Trolling: Iranian Kabobs, Exceptional Italian, And Vietnamese Soup From A New (Unmanly) Blogger

Pho at Pho Dat Trahn

It's great fun to welcome Howard County food bloggers, and it's even more fun to introduce one who can't stop writing.

The Unmanly Chef has started up his own blog with recipes on everything from roast pork to breakfast shakes to Persian crispy rice.  The Chef is a young guy from Howard County.  He learned to cook from his immigrant Iranian grandmother, but he has a fully modern array of recipes under his belt -- a manly Flyers' apron on the page where he introduces himself.

We chatted yesterday, and the Chef jumped at the idea of a Trolling post.  Most people say they'll do a Trolling post, then never email me again.  Three paragraphs and a cell phone photo are always welcome, but I understand that they can be too daunting to complete.

For the Unmanly Chef, three paragraphs was too limiting.  He wrote five.  The same afternoon.  Three sections talking up Howard County food that he really enjoys.  Two bonus sections about great Iranian food in Rockville and the farm-to-table of Woodberry Kitchen.

Check out the Unmanly Chef blog.  Follow him on Twitter.  Like the blog's page on Facebook.  Just generally welcome into the local conversation:

Friends & Farms -- a delivery service in Columbia
At first I was very apprehensive to joining Friends and Farms, because I thought it would be just another CSA that gives pounds of veggies.  Meanwhile we were spending way too much on groceries each week for just two people.  Friends and Farms delivers on both fronts.  It gives a variety of meat and produce, while cutting my food bill in half.  With Friends and Farms, you can customize your basket size to suit your needs.  I'd recommend doing a sample basket for one week to see if it's for you.  The quality of the food is excellent (especially the protein).  Everything is from local farms.  If you have any questions, you can engage with their staff via email,phone, or in person.  (I've done all three.)  It certainly is not for everyone, if you don't cook or can't handle changing seasonal ingredients, don't waste your time.  Pricing ranges from $53/week to $99/week depending on what size basket you receive.

Yekta Kabobi Restaurant & Market in Rockville
Amongst Iranians in the Maryland area, Yekta is regarded as the premier Kabobi (or Chelow Kabob) place in the area.  I'm fully aware of Nora's Kabob in Ellicott City or Maiwand Kabob in Columbia.  They are great people, but their ground beef kabob or Koobideh does not stack up, and that is the true marker of a great Kabobi restaurant. F or the best experience, go to Yekta in Rocville and order the following: ask for the Tahdig (Crispy Rice), Mahst-e-Moosir (Yogurt with Shallots), and then get the Yekta Special.  It's a lot of food, but this will give you the true Iranian Chelo Kabobi experience. 

The real draw is a combination of everything.  The consistency of the food is key. But juiciness of the meat and the larger variety of traditional Iranian side dishes make it great. For me, what makes it worth the drive is their Kabob Koobideh (ground beef kabob).  It's the perfect mixture of salty and savory.  Yekta also has daily specials, if you are there on a Tuesday or Friday, get the Baghali Polow Mahicheh (Lamb Shank with Fava Bean Rice), this is an authentic Iranian dish that is a true delicacy in Iran. After you've finished, you can go next door to their grocery store for some great treats.

Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore
Nestled away off I-83 lies a culinary oasis that brings rustic Chesapeake watershed cuisine to your table at a reasonable price.  Woodberry Kitchen sources all their ingredients from local farms and makes everything in house.  I first heard about it actually from Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes fame) when he was on Food Network. You literally cannot make a wrong choice with their menu.  Select whatever you crave, and prepare to be thrilled.

I've had the chicken and biscuits, and they are incredible.  Cooked to perfection, they fry the skin, but not the whole chicken. T hey use a thigh instead of a breast so it's incredibly moist.  Another great dish there is the mac & cheese, Fried chicken and mac & cheese are my two favorite foods so I always seek them out at a high quality place.  Since it's a rustic American-style place, I base my choices off of my favorite American flavors -- savory and cheese.  Haha.

You have to make a reservation generally because it's too popular now to walk in. But make the trip.  It's worth it. They are open for breakfast/brunch on the weekends and dinner every night.

Aida Bistro & Wine Bar in Columbia
Italian food is often a difficult dining out choice for me because I always feel I can make it better than wherever one would usually go for Italian food in Howard County.  Not with Aida Bistro & Wine Bar.  Everything is locally sourced and hand-made in the kitchen. I've been twice now; both times were excellent. They do a seasonal menu.  In the winter, I ordered a Lamb Shank Bolognese, and this past weekend we did an assortment of appetizers.  Their pork belly appetizer is great.  You think it's going to be somewhat chewy. But instead, it falls apart, and the crispy skin on the top makes it melt in your mouth.  They serve it as a thick square of pork belly rather than the traditional korean BBQ way.  It's almost like they braised the pork belly meat, but crisped the skin. It was awesome.   For dessert, their cannoli are outstanding, not to sweet, and they have a home-made shell.  The service is attentive and will offer their opinions if you ask.  Aida's is great for any occasion.

Pho Dat Tanh in Columbia
Good pho is hard to find.  Pho Dat Tanh in Columbia does exactly what you want.  No fuss, no frills. They have carry-out, but I would not recommend ordering the pho for carry-out.  It's not the same experience.  We always come here when we have a cold because their pho will clear your sinuses and provide that warm soup craving.  I always order the Pho Ga (Chicken Pho) instead of the Beef Pho. Mainly because I think it's healthier and it's a little less heavy. Their food is very reasonably priced and if you want pho, it's a great local source for it.

