Friday, February 4, 2011

Dreaming Up Food Fights - Tacos, Tandoori . . .

A tweet from another blogger sent me to El Nayar in Elkridge to think about what food battles I'd like to see in Howard County.

The Swim Write Run blog has been running a great series of "Food vs. Food" posts pitting two local restaurants against each other -- two flapjacks, two gnocchi, two kabobs, etc.   She tweeted about how there were so many good places in Howard County -- so much good food to research for her series.

What food would I recommend for future battles?  I thought about it in the parking lot of El Nayar in Elkridge -- one of the nice, casual Mexican places that have popped up along U.S. 1.  Simple place, but the kind that serves crisp vegetables, slow-cooked meat, and smoky, house-made salsas that make me wonder why anyone goes for fast food tacos.  El Nayar tacos are $2 each, and they're delicious.

A good battle needs two strong dishes, and it can't cost a fortune.  The beauty for Swim Write Run is that all of her swimming and running means she can eat and write for a long time.  My list of candidates:

That's just a start.  I was thinking about bubble or boba tea in new places like Ichiban Cafe in Columbia or Bon Appetit Bakery on Rte 40.  In the summer, there could be a few weeks of testing ice cream and snowball stands.

And, of course, the classic battle will be burgers.  BGR Burger Joint is coming to Columbia in the spring, and that will create an entire neighborhood of burgers to try.  Victoria Gastropub is my reigning champ at Snowden River Parkway and Rte 108.  If you snake south, you can hit Fatburger on Rte 108, then Red Robin behind the Target, then go down Dobbin Road for Five Guys and Cheeburger, Cheeburger.

Do you have a battle that you would recommend to the Swim Write Run blog?  Definitely check out her Friday posts.

9 comments:

Zevonista said...

Let's not forget pizza! Coal Fire vs Pazani? Gotta be some other contenders out there...

Mo said...

Those are some fabulous ideas! We must have been on the same wavelength, because one of those suggestions will be up next Friday. I don't want to spoil the surprise by saying which. :D

I did consider pizza, but I am hopelessly biased in favor of Trattoria. I don't know if I could be fair. I would welcome a guest blog about it though!

One thing I do worry about, with sticking to similar/identical items, is that I'm not getting the "best of" each place - especially the spots that are new to me. That's why HowChowBlog is so great, I feel like I get to know more about a place (and things to look for) when I read about it here. :)

I'd love to see more combos/suggestions that people come up with.

Matt said...

I think there should be a coffee category-if not a few for best Mocha, Espresso, etc. Then we definitely need Chinese food, Italian (or just pasta) and perhaps a few bakery categories for fresh bread, cupcakes, sweets assortment, etc.

PS-R&R burritos are hands down the best already...

jessiex said...

HowChow, When are we going to get a chance to go on this Taco Tour of Route 1, of which you've spoken? #Pining #Hopeful #Hungry

little audrey said...

How about eat-in crab cakes? I'd like to take out-of-town guests somewhere other than the tired, overpriced Crab Shanty for crab cakes.

Anonymous said...

One thing I would like to know is what people do for delivery pizza. Not a foodie topic, but there are times when we are just to tired to do a pickup and want to get delivery. (Having a newborn does that to you)

We generally go for Royal since my wife loves the Jamaican Jerk wings, but I wondered if other people had any other ideas.

Anonymous said...

For excellent crab cakes, take Route 40 into Catonsville and go to Loafers (across from the shopping center with Toys R Us & Panera). Huuuuge, lump crab meat, little to no filler.

angela said...

For delivery pizza, my favorite is definitely Philly's Best in Columbia off of Thunder Hill Road. It's delicious!

Deblynne said...

How about Seibel's in Burtonsville for milkshakes? They have great home made ice cream and my Mom (the milkshake aficionado in our family) loves their milkshakes