Worth Repeating: Grace Garden Makes The Region's Best Chinese; Go Pick What You Want

Fish noodles at Grace Garden

I'll leave Howard County for great food, and the easiest drive is for Chinese food off Rte 32 in Odenton.

Grace Garden serves hands-down the best Chinese food in the area.  So good that we had our best Chinese meal in years even though we ordered in part by just pointing at the dish that just happened to be served to the only other guy in the restaurant.

Of course, our table included some great favorites.  The fish noodles are a perfect dish -- actual noodles made from a paste of firm, white fish and flavored with an incredible mix of mushrooms, green onions and slivers of pork.  The sauce provides a warm richness, but there is no oiliness or grease.

You can't go wrong at Grace Garden.  It's a one-chef operation in a forlorn part of Rte 32 just across from Fort Meade.  But the "authentic" menu has an array of amazing dishes from simple vegetable platters to complex whole poultry that need to be ordered two or three days in advance.

The bottom line is that every single dish that we have eat at Grace Garden would be on the table of the best Chinese in Howard County.  We really like places like Noodles Corner in Columbia, but Grace Garden's dishes are simultaneously more subtle and more flavorful.

Cantonese braised chicken

What was the dish that just happened to be served while we looking at the menu?  Cantonese braised chicken -- chunks of meat on the bone served with a sauce made from onions and garlic.  Like all the Grace Garden dishes, there is no gloppy sauce.  It clung to the meat, and there was just a little bit that I obsessively tried to spoon onto rice from the bottom of the bowl.

The braised chicken is an absolute winner, even for Mrs. HowChow who doesn't normally want to nibble meat off a bone.  It was a random win for us, although I later realized that it is repeated rave on the Chowhound thread that first introduced me to Grace Garden.

Seriously, read that thread or my old posts about Grace Garden.  Pick a few dishes that interest you.  Tofu pockets?  Eggplant with plum sauce?  Pork and squid stir fry?  Then just drive to Odenton.  It's a basic place -- maybe a half-dozen tables and photos on the wall that I think were provided by diners who love the restaurant.  You go for the food.

This is part of a Worth Repeating series highlighting dishes and places that you should hear about even though they aren't new.  I'm suggesting sandwiches, Cuban pork chops, ground chuck and other items that have been HowChow favorites for years.

I think Grace Garden is incredibly kid-friendly.  There is no atmosphere to the place except for the friendliness of the chef and his family.  That's a great atmosphere for kids.  No one is going to be disturbed by children at your table.

Worth Repeating: Cuba De Ayer Has Jazzed Up The Joint, Kept The Pork Chop And Cubano

Pork chops with beans, plantains and onions at Cuba De Ayer

Cuba De Ayer is an absolutely new restaurant, but the Burtonsville place still goes the pork chop that makes me long for Miami.

Cuba De Ayer renovated last year.  It both doubled in size and amped up its glitz with a shiny new bar and dining room that make it a classic of our indigenous architecture: Strip mall on the outside, fancy restaurant inside.

On our last visit, we ate exactly the same meal that I think we had the two times before.  A Cuban sandwich for Mrs. HowChow and a pork chop for me.  They're both exceptional comfort food.  The sandwich comes hot off the press so the cheese melts into the pork, ham, mustard and pickle.  The pork chop comes on a plate so crowded that Mrs. HowChow was shocked that I could finish it.

You get beans and rice, sweet plantains ("maduros"), and a cup of sweet caramelized onions.   Plus two thin-pork chops that remind me of casual meals in Miami 20 years ago.  The seared edges have crunch and caramelized pieces.  It's super-tender, and it's easy to slice into pieces and pair up with alternating beans, plantains and onions.

I keep ordering the pork chop because that's the flavor of Miami 1994 to me.  But it's worth a visit even if you can't share the nostalgia.  I'm sure much of Cuba de Ayer's menu is delicious.  Mojitos and cuban coffee make every meal more fun.

This is part of a Worth Repeating series highlighting dishes and places that you should hear about even though they aren't new.  I'm suggesting sandwiches, Chinese, ground chuck and other items that have been HowChow favorites for years.

The strip of Rte 198 in Burtonsville has a series of restaurants that make it worth the one-exit drive south of the Howard County border.  It's a slight off drive because you exit, go around a traffic circle, and then drive the old road that parallels Rte 29.  But once you turn right onto Rte 198, you can choose from Mexican (Chapala), Ethiopian (Soretti's), Afghan (a version of Maiwand Kabob), and more on your way to Cuba De Ayer.

Worth Repeating: I Make The Best Burgers In Howard County, And You Can As Well

The Secret Is Meat From Laurel Meat Market

I make the best burger in Howard County.

I don't want to pompous.  I just want to catch your attention because you can make the best burger too. The secret is Laurel Meat Market, and I don't want them to be a secret from anyone.

