Chinese Restaurants in Howard County 2010

This post started a few months ago as the question: "Is there any Chinese food worth eating in Howard County?"

I wrote up Chinese restaurants in early 2009, but the truth is that we rarely eat the stuff around here -- opting for other cuisine or driving a little farther to check out better restaurants.  A horrific dinner at Hunan Legend and some takeout failures made me expect glop on every plate, and I wondered if there was anything worth trying.

The answer: "Yes."  But, to get the food that I want, you have to ask.

To get the Chinese food that I want, you need to find restaurants with a separate, authentic menu -- and you need to really emphasize that you want the authentic version.  This frustrates some people, and it really frustrated me when my Hunan Legend waiter lied and denied that the Columbia restaurant had a separate menu of authentic dishes.  But that led to a wonderful series of posts where Wai provided and translated the Chinese menu, then other people like Warthog used it enough that the restaurant put out an official version.

I have decided that Chinese restaurants are just different from other places.  My Chinese-speaking friend said that Chinese people are very aware that foreigners can be put off by their food, and he said people seemed surprised that he wanted real Chinese food -- even in China where he had clearly made an effort to speak the language and live there.  My friend joked that Americans assume that everyone in the world wants to eat a hamburger and commute in their own car, but Chinese people are so aware that foreigners might be put off by spices or flavors or ingredients that they often just don't want to risk making you unhappy.

The flip side is that they can be very happy if you try.  Noodles Corner in Columbia invested the time to translate its second menu of authentic items, but the managers were still visibly surprised when we ordered authentic dishes.  They confirmed twice that we wanted Chinese versions.  We did.  They smiled.

But, with that said, I totally respect people like Little Audrey who points out that she can get terrific tacos at R&R Taqueria without knowing a secret password.  She likes Hunan Legend for a quick kung pao, but she doesn't want to prove her worthiness to order authentic stuff -- so she drives the extra miles to Grace Garden.

You should drive there as well because Grace Garden tops my spots for local Chinese.  I'm a complete novice, but I know where I have found fresh, interesting dishes that make me think you can get several provinces of special meals if you know where to ask:

Grace Garden in Odenton:   Chef Chun Keung Li serves luxurious flavors in a Spartan room. This is a place for people who want to explore, who want to drive a little extra to enjoy tea-smoked duck, sliced pork belly, steamed whole fish, and fish noodles.  Grace Garden stands out because of its skills and becomes it welcomes everyone.  Ingredients familiar to anyone who eats Chinese -- chicken, fish, vegetables -- become stellar meals, and the exotic touches are there for anyone who wants to try.  I understand that the menu tends towards southern Chinese cuisine.  Check out my posts and search Chowhound or other local food blogs.

Red Pearl in Columbia: This authentic menu at this new lakeside place runs to spicy Szechuan food.  Lunch at the Red Pearl was a hit for me -- a dry kung pao that was delicious and different than the American variety, a special vegetable (Chinese broccoli) that was crisp, and the Red Pearl posts have some detailed recommendations and comments, including ColumbiaJ who recommended potstickers with hot oil and flounder with soft tofu.  (Update:  Red Pearl added dim sum, which I think is absolutely delicious.)

Noodles Corner in Columbia:  This is our newest find, and our single takeout meal wasn't enough for me to offer even my uneducated opinion.  Apparently, this authentic menu is heavily Taiwanese, and I recommend the shredded pork appetizer, the asian chili wrap, and the pan-fried noodles with beef, chicken and shrimp.  I was turned onto Noodles Corner by people like Wai, Jade's Mama, David P., Little Audrey, and William.  From those folks, I have a "to do" list of fish fillet with XO sauce, black mushrooms with bok choy, the seafood or beef hot pot, and the northern Chinese noodles (even though Wai would like them spicier and saltier).  William also recommended the tea -- no giant pot in the back; they put tea leaves into the pot that they serve to the table.

Hunan Taste in Catonsville.  Although it's not Howard County, the extra miles are worth checking out the Hunan menu.  This is the place that really got me excited for authentic Chinese because dishes like preserved sausage with smoked bamboo shoots were a revelation.  New flavors.  New combinations.  I thought it was a tasty, classy, casual place, although you can get cultural clash with your meal.  Several comments describe food that they didn't like and management who didn't seem to care.  Another got great food at lunch, then watered-down takeout soup the next day.

Hunan Legend in Columbia:  This is an odd recommendation because my only meal here was terrible.  But that was off the American menu, and other people really love Hunan Legend's authentic dishes that trend Cantonese and Malaysian.  People like Warthog convinced the owners to give the translated Chinese menu to everyone, and the Hunan Legend posts include lots of comments that recommend specific items.  Also, Warthog sparked a long Chowhound string that lists dishes and discusses the whole stereotype that Americans don't really like Chinese food.

Asian Court in Ellicott City:  This is for lunch-time dim sum -- rolling carts on the weekend and from the menu on weekdays.  We think this matches the famous places in the DC suburbs, and we'll go again and again for steamed BBQ pork buns, steamed dumplings, sticky rice, and even for desserts like coconut jelly and sesame balls.  You can explore beyond into chicken feet, head-on shrimp, and bitter melon rounds stuffed with shrimp paste.

That isn't to say that you need to worship authentic Chinese.  That's my taste these days, but Chinese restaurants make people happy every day with dishes that never saw China.  A single kitchen could serve "authentic" to one customer, "comfort food" to another, and just give you a bag of takeout on a night when you can't face the stove.

• Jade recommended the Lucky China Inn in the Oakland Mills village center in Columbia -- especially Szechuan lo mein, orange chicken, and mu shu chicken.
• Anonymous recommended Hunan Express in Elkridge -- especially the steamed dumplings that come six for $4.
• Anonymous recommended ChopStixx in Elkridge -- really for pan-Asian noodle dishes like pad thai.
• Jake recommended Hunan Legend in Columbia -- for a friendly atmosphere, steamed dumpling and the kung pao triple delight.

