Time To Order That Local Maple Lawn Turkey

Here come the holidays.  Sure, they can be stressful, but you should plan lots of fun.  Start with some local food -- like a turkey from the Maple Lawn Farm on Rte 216 in Fulton.

They grow and butcher the turkeys on the farm, and you can pre-order now to pick up right before Thanksgiving.  I actually haven't done this yet.  I  haven't cooked my own Thanksgiving since 2004.  But it's a local spot, and you get a truly fresh turkey -- along with options for other products like turkey sausage, smoked turkeys, and bags of wings, necks or drumsticks.

If you're thinking about Maple Lawn, consider sausage from Boarman's in Highland. That's just a little farther out Rte 216, and they make sausage that AnnieRie will use for stuffing.  You can pre-order sausage, oysters and more.

Howard County May Close Two Farmers Markets

The board behind the Howard County farmers markets may close two of the weekly markets in 2014 -- specifically the Thursday market in East Columbia and the Saturday market in Glenwood, reports Sara Toth in the Sun.

It sounds like folks are trying to balance the business.  It's great to have options, but farmers who invest a long day in coming to sell need to have enough customers to make it worth their while.  Read Toth's story for the details.

Hat tip to AnnieRie, who linked to Toth's story.

Bean & Burgundy Soft Opens With Coffee, Sandwiches, And A Pretty Modern Space

Bean & Burgundy Bread has soft-opened, and it's a huge modern space with everything from coffee to pastries, sandwiches to Korean food.

The new restaurant on Rte 40 has counters for coffee and sandwiches.  There is also an glass-walled kitchen where you can see the cooks at work.  I just had a cup of coffee.  I had just eat a pit beef sandwich at Gadsby's Bar American, so I couldn't even spring for the bulgogi-Philly cheesesteak hybrid that they were advertising.

Give them a little time to get a rhythm.  But let me know what you try and what you think.  I saw a speciality coffee with honey and lavender whipped cream.  They were out of the cream, but I could see Mrs. HowChow wanting to try that when we go back.

Does anyone know what they're doing for dinner?  More than sandwiches?

Do teenagers live in these coffee shops?  My friends and I ordered bread sticks and sodas many afternoons so that we could claim a Pizza Hut booth and stay out of our parents' homes  Sitting in Bean & Burgundy, I thought that this would be so much better than Pizza Hut.  No kids at lunchtime since there was school, but I wondered if teenagers know how good they have it and buy some coffees and pastries at places like this, Bon Appetit or Shilla.

Gadsby's American Grill: New Restaurant From Robert Gadsby Quietly Replaces Greystone Grill

Pit beef sandwich from the first day of lunch service

New kitchens come

on little Gat feet.

They come cooking

beside Route 100

starting with lunches

and then dinner's on.

With apologizes to Carl Sandburg, we can announce that Robert Gadsby has unveiled a new restaurant in the heart of Howard County.   His team is doing it quietly.  You might say they're creeping in like the fog.

The new menu kicked off today at lunch.  The restaurant is Gadsby's Bar American.  It's in the space that used to be -- and still has signs for -- Greystone Grill just off Rte 100 in the Columbia 100 development near Centre Park Road.

You can still get directions from the Greystone Grill Web site.  The transition appears gradual.  The new name and new lunch menu started today.  I ate a pit beef sandwich, and I loved the horseradish sauce and the raw onion.  I'd never put raw onion on a sandwich, even at pit beef stands where it is a basic condiment.  I love when a kitchen shows me that I'm wrong.  The onion and horseradish were crunch and bite on the thin-sliced beef, and I may never eat pit beef without onion again.

I'm sure it will take time for Gadsby to turn the restaurant into his own place.  The bartender and a bunch of the servers seemed like long-time folks.  I assume the dinner menu and signs will change over time.

But even the first lunch menu says that Gadsby is going to try to do something notable.  The menu looks upscale American -- starting off with burgers, po' boys, pulled pork and other standards offering tweeks and specials like my horseradish sauce.  Then, it runs through more-posh items like a warm potato salad with smoked salmon, a pasta with house-made fennel sausage, and slow-cooked lamb shank with mashed potatoes, carrots and wilted greens.

