Exotic Breakfast In An Unexpected Spot: Belgian Waffles And Crepes At Whirlz In Ellicott City

Liege waffles and crepes at Whirlz just off Rte 108

Suddenly, we are up early on weekend mornings, so we're on the hunt for cool places for breakfast.

First stop was the Whirlz shop in the Dorsey Hall village center in Ellicott City.  Whirlz has teamed with the folks from the La Pearl waffle truck to offer morning treats.  Belgian waffles with all kinds of toppings.  Crepes that run from sweet to savory.

We stopped by last Saturday.  We had thought Lil's Chow would love a waffle.  He eats well, and he loves crispy stuff like pizza crust and dumpling wrappers.  But he actually threw himself into the Whirlz crepe.  I had gone eggs, bacon and cheese, so that's a classic combination.  Whirl's crepes have a slight crunch, and Lil's Chow and I both enjoyed some warm savoriness on a cold morning.

Savory crepe

Mrs. HowChow went with a basic waffle.  La Pearl does liege waffles with sweetness in the batter.  We had the biscoff -- a spread made from crushed cookies -- and bananas.  La Pearl pushes the Belgian waffle from Belgium, not the American waffles that we call "Belgian."  It is a different taste, one of those dishes that stands out because it is succeeds by being simple.

Whirlz does breakfast from 8 am to 2 pm on weekends.  They offer a full coffee and latte lineup.  So the booths are a nice place to set up with folks.  An easy place to check the schedule is La Pearl's Twitter feed.

Whirlz does its main business as a frozen yogurt shop.  They're definitely trying to break the standard "yogurt shop" format.  That makes sense considering that we have four seasons here.  They have sold crepes for a while with fillings that run from fruits to Reese's-inspired mixtures to the savory eggs and bacon.  They're in the Dorsey Hall village center just north of Rte 108 and just west of Rte 29.

A Great Breakfast Sandwich With Breakfast Sausage From Laurel Meat Or Boarman's

I should have known that I already had the key to a great breakfast sandwich.

A few weeks ago, I asked for suggestions after trying the egg-cheddar-and-sausage croissant from Touche Touchet.  Folks recommended their favorites in the comments, but the '34 Act Gourmet came to my house with the answer.

Breakfast sausage from Laurel Meat Market.

I have extolled sausage as the gateway drug to try your local ethnic butchers.  Laurel Meat Market's loose breakfast sausage -- like the similar sausage that people love from Boarman's in Highland -- is the easiest gateway around.  Basic pork sausage flavored with sage and other spices.

We pressed out two patties.  I cooked them in a cast iron pan while two eggs fried in a skillet and some Wegmans bread toasted nearby.  Wegmans' bakery will slice any loaf, and the thin, even slices have made this a staple that I keep in the freezer for sandwiches or toast.

Simple and superb.  I try to find delicious meat because I'd rather eat a small amount of the great stuff than a daily ration of the mediocre.  Laurel Meat and Boarman's grind their own sausages, and they give a full-flavored mix that just tastes fresher and better every time.

We had superb breakfast sandwiches in minutes, then went on about our day.

If you're intrigued, check out a line of HowChow posts about meat and local butchers.  I did a survey of butchers a few years ago in a longer post about places to shop, and I try to code posts when they're about barbecue or grilling.

Breakfast Sandwiches -- Touche Touchet Does Croissants; Any Other Breakfast To Recommend?

Touche Touchet's sausage, egg and cheddar croissant

The Howard County dump makes for an invigorating Saturday morning, and a trip to the dump earns an automatic breakfast sandwich.

The county landfill off I-70 is really heaven-sent if you clean out your garage and end up with a car full of old paint, lumber scraps, rusted metal and such.  I got in and out in 20 minutes, even after stopped at the various stations to unload my various stuff.  Tossing metal off a one-story drop makes me feel like a hoodlum every time.

It also made me hungry, and I ended up at Touche Touchet just off Rte 29.  The bakery does most of its business on the sweet side with cakes, sugar cookies, and pastries.  But they make savory croissants, including one with a sausage patty and a small cheddar omelet wrapped inside the dough.

I could have enjoyed a spicier sausage.  I'm getting picky about bacon, sausage and similar stuff, figuring they might as well be spectacular if I'm going to splurge.  But the croissant was nicely made, and they have worked out a system that even a reheated croissant comes out warm and nicely crisp.  The egg and cheese made a real meal, and Touche Touchet is a nice place to linger with coffee and a little to eat.

Can anyone else suggest a cool breakfast spot?  I've highlighted the Mexican egg plates at R&R Taqueria.  That chorizo was worth the splurge.  I'd love any other suggestions because I don't eat breakfast out enough to have a repertoire to recommend.

Cafe Mezcla Opened In Hickory Ridge With Waffles And Crepes, Sweet And Savory

A new cafe opened in the Hickory Ridge village center in Columbia -- bringing a menu of crepes, waffles and more to Columbia, reported several people who commented over the past week.

Cafe Mezcla opened last weekend next to Meadows Custard, according to reports from folks including Elizabeth of the Bare Midriff blog was the early reporter.  This sounds like a place for meals or dessert. They do crepes with goat cheese and mushrooms and waffles with bananas Foster.

I have been out of commission for weeks with travel and illness. I'm trying to start up again, and I'll do a bunch of short posts about news that happened when I was home. This way, people will be able to find the posts if they're looking for a specific restaurant. Check them all out by clicking on Reset May 2014.

Breakfast at R&R Taqueria: Get A Hearty Start With Eggs, Chorizo, Cactus, Salsa And More

Eggs and cactus with beans and tortillas (and a side of chorizo potatoes)

Hearty breakfast requires a hearty day, and that's why my brain connects breakfast at R&R Taqueria with errands at Lowe's.

R&R is the taqueria in the Shell Station on U.S. 1 and Rte 175, but it opens early for eggs, sandwiches and other breakfasts.  Mostly take-out, but the '34 Act Gourmet and I ate at the small counter looking out over the gas pumps.

For $6, you get a full styrofoam plate of fresh food.  I went with eggs and cactus.  The Gourmet ate huevos rancheros.  The kitchen filled out both our plates with rice, beans, cheese and tortillas.  Everything works at R&R.  Earthy beans.  The lightly-spicy ranchero sauce.  The slightly sour contrast of cactus with hot eggs and fresh salsa.

R&R makes a series of salsas.  I can't track them.  I got a chunky tomato, onion and pepper salsa with my eggs, and I asked for a second container.  They're surprisingly fresh and flavorful for any restaurant -- let alone one in a gas station.

Then, I doubled the load with chorizo potatoes.  Diced hash browns crisped on the griddle, then mixed with a little cheese and crumbled chorizo.  Not that much meat actually.  Just enough to flavor the dish and sheen the potatoes with grease.  The plate just made me happier than most breakfasts because I kept scooping up variety on R&R's delicious corn tortillas.  A little salsa and eggs.  A little beans and chorizo.  Just eggs.  Just beans.  Repeat.

Most of the people flowing through R&R were gearing up for real work.  Landscapers, a Sears delivery guy. . .  I earned my breakfast -- including chorizo -- by getting 20 bags of mulch and spending hours spreading that around my yard.  R&R is just east of the Columbia Lowe's, which makes it a perfect stop if you're doing errands.

R&R serves a range of omelets and breakfast sandwiches.  We ordered from the Mexican eggs, but they'll also make breakfast tacos or breakfast burritos.  Check out the menu here.

If you want to try eggs and cactus at home, you can buy cactus in the produce section at Lily's Mexican Market in Columbia.

Eggs Worth The Drive: Victoria's Brunch Wins Us Over With Poached, Scrambled And Bacon

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon

The eggs are so good at Victoria Gasto Pub that they will lure me back on the road for brunch.

My big brunch years are behind me.  It was a fine decade across three cities when single folk and a few couples would leave their tiny apartments and gather on weekend mornings.

Poached eggs

I've got a house now . . . and a steady date.  Most of my friends aren't free on Sunday morning.  And I can cook eggs way better than the greasy diner plates that are my favorite memories of college.  Most weekends, we stay home with the papers, and we're happy.

But we took a niece to Victoria Gastro Pub last weekend, and the eggs are absolutely work the drive.  This is restaurant brunch.  Poached eggs with a lemony hollandaise sauce, prosciutto, kale and crab meat.  That's light, balanced.  It's perched on what I think was one of the biscuits that Victoria serves with dinner.  It's a rich dish, but a light meal that's just better than anything I'm scrambling at my own stove.

Our niece and I each ordered scrambled eggs.  Hers had leeks and mushrooms.  Mine had smoked salmon and gruyere.  They came on top of potato cakes, shredded potato crisped on the edges and perfect to dip in the bright herby sauces.  They're all interesting.  They're fun.  (Even more fun with the side of pepper-edged bacon that I added to mine.)

Here's the best part:  If someone at your table doesn't want breakfast, they can jump right to the burger for brunch.  Victoria's burger reigns as my Howard County champ -- although I hear there are competitors at the Ale House Columbia.  The Victoria brunch menu has a charcuterie plate, the lobster grilled cheese, and lots of other options.

Next time, Mrs. HowChow is going for the mascarpone-stuffed French toast.  Since we'd never had brunch at Victoria before, she'd shied away for fear that she'd get a platter of greasy, sweet bread.  With the skill in the eggs, she's anxious try the other offerings.

Where else do people recommend for a weekend brunch?  They're great for dates, great to entertain house guests.

Chocolate Croissant At Touche Touchet

Touche Touchet's chocolate croissant

I always wanted the breakfast of French champions -- the chocolate croissant.

These folks know their sweet breakfast, and Touche Touchet in Columbia knows how to bake them up. The croissants are flaky and buttery without being greasy at all.  The chocolate is a thin layer, and it's delicious.  It certainly tastes like some kind of special chocolate and not just a Hershey's bar baked in the middle.

This is a short post because it's a simple breakfast.  But in a few minutes of pleasure, you'll snap down years of baking talent needed to make something so good.

Tomorrow, Go Get A Fresh Waffle -- Sweet Or Savory -- At Thomas Waffles In Clarksville

Start your weekend with a real treat by grabbing a fresh waffle in the parking lot of Kendall Hardware.

That's where you'll find the Thomas Waffles truck -- profiled last month by Explore Howard -- offering fresh waffles and a few other dishes on Saturday mornings.  They run about $3.  That's an easy splurge to chow down on hot, handmade food for breakfast.

They sell two kinds of sweet waffles with variations on sugar, fruit toppings, Nutella, and maple syrup.  They also sell other items like pre-baked quiches and "waffle pops" where they dipped a waffle into chocolate.

Even with those choices, I went savory last weekend.  For $3, I got a small breakfast sandwich.  Two warm, slightly-sweet waffles holding in an egg and a few thin strips of bacon.

"Did they offer Lipitor with that?" joked Mrs. HowChow when I came home.

But she is wrong.  The thin bacon pieces were just a salty jolt to the sweet waffles.  This wasn't the grease-dripping "sausage in a sliced donut" sandwich that the Fractured Prune used to offer.  The waffles are warm and light.  This is a unique little item, made by folks with real talent.

Start your holiday weekend with a trip for a waffle.  Thomas had a sign saying they'd be open 8 am to noon on December 24.

Thomas Waffles -- open Saturdays
in the parking lot of Kendall Hardware
12260 Clarksville Pike (Rte 108)
Clarksville, MD 21029


NEAR:  This is on Rte 108 just north of Rte 32.  The Thomas Waffle truck sits in the parking lot of Kendall Hardware, which is a great store on its own.  Definitely worth walking in if you need home improvement items and someone with the experience to answer your questions thoroughly.  Plus, great for canning supplies.

Laurel Tavern Donuts in Laurel

The flavor in a donut comes from sugar and oil, but the magic comes from making fried food that tastes light.

The donuts at Laurel Tavern Donuts comes out soft and puffy, topped with the simplest cinnamon or frosting and easily the best part of a cold morning.  Even the cake donuts are light.  They have a sweet crust that supports the strawberry frosting, then gives way to airy cake inside.

If Laurel Tavern Donuts were owned by some 21-year-old college grads, it would have a marketing story about old-fashioned technique and artisan donuts.  They'd hit up a local farm for some berries, and they'd push a tale of locally-grown produce to get some of the love that food writers have blindly lavished on cupcakes and lawyers who quit to make food.

But this is Laurel.  The "tavern" sits on U.S.1, and its immigrant owners offer coffee and a dozen variations on fried dough.  You should go for a donut worth the calories.  Sweet, slightly oily, but still light enough to make Dunkin Donuts taste leaden and tired.  Check out the donut holes as well.

The Laurel Tavern is in the former location of the Little Tavern chain.  They also serve up breakfast sandwiches and mini-burgers along the lines of the Little Tavern speciality.  I haven't tried those yet.

Laurel Tavern Donuts
115 Washington Boulevard (U.S. 1)
Laurel, MD 20707
301-362-7551

NEAR:  The donut shop is on the south-bound side of U.S. 1 where it separates in downtown Laurel.  It is a few stores south of the light at Main Street.  Look for a converted Little Tavern -- and thus a tiny white building with green trim -- on the right side of the road.

Hidden Treasure Cafe in Highland

If pigs could fly, then I wouldn't have been surprised to enjoy "BBQ pork wings" at the Hidden Treasure Cafe in Highland.

The casual counter joint opened in June 2009, and they're serving a small but interesting menu at the intersection of Rte 216 and Rte 108. This is the intersection of Boarman's crab cakes and sausage. Hidden Treasure adds sandwiches, salads, and sweets served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is an assertive kitchen that wants to serve you fish tacos, salads with cranberries and bleu cheese, or a Tuscan wrap with chicken, spinach, and a parmesan pesto aioli.

Hidden Treasure also serves the "BBQ pork wings." The $7.25 order comes with a cole slaw sitting next to three sauce-slathered chunks of meat. They actually look like drumsticks -- a little bone sticking out of a chunk of meat. It's tender pork, basically boneless because the bone falls out, with most of the flavor from the sauce. A touch of vinegar. A touch of sweet. I had to talk to the chef, who was having his lunch while I ate my "wings." The chef said it's a cut like

pork loin with a piece of rib bone. I saw other Web sites (1, 2) that say it comes from the lower leg. Either way, it's worth a visit -- even if you're driving from Clarksville, Fulton or the Applied Physics Lab.

The Highland cafe fits into the "Maiwand Kabob" style -- classy design, counter ordering, and some seats to enjoy your meal. They serve ice cream and a bunch of "penny candies" that they have actually turned into decorations in glass jars on the counter. Very smart look. They even have some outdoor seating with my favorite parking lot view. I'm going back for the cuban panini and the fish tacos. I'll also check out the ice cream and especially the shakes. They're open for dinner, so I might wander down for a treat one evening with Mrs. HowChow.

(Update: emkenton comments below that Hidden Treasure serves Moorenko's ice cream. That is high end, so the shakes must be dynamite.)

Hidden Treasure Cafe

13380 Clarksville Pike (Rte 108)

Highland, MD 2077

301-854-9494

NEAR: This is at the intersection of Rte 108 and Rte 216. There is a modern development with a Subway and other stores. Hidden Treasure is next to the Subway. It's a really easy drive from Clarksville or from Fulton. (Three miles west of Maple Lawn.)

Sarah and Desmond's Bakery and Cafe

Sarah & Desmond's Bakery & Cafe is the coffee shop that I wish was in my neighborhood.

(UPDATE: Sarah & Desmond's closed.)

The bakery and sandwich shop sits just off Main Street in downtown Ellicott City, and it fills on a Saturday morning with sunshine, slow-moving people, and the smell of muffins fresh from the oven. With the traffic just outside the plate glass windows, you could almost believe that you were in a city.

Sarah & Desmond's offers a robust menu for a small bakery. Sandwiches. Salads. Muffins. Cookies. Cupcakes. My most-recent trip was a morning when I really needed something good, and I bought a blueberry muffin that went straight from the baking tray into my takeout box. It was so warm that it crumbled, and I ate greedily in the car -- light and fruity cake with a sugary crisp top, nothing like the dense, plastic-wrapped muffins that haunt so many breakfast places.

With the muffin, you can get Zeke's coffee. For a dessert, you should definitely try the cupcakes. Like Touche Touchet in Coumbia, Sarah & Desmond's offers an adult cupcake -- delicious cake, a stiff frosting with flavor (not just sweet), and a size that you actually want to finish. If you want something more substantial, you can buys sandwiches, salads, quiches or soups.

By now, I hope that you're inspired to try out the joint. That's why I'll mention at the end that Sarah & Desmond's is a vegetarian bakery and cafe. They even do some vegan baking, and the vegan cookies are good although nothing beats a warm muffin. Vegetarian options should be an added plus for anyone who wants them, and it shouldn't scare of the meat-eaters among us. It's a bakery. Most baked goods are vegetarian. You'll eat well. I haven't tried the sandwiches yet, but there is a broad menu -- and nothing fake. It's good-looking vegetables with flavors like olives, goat cheese, artichoke hearts, etc. No one is tricking you with mock deli meats. Give it a try.

(Update: There are several suggestions about things to order in the comments below.  Apparently Sarah & Desmond's does gluten-free baking along with vegan options.)

If you are looking for baked goods, check out my post about bakeries in Howard County.

Sarah & Desmonds Bakery & Cafe

3715 Old Columbia Pike

Ellicott City, MD 21043

410-465-9700

NEAR: Sarah and Desmond's is just off Main Street in downtown Ellicott City. It is a block up Old Columbia Pike. I don't know where you are supposed to park. I have either walked there from Main Street or parking in the lot behind the bakery, but on my most-recent trip, I realized that bakery is linked to the closed yoga shop -- not the bakery.

Pretzel Roll Breakfasts at the Dutch Country Farmers Market

Egg, bacon and American cheese -- wrapped in pretzel dough and baked until crisp outside and warm inside.

That's a reason to stop one Saturday morning at the Dutch Country Farmers Market in Burtonsville. Eat while you walk the market and see what other foods you want to bring home.

Lydianne's Soft Pretzels sells a variety of pretzel rolls, including steak and ham, and they're actually delicious. Normally, I prefer egg-and-bacon without cheese precisely because a dollop of American cheese ruins too many great breakfast sandwiches. But the pretzel dough is so good that I would have gone back for a second except that my roll was a butter-dipped breakfast. (Next time, I'm going to wait for them to come out of the oven and ask for one before it gets the butter bath.)

(Update: The Dutch Country Farmers Market moved to Laurel in September 2009.)

Lydianne's Soft Pretzels

at the Dutch Country Farmers Market (until July 4, 2009)

15642 Columbia Pike

Burtonsville, MD

301-421-1454

NEAR: The Dutch market is at the intersection of Rte 198 and Columbia Pike. This is a block west of Rte 29. From Howard County, take the first exit in Montgomery County. You'll go around a traffic circle at the top of the exit ramp, and then you'll ride down the old Rte 29 past Meadows Farms nursery. The market is in the shopping center on the right just before the intersection with Rte 198.

Dutch Country Farmers Market (after August or September 2009)

9701 Fort Meade Road (Rte 198)

Laurel, MD 20707

877-421-1454

717-786-4736

http://www.burtonsvilledutchmarket.com/

Coffee Oromia: Beignets and Ethiopian Grits

If you're bored with breakfast, consider going one exit south of Howard County for beignets and Ethiopian grits at Coffee Oromia in Burtonsville.

(Update:  See Robert's smart comment below.  This has become Soretti's Ethiopian -- no breakfast, but good lunches and dinners.  Check the Soretti's posts.)

Coffee Oromia offers the closest Ethiopian food to Columbia. But in the morning, the same shop offers a light breakfast menu. The coffee shop basics are here -- coffee, espresso, eggs, some plain-looking bagels. You can also buy smoothies, which were fruity and could be a meal on their own.

But the reason to drive past Eggspectation or the breakfast sandwiches at Mad City Coffee are the Ethiopian grits and the beignets. These aren't exactly the beignets that Mrs. HowChow had in New Orleans, but they're fine members of the donut family. Crisp pastries with a light sugar taste. Good and certainly unusual. Coffee Oromia serves up a plate of three, which were nice with a coffee and a Sunday newspaper.

Coffee Oromia is right next to the Burtonsville branch of Maiwand Kabob. It is just down the road from Cuba de Ayer. If you're still looking for breakfast, click here for all the posts.

Coffee Oromia

15510 Old Columbia Pike (Rte 198)
Burtonsville, MD 20866
240-390-0044

http://www.coffeeoromia.com/

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. Coffee Oromia is a block up on the right next to a Maiwand Kabob outlet. There is a sign.

Old Mill Bakery Cafe in Ellicott City

Downtown Ellicott City sells itself on a vibe of sweet and clutter, and the Old Mill Bakery Cafe will sell you sweets amid clutter when you want a place to rest.

This is comfortable clutter.  Tables and chairs scatter around a coffee shop that invites you to relax with some tea and maybe the apple betty that I had last week while doing errands.  A delicious  pastry with slits on top that revealed an filling still firm with apple slices and rich with spices.  It tasted of butter and being baked that morning by someone who cared.

The Old Mill's pastries range from a casual muffins to proper-looking heart-shaped cookies, from scones to breads.  It's a wide variety.  They accompany coffes or a selection of teas that seemed unique to my eye.  Many boxes are for sale in the shelves, so this might be good shopping if you have a tea-lover in your life.

  

The Old Mill also offers sandwiches, including eggs-and-bacon breakfast versions.  I don't know that they're a reason to drive into downtown, but you could try if you are downtown.  Plus, you can take home a loaf of the bread that the Old Mill bakes every morning, including baguettes, an Italian loaf, a rye.  It also sells local honey from the Sweet Bee Apiary in Relay, MD up where I-95 intersects with I-195.  At $5 for a small bottle, it was too rich to impulse buy for my morning oatmeal, but I'll keep it on my list to try.

Old Mill Bakery Cafe

4 Frederick Road

Ellicott City, MD  21043

410-465-2253

Fractured Prune in Columbia and Ellicott City

How many toppings do you need to try before you say, "You know what would improve this donut? Sausage!"

The Fractured Prune is a donut shop like no other. The local branches of an Ocean City-based chain, the Prunes in Columbia and Ellicott City make their name by serving piping hot donuts and topping them sweet glazes and toppings. Pick a glaze -- honey, chocolate, peanut butter, etc. Then use the glaze to capture something crunchy like sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, Oreo cookies. (See update that the Columbia and Ellicott City stores appear to have closed.)

This is a kid's dream, and the Prune tops the sweet options with the Hole-in-One -- a hot donut of your choice, topped with a scoop of ice cream.

But the true inspiration comes for breakfast. The Fractured Prune has bagels and normal bread to fill with eggs and meat, but why slice a mere bagel when you have hot donuts on hand? Slice that donut long-ways, then fill with sausage. It's an inspired idea -- once or twice. The plain donut is lightly sweet, although as oily as a treat from a carnival midway. The sausage is good, although not Boarman's home-made variety. Together, they're like something from the state fair stands that sell deep-fried Snickers bar. Great fun. Bad for the arteries. But it's not like you're cooking these at home every weekend.

(Update: Check the comments. On September 15, 2008, the Columbia store was closed and had a sign that says "Due to unforseen circumstances we have had to close this location at this time. Hopefully, we will see you back soon." It lists a phone number for questions. The store looks fully stocked -- as if people just locked up one night and didn't come back in the morning.)

(Update: On April 3, 2009, there were reports that the Ellicott City store had closed as well.)

Click here for all the posts about sweets or here for all the posts about breakfasts. If you want a more adult breakfast, consider Eggspectation in Ellicott City for a full menu or Bonaparte Bread in Savage on the weekends.

Fractured Prune donut shop
6470 Freetown Road #205
Columbia, MD 21044
410-531-6916
http://www.fracturedprune.com/menu_columbia.php

NEAR: This is in the Hickory Ridge village center just off Cedar Lane. This is north of Rte 32 and south of Broken Land Parkway just west of Rte 29.



Fractured Prune donut shop
9095 Frederick Road
Ellicott City, MD 21042
410-203-2992

NEAR: This is at the intersection of Frederick Road and St. Johns Lane in Ellicott City. St. Johns intersects with Rte 40 just west of Rte 29.

Mad City Coffee in Columbia

The first time that I visited a coffee shop, someone had to explain espresso to me. It was bitter and so exotic in 1989 that I sold the New York Times a story about crazy college kids opening a coffee shop called Espresso Bongo. (So exotic that the Times and I misspelled "espresso" repeatedly.)

