.

New parenthood definitely makes blogging tough.  We are still learning to be efficient enough to have any free moments.  So I'm writing short posts this weeks on the theme of two items that you could buy at a single stop.

Pair It Up: Kalbi And Tofu Soup At Lighthouse

The table of food you get with a single combo order of kalbi and soup at Lighthouse Tofu

Our new toddler means that we need to be efficient, so this week's posts will be two items to try in a single meal.

First stop: Lighthouse Tofu, one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Ellicott City.  It's a casual place that specializes in a tofu soup called soondooboo.  Very friendly place.  A great spot to expand your Korean eating if you have only done barbecue before.

And my Lighthouse recommendation is a two-part order that lets you enjoy a little barbecue and expand into soondooboo.

Mushroom soondooboo

That's the combo order of kalbi and soup.  You can pick your soup -- mushroom or meat, spicy or mild.  I heard mild ordered as "white" because the basic soup looks white and the spicy pepper sauce turns it red.

Lighthouse's soup is a spectacular winter meal.  Piping hot broth with deep, earthy flavor on its own.  Spicy if you want it.  Thick like a stew with mushrooms or meat and vegetables, then the silky tofu throughout.  I didn't grow up with tofu, so I lack the vocabulary to really capture the pleasure.  It holds its shape, but goes down without the chewing that you'd need for meat or pressed tofu.  It's a delicious, filling bowl.

Then you get a small platter of kalbi as well.  That's beef rib meat, marinated and then cooked tender and full of flavor.  I often pass on kalbi because it can be pricey, but Lighthouse gave me exactly what I want -- rich and flavorful like I don't get from just vegetables, but even better because it was reasonably sized and paired with the soup and side dishes.

Lighthouse Tofu is a terrific restaurant -- casual, kid-friendly, and reasonably priced at $10-15 a person.  I'm highlighting the kalbi and soup here, but you won't do badly ordering anything.  In February, I wrote about Lighthouse as an alternative for Korean Food 101.  That post has step-by-step instructions about going to Lighthouse and ordering some basics.  In Step Two, you could order kalbi instead of the pork belly that I  mentioned there.

I highly recommend Rte 40 and its Korean restaurants for anyone who wants to try great food in Howard County.  I posted a Korean Food 101 that explained how to try barbecue at Shin Chon.  I'm currently infatuated by the noodle soups at Hang Ari, which is in Catonsville but still on Rte 40.  You could also scan down all the posts about Korean food.

Gangnam Style, Literally: A Bakery Every Block With Tous Les Jours Coming To Ellicott City

Rte 40 in Ellicott City is starting to actually get a Gangnam style with Korean bakeries popping up every few blocks.

The newest entry is Tous les Jours, another of the chains selling Korean variations on French pastries along with coffee and other items.  The sign is up in the shopping center with Boston Market and Lighthouse Tofu on the north side of Rte 40 west of Rte 29.  Tous Les Jours will be perpendicular to Rte 40.

These bakeries do really interesting sweet pastries and coffee drinks.  They generally have other desserts, some savory pastries, and sometimes broader menus.  In Seoul, people seemed to call them "coffee shops."  On our first trip, we stayed in Gangnam and walked past multiple coffee shops on busy blocks.  Mostly chains that haven't come to DC-Baltimore.

But we have had Korean bakeries since I moved to Howard County.  The first that I remember was La Boulangerie in Ellicott City.  Then we had Bon Appetit and Shilla.  Now, the Korean chains seem to be coming -- first Caffe Benne that will open next to Soft Stuff and now Tous le Jours.  Mrs. HowChow really wants Paris Baguette.  We have enough that I created a new tag so you can pull all the posts about Korean bakeries.

The broad read is probably smart.  I have found some cool things in different bakeries.  But I'm not an expert, and their menus overlap enough that you can probably scan all the posts and then look around any of the bakeries.  These are great places to check out on a chilly afternoon.  They're very friendly, and they are really more like coffee shops where you can sit with friends, kids or just a book.