Jake's recommendation brings me back to the Big Three because no discussion of Howard County Chinese could be complete without the established trio of Hunan Manor, Hunan Legend and Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro.  When we lived off Rte 108, Jesse Wong's American-style dishes were our go-to takeout, and the pretty ambiance still makes it a nice place to take people for a casual, but classy night.  Hunan Manor has been a family mainstay for people like Kevin of Kevin & Ann Eat Everything, and some people even swear by Hunan Legend's regular menu.  These are places that serve memories along with the food, although there are disputes with all three about whether they have declined over time.  Two years ago, I would have held Asean Bistro up against any other kitchen, but I don't think that anymore.  For now, I would rather explore my six places than go back to the old standbys.

What do you think about Chinese food in Howard County?  Are there places that you recommend?  Specific dishes?  I think the most-useful advice is a description of a few specific dishes so a newcomer can start off with something delicious.  Are there other places with Chinese menus?  Other places where you love the American versions?


Specifically, has anyone been recently to Garden Gourmet in the Long Reach Village Center in Columbia?  There is a 2006 Chowhound string between Warthog and Elgringoviego that makes me want to try their Szechuan food.  Both those guys are thoughtful writers, and I wonder if Garden Gourmet still has special dishes.

This is an update to the "What I Learned" series of posts from 2009. They're a bit out of date by now, but they link to many other posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring about different cuisines. Or click to switch to the posts about shopping in Howard County or posts about areas and ideas.

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Lessons From Portalli's: What I Learned From A Night On The Other Side Of The Table

I realized how much I like sitting down somewhere around the 10th time that we pushed through the swinging doors into the clatter of Portalli's kitchen.

Chairs are a big part of my restaurant experience.  I get a chair every time.  I sit, and everyone comes to me.  That was until I took Lee Biars' offer to spend a night watching a restaurant from the other side.  He amused himself challenging folks who write about food to see how it is actually made.  That glimpse had me shadowing a waitressing pro from Portalli's sedate dining room into the bright lights, big pressure of the restaurant's kitchen.

My lesson from the night:  Restaurants are a business for the young.  Everything else was questions.


How did it get so bright in here?


Eating is easy.  Everything else in a restaurant is harder than it seemed.   I'd never noticed that waitresses run between the quiet clink of the dining room and a noisy, bright kitchen.  Portalli's kitchen is tiny.  There is no chaos -- at least not on the relatively quiet Good Friday when I visited -- but it's busy and bright and constantly overseen by screens counting the time since every dish had been ordered.

I want the kitchen to deliver my food at the perfect moment.  But I don't want waiters running around or arriving covered with sweat.  I hadn't noticed the tension until I followed a veteran server named Sara as she wove from the dining room through the swinging door -- call out "coming in" or risk having the door jammed into your face -- through the kitchen -- squeeze past the runner assembling a tray of entrees -- and back into the dark of the bar -- be good to the bartender because he is filling your orders while serving diners himself.

On a busy night, Sara said, you pause to assemble yourself before you walk back to the diners.  Or you wipe off the sweat when the nights get worse.  Lee's original idea was that I would actually do jobs at Portalli's -- host for an hour, run food for an hour, bus tables for an hour . . .   Lee was insane.  I would have ruined some nice person's night or at least some nice waiter's tips.  Every meal in Portalli's main dining room is carried up a flight, then has to cross a down-a-step, then up-a-step threshold that looks like it was designed to trip contestants on a reality show.

The whole feel of a restaurant changes when you stand the whole time.  I noticed the lights, the noise, the computer.  (Heavens, I eat out to escape the computer!)  I watched the runner going with bread, the hostess at her computer, the way servers deal with 20 people at once where I'm normally focused on my wife or a few friends.


Who is coming to dinner?

Every restaurant has answered 100 questions that I never realized to ask.  Who says hello?  What do they say?  Who delivers food -- the waiter or dedicated runners?  When do you clear -- as soon as each diner finishes or only once everyone is done?  Do you track each meal by the seat of the person who ordered?  At Portalli's, waiters key each seat into the computer.  Runners serve the food without asking "Who ordered meatballs?" It's subtle, but it is a classy touch not to "auction" off the food when it arrives.  How long do you plan on people to stay?  My favorite nugget of the night:  Valentine's Day diners eat fast.  They're in and out -- like they have somewhere to go.

The key question:  Who do we think will show up tonight?  That estimate dictates how many people work, how much food is on hand.  Good Friday during Passover turns out to be slow for a restaurant selling meat and pasta.  None of us thought about that before.

Portalli's runs its reservations through Open Table.  A free Web site for diners.  A software gem for restaurants, who use reservations to predict crowds and who use Open Table to actually pre-assign a table to each guest.  On my visit, they were planning a night when they'd have two large parties -- including a 90-year-old's birthday that could not be upstairs in the main dining room.  Lee also saw a regular on the list, so he had someone run up to Diamondback Tavern -- their casual joint on Old Columbia Pike -- to get a shepherd's pie that he knew that she loved.


Are they done yet?

When I go to dinner, I know exactly what I want from the night.  I know if this is a quick bite or a long celebration.  I know if we're drinking, if we came to order an old favorite, or if we want to explore the menu for a long time.

Standing in Portalli's dining room, I realized that I didn't know anything about the people who Sarah was trying to serve.  Do they want to talk detail about the wines or be left alone?  Do they want another drink?  Are they done with that meal?  Everyone acts different.  Everyone is different.  Sarah has a few tricks -- like standing the check holder on the table so that she can tell from across the room when they have added their credit card and laid it down -- but mostly, she was figuring out strangers on the fly.  Trying to be there when they needed something, but never rush them along.  It's like endless first dates.

What is going to go wrong today?


I try not to be overly criticall.  I'm pretty empathetic, and I eat out to relax, not to whip myself into tension about the perfect meal.  (We gasped last weekend at a different restaurant when the neighboring table sent back their wine because it wasn't as fruity as they had expected.  Really?  You think the restaurant owes you a second bottle of wine?)  But I am even-more aware now of how much restaurants can't control.

It's a crazy business where snow wipes out 12 days in your first winter, including four Saturdays when you figure in Christmas.  On my night, a Portalli's employee fell so suddenly ill that he ended up in the hospital.  Everyone else picked up that role, and I don't think any diners noticed at all.

How was the food?

