Lemonade With Orange Blossom Water Inspired By The Lebanese Taverna That Howard County Needs

Howard County needs Lebanese Taverna.  The takeout version from Rockville.  The fancy one from Harbor East.  I'll take any piece of the local chain, and I'll start with lemonade.

Mrs. HowChow had lunch last month at the Tysons Taverna, and she brought home the idea of lemonade with orange blossom water.  It's a Lebanese idea, apparently.  The Cortas brand is distilled in Lebanon for sure.

I took the idea into the kitchen and played a bit.  Sugar, water and lemon juice with a touch of the orange blossom water.  The Taverna waitress said they use two cups in a huge container, so I put a teaspoon in each small glass.  The lemonade came out beautifully -- a touch exotic little the bitter orange note.  Play with the proportions by adding the final water gradually, and you can make it your own.

You can get orange blossom for $3-4 at most Middle Eatern markets -- certainly at Ceazar International Market in Elkridge.  I think you'd get it at Pars Market or Nazar Market in Columbia.

Lemonade w/Orange Blossom Water
Makes two small glasses

1 c. sugar
1c. water, plus more cool water
3-4 lemons
bottle of orange blossom water
2 small glasses

1) Put the sugar in 1 c. water and microwave on high for a minute or two until the sugar has dissolved.  Let the simple syrup cool.  (You could dissolve the sugar into less water.)  You'll end up with extra syrup.

2) Juice the lemons.  You'll get pulp and some seeds.  Strain out the seeds.  A little pulp was nice.  Three lemons got me a little more juice than the half-cup that I needed for two.

3) In each glass, pour in 1/4 c. simple syrup, 1/4 c. lemon juice and 1 tsp of orange blossom water.  Taste the lemonade.  It was way too strong for me.  You can follow my lead and just add 1/4 c. of cool water and a few ice cubes. Or you can slowly add cool water and ice until you reach a flavor that you prefer.

Candy Covered Chickpeas At Ceazar's

I'm a big fan of candy coating, but even I wouldn't have expected chickpeas to turn into a cute little dessert.

Ceazar's International Market in Elkridge sells a ton of dried beans and lentils as part of the largest local selection of Middle Eastern foods.  It sells some chickpeas covered with pastel candy coating in the sweets aisle.

I thought these were better than just a gimmick.  They're cousins of the Jordan almond, and I thought the chickpeas were better than almonds.  All of the mild nutty flavor with none of the bitterness that you can get in candy-quality nuts.  The candy coating is really firm, so they crunch hard if you bite them right away.  I sucked them for a minute or so and kept instinctively crunching the slightly-thinner shells like that owl in the old Tootsie Pop commercials.

Definitely check out the candy coated chickpeas if you go to Caezar's.  These would make a pretty candy bowl, especially if you're doing a pastel theme on a spring or Easter table.  And no trip to Ceazar's would be complete without buying the pistachio nougat -- a rose-water flavored candy that is absolutely worth the money.

Ceazar's is a great resource for food that ranges from India through Greece.  They also have a halal butcher, which makes it a great spot if you want lamb or goat.  If you want to read more about local eating, click for the starting page for my "What I Learned" guide to food in Howard County.

Ceazar International Market and Restaurant

6801 Douglas Legum Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075

443-755-9442 (market)

442-755-9444 (restaurant)


NEAR: Just off Rte 103 east of U.S. 1. This is just south of Rte 100 and less than two miles from I-95. From Rte 100, you take U.S. 1 south, turn left at the first light onto Rte 103 and follow it as it curves twice. Ceazar is in a shopping center on the left.

Breakfast Beef at Caezar Market

Halal bacon sounds like joke -- like kosher oysters -- but it's actually an option at the new Caezar International Market in Elkridge.

"Breakfast Beef" is a bacon look-alike made with beef instead of pork. It's a good flavor, although the strips are so thin that they're difficult to get crispy without burning. This is one of the items that I picked up while checking out the new Caezar, which moved from Columbia where it was known as Sizar's.

Breakfast Beef won't replace the pistachio nougat as my favorite item at Caezar. And it won't replace the thick-cut bacon from Laurel Meat Market or the Dutch Country Farmers Market as my favorite breakfast treat. But it's great if you keep halal, and it's just an example of the fun that you could have checking out one of the local ethnic markets. For a few bucks, you can sample something new.

If you like shopping at Caezar International Market for Middle Eastern food, definitely check out all the posts about Mexican food at Lily's Mexican Market.

Ceazar International Market and Restaurant

6801 Douglas Legum Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075
443-755-9442 (market)
442-755-9444 (restaurant)

NEAR: Just off Rte 103 east of U.S. 1. This is just south of Rte 100 and less than two miles from I-95. From Rte 100, you take U.S. 1 south, turn left at the first light onto Rte 103 and follow it as it curves twice. Ceazar is in a shopping center on the left.