Can anyone recommend a specific bakery -- or better yet specific items at different ones?  We have become infatuated recently with Shilla, especially the sweet potato latte. 

Hang Ari's Noodle Soup And The New Hanoori Town Restaurants Are Worth Your Attention

Hang Ari's noodle soup and dumplings with a side dish of cabbage and radish kimchis

I don't know exactly what is happening at Hanoori Town, so I'm looking to stir up interest to help us all figure it out.

New and revamped restaurants are opening in the Catonsville space.  One is a unique hand-cut noodle restaurant opened by folks who own a similar spot in Los Angeles.  Just next door is a restaurant doing sushi, Korean kimbap and Korea's Chinese food -- including the addition of hand-made noodles at the base of our favorite, black bean noodles.

Bottom line:  This is a spectacular find if you like good food.  You can eat for $10-15 a person.  Casual.  Accessible.  Completely kid-friendly, and you can hope for the entertainment of seeing a guy bang out the Chinese noodles.  This is one of those places like R&R Taqueria -- worth your visiting and hopefully worth a run up the media chain.

Let's back up.  I'll tell you what I know, and I hope people will try these places and fill in the details.

Hanoori Town is a space in the same shopping center as H Mart at Rolling Road and Rte 40.  Downstairs, it is a kitchen goods store along with people selling housewares and clothing.  The kitchen store is worth checking out -- especially for bento boxes to pack your lunch.  Upstairs are three restaurants and a tea and doughnut joint.  They're all Korean.

The restaurants have revamped in recent months.  One closed.  It was replaced by Hang Ari, the hand-cut noodle restaurant coming from LA.  One revamped their restaurant and may have recruited a chef from Jang Won in Catonsville.  My first inkling came from Lisbeth of Lisbeth Eats.  She sent me information about Hang Ari and wrote a nice run-down about the Hanoori Town restaurants.

When we visited last month, the whole place seemed changed in an exciting way:

• Bu Du Mak is closest to the window.  They specialize in a cold noodle soup called naeng myun, Korean blood sausage called soon dae, and traditional Korean soups and stews, according to Lisbeth.  We recommend naeng myun, but we haven't tried this yet.
• Chan Mat is facing you as you walk in.  In the past, I think they had been limited to Korean dishes, but they now do Korean foods along with sushi, Korean rolls called kimbap and Korean-Chinese dishes -- including those black bean noodles.
• Hang Ari sit between them.  This is the LA import, specializing in hand-torn noodles that they make in the kitchen.  Most are served in soups variations.

The scene is completely casual.  You order at one of the three counters, pick a table to eat, then go back for your order.  Most of the dishes are under $15, so it's a terrific place to try Korean food -- especially if you might want to explore a few menus at once.

Hang Ari's dumplings

The food is absolutely worth that exploration.  Hang Ari alone is worth a trip from Howard County or Baltimore.  For lunch, we split pork dumplings and a basic soup with hand-torn noodles.  It's one of the best meals that I have eaten recently.  A rich broth filled with thick sheets of noodle, potato, zucchini, green onions, kabucha squash and seaweed.  Each vegetable is cooked perfectly.  The noodles and potatoes are filling.  The thin pieces of squash are slightly sweet.  The onion gives a little bite.

I'm unabashedly hoping that bloggers or critics will  check out Hang Ari because the other soups -- seafood, clam, spicy and other variations -- look like you could fill a table with delicious flavors.  These kal guk su noodles are an absolute find.  Fork tender, but thicker than most noodles.  Like getting great pasta at Cinghale, except you can feast for under $15.  They're unique as far as I know in this area.

And I think Hanoori Town has more.  Chan Mat sports a special cooking station that looks like a place to make noodles for black bean noodles or jajangmyeun.  I've talked these up before at Tian Chinese Cuisine in Ellicott City, which also makes its own noodles.  They're delicious.  They're earthy.  They're not spicy so they're accessible to anyone who likes pasta.