I really enjoyed Portalli's food.  Mostly, I spent the night talking to Sara, other servers, Lee, and Lee's partner Evan.  But I tried a great summer cocktail with Firefly sweet tea vodka and San Pelligrino Limonata, and I sampled a meatball that Lee and Evan had cooked after a diner had complained.  (Tasted delicious to me.)  And I eventually joined Mrs. HowChow and our friends with a plate of scallops and risotto of my own. They had been chuckling as I walked behind Sarah with my hands nervously clasped behind my back.

I'm a fan of those scallops, and my folks enjoyed their meals and a table of desserts that we shared.  Great cannoli, and I loved the puff pastry.  Portalli's kicked up some comments when it first opened last year.  It's a fine dining place with fine dining prices so people expect more than a neighborhood joint.  Lee said that they're listening.  He served at Charleston, and his partners came out of the Greystone Grill operations so this isn't new.  They're training on all those little decisions about cooking, serving, clearing, etc.  They even won over one of the folks who posted one of the original negative comments.

And they certainly won me over.  It was fun to see a restaurant from the other side.  Now, I'm going to sit down.

(Correction: There was a reference above that said "Facci's dining room" instead of "Portalli's dining room."  Comments below caught it.  As noted, I was distracted from the error by my supposed job.  And my proof-reader didn't notice either.)

Thanks especially to Sara who just had her boss announce that you're going to be followed around by a blogger.  That sounds like a night to paraphrase King Julien XIII: "Hello freak!"  Hope it wasn't too bad.  I was horrified to learn that Sarah read HowChow before and recognized one of the commenters as complaining -- unfairly she thought -- about a meal she had served.  Thanks also to Lee, Evan and everyone else at Portalli's who talked to me and walked me around.  You can follow Portalli's on Twitter or on Facebook.

Asian Grocery Stores in Howard County

Asian grocery stores are one of the great food innovations of the past 20 years.

From Howard County, a short drive will let you buy spectacular vegetables, fruit, fish and Asian or Latin groceries. Low prices. Incredible selections. Specialty offerings at a price that lets you try out that Asian pepper, unusual spice or the fruit that you have never seen before.

My top choices are the H Mart off Rte 40 in Catonsville or the Super Grand south of Rte 198 on Rte 197 in Laurel. You can also shop at Lotte in Ellicott City. I have posted about various aspects of these stores that I'll summarize below, but nothing beats an hour exploring the aisles. You want to go because you'll do this week's grocery shopping and get to add a little adventure to your life at the same time. Nothing lose; a world of flavor to gain.

(Update:  A huge Lotte opened in Catonsville in December 2012.  Search for posts about that grocery as well.)

Let's start with the guaranteed finds. In my post about "my favorite place for food," I wrote that Asian ingredients don't even make my Top 5 reasons to visit H Mart. They're ideal. I love the wonton wrappers, the coconut milk, the Asian pears, and the aisles of rice, tofu and sauces. These should be your first stops if you're trying to cook anything from Korean to Chinese to Thai, but you'll find far more than soy sauce and seaweed at H Mart, Lotte or Super Grand:

• Fruit -- The fruit lasts longer than items from anyone else. In-season fruit comes at spectacular selections like a dozen varieties pears, and there are unusual selections like Koran melons or lychees. Try a box of Asian pears when they're in season. A luxury suddenly becomes something that you can share and enjoy day after day.
• Frozen Food -- The frozen aisle is full of convenience items. Dumplings. Shu Mai. Red bean ice cream. Bags of edamame. Even a brief scouting trip will send you home with some great frozen items and inspire you to return.
• Mexican Food -- No joke, everything you need for a Rick Bayless cookbook. Hispanic vegetables like plantains, jicama and chayote prove the worldliness of the market owners. They serve up Latin cheeses, chorizos, and spices. They have entire aisles of Goya beans, sauces and rice, and Super Grand has even more than Lotte or H Mart.
• Vegetables -- The vegetables make Asian markets worthy of a pilgrimage for any cook. As I wrote in the post about vegetable shopping, you get low prices, great selections, and produce that just lasts longer in the fridge. It is rarely organic. But the Asian markets are my favorite place because you get variety along with some unique items like all the Asian greens and cabbages.
• Fish -- These are the places to experiment with fish. As simple as fillets. As exotic as live tillapia or squid. Great prices on clams that let me cook an entire vat of chowder last winter. All the markets sell whole fish, and the fishmongers will gut, skin or cut up the fish into a bunch of styles that they list on signs over their heads.

One day, I would love to write an organized tour of these Asian markets. But I taught myself by just pulling stuff off the shelves. As I often note, the ingredients are always in English, so you can guess at most anything. Employees try to be helpful, but my advice (especially outside the produce section) is that you question a fellow shopper if you want to know more. The woman buying seaweed will know more than the guy stocking the shelves. Generally, people have been happy to share -- although I have approached people who turned out to be just as clueless as me. ("I have no idea. My family is Korean, and I'm looking for Vietnamese fish sauce for a recipe from the food section.")

Last year, I knocked off a list of 10 items that were easy to just grab off the shelf. No cooking to eat refrigerated kimchi or the frozen dumplings. A little assembly to create seaweed wrappers with rice and tuna fish. Since then, I keep finding new items by just reaching out and reading the package:

• Make quick pickles with Yoricho cooking vinegar. Slice vegetables, pour on that vingegar and water. You have pickles in 20 minutes.
• Create a unique dessert by buying sweet rice cakes. They're a fine hand-held snack. But I jazzed them up by slicing two into eight pieces, then serving that plate next to a fruit salad.
• Buy a great takeout dinner by grabbing soup or ready-to-grill meat. Then, sample any of the "panchan" -- prepared vegetables, fish cakes, tofu and other Korean side dish -- that the store sells by the pound. Lotte has a great selection of panchan that you can buy in bulk (or in tiny tasters). Lotte isn't my favorite market, but the prepared foods are terrific.

(Update: See other ideas in the comments below like lumpia or frozen banana leaves.)

If you're interested in exploring, check out my review of Kimiko Barber's cookbooks. The Japanese Kitchen and The Chopstick Diet are great guides to the Japanese aisles and offer delicious, accessible ways to cook the noodles, seaweeds, vegetables and fish offered at the Asian grocery stores.

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring about shopping in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about areas and ideas.