I ate from the nice selection of $8-9 sandwiches that makes Gadsby's an option for anyone.  But they had a three-course lunch option that looks like fun -- $21 for a soup/salad, a pasta and a main plate.  In the same vein, my server talked up the persimmon in one of the salads, and the lunch menu has five desserts and 14 wines.  That's a place that wants to be special.  It wants you to come for everything from a quick lunch at the bar to fancy meals for business or pleasure.

Give 'em some time to get the place working.  My sandwich was absolutely worth the visit.  There will be big expectations -- especially for a $21 lunch or its equivalent.  I'd love for this to be a Restaurant of Big Shoulders.

If you haven't followed the prior posts in HowChow, Robert Gadsby is a chef with a high-end pedigree and a history in LA and DC.  He has opened a terrific barbecue place on U.S. 1 in Laurel called RG's BBQ Cafe, and folks were talking about his taking over a restaurant in Maple Lawn.   Hat tip to _____ for emailing me about the new menu.

(Update:  The 2 Dudes met Gadsby when they had lunch at the new place.  They talked to him and posted about the conversation.)

Gadsby's Bar American
8850 Columbia 100 Parkway
Columbia, MD 21045
410-715-4739

NEAR:  Gadsby's is the space that used to be Greystone Grill.  It's just off Rte 100.  From either Rte 108 or Rte 100, you turn onto Centre Park Drive.  Then you turn onto Columbia 100 Parkway.  Gadsby's is in the base of a small office building that backs against Rte 100.

Check It: Pure Wine Cafe's Bedrock Wine Cellar

Pure Wine's wine cellar -- half way to the second floor

Here's how you know that you aren't eating in a shopping center:  Pure Wine Cafe parades you past their new cellar -- built into the bedrock above Main Street in Ellicott City.

When Pure Wine expanded, they busted through a wall and built stairs up to a second floor dining room and an outdoor patio.  They built a pretty nice modern bathroom on the landing, and they had an awkward space under the stairs.

Awkward space or awesome space?

They built a wine cellar with a glass wall.  So you can see inside as you walk up the stairs, and you can see wine bottles and the stone of the hillside.  Cool lighting.  Modern tiles and paneling.  It's a fun little detail on a restaurant that pays attention to details.

Can anyone else suggest cool details that people should check out in local restaurants?  I like the ambiance of the wine storage all around Iron Bridge.  There must be more.

Barbecue Sundae: Pork, Slaw, And Corn Bread, But It's The Fried Pickle That Makes The Sundae

Town Grill's Barbecue Sundae

I love pulled pork, but I find that I like it even more outside the sandwich.

Kloby's sparked my desire to "lose the bun" with it's jarbecue -- pulled pork, cole slaw and baked beans served in a Mason jar.  Last month, we discovered Town Grill's barbecue sundae, and it's the fried pickle that takes that to the next level.

We ate Town Grill at Larriland Farm right before Halloween.  We picked pumpkins and apples, then sat at picnic table with our niece, her fiance, and paper bowls layered with corn bread, pulled pork, cole slaw and a fried pickle.

The barbecue sundae shows off Town Grill's real aspiration.  The Lisbon restaurant is in a gas station, but the kitchen wants to compete with any casual restaurant around.  Rotating specials.  House-smoked salmon and trout.  Blackberry-chipotle wings that caused the Ravens' Super Bowl win.  But barbecue is the heart of the place -- with both smokers and a pit turning out chicken, pork, beef brisket, ribs, and more.

The barbecue sundae shows off the aspiration by layering four really good items.  Meaty, rich shredded pork.  A light coleslaw that gives crunch and a bit of bite.  Corn bread on the bottom that soaked up sauce, and the fried pickle on top that shocked me.

I would never have even wanted a batter-fried pickle.  I would have expected a greasy mess.

But Town Grill -- even operating from a tent and portable frying station -- served up crunchy pickles that turned the sundae into a star.  Crisp batter on the outside that avoided the grease.  Then salty pickle on the inside.  Great flavor.  Great fun.  A terrific contrast to the rest of the "sundae" and way more fun than a bun.