Chat Mat has posted a clipping of a 2006 Sun article by Karen Nitkin about chef Chang Yon Huh making noodles at another restaurant.  It looks to me like Chang is handmaking the noodles here.  You'll know when you hear the bang, bang, bang of jajangmyeun noodles being stretched.  The traditional pair for jajangmyeun is a sweet-and-sour pork dish.  Fried pork, so done right it tastes like an Asian cousin to clam strips.

Red-bean-filled donut holes

Oh heavens!  I almost forgot the donuts!  Go to Hanoori Town for all that food, but leave room for the donuts.  Just to the right when you enter is a little store that I think was selling bubble teas and donuts.  Fried donut holes filled with sweet red bean paste.  Save room, and split an order as you leave.  Two holes was a perfect sweet.

Again, this Hanoori Town lineup seems worthy of the type of food writing scrum that spread the word about Grace Garden in Odenton.  Noodles are accessible to anyone willing to try new food.  The prices make this friendly to families, students, anyone else around.  This weekend, Lisbeth posted her own description of Hang Ari,  complete with photos and descriptions of dishes.

Now, I hope other people could tell us more.  I'm looking at you restaurant writers -- maybe a little reporting here, some interviews?  Any other food bloggers want to weigh in?  Anyone else want to add comments to this post?  Recommended dishes?  Back story about the change?  I am imagining some Korean-American student at UMBC who has worked through these menus with more expertise than me.  How are Chan Mat's noodles?  What did you think about Hang Ari's soups?

If you want to know more about Hang Ari's LA cousin, check out the One More Bite blog and Yelp reviews.   If you want more Lisbeth, check out her blog -- or check out her restaurant opening this winter in Federal Hill.  Lisbeth and her husband are opening The Local Fry.  She posted about it two weeks ago.

Cold Soup For You: Naeng Myun To Remember Next Summer At Bu Du Mak And Other Spots

Naeng myun -- cold buckwheat noodle soup -- at Bu Du Mak in Hanoori Town

I'm out of season, but I can't wait for the summer heat to talk up one of our discoveries of 2014.

One basic Korean dish is a cold buckwheat noodle soup called naeng myun that makes a terrific entry into Korean cuisine or a new frontier for folks who already love the barbecue and tofu soups.

This is part of a series of guest posts by Howard County bloggers.  For local food blogs, check out the HocoBlogs food page.

Lisbeth of the Lisbeth Eats blog was nice enough to talk up naeng myun -- specifically the soup at one of the restaurants in the Hanoori Town food court area down from H Mart in Catonsville.  That's Bu Du Mak, the restaurant just to the left as you walk into the Hanoori Town area and right next to the new Hangari Noodle.  Prices start at $9 for the basic bowls or $12 for samples of two varieties.

Naeng myun is often a great summer food.  But you could follow Lisbeth's advice and eat off-season.  We ordered naeng myun last month with barbecue at Honey Pig, and I'll post about that meal later:

Every summer there are two dishes that I just have to have, Maryland crabs and naeng myun.  And when I say I have to have it, I’m talking multiple times.  Maryland crabs are world famous!  But what in the world is naeng myun?

Naeng myun is a Korean cold buckwheat noodle dish and is typically served in two styles, as Mool Naeng Myun or Bibim Naeng Myun. 

Mool Naeng Myun literally means ‘water cold noodles.’  This version is served in a cold broth made from beef or Dong Chi Mi (white radish water kimchi) and topped with sliced pickled radish, julienne cucumbers, sliced pear, sliced boiled beef brisket and a hard boiled egg.  The soup is often slushy or served with ice cubes.  You adjust the seasoning of the broth with vinegar, Korean style hot mustard or mustard oil before eating.  

Bibim means ‘mixed,’ like in bibimbop. W ith this version the cold buckwheat noodles are topped with the same ingredients, but instead of being served in a cold broth, it is served with a spicy go chu jang, Korean red-pepper-paste-based sauce that you mix together with the noodles.  Sure does sound strange, doesn’t it?  I agree that it does, but it really is quite delicious. 

