Rambutan at The H Mart

The H Mart has rambutan -- the spiny Asian fruit that make for terrific conversation, even if they're just a few degrees from exotic grapes.

Rambutan are sort of like hairy, brightly-painted lychees. A moist firm fruit inside a stiff red shell covered with bristles. They're not sharp. They're actually fun to

The fruit come from the tropics, and they're fragile and expensive to ship, which means that they're available most of the time but really plentiful and fresh in high season. Still $7 a pound, but worth the money when the H Mart workers are pouring entire flats into the display on a weekday morning. The rambutan were delicious at the end of last week. Pick fruit that are relatively heavy and don't have any soft spots. I served them for dessert with a few pieces of chocolate from Sweet Cascades.

If you go the H Mart, check out my post about my favorite place for food or all the H Mart posts. Also check out the other joints in that shopping center -- like the Korean restaurant in Hanoori, the Mangoberry for yogurt, the Golden Krust for takeout Jamaican, and the Hanoori Home Plaza for bento boxes.

H Mart

800 N. Rolling Road

Catonsville, MD 21228

443-612-9020

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

Harris Teeter in Fulton: Free Snacks At The Grand Opening On October 6

The Maple Lawn Harris Teeter finally opens its doors with free snacks from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

Maybe be more than snacks if you walk the whole store. They're calling it "Taste of Teeter" and say they'll have samples. Ribbon-cutting at 5:30. Snacks until 8:00. The store opens for business the next day and runs 24 hours a day.

Watch your mail. Kim of the Prosaic Paradise blog sent me an email with a photo of a Teeter mailing that announced the October 7 opening and offered $40 in savings inside.

Harris Teeter

Maple Lawn Farms

8184 Westside Boulevard

Fulton, MD 20759

NEAR: Harris Teeter is on Rte 216 west of Rte 29. You go through the traffic circle at Maple Lawn Boulevard where you see a bank. The Harris Teeter is at the next traffic circle. You'll see it on the right.

Some Animals Are More Blessed Than Others

Saturday is a big day at St. Peter's Church in Ellicott City -- the good news for animals at 9 am, bad news for some animals later in the day.

Call 410-868-3515 for information about the luau.

Asian Court: Dim Sum in Ellicott City

Dim sum just got closer for the HowChows now that we have tried -- and really enjoyed -- Asian Court on Rte 40 in Ellicott City.

Asian Court looks like a hundred other Chinese restaurants, but it stands out because it serves dim sum for lunch -- from menu on weekdays and from rolling carts on weekends. On a Sunday, Asian Court offers the bustling fun of Hong Kong brunch. Waitresses pushing carts and offering little dishes in metal containers. "Do you want shumai?" "Steamed pork buns?" "Sticky rice?"

At first, we were actually overwhelmed. I have been to many dim sums where we waited and waited for a cart to roll past. Asian Court floods the room, and there are other waiters carrying platters with just a couple plates of specials like "salt-and-pepper shrimp" or "clams in black bean sauce." Grab one of the yellow dim sum menus as you enter the dining room. You can see your options and then wait -- or even ask for -- the items that catch your fancy.

Our yardstick was the steamed barbeque pork buns. That's Mrs. HowChow's standard back from the days when she ate dim sum with a Chinese friend in Monterey Park. Asian Court's were as good as Los Angeles and Silver Spring. A fluffy outside with the savory pork inside. We also loved with sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. You unpeel the leaves to find inside a

mix of sticky rice and pieces of meat -- a few pieces of pork, maybe chicken, definitely a cube of pork belly and a piece of sweet sausage. I also liked the "salt-and-pepper shrimp," although it was hard to peel the shrimp and still one step beyond for me to eat their heads.

On first visit, Asian Court holds its own with Silver Spring's Oriental East, which often wins "Best of Washington" awards. If anything, Asian Court was better because it serves the best desserts that I have ever had in a Chinese restaurant. First, a coconut jelly -- white squares a little more firm than jello and tasting of coconut and a touch of sugar. Then, sesame balls -- rounds of rice dough fried perfect so that they're light and crispy and stuffed with gooey, sweet red bean inside.

(Update: Based on David's comment below, I revised the post to be clear that Asian Court serves dim sum at lunch, not dinner. David reports that the standard dinner menu did not stand out.)

If you want more suggestions about Asian Court, check out Warthog's 2008 post on Chowhound, where he specifically recommends bitter melon rounds stuffed with shrimp past, the meat-filled tofu-skin rolls, and the tripe. Maybe he'll put his current top picks in the comments below.

This year, Asian Court won a "Best of Baltimore" from the City Paper. Click here for my post about Chinese restaurants in Howard County. If you want to explore Asian Court's neighborhood, check out my post about all the restaurants along Rte 40.

Asian Court

9180 Baltimore National Pike

Ellicott City, MD 21042

410-461-8388

NEAR: This is on Rte 40 west of Rte 29. From Rte 29, you turn RIGHT into the Chatham Station Shopping Center and then right again into the shopping area with Asian Court, Goodyear Tire and Davis Cigars.

Mango Grove in Columbia

Mango Grove is one of the restaurants that is worth visiting a second time -- and again, and again, and again.

The Columbia restaurant stands out from the strong Indian restaurants in Howard County because it serves southern Indian dishes like dosas and uttapam. Mango Grove was one of my first HowChow posts because its one of our favorites, and I'm coming back because it might be overlooked in the archives.

Mango Grove does all the great vegetable curries that you would find in a standard Indian restaurants -- chickpeas, dals, baigan bartha, palek paneer. Start with the samosas or the tikki channa chaat, which are fried potato patties served with curried chickpeas and topped with chutney. Or, if you have a group, buy the pani puri and crack open the shells to stuff themselves.  Don't pass up the yogurt-based lassi drinks -- mango or rose water. But don't go looking for meat. It's a vegetarian kitchen, so you won't get chicken or lamb.

But you will get dosas -- the thin crepes wrapped around potato and onion that make for a spectacular meal. A warm, spicy filling at one side of the dosa, soaking into the crepe. Crisp pieces of crepe at the other end, perfect to scoop up filling or to just pop in your mouth. It's the type of contrast that you'd get in a great "soup-in-a-bread-bowl" where some bites of bread are soaked with flavor and others are crispy with crust. Start with a masala dosa. That's standard fare and comes out rolled with the filling inside.

On a later trip, try something more exotic like the mysore masala dosa, which is folded into a triangle and has a spicy red sauce spread between the layers. (Not that spicy. Just different.) Or try the special Mango Grove dosa, which is lacy and different enough that I have ordered it with the masala dosa on the same table.  With any dosa, you'll get chutneys -- often made with coconut -- for dipping and a small bowl of soup for dipping or spooning on its own.

This is a kitchen that wants to serve complex food, but it's a casual place. At times, there are specials like a jack fruit curry that we order any time it is on the menu. Firm pieces of fruit that had a meat-like consistency, but a tender feel and the spicy flavor that makes Indian food so exceptional. More like perfect potatoes than the sweet, ripe jack fruit that you can buy in a can.

This is also a kitchen that is literally connected to Mirchi Wok, the Indo-Chinese fusion restaurant next door. You can ask for the Mango Grove menu at Mirchi Wok, which would be wonderful if you had a table with a vegetarian and someone who demands meat on their plate. You can please everyone.

Click here the 2009 "best restaurants" in Howard County or for my overview of Indian restaurants in Howard County. The Indian newcomer is India Delight, which offers a buffet -- including dosas -- on McGaw Road near Apple Ford.

Mango Grove

Mirchi Wok

6365B Dobbin Center

Columbia, MD 21045

410-884-3426

www.themangogrove.com

Near: On Dobbins Road just south of Rte 175. It is in a outbuilding of the Wal-Mart shopping center next to the McDonalds and the Chik-Fil-a.

Schwarma With Your Pierogis? A World Of Food At The St. Matthew Festival

This weekend's festival at St. Matthew in Columbia is why I love eating in America.

The Orthodox church that meets in Columbia is holding its second "multi-cultural festival" this weekend, October 3-4, 2009 at the King's Contrivance Village Center. They're offering crafts, kids' activities, and other fun. But the HowChow angle is that St. Matthew's is serving "home-cooked" food that ranges from Lebanon to Russia, and you can mix and match your way around the map.

How about a Lebanese lamb schwarma with a side of Polish pierogis? Or Greek spanakopita and then a plate of Romanian mititei -- grilled meat rolls served with mustard? Or those nut horns in the photo above? The St. Matthew festival menu offers all those plus dolmades, gyros, stuffed cabbages, borsch and kielbasi, along with Mexican and American favorites like enchiladas, ribs and hot dogs. The parishioners are cooking it all on site -- often from family recipes, according to Andrea who sent me a tip. This is the variety that makes me love the Asian grocery stores in Howard County that sell Japan, Korea and Mexico on a single aisle.