PREVIOUS: Ethnic Shopping in Howard County
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H Mart
800 N. Rolling Road
Catonsville, MD 21228
443-612-9020

NEAR: Rte 40 just west of I-695. If you are driving 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.

Super Grand
13600 Laurel Bowie Road (Rte 197)
Laurel, MD 20708
301-362-5572

NEAR: This is on Rte 197 about a half-mile south of Rte 198. It's right off the BW Parkway, so it's an easy drive from I-95 or U.S. 1 via Rte 198.

Lotte Market
8801 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-750-9656

NEAR: On Rte 40, just east of Rte 29. From Columbia, you go north on Rte 29 and take the Rte 40 East exit. Stay in the left lane on the exit ramp. That takes you into the shopping center.

Ethnic Groceries in Howard County

You can buy the entire world in Howard County if you can just figure out how to drive around the damn town.

Ethnic groceries sell authentic food from countries from Korean through North Africa, from Mexico through South American, from Jamaica back to West Africa. Some produce. Lots of packaged goods. All the spices that inspired people to sail great oceans in small boats in order to carry flavor home to their shores. At Food Cravings, you can even buy Indian interpretations of Chinese sauces.

But then, we're getting ahead of ourselves.

The key to ethnic shopping in Howard County is a basic map. Nothing is obvious. Very little is advertised. I started HowChow, in part, because it had taken me months to piece together where to buy food when I moved from Virginia. The only players with a large presence are Asian supermarkets -- and I'm going to write a separate overview of H Mart in Catonsville, Lotte in Ellicott City and Grand Mart in Laurel. They're spectacular for Asian products, produce, fish and Mexican food, including cheeses, tortillas and packaged goods.

For other cuisines, the markets are small. They're not on main roads. But they're all reliable with employees who speak English and who have routinely been happy to answer questions. These stores are as modern as anywhere else you shop. You can go for the ingredients that you need to cook these cuisines from "scratch" like corn meal, lentils, and spices, or you can check out convenience foods like frozen samosas, jars of curry sauce, and cans of stuffed grape leaves . You can search my posts by cuisine or by market in the links in the right column, but below is a list of the markets that I recommend:

• For Indian, you have four choices for spices, Indian sauces, frozen naan, boxed Indian lunches, and other ingredients. Check out the candied fennel seeds or buy the basics for pani puri. Mostly, the stores sell Indian or U.S. "import" brands -- from tea to spices to Ching's Red Chili sauce straight from Bombay. The one real advantage is Eastern Market, which has more produce than the others. The four: Food Cravings in Columbia, Desi Market in Columbia, Eastern Bazar in Laurel, and Apna Bazar in Laurel. (Update: In comments below, Hal and anonymous recommend a fifth and sixth: Ganesh Brothers on Rte 40 in the Normany Plaza just east of Rte 29 and Patel Brothers on Rte 40 in Catonsville.) (I have also heard that Food Cravings might be expanding to Elkridge.)
• For Middle Eastern, you drive to Caezar International Market in Elkridge or Aladdin Market on Main Street in Laurel. Both stores sell breads, spices, cheeses like feta or Kashkaval, and packaged basics like lentils, tahini, chick peas and bulgar. Caezar is the larger, expanding at its Elkridge location (with a Persian restaurant next door) after 13 years in Columbia as Sizar's. It moved in 2009 to expand and offer a halal butcher. If you go to Caezar, please try the pistachio nougat.
• For Latin American, you should start at Lily's Mexican Market in Columbia and also consider the Panam Supermarket in Laurel if you want produce or a full butcher. Lily's sits off Dobbin Road. It has a small butcher, a takeout-taco counter, freshly-made corn tortillas, cheeses, dried peppers, and all the packaged goods that you need to cook Mexican food. Not much produce, but the easy exotic fun of cactus for nopales tacos. Panam is off U.S. 1 at Rte 198. This is a supermarket, not a grocery, and it sells all those basics -- along with a huge butcher and a full produce section.
• For West African and Jamaican food, you should check out Afia International in Jessup or Accra Foods in Laurel. Both stores appear to sell Ghanaian and Jamaican brands. I don't know these cuisines, and my explorations have not been successful. I would love any comments if you have suggestions. (Another market -- Julie's International in Elkridge -- closed in 2009.)

Of all these places, Lily's and Caezar's are my favorites. They're pretty comprehensive for someone who needs basic foods. The people have always been helpful, and the butcher and produce make them quite useful. I recommend a visit to any of these markets to anyone interested in trying new food. Federal law requires every bottle and box to list the ingredients, so you can know what you're eating even if the original label isn't in English. Plus, people have been gracious and helpful every time that I had a question to ask.

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring about shopping in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about areas and ideas.

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Parking Lot Cafe: The Ultimate Howard County Experience

The great bistros of Paris offer sidewalk tables. Converted row homes in DC offer rooftop dining. Country inns nestle you into garden cuisine.

As the season warms, the question arises: What is the quintessential Howard County experience for al fresco dining?

The answer: Parking lot cafes.

James Rouse banned churches so that Columbia could worship the automobile, and several Howard County restaurants have taken up his charge by offering food with a view of the parking lot. Sure, Elizabeth Large offers the limited view in her Top 10 places to eat lunch outside with back gardens and enclosed patios. But what about good food where you can see your car?

Victoria Gastropub offers the finest parking lot cafe around. We went for my favorite local burger last week and enjoyed a warm, breezy night watching the sun set and watching our Chrysler. You could feel the vibrations of the hot rods on Rte 108. How can Citronelle compete? Victoria built its patio last summer, and the open feeling is a nice contrast with the dark, cozy feel of the indoor rooms. But they're just the vanguard for le cuisine voiture:

• Ranazul in Fulton has a handful of tables right on Maple Lawn Boulevard. Come early so that you snag the street parking close enough so that you lock and unlock your car remotely while you enjoy tapas.
• La Palapa Too in Laurel captures the parking lot cafe vibe. The patio out front juts into the parking lot, and the weekend ceviche appetizer is even more delicious with the taste of a cold Corona and the sound of traffic. (As bemoaned by BillZ on Live in Howard County, the shopping center with La Palapa Too and Kloby's isn't really in Laurel. It's on Johns Hopkins Road just west of Rte 29 -- very convenient to Columbia, Scaggsville or Fulton.)
• Mad City Coffee in Columbia is built for car viewing. In winter, you can watch your car through the plate glass windows while you have house-roasted coffee, breakfast or sandwiches. In nice weather, the tables right outside let you almost put your feet up on your bumper as you sip and read the paper.
• Maiwand Kabob in Columbia only has two tables outside, but the view is spectacular. It's cars to the horizon (or at least to the supermarket and Rita's). You could take out these wonderful grilled meats, breads and the pumpkin appetizer. But you'd have to sit in your driveway to capture the full experience.
• Touche Touchet Bakery in Columbia offers you the chance for dessert. My favorite cupcakes in Howard County, plus an array of coffee, other desserts, and a handful of savory croissants. If you're not careful, you could end up on the side of Touche Touchet's outdoor seating, staring at a peaceful, wooded yard. But the front tables are all-parking, all-the-time.