I mean, who would’ve thought kimchi, a super stinky fermented Korean pickled cabbage, would be so popular and widely accepted around the world. They even offer four different varieties of kimchi on the pickle bar in Whole Foods.  So don’t be afraid to try out naeng myun  no matter how strange it sounds. 

Mool naeng myun

Shrimp At Shin Chon: Grill Some Seafood Along With Your Meat At One Of My Favorite Places

Shrimp on the grill at Shin Chon Garden

You can never go wrong with grilling your own meats at Shin Chon Garden, but there are variations for regulars or seafood lovers at Korean barbecue.

Shrimp -- either mild or spicy -- are served in a tin-foil tray and then cooked in a bubbling sauce.  This has always been one of the choices on Shin Chon's barbecue menu, but we hadn't tried it even after years of ordering beef and pork.  We went a few months ago to celebrate a birthday, and the table of Shin Chon regulars wanted to branch out -- but didn't want to try octopus.

The shrimp turned out to be a terrific alternative.  Our spicy order had some serious kick, and most of the flavor came from the red-pepper-heavy sauce.

That's a bright, peppy flavor after we and friends had knocked off orders of brisket and pork belly.  We wrapped some shrimp in the same lettuce wraps that are part of Korean BBQ 101.  Then I just snatched shrimp with chopsticks and ate them alone.

Shin Chon is one of my top restaurants in Howard County.  I love the food, and I love the atmosphere.  It's incredibly social to sit with your friends and a table covered with panchan and barbecue that you can sample at will.  I posted Korean BBQ 101 instructions so that anyone can try.  Now the shrimp lets you try even more.

I still want to try the octopus and some other dishes that Andrew Zimmern and Richard Gorelick explored.  Although that sounds exotic, I promise that Korean is really accessible -- especially because you get a table of dishes that you can explore.  There are options for all kinds of palates  including vegetarians, although I think Shin Chon will be most-exciting to folks with some love for meat and spice.  Check out all the HowChow posts about Shin Chon.

Hang Ari Noodle Company Bringing Hand-Cut Noodles To Catonsville As Early As This Weekend

Hang Ari Noodle Company chef rolling out the noodles

Back with more news about Hang Ari Noodle Company, the new restaurant bringing hand-pulled noodles to Catonsville from Los Angeles and opening as early as this weekend

Lisbeth of the Lisbeth Eats blog had sent me a report that I posted last month.  Now, she is back with the name -- Hang Ari Noodle Company -- and some details about the house-made noodles at the center of the new place.  This will open in Hanoori Town, the cluster of restaurants a few doors down from the H Mart in Catonsville.

(Update:  I've gone back and forth on the capitalization of the restaurant -- Hangari or Hang Ari.  Either option is acceptable coming over from the Korean, but I'm trying to use Hang Ari because that is printed on their business cards.)

Lisbeth reports that the owner/chef has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years in LA.  The new Hang Ari Noodle follows the concept of his current LA restaurant -- focusing on two types of noodles and serving them in a variety of broths and sauces.  This sounds like a cool addition to the Rte 40 corridor -- noodles that are rolled, cut and boiled only after you order.

As I hear (not from Lisbeth), the soft opening will be Friday.  So watch for a full opening as early as this weekend.

Please don't hold me to consistent Korean spelling.  Transliteration of Korean words can lead to multiple spellings.  Lisbeth and I use different versions at different times.  Just check out what she says:

The owner/chef owned and operated Curry Hyang in Korea Town in LA, a popular Japanese restaurant specializing in curry and Japanese style noodles. After many years there, he sold the business and went on to open a kalgooksoo restaurant, with a business partner, in Korea Town called “Hang Ari Kalgooksoo.” 