The festival runs 11 am to 9 pm on October 3 and 1 pm to 7 pm on October 4. There is free entertainment, including music and dancing from Spain, Poland, Greece and Polynesia. Click here for more about the St. Matthew Festival.

(Update: On April 27, 2010, I am turning off the comments here.  This festival is long over, and the comments are way off subject for a food blog.)

Mangoberry in Catonsville -- and Picking Up Your Own Mochi Toppings at H Mart

The tart yogurt trend continues to spread, and now you can add a snack to an H Mart run by stopping at Mangoberry down the row.

Mangoberry sells the Korean-style frozen yogurt in H Mart's Catonsville shopping center that is definitely picking up a Korean style. It's inside the Hanoori World section of the center, which also includes a large, casual restaurant and a basement store that sells home goods (including bento boxes).

Mangoberry's yogurt fits the current trend of yogurt that is slightly-sour or flavored with green tea or fruit. You pick a yogurt and then toppings that tend to be fruit, breakfast cereal or exotics like mochi. This is the trend that brought Yogiberry to the Columbia Mall and hordes of Pinkberry to the streets of LA and New York. Bottom line: All these yogurt places are expensive, but Mangoberry is definitely worth the visit. We think Yogiberry has the most-interesting yogurt, but Mangoberry offered an enormous number of toppings (including red beans, which I thought were delicious, but Mrs. HowChow thought tasted too much like beans) -- plus we got to poke around the Hanoori Home Plaza and shop at H Mart.

The real secret: Bring your own toppings. Maybe I'm cheap, but $1 per topping seems expensive for what looks like a few teaspoons of chopped frozen fruit. So we bought an entire

bag of mochi at the H Mart based on a Chowhound post by bmorecupcake. Mochi are slightly-sweet, chewy candy made from rice and sugar. We enjoyed several rounds of these adult gummy bears -- eating them off the top and then re-covering the yogurt. Walk into H Mart and turn left. Look for the $2.99 blue bag of mochi in the top shelf of the refrigerator section next to the video rental place. (Bring your extras home, and you can top a few quick desserts if you get the frozen yogurt at the BP Market in Maple Lawn.)

Mangoberry's other unique offering is a shaved-ice dessert that bmorecupcake has sampled and that appears to be another Korean import.

If you visit Mangoberry, you should also check out the H Mart, my favorite place for food. (Click here for all the H Mart posts.) You'll also see the kitchen items -- including bento boxes -- at the Hanoori Home Plaza on the lower level of Hanoori Town and Jamaican takeout at Golden Krust down the row.

Much of the ground floor of Hanoori Town is a Korean restaurant that was packed when we visited. I want to go back. I ate there when it was called Besoto, and it was a good casual restaurant. I don't know if it has changed, but I was very aware that the crowd looked almost-entirely Korean and ranged from teenagers to white-haired couples, which suggested to me that it is good food.

Mangoberry

Hanoori Town

822-28 N. Rolling Road

Catonsville, MD 21228

NEAR: Mangoberry is in the shopping center with H Mart at Rte 40 and Rolling Road in Catonsville. From Howard County, talke Rte 40 east from Rte 29 and then watch for the Starbucks on the right. Turn there. Mangoberry is right inside the door of the Hanoori Town section of the center.

Central Columbia: It's All Hidden From The Road

You know how to find the Columbia Mall, but the true food in central Columbia is all hidden from the road.

This is the sixth in a series of posts that are a tour of Howard County, designed with the idea that people new to the county can learn best by actually driving the roads. Click here for the explanation and other tours. Check out the links below to see my prior posts about

restaurants and markets on the route, then take a weekend drive. Or flip over to the "What I Learned" series.

Central Columbia is Rouse Territory, so it's a tour -- for the most part -- of village centers. Perfectly designed for the commerce of the 1950s, the village centers are tucked deep in residential neighborhoods. You never drive past them, and you rarely have a reason to drive to one far away because they each basically offer a grocery, a liquor store, a Chinese restaurant, a dry cleaner, a bar/pub, a hair salon . . . Many centers actually have something unique and worth the drive, but they're such small businesses that it's hard to hear about them -- and impossible to just wander across them -- among the generic mix. So this tour has more driving per stop than most of the others.