Ceazar International Market in Elkridge

The king is dead. Long live the Ceazar.

The Ceazar International Market has opened just off Rte 100 in Elkridge. Under the name Sizar's, this was the king of Middle Eastern grocery stores for more than 13 years in Columbia, and the new store is beautiful.

It's not full yet. The shelves are heavy with the canned and dried goods that range from dried beans to rice, from stuffed eggplants to ghee. The freezers are ready to sell you samosas, cheeses, and Indian curries. But there is still empty space, and they're slowing adding stock to the new location. This is a great place to explore if you want to cook Middle Eastern food or just find ingredients like spices, teas, rose water, or Jallab syrup. Folks there are happy to answer questions or make suggestions.

One of the innovations is a butcher counter, where you'll be able to get goat, lamb, beef, veal and chicken. It's all halal. This is the kind of place where you should go and tell them what you want. The owner was very proud that they aren't freezing meat back there. It's all fresh, and he wants to stock what customers want to buy.

My old standbys have moved from Columbia to Elkridge. It's worth your time to check out Ceazar Market for just the pistachio nougat -- my favorite light candy flavored with nuts and rose water. It's not cheap, but it's so unique and so delicious.

Ceazar opened a restaurant next to the market, which is excellent and extremely friendly. It's Persian food, which was delicious and interestingly different. I'll post a separate review, but I'll talk up the wraps, the samose appetizer and the staff that was happy to answer questions. The restaurant is casual, but the modern dishes and the tablecloths at night reflect the kitchen's clear desire to be more than just a kabob shop.

If you want to read more, click for the starting page for my "What I Learned" guide to food in Howard County.

Ceazar International Market and Restaurant

6801 Douglas Legum Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075

443-755-9442 (market)

442-755-9444 (restaurant)

NEAR: Just off Rte 103 east of U.S. 1. This is just south of Rte 100 and less than two miles from I-95. From Rte 100, you take U.S. 1 south, turn left at the first light onto Rte 103 and follow it as it curves twice. Ceazar is in a shopping center on the left.

Sizar's Food Mart: Middle Eastern Groceries in Columbia

Talk about "Open O'Simsim." Sizar's Food Mart was a magical surprise for me.

I only passed by because I was taking two bikes to Race Pace, already muttering about how Columbia makes you drive a quarter mile to reach a store that faces Snowden River. That was why I was so aware that Sizar's -- which looks like a convenience store from the outside -- was faced away from Snowden River. No one can sell sodas and cigarettes this tucked away from the public, so there must be something inside that draws customers.

Behind Sizar's door is the best ethnic grocery store in Howard County. OK, maybe tied with Lily's Mexican Market. It is a small store, but stock tightly and smartly with everything you

could need for Middle Eastern food and more. Breads like pita, barbarry bread, a sweet Afghan rist loaf, and lavash the size of a small table. Teas. Spices. A dozen varieties of dried peas, beans and lentils. A dozen more varieties in cans. Farina. Bulgar. Forty-pound bags of rice.

This is a 13-year-old store with a staff that answered questions and joked about me taking pictures. The selection is breath-taking, and the place felt friendly from the moment that I walked inside. Check out the refrigerator with halal hot dogs, Greek yogurt, lebni cheese and more. Slide over to the freezers where you can get filo dough or already-made spinach-and-cheese filo appetizers. Or frozen falafel or halal chicken nuggets, or Deep brand samosas, or frozen lavash to take home.

The selections run from India to Greece with an array of Iranian items that I had never seen. Check out the raisins and dates in the fridge at the entrance. Consider the fun that you could have -- either as ice cream toppings or as cocktail mixers -- with the bottles of fruit syrups, including mint, mulberry, blueberry, and sour cherry. Sample the Iranian fruit roll-ups, expensive at $1.49 but adult flavors in sour cherry, plum and "sour curd."

Again, the world comes to Columbia. Then Columbia hides the world in the back of a shopping center. But once you discover it, you can return again and again.

(UPDATE:  Sizar's moved to Elkridge in early 2009 and changed its name to Ceazar's.  They opened a restaurant to go with the retail store.  The address below is for the Elkridge store, which is now open.)

A full list of markets in Howard County -- organic, Indian, Asian, seafood.

Ceazar International Market and Restaurant (formerly Sizar's)

6801 Douglas Legum Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075
443-755-9442

NEAR: Just off Rte 103 east of U.S. 1. This is just south of Rte 100 and less than two miles from I-95. From Rte 100, you take U.S. 1 south, turn left at the first light onto Rte 103 and follow it as it curves twice. Ceazar is in a shopping center on the left.