Trolling (sometimes on Tuesday) is my attempt at a series where readers share three things with other HowChow readers -- favorite restaurant dishes, food to buy, food experiences, etc.  Click here for all the Trolling posts.  Click here for the explanation and the rules.  Anyone can submit.

The "Woodberry Kitchen Problem," Or How Do Our Best Restaurants Compete Across Two Cities?

This is what I will call "The Woodberry Kitchen" problem.

People think that I eat out way more than I actually do.  The key to a hobby like writing daily about food is to write short and to make sure that you see posts in the basic food that you enjoy.

The truth is that Mrs. HowChow and I eat from restaurants a few times a month around Howard County.  Often, it is a weeknight.  Or it's a point when we just want to relax.  We eat broadly, but we tend to eat in the middle ground -- casual places that serve dinner for two for $20-40.  We grab burgers at Victoria.  We go for Korean barbecue.  We get sushi at either The Sono or The King.

But there is an upper limit.  We'll spend $50 for our favorites -- or to get some extras at House of India that will become two lunches.  But we often leave Howard County for special meals.  There are nights when we're going to spend more money or when I'm making reservations for someone's birthday, and the truth is that I keep going back to Woodberry Kitchen.

Now, I'm the perfect customer for Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore.  I love the fresh ingredients, minimal cooking, and small plates.  In July, we had a meal where we didn't pick a dish that had been cooked.  Pickled eggs, a raw peach dessert.  Three of the courses were just perfect produce, sliced and served with spices or vinegar.  We spent less than a night at Sushi Sono and left as happy as I have ever been in a restaurant.

But it makes me wonder how high-end restaurants compete in Howard County?  

I can list restaurants in Howard County with high expectations: Portalli's, Bistro Blanc, Venegas Prime Filet, Aida Bistro, Cafe de Paris, Tersiguels. . . .  But as I consider my "best restaurants" list for 2010, I have only eaten at half of these places.  

Obviously, some  people expect to spend $50-75 for two on a weeknight, but that seems more common in Bethesda than in Kings Contrivance.  When people like me schedule a special night, we're fine with driving into the city -- in fact into either city -- so Howard County high-end is competing with local, cheaper options and with the high-end places as far as 45 minutes away.

What Howard County restaurants are worth the extra money?  What do you order for your special nights?  Or, if you run one of these restaurants, what do you think people should know about your place?  The risk of high prices is that people have high expectations.  So how do you entice people to try you out and leave satisfied?

   

Woodberry Kitchen: Worth The Drive To Baltimore

You have to leave Howard County some times -- so make it a night worth remembering at Woodberry Kitchen.

This is a casual, but refined restaurant just off I-83 in Baltimore. It's part of the old Clipper Mill, and it's a shining example of the new "local produce" cuisine. Local spinach. Chesapeake oysters. Chincoteague clams. The menu actually lists the farms and suppliers where Woodberry sources your meal.

But Woodberry is fun. Really fun. Like $1 for a bowl of popcorn -- tiny kernels called ladyfinger and the perfect coating of butter and sea salt. That is Woodberry cooked down to the essence -- something delicious and slightly unusual, seasoned or paired with something intelligent. No individual ingredient is exotic. Every taste on the table was unique.

The popcorn, buttery but somehow not greasy. A small basket with a half-dozen different types of bread. Pickled vegetables. Chevre cheese served with tiny raisins and a "vin cotto" -- a dark, sweet vinegar that tasted like thickened wine. Mrs. HowChow and I never touched an entree because we built a tapas-style dinner for ourselves from the "small plates" half of the menu.

The high point was pears roasted, then served with buckwheat honey and sea salt. It sounds simple. It tasted complex, and I cook just enough to recognize skill when I see it. The best part was that plate was $5, so we could also sample a pear flatbread with blue cheese, rocket and mustard cream. Our table literally overflowed, and I never ordered the oysters that first caught my eye because I kept noticing food that I wanted a little bit more. Everything changes seasonally, so I think I could go back in a few months to try an entirely-different menu.

Woodberry could be expensive. Entrees run $15-25 except for the $12 burger, and the imaginative cocktails (cider press - apple brandy, elderfloer, citrus, sparking cider) and the coffee drinks were enticing. Add that liquor and side dishes, and you could spend a big night quickly. But it's delicious, and frankly, you can eat reasonably as well. We passed on liquor and gorged on six small dishes, dessert and coffee for just $54. It was a happy birthday for me.

Make reservations. The place fills up quickly.

(Update: Woodberry is one of absolute favorites.  We have been back several times, always ordered tapas-style and always amazed by the fruit and honey variation of the pears above.  I added photos here of nectarines with honey that was a late-July version and of local fish thin-cut and served like sashimi.)

If you want to try this kind of seasonable cuisine closer to home, I do recommend Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia.

Woodberry Kitchen

2010 Clipper Park Rd # 126
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 464-8000

http://www.blogger.com/www.woodberrykitchen.com

NEAR: Mrs. HowChow navigates in Baltimore. Google says you can drive to Woodberry Kitchen in 30 minutes from Columbia by taking Rte 29 to I-70 East and then local roads to Clipper Park Road. Check that out.

To read a half dozen other reviews and blog posts about Woodberry Kitchen, check out the Urbanspoon page by clicking this icon: