Tuesday, October 22, 2013

BGR's Burger, Bargain Bread, And New FroYo In Turf Valley: Adam Trolls Three Great Ideas

BGR's burger
You need to add Adam's idea to your "to do" list -- challah from The Breadery in Oella, spread with salmon cream cheese and topped with a poached egg.

That's a spectacular idea, and it's the kind of idea that keeps me blogging -- one of the many emails or comments where someone suggests something delicious that I would never have heard about.  Now, I've raved about the Bon Fresco's challah, but I never even noticed a loaf at The Breadery and never thought about that simple, but beautiful open-faced sandwich.

Today's Trolling post is more from Adam, including another new place in the Turf Valley shopping center that is really making a difference up on Rte 40 and a special at BGR The Burger Joint in Columbia.  Take it away Adam:
Breadery's challah
I think we can all agree that there is some great bread baking going on in Howard County. Not even counting specialty bakers like Bon Fresco and Great Harvest, grocery stores like Wegmans have taken store-baked bread to artisan levels. But for as great as the breads at some of these places are, you’ve got to admit they can be a little on the pricey side, and not always worth a weekly investment if the only person eating them in your household is, well, you. That’s why I love stopping into The Breadery in Oella. Their “Day-Old” rack isn’t just bursting with variety, but it features all kinds of great breads at 50% off. I’ve never bought a loaf from them that’s spoiled before I’ve finished it, and $2-3 for either an artisan old world bread or a home-style loaf of sliced bread, stopping in just to browse the day-old shelf has become a regular occurrence. I really recommend the Garden Herb loaf for tasty sandwiches (like a Goat Cheese and Apple Panini), as well as the Cranberry-Orange Pecan for something sweeter. A few days ago I even managed to get a loaf of their Challah. Lightly toasted with smoked salmon cream cheese and a perfectly poached egg, it takes on a custardy texture and sweet, rich taste as a open faced sandwich. 
There’s been a lot of buzz about the new Turf Valley Facci, but a new frozen yogurt stand just across the street that is worth checking out. YoLavie is a small chain with just four other locations, but they definitely bring a sweet presence to the new plaza. They held a grand opening on October 4th in which they offered all you can eat free yogurt, and I left on a sugar high after a mixed bowl of their peanut butter and coffee flavors. Both were excellent, as was the pistachio flavor I sampled. Not being a huge Froyo guy, I can’t say how YoLavie stacks up compared to the myriad of HoCo or national offerings, but I love that the new plaza has brought them in. 
Finally, it seems like most people find BGR The Burger Joint’s $6.99 burger a tad expensive, but if you’ve never tried the chain, I’d say to at least give it a shot.  They are running a deal right now where you can get their “burger” free with any purchase after signing up for their eClub online.  They have a location in Columbia near Target and Dick's Sporting Goods.  My burger was cooked a perfect medium-rare and dripping fatty juices, and I was really impressed with the freshness of the toppings and the deceptively light but buttery “brioche” bun.  Even without cheese I enjoyed it more than anything I’ve had from Five Guys (overrated, in my mind) and it exuded beefy flavor.
Trolling on Tuesday is my attempt at a series where readers would share three things with other HowChow readers -- favorite restaurant dishes, food to buy, food experiences, etc. Click here for all the Trolling posts. Click here for the explanation and the rules. Anyone can submit.

5 comments:

Marcia said...

Perfect timing, I have a taste for a good burger and last night was wondering where to go.

I love the challah from the Breadery. It makes really good french toast, too! And that 50% off rack is great ! The bread might not be perfectly (same day) fresh but it's still fresher than you'll find in a grocery store and much, much better ! Check it out.

Anonymous said...

BGR is good, but I do agree with the overpriced statement. It seems like it costs a fortune to take a family of 5 there.

However, I will say this, do not get the BGR burger to go. Because it is so juicy(a good thing) the buns are always destroyed by the time we get home and we live less than 5 minutes away.

kam said...

I am fond of the turkey burger and sweet potato fries at BGR. I also think that a good amount of people go into BGR with the perception that it's a lot like Five Guys when it's really more like Red Robin, price-wise. The fact that it's a fairly unassuming-looking storefront (it reminds me the most of the Jimmy John's across the way) rather than a full-scale restaurant probably doesn't help.

~kam

Writer Mike said...

BGR is my current favorite for hamburgers because it's grilled, not fried. I like their fries, too. I agree that it's on the expensive side but for my family of five, it's a difference of less than $10 when compared to Five Guys.

bmorecupcake said...

We visit The Breadery quite often and haven't found the 50% rack as impressive as others. Based on the reports here, we'll have to try some "day old" loaves again.

The challah at The Breadery is very good. But, in my opinion, even better than the challah at The Breadery is their brioche loaf. They don't make it often, but it quietly shows up every now and then. Currently, that's my favorite item there, hands down. Also, they usually have samples out. As "real" bread varies daily, you can always test out some samples before committing to a whole loaf.

Additionally, check their Facebook. They always have fun specials on there. And remember to get your loyalty card stamped!