Town Grill makes a perfect warm weather trip when you pick-your-own at Larriland, then stop in Lisbon for a meal on the way home.  But it's worth the drive year-round even if you can't get into the fields.  Check all the posts.  I still need to go for the smoked salmon BLT.  They do a big breakfast, and they have Thursday specials where you take-home dinner like a fried chicken, pot pies, or grilled trout.

#15 Roll Comes To Sushi Sono -- Bringing Crunch, Warmth, And A Noodle Chew To Your Dinner

That's actually the "Green Tea Noodle Roll" or something similar

You'll need to cut me a break here because I took notes on a chopsticks wrapper.

We went to Sushi Sono for a "pick me up" dinner, and we got picked up by a new item -- the #15 Roll -- that we hadn't expected.

(Update:  OK.  This is embarrassing.  This post originally described the roll above as the #15 Roll, and that was wrong.  I discovered that in January 2014 when Sushi Sono's staff said that the roll above translates as something like "Green Tea Noodle Roll" and that HowChow had gotten that wrong.  Que lastima!)

(Below, I have revised the post to note the right name for this special, which the chefs continue to tinker with.  And I will post separately about the real #15.  They're both exceptional.)

The "Green Tea Noodle Roll" continues the Sushi Sono run of creating new rolls that are really new.  They're imaginative, but they're real chef's dishes -- balanced, thoughtful mixtures that come together better than anything that I'd come up with myself.

The "Green Tea Noodle Roll" is crab, roe and green tea noodles, wrapped in nori and then fried in the absolute thinnest layer of tempura batter.  Crunch outside.  It's hot at first, then the chewy noodle inside.  There is a sweet crab flavor, but it's subtle.  The roll is more about texture, the crunch and chew of the noodles with a dipping sauce that adds creaminess as well.

That's an amazing contrast with almost any platter of sushi that you want to try.

#12 and #14 Rolls

It's been a long time since we ate at the Columbia lakefront restaurant without ordering the #12 Roll -- a tempura shrimp with squash wrapped in nori and topped with spicy tuna.  It's crisp on the inside with the zest of spicy fish and scallions on top.  On this last visit, we remembered the #14 Roll, which is on the Web site but not all the printed menus.  That's a roll with slabs of seared salmon and a brush of eel sauce on top of a roll stuffed with spicy tuna and crunchy seaweed.

Again, the new roll stands on its own.  But the mix of crunch-warmth-and-chewy green tea noodles contrasted with the other rolls.  That's what makes a Sushi Sono dinner so different than just a platter of different fish wrapped in rice.  You can find unique dishes like the "Hurricane Eye" roll that comes sliced thin with a dot of hot sauce and a crunchy edge of popped brown rice.

I can't recommend Sushi Sono enough.  I wrote last week that it is probably my pick if I could only eat at one Howard County restaurant.  You can scan all the posts about Sushi Sono -- and should ask for the green tea that they serve on the house.  But I have written that sushi -- along with Indian and Korean -- is among the county's deepest cuisines, and Dan commented last week that he -- a veteran of three years living in Japan -- thinks that the fish is even more fresh and authentic at Sushi King in Columbia.  He talks up the eel.  We need to try the King again.

Vote For HowChow And Your Other Favorite Blogs

The Sun's annual Mobbies contest runs from today through November 14.  You can sign in once a day to vote for HowChow and your other favorite blogs.

Check out the Mobbies' page to vote.  The Sun does a nice job each year of letting people know about many different kinds of blogs around Baltimore.  The contest whips up some excitement.  Check out all the blogs on the Mobbies page -- and especially check of the HoCo Blogs listing of Howard County blogs in the contest.

Vote every day!!!

New Sauces At Kloby's Smokehouse: A Traffic Light Of Flavors Run From Sweet To Spicy

Three new sauces at Kloby's

You should drive to Kloby's Smokehouse for a traffic light of new flavors.

The barbecue restaurant on Johns Hopkins Road has always sold about eight sauces -- from a vinegar based "Carolina" to a sweet-hot "Honey Hab."  But they just added a new trio of sauces that match nicely with the three colors of a traffic light:

• Green: Smoked jalapeño and peach
• Yellow: Smoked poblano and serrano
• Red: Sweet blueberry BBQ sauce.

They're three great new options that run sweet to spicy.  The blueberry is really sweet, although still enough savory to be a barbecue sauce and not a jam.  The jalapeño peach comes in the middle with a spicy flavor, but a strong smokey fruitiness that balanced beautifully.  The poblano-serrano is for real heat-seekers, starting spicy like the jalepeno but then get even-hotter with a bright spicy finish.

These are all delicious   The two spicy sauces are done right.  They're spice as flavor, mixed nicely with fruitiness and smoke.  I tasted all three with an order of the basic wings, and they each added character and zest.

I have to say that my lunch reminded me how much I enjoy Kloby's plain wings.  The wings are meaty and large compared to most restaurants, and, all on their own, they have a deep smoke flavor and the perfect crispy skin.  For a while, I have been ordering "Dirty & Old" wings -- dusted with Old Bay and fried a second time.  But I will probably come back to the originals with a couple of sauces.  The jalapeño-peach would probably be my choice if I had to eat all five wings with one sauce, but I had way more fun dipping from sauce to sauce to sauce.

If you go to Kloby's, check out my prior posts -- especially the ideas of the jarbecue and "flight" of bread puddings.  Kloby's does an array of craft beer and bourbons, and it's a terrific casual place where they're making an effort to make special food.

Construction Coming Along At The Foreman-Wolf Spot In Columbia; New Chef At Greystone?

You can see the bones of a restaurant in the Columbia lakefront space being renovated into a restaurant by Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf.

Walls have gone up.  You can see what looks like entry area, a bar, maybe a private room or an alcove.  They're just rough construction materials and utility lights, so I can't imagine how the place could open in 2013.  But that was the original plan, and I'm no expert.

Has anyone heard about the current timeline for opening?  Or heard what name or menu they're picked for their Columbia spot?

While we're asking questions, has anyone heard about changes at the Greystone Grill in Ellicott City?  I have heard rumors about Robert Gadsby, the chef who has created terrific food at a casual barbecue place on U.S. 1 in Laurel.  His RG's BBQ Cafe has spectacular ribs, chicken and specials like lamb shank, but his real history has been upscale restaurants.  People -- including me -- jumped the gun earlier this year and thought Gadsby would take off the former Venegas in Fulton.  That didn't happen, but the skill in that barbecue will make me line up wherever he takes over -- even to "Gadsby's Bar American."

Best Of 2013: How Much I Miss Wordbones

What would Wordbones say?

The photo above is a Tesla outside a vegan restaurant.  Mrs. HowChow and I walked out of Roots a few weeks ago, and we actually saw two of the electric-powered sports cars outside Great Sage.

The sight should have sparked some witty observation about Teslas and vegan restaurants, but it just made me miss Wordbones again.

Dennis Lane died five months ago, and I still find myself wanted to email him or read the Tales of Two Cities blog that he wrote under the nickname "Wordbones."  Dennis used to post about cars that he had spotted.  Quick photographs and stories about convertibles or historic rides that he had happened across.

Dennis joked once about a BMV delivering pizza, and I know that he would have enjoyed two luxury cars driven to Clarksville so their owners could enjoy upscale food without burning gasoline or eating meat

I don't care about cars.  I drive a plastic box on wheels.  But I really did care about Dennis, even though I met him fewer than 10 times.  In a year when lots of wonderful things have happened, I wanted to note that we all lost Dennis last May.  Newspapers are dying, and we're losing the professionals who used to tell stories and keep watch on the powerful.  If we're lucky, people like Dennis will fill their place.

Food Experiences: Best of Howard County 2013

Guacamole from Roots

HowChow is more about food than restaurants, so it always feels more natural to recommend a list of cool experiences where you can work food into a day.

When I write this annual post, I have tried to replace half the items between each list.  You should check out all the "food experience posts" since 2009 because there are great ideas there -- donuts, hot pretzels, Korean Food 101, and more things that we enjoy all the time.  For 2013, I have gone 100% new -- except, of course, Larriland's pick-your-own that is just so wonderful to omit:

• Make an easy dinner with guacamole from Roots.  The Clarksville grocery makes its own guacamole, and that zesty flavor turns almost anything into a delicious dinner.  Guac and chips can make you happy.  Or guac spread on a quesadilla of tortillas and cheese.  Or go crazy by making your own little dishes -- a salad of chopped tomatoes, some cheeses, the guac, and crackers.
• Go for my newest taco find at Linsy's Store in Catonsville.  Linsy's is perfect for food blogging.  They're serving terrific Mexican food in the back of a store off Rte 40.  I heard from one of the owners at Portalli's -- where the Latino employees turned folks onto the tacos.  Cheap adventure and a guaranteed full stomach.
• Mix your own cocktails.  The trend towards fresh ingredients can come into your liquor closet.  I discovered bourbon this year, and you can find all kinds of exotic mixers at local liquor stores.  Vinegar based shrubs at im Wine in Fulton.  Bitters at the Perfect Pour in Elkridge.  Search the Web for cocktail recipes.  Then check any of the nicer local liquor stores, and I'm sure that you can find something interesting.

Get Ready For The Mobbies - Vote, Vote, Vote

The Sun brings back the Mobbies for their fifth year -- a popularity contest to publicize Baltimore blogs of all shapes and colors.

I nominated a bunch of blogs tonight.  You can go to the Sun's Web site through Halloween to nominate other blogs.  Then you can start voting on November 4 -- and, of course, you need to vote for HowChow.  ;-)

Bean & Burgundy To Soft Open Nov. 5

Bean & Burgundy Bread will soft open November 5 -- according to the Ellicott City restaurant's announcement on its Facebook page.

Cindy Frazier spotted the announcement, and she posted on the HowChow Facebook page.  The new place is on the south side of Rte 40 west of Rte 29.  It looks like the menu will mix bakery items with a wine bar and a dinner menu.

Restaurants: Best Of Howard County 2013

Hiramasa with ponzu at Sushi Sono

When I wasn't looking, my "Best of Howard County" posts have become a tradition.

This is the sixth year that I have tried to collect recommendations about local food into a week of posts.  I don't know what you love, but I know that you can find wonderful food out here in the suburbs.  And more is coming.  Cindy Wolf, Whole Foods, and the folks behind the Ambassador all want a piece of Howard County, and that must be good.  

This is my "Best Of" list.  These are places where I'd tell you to start if you want something delicious.  In 2012, I literally wrote "where to go" advice for someone just moving to Howard County.  This week of posts is more of an annual writing exercise where I think about stuff I have found and try to spark a little conversation with other eaters.

I don't know if your best restaurants are on my list.  That's why you can write comments!  Tell me the three places that you would recommend to someone who just started eating in Howard County.

Best Of 2013: Thoughts On Howard County Food

Crabs from Frank's Seafood - Awesome, but not on my "Best Of" posts

It has been years since I ate a bulgogi panini.

You may remember Riverside Coffee's Korean take on sliced beef sandwiches, but I was thinking about them this weekend because I haven't eaten one since I first posted in 2009.

We have lots of good food around here.  In my early years, this blog often argued against people's knee-jerk idea that there was nothing in Howard County except chains.  But those jerks have disappeared, and the truth is that the county has so much good food that I barely touch the surface each year.

I haven't stopped for a bulgogi panini because I always have something else to try -- guilty pleasures like cheesesteaks or great adventures like the tacos joints that span from Columbia to Catonsville.  In the same way, I haven't done justice in the past year to the fish at Today's Catch in Columbia or the egusi at Kuramo in Columbia or the hot pretzels and other goodies at the Dutch Country Market in Laurel.  I often think about a sweet from Touche Touchet as I see the exit off Rte 29, but I'm on my way somewhere or I'm already full or I'm too hungry to risk eating three desserts in the car.

These are all wonderful places.  They're places you should know about.  But we have so many good places for food that I'll write two days of "Best Of" posts this week without mentioning them.  Tuesday will be "Best Restaurants."  Wednesday will be "Best Food Experiences."

Both posts are chances for me to spark ideas about the food scene, and, if anything, that scene is just getting better.  Since 2012, Wegmans has changed the way that I shop.  I love the bakery, the cheeses, the speck.  We have gotten a row of new restaurants in Turf Valley.  We have been promised low country food at the Highland Inn, Indian at the Polo Club, and "farm to table" pub food at the White Oak Tavern, along with other new spots from Fulton to Ellicott City.  That all sounds excited, even though it pales in comparison with the coming remake of Columbia's lakefront with a Whole Foods and a restaurant from Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman.

HowChow is a hobby.  It is mostly short posts -- often about new stuff at the expense of great places that I wrote about over the years.  In its own way, I hope HowChow is an ad hoc guide to eating around Howard County.  I hope you'll click to the past posts linked from the "Best Of" week, and I hope that you'll click through the "labels" in the right column to see what else you might have missed.  Want to know where to find Nepalese food?  Or Vietnamese?  There are labels that will take you through many topics.

I also hope that you'll comment on the "Best Of" posts.  The county is so big that folks have favorite restaurants that I still haven't tried -- like Coho's in Columbia that Duane posted about last week.  I love hearing about great places or just great dishes.  That's how I learned about the tacos at Linsy's that will be among the "Food Experiences" and how I heard about Frank's Seafood -- the retail spot in the Jessup seafood market.  They sell amazing crabs, and, like that bulgogi panini, I left them off the "Best Of" posts because I'm trying to give you new ideas.

Feel confident about Howard County food.  It's not Baltimore or DC, but you can eat better here than in most places in this country.  And you can certainly fill a year with delicious items -- both old favorites and new finds.

Five goals for my upcoming year:

• Try the tofu soup and brisket casserole at Yetnal House in Ellicott City.
• Have more fun on Main Street in Ellicott City -- maybe try Rumor Mill or the Portalli's patio, definitely hit up a "Second Sunday" where you can eat and shop outside.
• Get out to the beer spots.  Columbia Alehouse, Frisco Tap House, T-Bonz, Kloby's Smokehouse, Victoria Gastro Pub and other places are trying to do great beer with great food, and they're worth checking out.
• Cook more fish.  I need to try some whole fish at Today's Catch or Frank's Seafood.  Maybe do more with clams and squid from Lotte in Catonsville or Wegmans in Columbia.
• Get back and eat Riverside Coffee's bulgogi panini one more time.

Up Tuesday:  The Best Restaurants In Howard County.  Up Wednesday:  Food Experiences In Howard County.  If you can't wait, check out the "Best Of" posts going back to 2009.

Laurel Meat Market Sells Its Own Spice LIne

Has anyone tried the barbecue spices that Laurel Meat Market is selling under its own name?

On top of the meat counter, Laurel Meat Market has a line of ground spices -- a "sweet BBQ" rub, a Cajun mix, and a "Western steak" seasoning.  I assume they've arranged for someone to package their private label line.

I'm a complete amateur when it comes to cooking meat.  I cook it rarely, and rarely do more than run a steak or burgers on the grill or a cast iron pan.  I love Laurel Meat Market for exceptional ground beef -- including the "firecracker" mixture where they will special-grind you some ground chuck with their house-made pork sausage.

The quality of the meats makes me think that the spices are probably worth checking out.  I don't really know how to use rubs or big seasonings on meat.  I'd love any suggestions.

Drumstix: Junk "Food" Can Bring Us Together

Not as spicy as that bird makes it look 

I still cringe when I remember what I carried to Madrid to teach my host family about American food in the summer before my junior year of high school.

Fruit roll ups.  Jiffy Pop popcorn.  This Spanish family ate great food -- and frankly so did my family at home.  But I brought junk food in my suitcase and only later figured out that I could bake a pizza to show them a real American taste.

But then, America does really taste like fruit roll ups and Jiffy Pop at the same time that it tastes like heirloom tomatoes and charcuterie.  So I love checking out the junk food that we import from other countries.