This talented chef used the training he acquired in Korea under veteran chefs from historically famous kalgooksoo restaurants to great success. Right now, The Korean Daily (Joong Ang Ilbo) newspaper in LA named Hangari Kalgooksoo as the busiest restaurant in LA with the longest lines. 

Photo from the tasting, I think

The chef is bringing the same concept to the East Coast with his new restaurant, Hang Ari Noodle Company. The restaurant will feature two distinct categories of noodle dishes – kalgooksoo and Mil Myun. 

Kalgooksoo (literally “knife noodle”) is a noodle soup that is made using fresh hand-cut wheat flour noodles. It is served in large bowls of delicious broth and topped with garnishes that enhance the dish. The kalgooksoo menu will feature various flavor options including chicken, clam, seafood, kimchi and beef.

Mil Myun is similar to naeng myun (literally “cold noodle”), but the incredibly thin noodles are made using the same dough used for kalgooksoo  The mil myun menu will feature various options such as Mul Mil Myun (noodles in a chilled broth), Bibim
Mil Myun (noodles in a spicy sauce), Kimchi Mil Myun and Hong Uh (Skate) Mil Myun. 

A unique business strategy that the chef is taking will be offering customers a traditional Korean appetizer of bori bop (brown rice), dwen jang (Bean Paste) and yul moo  kimchi (young radish stem kimchi) free of charge with each order of noodles.  Because the noodles will be rolled out, cut and boiled fresh to order, the appetizer will keep customers happy while they wait for their food. 

Hang Ari  Noodle Company is bringing a new concept to the area that I’m sure will be a hit! Koreans in the area with be delighted to finally have a kalgooksoo and mil myun speciality restaurant open in Maryland. And for non-Koreans, this restaurant will be a great new cuisine to try.  They are set to open very soon, with a tentative date for this weekend. 

I heard they had a secret tasting with the chef’s family over the weekend and everyone loved it.  I personally can’t wait to try their clam kalgooksoo!

For more about the LA restaurant and this cuisine, check out the One More Bite blog and Yelp reviews.

LA Chef Bringing Handmade Noodles To East Coast; First Step: Catonsville's Hanoori Town

An Los Angeles chef is opening his first East Coast location in Catonsville -- and bringing hand-cut noodles, reports Lisbeth of the Lisbeth Eats blog.

Lisbeth and I actually emailed weeks ago, and I overlooked her report about a new restaurant going into the shopping center with H Mart in Catonsville.  Down from the supermarket is a space called Hanoori Town that has three restaurants and a frozen yogurt store upstairs and a housewares store in the basement.

A Korean-Chinese restaurant in Hanoori Town has closed, and a new restaurant specializing in handmade noodles is opening there.  The noodles are kal guk su, a Korean noodle dish served in large bowls of broth.  I don't have full details, but it's exciting enough that folks should know.  I'll update as I learn more.

Here is Lisbeth's full email with a quick description of the restaurants in the Hanoori Town down from H Mart and some news about the new noodle restaurant that is coming:

When you're standing in the parking lot facing Hmart, Hanoori Town is to the right.  There's a Korean food court on top with Korean retail stores (Asian housewares, gifts, beauty products, clothes and bedding) below.  When the place was called Besesto, I think everything was under the same person.  But it was reopened as Hanoori Town under new management about five years ago, and I think each individual shop is sub-leased under one owner. I think the owner wanted to create a space where different ethnicities could come together to shop and eat.  Hanoori means 'Us as one.'

On the top floor there are actually three different restaurants -- two to the left and one facing you as you walk in.  When we went there [in August], I heard that a new restaurant is going into the second space. 

So as you walk in, the first restaurant to the left is Bu Du Mak (closest to the window). They specialise in a cold noodle soup called naeng myun, Korean blood sausage called soon dae, and traditional Korean soups and stews.