What parking lot cafe am I missing? Where can you eat and watch your car? Great Sage in Clarksville doesn't count because the creative vegetarian restaurant tucked its patio on the side of its shopping center. The seats overlook a slopping hill and trees. It's so lush and natural that you might think you were in . . . Baltimore.

(Update: People are already pouring in other great examples in the comments. They're worth reading in full because people captured the tone in which this post was offered. A sample of the early ones:

• rdonoghue talks up Donna's on Rte 108 in Columbia. As he notes, "on a clear day" you can see all the way to Eggspectations. Take that San Francisco Bay!
• Billz of the Live in Howard County blog has his own list, including the River Hill Grille "that lets you contemplate automobiles and the Columbia Gym where you should be working out.")

(Update #2: You have to check out Strapazza on weekends when you can get a view of your car -- and live jazz.)

(Update #3: Check out the 2010 update on this "parking lot cafe" idea.)

Does anyone know the Cocoa Lane restaurant mentioned by Eve in this comment on Elizabeth Large's blog? She says it has a series of decks. Can you see parking? (Update: Julie says Cocoa Lane has a great view of Ellicott City's skyline, but no cars. Sigh!)

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring of ideas about food in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about shopping.

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Ice Cream For A Summer Night 2009

With the warm weather, you should definitely go get an ice cream under the stars -- or a snow cone in the midst of your errands.

Howard County has a long list of stands that will sell you ice cream to enjoy outside. It's a fabulous simple treat of the season, and ice cream is just a little more delicious if you're leaning up against your car.

(Update: Most of these places are still around, but I updated this post in 2011.)

These are the ones that I know about (paired with a place to grab an easy dinner):

• Soft Stuff on Rte 40 in Ellicott City. This is the gold standard for a summer night out. Soft serve ice cream at a picnic table. Banana splits for a few dollars more. Nostalgia for free. (Pair with Korean at Bethany Seafood Restaurant or Shin Chon Garden.)
• Cindy's on U.S. 1 in Elkridge. This seasonal stand comes recommended by Lanette for soft serve and other frozen treats, and it is on my list to check out this summer. (Pair with pit beef from Smokey & Uncle Grube's.)
• Pepperjacks Deli in Laurel. This family-run joint just south of Rte 216 serves great sandwiches, and it also scoops ice cream and whips shakes. There is a homemade playground that looks great for young kids. (Pair with Pepperjack's own sandwiches.)
• Arties in Clarksville. This is an old standard on Rte 108 recommended by Dzoey for Hershey Ice Cream. (Pair with pizza or kabob from Mimi's Kabob.)
• Rita's in Columbia and Ellicott City. This is one of our favorites, although I know people see them as an invading chain. Black cherry ice layered with vanilla cream. (The absolute perfect pair with pumpkin, kabobs and bread at Maiwand Kabob or with pizza at Trattoria E Pizzeria Da Enrico)
• Snowballs in Clarksville and KyKy's Hawaiian Ice in Elkridge for shaved ice -- along with Pete's Snowball stand at Oakland Mills Road and Old Montgomery Road in Columbia talked up by Columbia Talk and Evan of the Howard County Blog. These are super simple -- shaved ice topped with a flavor shot. They're my treat when I'm doing errands. Confirm that KyKy's is open in 2009. I haven't been there yet this season.
• In a comment below, the Baltimore Beer Guy talks up The Snowball Stand on Rte 99 for great flavors at a local institution. It even has its own blog at http://snowballstand.blogspot.com/
• From the comments below, I learned about Seibel's in Burtonsville. The family restaurant makes its own ice cream, and they're creamy and delicious. (Pair with Cuba de Ayer.)

For a more hipster touch, consider Yogiberry in Olney for the closest taste of the sour yogurt trend. It's a Pinkberry clone with delicious frozen yogurt topped with mochi.  (Update in 2010: Actually, Yogiberry is now in the Columbia Mall, and you can enjoy Tutti Frutti in Ellicott City on a summer night.  There are few outdoor chairs, but lots of places to lean against you car, enjoy the frozen yogurt, and watch the Burger King drivethrough.)

Can anyone recommend other places for ice cream outside? Anywhere good in downtown Ellicott City? Does anyone in Howard County actually make their own ice cream? The closest that I have heard is the gelato that I want to try at Cafe di Roma in Catonsville.

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring of ideas about food in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about shopping.

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Great Takeout in Howard County

I'm secure enough in my kitchen abilities to know that it is best some nights to just carry dinner home. Pull some plates. Spread out the food. Start eating right away.

Howard County is made for takeout. Every shopping center has a Chinese restaurant and a pizza joint. But bad food doesn't make for a great night of takeout, so there are the places where I'll drive a little extra to pick up.

This list is about pick-up, no-cook dinners. Tacos at Lily's are great to eat right away, and the crab cakes at Boarman's broil up to a dinner worth serving guests. However, this is a list about lunch in a bag (or a box) that you can take home, eat right away, and maybe have something left over for lunch the next day.