Laurel Meat Market on Main Street is just across the line from Howard County, but it's a trip worth making because their ground chuck should be the star of your summer grilling.  They grind at the shop. You're not eating industrial product.  You're buying real meat that you can turn into special burgers one-third of a pound at a time.

You have two ways to do that.

First, you have the simple lesson from Mrs. HowChow's family.  Dice a clove of garlic and handful of onion for each burger.  Briefly mix them into the meat -- but don't press around enough to compact the meat.  If you make one-third-pound patties, those will grill up juicy and with more flavor than even many of the gourmet burger restaurants around.

Second, you can go crazy.  Laurel Meat Market will regrind your beef with spicy sausage or bacon.  The sausage-beef combo is called "firecracker mix," and either sausage or bacon will create burgers that will make your guests sit up straight.  With two or three parts beef to one part sausage or bacon,  I have gotten raves every single time -- even from folks who say that they normally try to avoid bacon.

If you want to get even-more specific, you can buy whole steaks at Laurel and ask them to grind your personal blend.  In 2011, Matt wrote me about how he created custom blends of chuck, sirloin and bacon.

Whatever you do, it's the meat that makes the best burger.  I'm sure of that -- and of the value of good buns from Wegmans or the Breadery (which occasionally makes the best hot dog buns that you'll ever find).  Honestly, you can probably do as well with the butchers at J.W. Trueth in Oella or Boarman's in Highland.  I have just never asked those folks to do any special blends.

This is part of a Worth Repeating series highlighting dishes and places that you should hear about even though they aren't new.  I'm suggesting sandwiches, Chinese, Cuban sandwiches, and other items that have been HowChow favorites for years.

Worth Repeating: Shin Chon Garden's Korean Barbecue Makes One Of Our Favorite Meals

Korean Barbecue At Shin Chon Garden

I have written so much about Shin Chon Garden's barbecue that I posted step-by-step instructions for enjoying the thin-sliced pork and beef, but this is the ultimate "Worth Repeating" post because we keep coming back for more.

Barbecue with Korean experts.  Barbecue on a double-date with newbies.  Barbecue with a table of parents and kids who alternate between eating and walking around the table.

Shin Chon Garden in Ellicott City has provided many different nights of fun, and they all come from the grills built into most tables.  I already posted the 2012 step-by-step instructions so that any table of four can order and enjoy pork belly or beef (the thin-cut bulgogi or the rib-meat kalbi).  You'll get the table filled with panchan, the free side dishes of vegetable, pickle and other dishes that make Korean barbecue such a riot of flavors.

Panchan - the small side dishes

Those flavors are my big argument today.  We go back to Shin Chon because the food is so fresh and so full of variation -- the slightly-charred chew of the thin-cut meat, the fresh crunch of sprouts and lettuce, the spicy tang of kimchi and other pickled vegetables, the smooth creaminess of the potato salad panchan.  And don't forget the steamed egg -- a piping hot, steamed, scrambled egg that comes along with the barbecue and provides a warm, rich contrast.

The big tables make for fun evenings.  It's social to share the dishes, to serve each other meat as it cooks, to compare notes on new panchan.  We have had terrific times eating, talking and having either a Korean beer or unfiltered wine called makkoli.

The best part is that you control everything.  Shin Chon lays all this food out on your table, and you decide what you want to eat.  Sample everything.  Make the lettuce rolls with rice, shredded greens, meat and spicy sauce.  Pair up the dishes that you enjoy.  Pass on the handful that aren't your favorites.

That control is why I think Korean barbecue is so welcoming to new people.  Meat, vegetables, pickles and rice are such American standards that I think most people can find ways to eat themselves happy at Shin Chon.  Then when you're experienced, you can try variations like the noodle dish chapchae or regal your vegan friends with vegetarian bi bim bop.  I enjoy many other Korean restaurants on Rte 40, but Shin Chon has called us back again and again.

This is part of a Worth Repeating series highlighting dishes and places that you should hear about even though they aren't new.  I'm suggesting sandwiches, Chinese, ground chuck and other items that have been HowChow favorites for years.

Seriously, there is no restaurant in Howard County that we enjoy more than Shin Chon.  Meals are surprisingly reasonable when you realize that we rarely order appetizers or dessert.  The price for the barbecue includes all the panchan, and we have long social meals where we leave stuffed but not weighted down.  It's a bit of lean meat and a ton of vegetables.  If you're thinking about Korean, definitely check out the recent step-by-step post about Lighthouse Garden or scan all the posts about Korean food.

Worth Repeating: Bon Fresco's London Broil Sandwich, Still Undefeated, Still The Champion

London broil sandwich at Bon Fresco

Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery in Columbia has changed very little since it first opened five years ago, and it was a prime inspiration for these "Worth Repeating" posts.