The restaurant next to Bu Du Mak was a Korean/Chinese noodle restaurant that specialised in jja jang myun (black bean noodles), jjam ppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and typical Korean/Chinese dishes like Hanjoonggwan in Ellicott City.  But they are no longer there.  A new kal guk su restaurant is going into that space.  The new chef/owner is famous in LA for his fresh hand pulled noodles and soup, and he's bringing it to the East Coast with his first location in Hanoori Town. I was told that it should be open in roughly late September. 

I love kal guk su  so I'm very much looking forward to checking them out. Kal guk su is well known in the Myung Dong neighborhood of Seoul. 

The restaurant facing you as you walk in is called Chan Mat and they offer all sorts of Korean food, Japanese sushi lunch buffet and I saw new signs for Korean/Chinese cuisine on their wall. I 'm guessing when the Korean/Chinese restaurant in the middle closed, Chan Mat added those items to their menu. 

I like the housewares store and the Korean bedding store in the basement. I got my shabu shabu pot from there and the Korean bedding shop in the back corner has lots of gift items and comfortable blankets, mats and pillows for the house.

Steamed Dumplings At Manna: Mandu To Almost Fill The Void Of The Late Honey Pig Dumplings

Steamed mandu from Manna in the Lotte food court

For those in search of steamed dumplings after the closing of Honey Pig Dumpling last year, the time has come to slake your hunger on Manna.

That's Manna's mandu -- $9 for a six-dumpling order -- in the photo above.  It's one of the stands in the food court next to Lotte in Ellicott City.

We got the pork variety, and they're a tasty snack.  A bit less filling and a bit more dough pressed together at the top than the Honey Pig variety on sale briefly at the new Lotte in Catonsville.  But they're a welcome find because we had loved the steamed mandu as a party food.  They re-heat beautifully in a steamer.

The Lotte food court has a series of restaurants, each with a pretty large menu.  Does anyone have specific recommendations?  I have looked a few times, but I don't know what you suggest.

Manna 
(in the back of the Lotte food court)
8801 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-480-5050

NEAR:  The Lotte in the Golden Triangle shopping center has a connected food court.  This is the shopping center on Rte 40 just east of Rte 29.  Manna is the stand all the way in the back.  They have a menu in signs above the register, including several ramen varieties.

Great Takeout Salad: The Seasonal Hwae Dup Bop You Can Carry Out From Catonsville Lotte

Hwae dup bop from Rainbow Sushi inside the Catonsville Lotte

We have a new option for easy, healthy takeout now that we have learned about hwae dup bop carryout at the new Lotte in Catonsville.

This is a salad of shredded lettuce and vegetables served with sliced sashimi-style fish, rice and a spicy sauce.  We ate it at Yetnal House last month, but we enjoyed it again last night when the Cordis Couple invited us over for impromptu dinner.

It's super easy dinner in minutes.  You get a takeout container packed with shredded lettuce, carrots, cucumber and other vegetables along with bite-sized slices of tuna and other fish.  You also get a package of cooked rice and a dollop of spicy red pepper sauce.  Mix to taste with a dash of sesame oil, and we ate beautifully.

Pre-stirring

The Cordis couple buy the "sashimi salad" at the Rainbow Sushi stand in the back right corner of the new Lotte in Catonsville.  Order.  Then shop for 10 minutes while the sushi chefs slice the fish for you.

The package serves three adults, they said.  With a little more cooked rice, they mixed up a bowl that served four us comfortably.  That's a deal at about $11.

Apparently, Rainbow Sushi only sells hwae dup bop in the summer and fall.  So go try now.  I thought the ingredients were delicious.  Crisp vegetables.  Tasty fish.  They stirred until everything mixed, and the sesame oil made a light dressing with the spicy sauce and some of that orange roe.

Honestly, I enjoyed this as much or more than the Yetnal House version.  I don't think we mixed our first hwae dup bop well, and the shredded vegetables made it easier to ensure that everything was coated with dressing and that every mouthful came with fish and vegetables.  Lisbeth had posted about her favorite version, extolling the shredded iceberg lettuce at Han Sung.  She is onto something, and the Rainbow Sushi version mixed several kinds of lettuce with radicchio and other vegetables.