• Chinese at Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro off Rte 108 in Ellicott City. This was Mrs. HowChow's staple when we lived up near there. Hot and sour soup with crunchy noodles. Chow fun. Black bean chicken. That's my wife's comfort menu, although you can't go wrong at Jesse Wong's -- and it tops the list because they'll deliver so you don't even have to go there.
• Fried chicken at Chick N' Friends in Columbia. Chick N' Friends is takeout -- no seating at all. If you can, get chicken right out of the fryer. Pair it up with corn bread, maybe collard greens. This is home cooking in the best possible way.
• Pizza from Pazani Trattoria in Elkridge or Coal Fire in Ellicott City. Pizza is personal. I go thin crust with premium toppings, so I go to Pazani off Rte 103 north of Rte 100 or Coal Fire on Rte 108 near Snowden River.
• Korean soup and panchan at Lotte Supermarket in Ellicott City. It'll be a while before I forget the Channel 2 report about vermin. But I have to still say that Lotte serves up a unique takeout if you buy a quart of spicy beef soup near produce and your selection of pickled vegetables and other dishes at the panchan bar near dairy.
• Peruvian grilled chicken at Pollo Fuego in Jessup or Mega Chicken in Laurel. Mega Chicken is all the way into Anne Arundel, but it's only 15-20 minutes from much of Howard County. At either place, the delicious chicken and the yucca fries are worth the drive, and the fries crisp right back to life in a 400-degree oven.
• Any grilled meats and the pumpkin appetizer at Maiwand Kabob in Columbia (or in Burtonsville or near the Arundel's Mill Mall). This growing Afghan chain sells wonderful food and especially wonderful bread. That pumpkin is worth any drive.
• Thai curries and mango sticky rice from Bangkok Delight off Rte 108 in Ellicott City. The curries all travel well. This is one of my favorite places. The sticky rice dessert is best right out of the kitchen, but it travels okay as long as you don't put it in your refrigerator.
• Pho from An Loi in Columbia. This may be my favorite. You get the Vietnamese soup in pieces -- a quart of broth, a container of noodles and meat, a bag of sprouts, herbs and hot peppers. So it's as fresh in your kitchen as it is at An Loi. Warm comfort in winter. A light dinner in summer. We always have leftovers and have learned to refrigerate the noodles in with the broth so that they don't dry out.

What take out do you love? Pizza that I missed? Other places for Chinese? For sandwiches? I would love suggestions. (Update: There are already some suggestions in the comments. Thanks.)

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring of ideas about food in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about shopping.

PREVIOUS: Why I Want Wegmans in Columbia
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Why I Want Wegmans in Columbia

The Wegmans planned for Columbia is not going to change your life, but it certainly will change the way that Mrs. HowChow and I shop for food.

If you want an update on the Howard County Wegmans

construction, click here for Wegmans news. If you want to hear someone hate the supermarket, talk to my sister-in-law who says that it's too big, too expensive and just not what she needs.

But I'm here as a fan of Danny (as my aunt in Syracuse refers to the chain's president), and I'd bring a shovel to Snowden River Parkway if they'd let me help dig the foundation. For now, my Wegmans visits are limited to detours on visits to Fairfax or long drives up to the Hunt Valley store north of Baltimore. They're fun, but that's a big shopping trip, not a regular place to pick up snacks.

I love Wegmans because it democratizes great food. For a moment, ignore the aisles and aisles of packaged goods where Wegmans sells everything from every national brand. (In the way that Bloom sells a few sizes of each item, Wegmans sells every size and every flavor so there are miles of crackers.) I'd love Wegmans for just the fresh side of the store where they sell vegetables, cheeses, olives, and the long row of meats, fish and bakery.

• High-medium-and-low. The beauty of Wegmans is that it sells on several levels -- exotic, expensive items; an interesting, but affordable middle ground; and good-quality basics. Take the cheese as an example. At the high, Wegmans sells ridiculous little buttons that cost more than $20 a pound. They live in a special refrigerator along with bries covered by layers of fruits and nuts. If that's too much, Wegmans sells you that fruit and nut concoction. Buy your own brie and top it yourself. Serve with a stilton that costs the same but tastes better than Harris Teeter's and some Spanish sheep's cheese that one of the employees will let you sample. And, then, when you need cheddar for nachos, there is a case with blocks of basics. Same price as Giant, but more than just the Cabot brand.

• Interesting items at affordable prices. That selection runs through everything -- the deli, the vegetables, the olives. Oh, the cerignola olives. Large green olives with an almost-buttery flavor. That is the middle ground. They're priced like the Bloom olive bar, but they're this unique, delicious item that I can't find anywhere else. That goes double in the produce aisle. Like the H Mart, Wegmans offers rows of varieties when fruits are in season -- five kinds of pears, 10 kinds of apples. Better than the H Mart, they often have both organic and regular varieties. They're not buffed like Whole Foods. They're sitting ready for you to choose and discover. On our last visit, Mrs. HowChow picked up kohlrabi. I'd never cooked it before, but the price was reasonable enough that I could take a chance and explore.

• Semi-prepared foods. The irony is that Wegmans might be even better for people who cook less than I do. Wegmans makes things easy. The meat and fish departments sell dozens of rotating variety of ready-to-go entrees. Chicken encrusted with nuts. Fish seasoned and ready to bake. Those are alternatives to takeout, and Mrs. HowChow would love to pick up some fish and a great baguette on the way home from the office. She also loved the Wegmans menus. The stores creates a little station, serves you a dish, and puts all the ingredients within reach. One night, we tasted pork loin and walked out with pork, a package of pre-cut squash and a very special bottle of lavender honey. That was fun for Mrs. HowChow, who rarely orders pork and certainly doesn't pile cookbooks on her night table.

On top of the fresh items, Wegmans sells all kinds of exotic packaged foods. Next to the cheeses are just shelves of products from England, Japan, Latin America, etc. There are organics like Whole Foods. There are low-cost grains and dried fruits like Trader Joe's. Once, we stumbled on an absolutely delicious smoothie mix, and Mrs. HowChow has bemoaned every visit since because we never found it again. All the choices -- and the affordable choices --make shopping fun because there is something new or unusual in almost every aisle.

Ironically, I'm not a huge fan of the prepared food that is a huge part of the Wegmans reputation. The subs are okay, but I wouldn't drive there just for dinner. The pizza and the "Chinese bar" are just your basic takeout food. You will do far better if you just drive down Snowden to An Loi or House of India.