1. We're going to start with fried chicken a Chick N' Friends just off Tamar Road in the Long Reach Village Center. This is north of Rte 175 and west of Snowden. This is two examples of how to get there: 1) From Rte 29, take Rte 175 east and then turn LEFT at the light for Tamar Road. From Rte 100, take Snowden River SOUTH across Rte 108 and then turn RIGHT on Tamar Road.
2. Turn into the Long Reach Village Center. It will be on the right if you're coming from Rte 175 and the left if you're coming from Snowden. There is a grocery store and the village center basics. Chick N' Friends serves up great fried chicken from a takeout spot that faces the interior courtyard.
3. Exit the village center and turn LEFT on Tamar Road. Turn RIGHT at the light for Rte 175, then turn LEFT at the light for Thunder Hill Road. This curves around and deadends into Robert Oliver Place. Turn RIGHT and you drive into the Oakland Mills Village Center.
4. Get out. On Sunday mornings from spring to fall, this is the location of the Sunday Columbia Farmers Market. But year-round, you can get Thai at Bangkok Garden or pub food at the Second Chance Saloon. The Second Chance is a reincarnation of a pub called the Last Chance, and it has a loyal following for wings, burgers and the like.
5. Return to Robert Oliver Place and continue the way that you were heading. Turn LEFT on Stevens Forest Road. Turn RIGHT on Brokenland Parkway, cross over Rte 29, and continue until you're passing the Columbia Mall. That is about 1.7 miles. (I assume everyone knows the mall so you don't need a tour. But the Yogiberry and Five Guys are both new.)
6. Just after the mall entrance, turn LEFT on Twin Rivers Road. Go about a half mile and turn LEFT into the Wilde Lake Village Center. Turn LEFT immediately and park outside the Bagel Bin and The Melting Pot.
7. Get out. Walk through the Bagel Bin, which is the best source for local bagels, and out the front door. Walk across the central area, bear left and keep walking along the path. On the right in the covered area, you'll see Today's Catch. This is a great, small seafood store.
8. Return to Twin Rivers Road and go to the next light. Turn LEFT back into the Wilde Lake Village Center on Lynx Lane. On the right, you'll see David's Natural Market, one of the organic groceries in Howard County.
9. Go back the way that you came on Twin Rivers Road towards the mall. Turn LEFT at the light onto Governor Warfield Parkway, then RIGHT when it intersects with Rte 175, then LEFT on Wincopin Circle.
10. Look for parking in the lots or garage that face onto Lake Kittamaqundi. Walk down to the restaurants that face the water. You'll see Clyde's, which is a local favorite, and Sushi Sono, which is one of my favorites. (You'll also see the Tomato Palace that gets a shout-out in the comments for salads and sandwiches.)
11. Walk farther along the lake to the right, and you'll see the Lakeside Coffee Shop, which owes its existence in part to a local HoCo blogger.
12. Return to Rte 175 and continue the way that you were going. You'll finish a circle around the mall crossing over Brokenland Parkway. After about 1.5 miles, turn RIGHT on Harpers Farm Road. Then watch for a shopping center on the right and turn RIGHT at the next light into the Harpers Farm Village Center. On the left is Maiwand Kabob for spectacular casual Afghan food. Across the parking lot is Rita's for Italian ice in the summertime.
13. Go back to Harpers Farm Road and turn RIGHT so that you're heading the way that you came. (If you had turned LEFT and continued west on Harpers Farm Road, you would run into Rte 108 -- the first tour in this series.)
14. Turn RIGHT at the first light onto Cedar Lane. You'll cross Rte 175 and see the Howard County General Hospital. Then watch on the left for Mad City Coffee in a small office building. Turn LEFT into the parking lot and check out the coffee shop.
15. When you're done, you have to turn RIGHT onto Cedar Lane. You can just keep going to Rte 175. Or you can U-turn and go south to Rte 32.

Link: Maiwand Kabob and Dusenberg's American Grill on Alyssa's Fitness

Get a second opinion about Maiwand Kabob in Columbia and my first report on Dusenberg's American Grill in Catonsville on the Alyssa's Fitness Aventures blog.

Lyss took a "staycation" this week, and she and her husband tried out the two restaurants -- pumpkin, samosas, lamb and kabobs at Maiwand Kabob and burgers and a duck salad at Dusenberg's. Her verdict: She'll run back to both.

I had already written that I'm a huge fan of Maiwand Kabob, and I recommend a weekend stop at Dusenberg's so you could also drop by Home Anthology -- a very cool store with mid-century modern furniture that is only open Saturday and Sundays.

Max Blob's Park in Jessup

'Tis the season for German food, so you should celebrate Oktoberfest at Max Blob's Park in Jessup.

The Blob's Park music hall is an institution just east of the BW Parkway south of Rte 175. Polka music, good German beer and German food like sausages, sauerkraut, and schnitzel. It actually closed at the end of 2008, but then re-opened when the re-development of the property fell apart.

I haven't actually been myself. We're sausage fans, and Mrs. HowChow has happily gone out for many blog-related meals that she didn't expect to love. But she drew the line at polka, and I'm not going to push it soon even though I know she'd go if I asked. (I have my eyes on a Korean-inspired sandwich that I want to try first.)

You should go try the beer, the dancing and the food. They're celebrating Oktoberfest for six weekends! So I'm collecting some reviews from Capital Spice, Owen Brown News, and the Food and Wine Blog. For special events, there are often detailed updates on Max's beer offerings on the Beer in Baltimore blog. There was even a polka article in the City Paper. This is a piece of the Capital Spice review:

The beer on hand at Blob’s Park is an outstanding representation of traditional German styles, including labels you aren’t likely to find outside of a import-beer focused restaurant like Birreria or Granville Moore’s. The food is definitely German and very bier hall flavored. Ever since the reopening, most dinners are served all-you-can-eat buffet style, with ample white sausages, sauerkraut, white potatoes, schnitzel, and steamed vegetables to be had for the taking. If you call ahead to reserve a table, which we do recommend for nights with more popular bands, you will be assigned a helpful no-fuss waitress to make sure your beer pitchers are full and empty plates are cleared.

If you’ve never been to Blob’s Park, or never seen the jubilant wonder that is live polka, this is the perfect time of year to start. Oktoberfest is upon us and every Saturday night from September 19 to the end of October, Blob’s Park features special uberrad Oktoberfest events, and all with a cover of $15 or less.

(Update: Definitely check out the comments below. K8teebug says make a reservation for Oktoberfest and other folks describe their visits in the past. You might want to try a Saturday night when the place is packed.)

Max Blob’s Park
8024 Max Blobs Park Rd
Jessup, MD 20794

NEAR: Take Rte 175 east and cross over the BW Parkway. Then turn right at the flashing light on Max Blob's Park Road.

Korean Recipes at the H Mart

If you shop at the H Mart in Catonsville, check out the Korean recipes that they offer on little cards in the produce section.

I grabbed cards with photos and recipes for stuffed tofu, stuffed tomato kimchi and summer squash pancakes. They look delicious, and the recipes look really straight-forward. They're in English, and they read like they're aimed at a non-Korean (or maybe second generation) cook. They're a great opening if you want to experiment with Korean ingredients like sweet rice flour, Asian pear, red pepper powder, salted shrimp or Korean radish.

Look for the rack of recipes next to the refrigerated section at the back of the produce department. If you look at the sushi takeout display, the recipe rack is on the opposite of that wall.

The H Mart is my favorite place for food. I have never done a comprehensive post on the H Mart, but you can click here to read all my posts.

Links: French Fries and Sausages

Two short links on local food --- renovations in the Columbia Mall food court (and musings on french fries) on Tales of Two Cities and an October 18 outdoor sausage event at Woodberry Kitchen on the Baltimore Beer Guy.

Cafe Oromia Changing Its Name To "Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine"

The closest Ethiopian option to Howard County has completed its transformation from coffee shop to restaurant.

I had reported that Burtonsville's Coffee Oromia already changed its name to Cafe Oromia. This is a casual restaurant on Rte 198 at Rte 29 that offers Ethiopian stews and even some Ethiopian breakfast options. I love injera, and several regular commentators -- including Bets, Dzoey, and Momomom have talked up this food.

Now, HowICook reports that the name -- although not yet the outside sign -- has changed to "Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine." It sounds like they're fully converting to a restaurant, and there may even be a "secret" option of off-menu items to explore.

All the indoor signage and advertisements (little postcards) use the new name. The place is still run by the same people. I was told that the place wanted to be a Ethiopian restaurant not a coffee house. So even though they have the same coffee setup, there's no mention of coffee anywhere else. Soretti is the nickname of the lady who does the wonderful cooking.

They've been advertising a $6.95 lunch menu that they honor on Saturdays too. We had lamb wot and vegetable combo today served Ethiopian style on one plate with an extra injera and no eating utensils.

I wish they would unify all the menus (coffee, breakfast, lunch & dinner) and the off menu items and lower the dinner prices a bit. The menu items should reflect the community dining aspect of Ethiopian food and not the single dish mentality of the menus. I'm thinking all small plates served together on injera. They've already lowered the wine and beer prices. This is one of my favorite ethnic dining experiences.