I really recommend the Lotte in Catonsville.  The Ellicott City branch work great for quick shopping, but the new Lotte is worth the drive because it's bigger and has enormous selections of Indian, Korean and other ethnic items.

Caffe Benne Appears To Be Going Next To Soft Stuff On Rte 40 In Ellicott City

Another coffee chain by way of Korea and Europe appears to be opening on Rte 40 -- this time Caffe Benne in the new construction with Soft Stuff.

Caffe Benne's plan to open in Ellicott City was spotted last year by Michael Gioioso of BMore, and the new location was spotted by Andrea, who posted on the HowChow Facebook page.  This is next door to Soft Stuff, the ice cream parlor that just re-opened in new construction on Rte 40 across from the Enchanted Village shopping center.

From the Web, it looks like Caffe Benne fits a mold of Korean chains inspired by European coffee and baking.  It looks like Shilla or Bon Apettit or the coffee shop part of Bean & Burgundy.  They're all great places to check out -- coffees, other drinks, lots of sweet baked goods, and a touch of savory ones.

Does anyone know the Caffe Benne chain?  Any ideas about whether or what makes it stand out?

(Update:  Fixed the typo in the headline. Thanks Dan.)

A Summer Salad At Yet Nal House: Refresh Yourself With Sashimi With Rice And Vegetables

Stretch your summer dining by trying a salad that mixes fresh greens, sliced sashimi and rice for a light, but filling, bowl.

We're talking about hwae dup bop -- or "sashimi salad" as it is rendered in English on the Yet Nal House menu in Ellicott City.

We had a terrific simple dinner at Yel Nal House.  The huge bowl of sashimi salad -- a variety of greens and lettuces, topped with sliced raw fish and other vegetables and served over steamed rice.  It's a filling meal, even though it is light and perfect for summer.  Your dress your own salad with a red chili sauce -- cho go chu jang --  that is chilis mixed with vinegar, sugar and sesame seeds.  That lets you set the heat however you prefer.

Hwae dup bop is a common Korean dish, and I got the inspiration from Lisbeth who posted on Lisbeth Eats about her favorite version at Hang Sung also in Ellicott City.

Lisbeth's beautiful photos show Hang Sung's salad with shredded iceberg lettuce.  Yel Nal House does a mix of whole-leaf greens, including several lettuces and baby chard.  Lisbeth says that's just wrong!  I have to admit that I loved the variety, but next time, I might ask for a knife to chop the greens a bit.  I'll definitely ask for small plates because I realized halfway through the meal that I wasn't supposed to be eating from the metal mixing bowl.  (We think the waitress just forgot.)

The beauty of Korean dining is that you can order a salad and eat so much more.  We got a half-dozen small dishes like you do at most Korean restaurants.  Those panchan dishes provide variety in the form of kimchi, sauced tofu, marinated vegetables and more.  We augmented the hwae dup bop with an order of bi bim bop in a stone pot.  That's the rice dish topped with a variety of vegetables and an egg.  In this case, the egg was fried, and the vegetables included some perfectly-cooked mushrooms that gave an earthy, meaty flavor.

Yet Nal House is a really friendly restaurant on Rte 40 west of Rte 29.  The menu varies from the Shin Chon Garden barbecue that we would suggest as Korean 101, and Yel Nal is welcoming to anyone.  If you go, check out the freezer of takeout dumplings just inside the door.  You buy them at the cashier in back.

Korshi Buffet Brings All-You-Can-Eat Sushi, So Stretch That Stomach And Don't Be Surprised

I admit it:  My plate is the full one in back.

The new Korshi buffet has opened in Columbia, and I will leave it to other people to debate whether you get your money's worth with all-you-can eat sushi and Korean food.

I got my money's worth at a weekday lunch.  We took out a friend out to celebrate his new job, and I ate three plates of food -- two more than anyone actually needs at noon.