Recent sensation among a group of our friends:  Kikiriki Drumstix.

Deliciousness at the Fritos level of processed food.  Crunch.  Oil.  Zest of chili and lime.  All with the brilliance of puffing them into "chips" that look like a chicken leg.  Each Drumstix looks like miniature fried chicken.  It tastes a bit like chicken as well, although I prefer the black box spicy Drumstix because you get the mild spice as well.

Honestly, the bird on the package is exaggerating the spice.  Doritos sells varieties that are three times as spicy as Drumstix.  This is just a mild spice with the "citrus" of lime flavoring.  These are a great snack for someone who wants a junk food fix -- or who wants to amuse some friends who will be inspired by chips in the shape of a a chicken leg.

I bought these at Lotte in Catonsville.  They're clearly package for export with an English side of the box and the full nutrition information.  Don't look at the nutrition information.  You aren't eating these for nutrition.  You're eating them make yourself worldlier.  To become more international.

And for the crunch.

I assume Drumstix are available at the Lotte in Ellicott City and at other Korean markets like H Mart in Catonsville and Super Grand in Laurel.

Highland Inn Aiming To Open In Nov/Dec

The new Highland Inn is aiming to open in November or early December, reports Richard Gorelick in the Sun.  Gorelick interviewed chef Brian Boston, who had hoped to open in 2012 but now sees the end in sight for opening an upscale casual place on Rte 216 just west of Rte 108.

Back To Bangkok Delight: Thai That Was One Of The Places That Tied Me To Howard County

The tingle on my tongue makes me remember Thailand and remember that Bangkok Delight still stands out.

The Columbia restaurant was one of the first restaurants that I visited in Howard County.  Mrs. HowChow lived off Rte 108, and she knew Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro and Bangkok Delight when we went on early dates.

At one point, I thought this was one of the best restaurants in Howard County.  It won't make that list when I run my annual "Best Restaurants" post next week, but Bangkok Delight's kitchen does put out fresh, flavorful food that make it worth driving past most of the Chinese places around.

We have always loved the curry dishes.  Green curry is bright and spicy.  On our most-recent visit, brown curry was slightly sweet and deeply rich.  It has little "hot pepper" spice, but it thick with the flavors of our honeymoon in Thailand.  Sliced chicken comes with potatoes, raw peanuts, and carrot.  I always cherish some extra rice -- or some rice cooked fresh with leftovers -- to soak up the curry sauce.

Mango sticky rice

In contrast, the special eggplant had a real spicy kick from slivered hot peppers.  It left that tingling tongue.  This isn't as aggressive as Bon Chon's spicy fried chicken.  It's the talented touch where spiciness complements crunchy baby corn, earthy mushrooms and eggplant cooked to that perfect point where it is fork-tender, but not mushy.

Save room for dessert if you like mango.  The mango sticky rice comes warm and sweet -- almost like risotto of rice and sweet coconut milk.  Sliced mango adds sweet tanginess, and you have the dish that made me first notice how much Mrs. HowChow loves dessert.  One early take-out evening, I brought home two mango sticky rices.  That may have been when she decided that I was a keeper.

Bangkok Delight has a cute look with paper umbrellas hanging from the ceiling.  I assume they do a big takeout business because I have never seen it full.  Crowds of Indian folks in House of India and Mango Grove always make me feel confident that the food meets the standards of native palates.  But Bangkok Delight does a good job for me.

If you like Thai, you should also check out Bangkok Garden in Oakland Mills in Columbia. We also need to try Thai Aroma in Ellicott City which I always think about when we're walking into Shin Chon Garden or Tian Chinese Cuisine in the same shopping center.  They're wonderful for Korean (ie. barbecue, rice bowls, etc.) and Korean-Chinese (black bean noodles), respectively.

Bangkok Delight
8825 Centre Park Drive #A
Columbia, MD 21045
410-730-0032

NEAR: The Giant off Rte 108 just west of Howard High School and east of Rte 29. Bangkok Delight is in the shopping area just north of Giant. Look for the Burger King on the corner.