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine is next-door to a branch of Maiwand Kabob and a building east from Cuba de Ayer -- a casual Cuban restaurant that is absolutely worth a drive from Columbia.

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine

15510 Old Columbia Pike (Rte 198)

Burtonsville, MD 20866

240-390-0044

NEAR: This is on Rte 198 just west of Rte 29. From Howard County, you take the first exit on Rte 29 south of the river. That exit puts you on an old piece of Rte 29 that passes an Indian temple and a garden center. Turn right on Rte 198 at the traffic light. Soretti's is a block up on the right next to a Maiwand Kabob outlet. The sign may still say "Cafe Oromia."

Frisco Grille Was Burglarized

Frisco Grille in Columbia was burglarized early Monday, according to the Baltimore Beer Guy blog.

As a great American once said: "Savages."

Not sure about the damages, but check out the BBG blog for updates.

Azul 17: A First Visit

Azul 17 is slowly opening the kitchen, and we stepped in last week to take a peek.

I'm pretty excited by the new Mexican restaurant on Snowden River Parkway because it's trying something different -- a mix of real Mexican recipes, trendy "small plates" and a modern, classy design out here in Columbia.

Our first dinner was great fun, and I didn't even try the tacos, which sound spectacular and which Dzoey commended last week. The official grand opening will be about October 8. For now, they're serving appetizers and small dishes, gradually adding the main courses, desserts and the full spread. You start with great chips. You have to love that, and I loved both of our "platos pequenos" -- a paprika-spiced shrimp in camarones al periodico and grilled cactus with vegetables and tortillas in napalito asado. The napalito particularly was excellent as we made little tacos of cactus and the stewed vegetables at the bottom of the bowl. This kitchen aims high with unusual spices and layered flavors.

(We're so "Top Chef" these days. Mrs. HowChow loves to say "layered flavors.")

I hope the ceviche is popular. I liked the tuna, but I'm a tough judge of ceviche because I haven't eaten anything in years as delicious as the three-fish plate

at Alma de Cuba. I also hope that Azul 17 does something to improve the guacamole. Eleven bucks is a real price. We got an avocado mixed with some vegetables and queso fresco. Nice, but not a real dish like the tableside at Rosa Mexicano or places that have strong or unique flavors. Mrs. HowChow makes her signature dish with goat cheese, pistachios and chipotle that has a strength that I didn't get in the Azul 17 "rojo" ceviche. It took her months to work out her ratios, and she still has the advantage of tasting the guacamole as she makes it up. The Azul 17 waitress was really nice, but I will try other dishes before returning to the guacamole. (I also didn't know why our "rojo" was $1.50 more than the "traditional" when the only difference appeared to be a few tablespoons of queso fresco.)

Overall, I'm really excited. The Azul people were friendly. The decor is cool without being affected -- a mix of modern, but comfortable seating with Mexican paintings and neon lights. The menu will eventually have a million tequila variations, but they also have some non-alcoholic touches like agua frescas and horchata that shows they're looking for authentic Mexican, not just a party scene.

Definitely give Azul 17 a try. This isn't a cheap joint. You're going to average $10 each even for the little dishes, so it's $40 quick for two and that's without a margarita. But it looks like a special place for Howard County, and I'm excited to go back.

Click here for the 2009 "best restaurants" in Howard County.

HowChow: We Are Watching You

The Dutch Country Farmers Market opened its new Laurel location earlier this month.

In the comments, 22209 posted a report about opening day and a link to the cell phone photo that he took while waiting for an apple fritter.

Two days later, regular commenter HowICook -- who had previously written a long post listing his favorites at the Dutch Country market -- dropped a short line chuckling at the coincidence:

You know it's a small world when you show up in [22209]'s picture.

Eat smart. HowChow is watching

Bento Boxes at Hanoori Home Plaza

Bento boxes are great fun if you pack a lunch, and there is now a local source for boxes and the crazy Japanese accessories in the new Hanoori Home Plaza opened in Catonsville.

Bento boxes are little plastic boxes that often come with dividers or little cups to separate your food. You pack lunches with a bunch of little items -- a little meat, some rice, some vegetables, a salad, a sweet, etc. I have had a ball re-packaging our leftovers into lunches. Save some cash. Enjoy good food. Some people even say they lose weight.

You could spend hours reading about bento lunches on blogs like Lunch in a Box or Just Bento. They each give tips about how to pack bento lunches. Lunch in a Box talks often about packing lunches for a toddler. Just Bento has great organization and many tips -- from bento basics to decorative cutting techniques. The coolest photos are complex bentos that look like art, but Biggie on Lunch in a Box emphasizes that she spends 10-15 minutes on a lunch. I pack in boxes, but I don't make anything look like art.