Korshi is fun for about $13.  You need to know what you're getting.  One line of sushi with thin-sliced fish, and one line of Korean dishes.  We liked a few tastes of spicy tofu, and I splurged on chicken wings.  But the sushi was clearly the draw.

Some rolls.  Some pieces.  I thought the quality matched the lunch joint near my office, and I love being able to try one thin slice of a half-dozen different rolls, chased by thin slices of a half-dozen different fish.  Each time that we walked through, the chefs were offering a full array of salmon, tuna, eel, octopus and more.  Plus, I assume there are more options at dinner when the price jumps to $23.

Until they get a liquor license, you can bring your own alcohol without a corkage fee.  I grabbed a six-pack of Hite beer at the liquor store just north of Korshi's shopping center.  I actually walked there by jumping up a low retaining wall off the parking lot.

Again, please don't be surprised at an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Sushi Sono sells single rolls for more than we paid for lunch.  Shin Chon Garden and Honey Pig specialize in grilled meats.  Don't be surprised if Korshi's offerings don't match those flavors.

Korshi replaced Nichi Bei Kei, a Japanese restaurant whose Web site says that they were relocating to a spot near the Columbia Mall.  I think those plans were from 2013.  Does anyone know if or when Nichi Bei Kei will open there?

The Columbia Korshi is apparently a spin-off of a Virginia restaurant with the same name.  They have different management, folks said on the phone when I called Virginia to try to get the hours of the Maryland store.  On Yelp, someone noted that the Virginia restaurant has table-top barbecue, but charges $40 for dinner.  If you know the Virginia place, don't expect an exact copy.

Korshi
9400 Snowden River Pkwy
Columbia, MD 21045
410-309-9991

NEAR:  Korshi replaced Nichi Bei Kei in the corner of a shopping center on Snowden River Parkway.  This is the same center with Pars Market, the new Chutney restaurant, and Azul 17.  This is south of Oakland Park Boulevard and north of Broken Land Parkway.

Bean & Burgundy Bread Does The Korean-American Split And Pleases Even Little Diners

Bi bim bop at Bean & Burgundy Bread

The RDADoc went on a limb this weekend after visiting the Miller Library to celebrate National Pink Day.  She rode with her five- and three-year-olds down Rte 40 and gave a try to Bean & Burgundy Bread.

This large, modern-looking space opened late last fall in Ellicott City with a hybrid menu of American food, Korean food, coffees and desserts.  It's good-looking, and I had heard that they spent much of the winter making changes to the menu.

But Mrs. HowChow and I still haven't gotten there, which made us curious about RDADoc's lunch.  She reported:

As we all know preschoolers don't always make the best restaurant guests. However, after going there today I feel comfortable recommending Bean & Burgundy Bread to people with young children. 

Grilled cheese

The atmosphere is casual and kid friend and I did notice several young children there. However, my one caveat is that the only item on the kids menu is grilled cheese.  So this isn't the place for you if your children are looking for a traditional American kids menu including pizza, chicken nuggets or hot dogs.

The lunch menu included both sandwiches and Korean dishes. I ordered Bibimbap which is a signature Korean dish served with warm rice, vegetables, gochujang (chili pepper paste), and soy sauce.  I ordered mine with brown rice and tofu although they did offer chicken or meat as options.  I am no where near as well versed in Korean dishes as the HowChows, but I very much enjoyed it.  I just ordered plain tea, but they did have an extensive tea, coffee and smoothie menu.  My children were very pleased with their hot chocolate (which was served with a beautiful heart design), grilled cheese and broccoli.  All in all it was an enjoyable experience.

Bean & Burgundy Bread does a full day menu -- from breakfast to dinner.  Does anyone else have reports?  Elizabeth talked up her meal on the Bare Midriff blog in March.  I'd love to know what other folks think or recommend.  So far, I'm drawn to the baked sweets at Shilla Bakery just east on Rte 40.  The Bean & Burgundy sweets hadn't pulled me away, but there are tons of menu items to try.