Weekend Plans: Bake It Up Baby, Now; Get Out Or Get Delivery From Momma's Kitchen

Pastries from Bonaparte in Jessup

Bundle up and head down to one of the great bakeries around Howard County where you can warm yourself and pick up sweets for your weekend.

I'm trying to start an occasional Friday series to suggest places for you to explore.  We'll start with dessert.

If you can't get out, you may want to start with a new company called From Momma's Kitchen.  Honestly, I can't figure out the Web site exactly.  But it looks like a new family-run business that offers cookies, cakes and other items by mail and at local events.  I don't see a retail site, but I think they're Howard County.  Follow Momma on Twitter.

But there is something great about getting out on the weekend and trying something new.  Roust your kids.  Meet your friends.  Bakeries are a perfect excuse to explore, and this is a sample of the places where you can get cakes, cookies, sweet drinks and more if you're looking for fun.  I'll run them roughly from north to south:

Shilla Bakery

• The Breadery in Oella.  Absolutely worth the drive.  They do both crusty and loaf breads.  They do sweets.  I think they have even expanded into cheeses, and they have coffee from Zeke's.  In the cold, drive.  Once it gets warmer, consider walking the trail that connects The Breadery with downtown Ellicott City.
• Bon Appetit and Shilla Bakery in Ellicott City.  My Korean friends say that Seoul is packed with French-inspired bakeries, and that idea has been exported to Ellicott City with bakeries that bring the flavors of both countries.  Cakes.  Donuts.  Breads.  Coffee drinks.  Super friendly to kids.
• Kolache Kreations in Ellicott City.  Specialists in a Czech pastry famous in Texas.  Go sweet or savory fillings stuffed into yeasty rolls.
• Kupcakes & Co. in Elkridge and Oh, What A Cake! in Columbia.  These are the cupcake folks.  Great for snacks.  Also hoping to sell you fancy cakes and ornate cupcake arrangements.
• Linda's Bakery in Columbia.  A sweet generalist.  Some cupcakes and cakes, but they also great cookies, macarons, and other items.  I don't know if they're serving coffee there, but you could always walk down to the New York Deli to warm up.
• Touche Touchet in Columbia.  The gold standard for local bakeries.  No bread, but beautiful cakes, iced cookies, croissants, cookies and more.  They serve strong coffee, and they have a few tables indoors and out.
• Bonaparate Bakery in Savage.  Excellent breads and sweets.  One of the only full service savory and sweet bakeries in the county.  It's in the Savage Mill development, and it offers ornate French pastries and lunch sandwiches -- along with crusty loaves to carry home.

What others sweets do you recommend?  I tried to pick places where you could carry out or stay around for a warming drink and a sweet snack.  But there are other great options like CookieRide's cookie deliveries, and I'm sure that I have omitted many good places.

Weekend Plan: Sweet, Sweet, Springtime

Thomas Waffles!  Clarkville!

Sweet springtime has arrived, and you can sweeten your weekend with a few short drives.

Thomas Waffles sets up Saturday morning in the parking lot of Kendall Hardware on Rte 108 in Clarksville.  It's a terrific treat.  It's a nice inspiration to get up and start your chores -- get a waffle on your way to buy that grass seed, pick up some mulch, etc.

I'm trying to restart a Friday series with ideas for your weekend.  Three links on a theme to inspire you to get around:

• Start your day with Touche Touchet in Columbia.  Chocolate croissants, cookies, cakes and more.  It's an easy drive off Rte 29, and it's a great place for a treat.
• Top off dinner with black cherry ice at Rita's Italian Ice.  The King's Contrivance location has great shady seating, but my favorite night is dinner at Maiwand Kabob in Harper's Choice and then a walk across the parking lot for black cherry gelati.
• Check out the La Casa de Sweets blog -- our local dessert blog where Jackie posts recipes.

Weekend Plan: Go Check Out U.S. 1

Oysters from Frank's Seafood

Wordbones wrote last week about the gentrification occurring along U.S. 1 as property owners knock down motels and other buildings to put up townhouses, office space and other new development.

It will be interesting to watch because I think corporate landlords prefer corporate clients.  The food along U.S. 1 hasn't been as packed as places like Snowden River Parkway, but the smaller buildings have turned out some great experiences.  I hope that rising tides will raise those boats -- and not swamp them with higher rents.

Today I'm starting a Friday series with suggestions for you to check out over the weekend.  Three links on a theme to hopefully inspire some folks to go try new food:

• The gem of U.S. 1 is R&R Taqueria in the Shell station at Rte 175.  Literally, in the Shell station.  The tiny kitchen turns out spectacular Mexican food -- lamb soup, a dozen taco variations, housemade salsas, horchata, agua frescas.  They're all there, and you can pick your favorites to eat in your car or at one of the stools.
• Frank's Seafood in Jessup is just a few blocks east of U.S. 1, conveniently located near the Mom's Organic Market so you get fish, produce and everything else you need.  Frank's is my place for crabs, oysters and other specials.  But they're cutting and selling great fish six days a week.



Cochinta tacos at R&R Taqueria

• El Patio Market also in Jessup looks like a convenience store, but they have unusual products worth a visit.  For now, you can eat the empanadas that they sell from the counter and will heat up for you.  For later, you can carry out the empanadas or even buy frozen wrappers and make them from scratch.  (Update: Oh, no! See the comments.  Has El Patio closed?)

The obvious weekend trip would be snacking at R&R or El Patio, then shopping at Mom's and Frank's.  But there are lots of good options along U.S. 1 -- and even more once summer comes and the weekend stands roll out their roadside grills with ribs, chicken and pork.  For more options, check around on the blog, starting with a 2009 tour of U.S. 1 that remains pretty useful after almost four years.