Hanoori Home Plaza opened in the shopping center with H Mart on Rte 40 in Catonsville. It's part of the "Hanoori Town" complex, and it's a Korean "Bed, Bath and Beyond" -- all kinds of kitchen items, appliances, and soft goods like blankets. The kitchen goods are worth checking out for anyone looking for bargains -- knives, plates, bowls, peelers, Lock & Lock brand containers. Mrs. HowChow had her eye on

some stainless steel bowls and chopsticks, and there are tons of decorative tea cups, sake pitchers, and gift sets.

Among Hanoori's bento boxes, Mrs. HowChow saw the box that I love but hadn't found anywhere but Los Angeles. It's a 950 ml box that says "vive" on the bag and "Asvel" on box -- white with three interior pieces and a snap-on top. I fill each section, then cover them with "Press and Seal." It's overkill, but I carry my lunch sideways in a shoulder bag. I can't afford a leak. I bought them originally at a Japanese market in LA, and my friend was nice enough to ship me more when I lost the originals to snapped tops and lunches forgotten in the office fridge. Hanoori sells them for $12, but that pays for itself in a week's lunches. Hanoori sells a bunch of other boxes, including small ones for kids.

Hanoori also sell silicon shapes that people use to separate one dish from anyone. I have cupcake liners from Target, and I'll fill one with sliced vegetables or pickles or something. The Japanese items are precious, and they'd probably be great fun if you were trying to get your kids into the bento program.

One thought: We're unclear if the bento boxes will survive for long in a dishwasher. My favorite box seems to warp slightly even on the upper level, but I use one or two every day so it's such a luxury to throw them in the machine. Consider hand-washing.

If you visit Hanoori Home Plaza, you should also check out the H Mart, my favorite place for food. (Click here for all the H Mart posts.) You'll also see Mangoberry inside Hanoori and Golden Krust for Jamaican takeout down the row. If you're interested in cooking Japanese food, check out my review of Kimiko Barber's cookbooks.

Hanoori Home Plaza

Hanoori Town

822-828 N. Rolling Road

Catonsville, MD 21228

NEAR: Hanoori is in the shopping center with H Mart at Rte 40 and Rolling Road in Catonsville. From Howard County, talke Rte 40 east from Rte 29 and then watch for the Starbucks on the right. Turn there. The "home plaza" is on the lower floor of the Hanoori section. You walk into Hanoori past the Mangoberry, then down the stairs to the Hanoori Home Plaza. Kitchen goods are right at the bottom of the stairs, and bento boxes are on the back side of one of the kitchen goods displays.

Link: Sushi King and Touche Touchet on the Kevin and Ann Eat Everything blog

There are dueling posts about Sushi King by a brother-sister team on the Kevin and Ann Eat Everything blog. (Click here for Ann's and then click the first link of her page for Kevin's.) They're Sushi Sono fans, but the lakeside restaurant was closed for a week.

Kevin may live in Howard County. He posted about Touche Touchet in Columbia, but he talked up the Dutch Market in Hunt Valley -- rather than the newly-opened one in Laurel. It's hard to know . . . .

Hunan Legend: The Not-Secret Menu

One of my favorite parts of HowChow ends today because Hunan Legend no longer has a secret menu that they give to people who read Chinese.

In February, I posted a bootleg copy of Hunan Legend's Chinese menu. A reader Wai had translated it herself and annotated each item by hand so that anyone could try the dishes. I offered to email the file to anyone, and people steadily sent it requests.

By June, Warthog has posted on Chowhound about how much fun he was having with the "secret" menu. He shared my experiences that Chinese restaurants often don't want to serve the authentic Chinese dishes. They think Americans prefer Americanized food -- even if it is gloppy or sweet. But Warthog carried the translated menu. He recommended being very obvious about consulting it and then assuring the waiter or owner that you had heard good things about their "real" Chinese food. It worked for Warthog and for several other people who commented. They got to know Hunan Legend's owners. They tried the secret Chinese items. They tried some Malaysian ones. People say good things, and it is a little closer than Grace Garden in Odenton.

And now, Hunan Legend is handing out its "secret" menu to anyone who asks. They have a typed version. Kristi mentioned it to me in late August, and KC emailed me a copy last week, and I'm posting the jpg version above. (Click on it to expand in my browsers.) I can email you the full PDF if you want, but you can just get a copy yourself at Hunan Legend.