Terrific breads baked in the store.  A menu of sandwiches with pork, turkey and cold cuts.  Small, exception side dishes like the potato salad.

They were there in 2009.  They're there today.  I had raved about Bon Fresco in the first few years, and I hadn't posted -- even though it remains one of the places that we go when we need a guaranteed pick-me-up. Takeout dinners in the middle of the week.  A nice lunch in the midst of doing errands along Snowden River Parkway.

Through it all, I have always had the London broil.

Thin-sliced beef paired with fresh greens, a slice of cheese, and I think some house-made sauce that may have red onions and something like a mayo.  The ciabatta bread makes every sandwich special at Bon Fresco.  It is the perfect crunch and chew, and I have loved it with the "Capri" sandwich of Italian meats and with sandwiches of turkey or roasted vegetables.

But I come back to the London broil.  The rich, meaty flavor just makes a perfect sandwich.  I keep looking for something new on the menu, then coming back to London broil because it is incredibly filling and satisfying.  None of the post-lunch guilt you can get when a cheesesteak or an oversized hoagie becomes a lump in your stomach.  That's because Bon Fresco really cares about those ingredients.  Everything is fresh.  Everything is delicious, and they put that together for a sandwich that I don't think has a rival anywhere around.

This is part of a Worth Repeating series highlighting dishes and places that you should hear about even though they aren't new.  I'm suggesting sandwiches, Chinese, ground chuck and other items that have been HowChow favorites for years.

One change at Bon Fresco is that you need to ask for a side dish and pay extra.  I think it is a quarter.  Whatever they charge, you shouldn't skip the potato salad.  Creamy, but tasting entirely of potato.  It's a terrific side and another reason why Bon Fresco is one of the best restaurants in Howard County -- let alone one of the best sandwiches.

Worth Repeating: Sysco Discount In Elkridge For A Chef's Coat And All Your Kitchen Supplies

Chef's coats for about $35 at Sysco

Sometimes, this doesn't feel like a blog.  The blog format feels closest to a diary -- posts linked to a specific day.  New day means new stuff.

But lots of good stuff doesn't change, and the truth is that we go back for food we like.  So we'll often eat somewhere, and I'll know that I already posted about this burger, this restaurant, etc.

One day, I may follow smart people like our local Strobist who rethought his site more like a portal than a last-post-on-top format.  But HowChow is a hobby so I barely keep up with posting, let alone executing a redesign.

So let me repeat myself.  You haven't all been reading since 2008, and you all certainly can't remember every post.  And there are local places worth a second visit -- a call back for HowChow and a call for you to check them out.

So what's coming in the "Worth Repeating" series?

Monday: Bon Fresco's London broil sandwich
Tuesday: Shin Chon's Korean barbecue
Wednesday: The best burger in Howard County
Thursday: Cuba De Ayer's pork chop and Cuban sandwich
Friday: The best Chinese restaurant around

Today, think about buying a chef's coat.  They're about $35 at the Sysco Discount in Elkridge.  The store on U.S. 1 is a resource for large-package food from pasta to cheese to canned vegetables.  I don't memorize prices enough to know the value, but they have huge cans of tomato sauce, pizza sauce, chili peppers, spices, and more.

It's also a unique option for outfitting your kitchen.  Pots, bowls, knives, graters.  These are the well-priced reasons that folks like Mark Bittman recommend that you shop at restaurant supply stores.  Earlier this month, I got a pair of tongs for about $3 that beat anything I could buy in a fancy kitchen store.  I had my eye on a mallet to pound chicken breasts.

But the real fun was that I bought a chef's coat.  Mrs. HowChow hosted a baby shower for our friend, and I cooked and catered.  The coat helped change me from just a husband hanging around a ladies shower.  Well, the coat and a name tag that said "Agador Spartacus." ("It's the shoes.")  The coat was amusing to the women who knew me, and it was convincing to those who didn't -- and who asked if I cooked professionally.  Either way, I think it helped make the guest comfortable that I didn't need to be included while they ate and talked.  Plus, it kept me from slopping pesto on my clothes.

One other great use of the Sysco store is if you're planning for a party.  Table cloths, aluminum serving dishes, and other party supplies can cost a fortune at a supermarket.  In my original Sysco post, I highlighted paper plates, napkins, catering trays, and other items that would be great if you're hosting a party or running a picnic as the weather improves.

One warning about the Sysco parking lot:  The flea market next to the Sysco is open on Saturdays.  Or is it both weekend days?  I am sure about Saturdays, and I am sure that the few parking spaces fill fast.  Be ready to wait.  Consider looking for slots in the back.  Or even watch for a Sysco employee who comes out and waves you to park on the curb.  That's what I did on my last visit.