(UPDATE: I have announced when *I'm* going to Wegmans:  2/14/2011.  Click that link.  Join the Facebook group.  We'll either be shopping on Valentine's Day 2011 or helping them build the store.)

The Columbia Wegmans is planned for Snowden River Parkway across from Apple Ford. That is just south of Rte 175. Last I checked, the Wegmans site listed new stores opening through 2010 and described the Columbia store as "to be determined."

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring of ideas about food in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about shopping.

PREVIOUS: U.S.1: The Foodie Frontier
NEXT: Great Takeout in Howard County

Butchers and Meat Markets in Howard County

Choice is the key to a great butcher or meat market. You can buy steaks at any supermarket, so you should only drive to a butcher if you can choose some cut, some quality, some flavor outside the everyday.

There are four Howard County -- or close -- meat markets that come to mind. They're all old-fashioned places, selling simplicity rather than the Whole Foods style of organics and name brands.

For me, they're each worth the trip just for thick-cut bacon and home-made sausage. Those are my weak points, and they're great to buy in a special place. Better six slices of thick-cut, pepper-edged bacon than an entire pound of plastic-wrapped fat. Better meaty sausage at the base of a stew than all the Egg McMuffins that I ate in high school.

I've eaten some great steak from these joints. I particularly remember a filet from JW Treuth that seemed perfect -- tender, but real beef flavor. But I'm no expert at meat, and the truth is that I pay attention when I make a special trip for beef. I buy something nice. I find a good recipe. A few hours of anticipation make almost everything taste more delicious.

So I never know if I'm getting anything super-different than what I could get at Giant or the Bloom. If anything, I'd love a little education from one of these butchers. Sometimes, I ask questions, but I've never gotten an answer much more than, "The filet is good" or "A porterhouse would be good on the grill."

• Beiler's Meats at the Dutch Country Farmers Market in Laurel (formerly in Burtonsville). These folks sell regular and organic beef from a Missouri company. They're part of the Amish market that is currently on Rte 198 just east of U.S. 1. The market is a fun trip and open Thursday through Saturday. HowICook seconds my love of bacon and sausage, and he and Ho.Co.Po both said in the comments that they're huge fans of Beiler's.

• Boarman's Meat Market in Highland. This country market at Rte 108 and Rte 216 serves up meats -- along with housemade sausages and even crab cakes. The sausage is a real draw, a nice Italian link for sandwiches or a breakfast sausage to make your own patties. Boarman's is due south of Roots in Clarksville, so it's a convenient place if you're on the road shopping for a special meal.

• JW Treuth and Sons in Oella. This is the one place where I can personally vouch that you get something special. This company near downtown Ellicott City butchers its own meat. My steaks have been absolutely delicious, and the Chesapeake sausage was enormous and tasty. The Baltimore Beer Guy said in the comments that he is a sucker for the Delmonico steak and the liverwurst, which he spreads on triscuits.

• Laurel Meat Market in downtown Laurel. I want this place to be terrific because I drive past every night coming home from the MARC. It's very good. I made a nice steak recently, and ground chuck has become a staple for burgers, pasta sauces, etc.  They also serve tasty shrimp that they say are almost-always wild shrimp from the US. And I always like the bacon. A few slices of bacon are priceless when I want to cook at home.  (It's also a place where you can get special cuts like the seven-rib roast that my friend used for Christmas Eve 2010.)

• Columbia Halal Meat in Elkridge. For Muslims, this can be an essential spot on Rte 108 because they -- along with Ceazar International Market -- sell halal chicken, lamb and goat. But I think it's a general resource for anyone looking for lamb or goat -- especially for large cuts like the whole goats -- or for personal service from the butchers who will trim and cut your order however you want.

• (Nazar Market in Columbia.  The newest halal butcher fits the same space as Columbia Halal and Ceazar, and they give really friendly, helpful service with similar cuts.  The ground lamb became a regular part of my shopping in 2010 when I learned to grill kabobs, and you can use it for meatballs, sauces, etc.  They grind the meat personally for each order, so you know that it's fresh.  They also sell tiny lamb chops, chicken hearts and other unusual cuts.) 

I'd love any suggestions about what you buy from these butchers. Special cuts? Special orders? Or is there something special at one of the supermarkets that you love?

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring about shopping in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about areas and ideas.

PREVIOUS: Vegetable Shopping in Howard County
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Mexican Restaurants in Howard County

You can get good Mexican food in Howard County. For great Mexican, you you need to fly to Houston or LA, but you can get everything from groceries to fast food to nice casual dinners around here.

Start with the groceries. Lily's Mexican Market off Dobbin Road in Columbia is a true local treasure -- the class of the Mexican markets and the equal of any ethnic market around. Down those aisles, you can buy the Latino packaged and canned goods, along with baked goods, cheeses, frozen meals like arepas or tamales, and a nice array of produce. (Lily's is the place for ripe avocados when your supermarket only offers hard ones, and it even has some unique items like cactus.) Then, in the back, there is a butcher with fajita meat, Mexican and Salvadoran chorizos and more. If you're cooking Mexican food (or just looking for a snack), Lily's is the place to go.

Then, move onto Mexican fast food. By "fast food," I mean tacos and similar fare served either takeout or in basic restaurants. Last fall, Lily's added a takeout counter with tacos and chickens. Until then, the best tacos were strung along U.S. 1 -- the El Nayar restaurant in Elkridge, then the Pupuseria Lorenita's truck near Rte 175, and Pupuceria Y Taqueria Los Pinos truck in Laurel. Tacos cost about $2 at each place -- a little more at the actual restaurants. Two is a great meal, splitting the beef or pork filling among the warm tortillas. Lily's is the top of the class (especially with the horchata), but they're all great spots to stop between errands. (Update: In early spring 2009, the Pupuseria Y Taqueria Las Delicias truck started offering delicious fajitas, ribs and side dishes on U.S. 1 as well.)