Thanks to everyone -- especially to Wai who started this all.

If you're looking for more Chinese, check out my post about Chinese restaurants in Howard County.

Bistro Blanc in Glenelg

Bistro Blanc has served my best meal in Howard County and the worst meal of my life.

You should check out Bistro Blanc on Rte 32 in Glenelg. You can get spectacular food. Imaginative food. A meal that Elizabeth Large

thinks is worth a drive from Baltimore, so it's a no-brainer if you're lucky enough to live around here. But you need to be a tough customer.

Bistro Blanc is trendy in the best possible way. The seasonal trend means changing, imaginative dishes. Small plates let you experiment and share a table's worth of fun. These are the trends that spawned Woodberry Kitchen and Iron Bridge Wine Co, and they created a magical meal on my first visit to Bistro Blanc. We thrilled through a series of bright, full flavors. A watermelon carpaccio. An avocado soup. A cheese tart with plums. Each course was inventive, then exceeded by the next. We ended with an herbed panna cotta that was so perfect that I strained to remember the details of the dishes that came before. I left convinced that it was the best restaurant in Howard County.

That is why our Labor Day disaster was such a surprise. We went back so that I could profile Bistro Blanc energized by great food, and we ended up with bad food and bad service. Really bad service. I'm not going into detail. I have set aside my overly-detailed, overtly-angry first draft and offer instead some basic advice:

• If you get anything bad at Bistro Blanc, send it back immediately. Don't smile politely when they say your fig tart has no figs because they're out of season. Ask for a different dish. Bistro Blanc wants to serve magical food. If they fall short, tell someone -- politely. They want you happy.
• Stay on top of your waiter. Don't expect perfection. Both times, waiters we liked were a bit goofy and mis-described the menu or food. Fine with us. But our Labor Day disaster occurred because our main waitress took our order and never returned even though we were sitting 15 feet from the manager. By the time I made my stand, we had been abandoned to bad food and dirty dishes, and our evening was a mess.

Nothing at Bistro Blanc should be a mess. When the kitchen is on, the dishes are beautiful. Unique, sculptural plates with unique, sculptural food. The chef Marc Dixon started at Iron Bridge, and Bistro Blanc

shares the same concept of wine store / wine bar / restaurant. I love Iron Bridge for the cozy atmosphere and the sometimes funny food -- the "burger, fries and a milkshake" that Mrs. HowChow and I still talk about. Bistro Blanc is more precise than funny. Imagine a fruit and cheese tart covered with greens on plate dotted with sauces. That could be a vegetarian thicket of bitter lettuces, but it came together beautifully. Great flavor. The illusion that I controlled the dish by dipping in sauces, but the truth was that the chef had thought out each piece and assembled something that I would never imagine at home. (And it would have been worth ordering if it had figs.)

Bistro Blanc's owner heard about my disaster because I mentioned it to BillZ of Live in Howard County. The owner emailed to apologize. It turned out my wife had been right to wonder whether people had taken off the holiday. The second team -- no Chef Dixon, no owner out front -- had ruined the tuna and served the fig tart with watermelon. Don't let that anomaly keep you away. Bistro Blanc still serves terrific food, and there are surprises -- of the good kind -- yet to eat out there.

(Update: There are some detailed comments about Bistro Blanc below. Read them. Trip Klaus writes great reviews on Urbanspoon. Lukes appears to be starting a food blog, and I'm always trying to support the locals.)

If you enjoy seasonal cuisine, definitely check out Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore and Iron Bridge in Columbia. Because Bistro Blanc is on Rte 32 just south of I-70, it would be fun to pair with a visit to Larriland for pick-your-own apples and pumpkins this fall.

(Update: I put Bistro Blanc on my Top 10 list. Click here for the 2009 "best restaurants" in Howard County.)

Bistro Blanc
3800 Ten Oaks Rd
Glenelg, MD 21737
(410) 489-7907

NEAR: Drive west on Rte 32. It is a really easy drive about 11 miles west of Rte 108. Take the exit ramp for Ten Oaks Road. At the top of the ramp, use the traffic circle to cross back over Rte 32 on the new bridge. On the other side, use the traffic circle to go on Ten Oaks Road. Ten Oaks runs parallel to Rte 32, and you have basically headed back in the opposite direction. Bistro Blanc is on the right in the first shopping center.

DO NOT FOLLOW GOOGLE DIRECTIONS because they don't account for the new bridge that eliminated the "at grade" intersection of Rte 32 and Ten Oaks Road.