But then, some nights, you want to take someone out for a nice meal. I learned the hard way that a woman expecting date night will notice that El Nayar has the ambiance of a Chik-fil-a. Again, we have basic Mexican restaurants round here, mostly Tex-Mex with some authentic Mexican items and some inspired specials. But when you want table service and a good meal, these are some of the joints at the top of the food chain:

• El Azteca in Clarksville. Classic suburbs -- anonymous storefront facing Rte 108, but pretty inside with tile, decorations, and a small bar. Good Tex-Mex. Some upscale entrees. This is a place with a strong local following, and I like all these places for tacos al carbon -- that charred steak that I'm not skilled at making at home.
• La Palapa in Ellicott City / La Palapa Too in Laurel near Columbia. Tex-Mex with some special entrees like El Azteca. Mrs. HowChow enjoyed the chicken mole. I wish the beans and rice at all these places were a bit less bland. But I'm drawn for the ceviche appetizer served on the weekends. Tangy chunks of fish. Salty chips. Order a beer, and I'm happy. Order a beer at La Palapa Too's outdoor seating, and you enjoy the true HoCo Rivieria -- sun, food, and a view of your car. You can't get that at Charleston!
• Mi Casa in Ellicott City. I actually haven't been here yet, but it gets rave reviews in emails and the comments. People talk up the burritos -- both crab and vegetable. They also say that the owners are really friendly.

Other people have talked up Frisco Grille's Southwestern food, which I think of as more California than Mexico. I have also heard about Pachanga on Rte 40 and Zapata's at the Harpers Farm village center in Columbia. In the right column, click the "Cuisine - Mexican" link to read about all the restaurants and shops.

In addition to all of those spots, true explorers may want to check out the food at the food at the U.S. 1 flea market. The market caters heavily to folks from Latin America, so the vendors offer up a variety of foods, including tacos and arepas like the fast food trucks. Plus, there are often people selling snow cones or fruit salads topped with salt and cayenne.

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring about different cuisines. Or click to switch to the posts about shopping in Howard County or posts about areas and ideas.

PREVIOUS: Asian Restaurants in Howard County
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U.S. 1: The Foodie Frontier

One of the great barriers to finding great food in Howard County is finding the great food.

Most shopping centers -- especially in Columbia -- hide from main roads. Big landlords like the mall want safe, chain tenants, and downtown Ellicott City is the only place with dense, small-building development where someone could risk renting to a start-up restaurant and where you could stumble from a place you know to a gem you don't.

U.S. 1 from Rte 100 down to Rte 32 offers an interesting frontier for people who want to try new food. Rents must be cheaper. Ethnic and casual spots have congregated. Go for a single meal, or meander away an afternoon snacking and shopping through Elkridge and Jessup.

• Start at Caezar's International Market and Restaurant. Columbia's best Middle Eastern market moved to a new shop off Rte 103 just east of U.S. 1. This is minutes from Rte 100, and the market formerly known as Sizar's brings its spectacular array of breads, teas, spices, yogurts, frozen food, and more. I'll drive just for the pistachio nougat. They're offering a butcher, and they opened a restaurant next door.
• A few blocks south, turn west on Roosevelt Boulevard for barbeque at Smokeys & Uncle Grube's. It's a block off U.S. 1. I go for the pit beef, which tastes extra delicious on a nice day when I can eat in the tent outside.
• One block south at the light for Business Parkway, turn west again for Mexican at El Nayar. This barebones Mexican place offers breakfasts with eggs, tortillas, and beans and then lunches and dinners heavy on tacos, sopes and burritos. They're good, and less than $2 each for a taco.
• If you're itching to shop, try the Sysco Discount Food Center on the west side next to the U.S. 1 flea market. Sysco sells large-sized products like Costco -- everything from five pounds of chicken nuggets to 10-pound bags of pasta. I also suggest it for party supplies (disposable plates, table clothes, catering trays, etc.) and for kitchen supplies, including knives, huge bowls, stock pots, and other commercial items that I haven't seen elsewhere.
• For my favorite stop on U.S. 1, you actually stand right on the highway. The Pupuseria Lorenita's taco truck parks almost every day -- although I'm not sure of the exact address because its former host (Paco's Paint) closed in early 2009. Great tacos. I love the grilled beef and the sausage. You get two tortillas with each, and I split the fillings to extend the meal in my car. (Update: A comment on Feb. 18, 2009 says that the truck moved south and to the west side of U.S.1.)
• After you have had some snacks, head down to the Columbia East shopping center at Rte 175 and U.S. 1 in Jessup. There is both a Starbucks and a Rita's (in warm weather). But the real stars are My Organic Market for vegetables, some cheeses, and packaged organic products and Fortune Star Buffet for an endless Chinese food. Fortune Star gets mixed reviews, but I thought it was a fine place to explore.  (In April 2009, there was talk about a Peruvian chicken place opening in Columbia East.  Click here for posts about Pollo Fuego.)
• Keep shopping at Frank's Seafood Market, which is just east of "Columbia East" in the wholesale fish market. I have heard that the prices aren't anything special, but there is something nice about picking from whole fish and fillets in a place inside the wholesale market. Frank's clearly sells enough to offer fresh product, and it's a fun place to invent a menu based on what has arrived or been put on special. This is my summertime place to pick up a few dozen crabs.
• Finish off your trip with some takeout empanadas -- even a full Argentine meal at El Patio Market and its neighboring restaurant on the west side of U.S. 1 just south of Rte 175. The empanadas are perfect at the restaurant, heated up as finger food at the store, or carried home to reheat at home. The market also stocks a small, but diverse supply of standard Hispanic groceries as well. The spicy Super Mango lollipop or the peanut brittle (available at the market next to the checkout) make fun treats for your way home.

This isn't an exhaustive tour, and you could make several nice side trips -- a little west on Rte 175 to Fatburger, the Perfect Pour liquor shop and Trader Joe's or a little south on U.S. 1 to the Pupuceria Y Taqueria Los Pinos taco truck in Laurel. Once you're that far into Laurel, you might as well go all the way for Indian groceries at Apna Bazar or the smaller Middle Eastern grocery at Aladdin Food Mart.

(Update: Check out the comment below about the Sysco store and the nut outlet. They both sound terrific. Definitely places that I want to check out, although I have heard people say that the prices at the nut outlet aren't always a bargain. Thanks to HowICook for the comments.)

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring of ideas about food in Howard County. Or click to switch to the posts about different cuisines or posts about shopping.

PREVIOUS: Cheese in Howard County
NEXT: Why I Want Wegmans in Columbia