Mad City Coffee is not crazy college kids. It's a placid coffee shop that stands out because it roasts its own beans. I asked for a recommendation when I wanted a pound to carry home, and the cashier turned to the guy down the counter to ask: "You roast the coffee. What would you suggest as strong flavor?"

The coffee is good. I find people have opinions, not truths about coffee. Personally, I love Starbucks. My father won't touch it. The Mad City coffees that I have sampled aren't as strong as Starbucks -- which can be seen as either "dark" or "burnt" depending on your opinion. Mad City offers a few dozen varieties -- both different sources for the beans and different sweet flavors like "french toast" or chocolate. I sampled the espresso because people had recommended as the best around. It worked for me, but I prefer my coffee like a little boy -- sweet and milky.

On top of the coffee, Mad City offers lunch sandwiches like turkey, tuna and chicken salad. It also has bagels, pastries, and bagel sandwiches. More than anything, it offers that local feel. The local feel that -- on my last visit -- caused the cashiers to get disorganized in the morning rush and disappear from the register to cook and scoop beans. But it's the same feel that made the customers smile and joke as they checked out the bags on the counter to see whose breakfasts were inside. People waited. Order returned in a few moments, and everyone left happy. I sat outside in a sliver of morning shade, which went beautifully on a summer morning with a very good egg-and-bacon sandwich and the newspaper.

If you like coffee, check out the Orinoco Coffee Shop in Columbia or Bonaparte Bread in Savage. If you visit Mad City, you are just a few blocks south of the Harpers Farm Village Center where you can try Maiwand Kabob's terrific afghan food. Mad City also offers regular music on the weekends, mostly singer-songwriter stuff like these folks.

Mad City Coffee

10801 Hickory Ridge Road

Columbia, MD 21044

410-964-8671

NEAR: This is actually right off Cedar Lane just south of the intersection with Hickory Ridge Road. Mad City is on the bottom floor of a commercial building. This is a block south of the Howard County General Hospital.

Eggspectation: Breakfast (and more) in Ellicott City

I'm a simple man at a restaurant breakfast - two eggs over medium, hash browns, bacon, coffee and could I please have the Tabasco sauce?

That's ironic because Eggspectation on Rte 108 near Snowden River Pkwy is the best place that I have found, and it trumpets its enormous menu. Omelets. Eggs Benedict. Pancakes. Waffles. You can even get eggs on a bagel instead of the traditional English muffin. I keep coming for crisp bacon, good coffee, and eggs and hash browns that I didn't have to cook myself.

This is the spot to take houseguests. A neighborhood place where you can relax over breakfast and no one hassles you when people linger over a second cup of coffee. (Of course, that means there can be a 10-20 minute wait at the rush hour.) It is also an all-day joint. Quite good burgers at lunch and dinner. A bar that often seems happily full of people eating at the bar or watching sports on TV. I would have recommended the burgers more before the Victoria Gastropub opened across the street, but the breakfast still can't be beat. The perfect place to take visiting in-laws.

It was the closest restaurant when we lived in Ellicott City. I'd love any other breakfast suggestions down in Columbia.

(Update: In October 2008, the burgers had gone downhill. I still recommend it for breakfast, but the burgers weren't the thick, flavorful patties that I remember from earlier.)

(Update: In May 2009, Greg on the Food & Wine Blog posted about breakfast all day at Eggspectation -- including the Chesapeake crepe.

Check out Victoria Gastro Pub across Rte 108 from Eggspectation. If you're at Eggspectation, you're also just a few blocks from great Thai at Bangkok Delight or the Chinese at Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro.

Eggspectation

6010 University Boulevard

Ellicott City, MD

410-750-3115

http://www.eggspectations.com/

NEAR: Rte 108 just east of Snowden River Parkway. It's super-convenient off Rte 175. Take the Snowden River exit and then turn left on Rte 108.

HocoLoco Girl on "breakfast" -- a listing of breakfast joints

HocoLoco Girl on "Sunday brunch" -- a listing of Sunday brunch places

Bagel Bin and Deli

There is nothing like a New York bagel. I accept this, even though I don't believe the endless theories about why. It's not the NYC water. My sister-in-law lives north of the Hudson, and no bagel outside New York has matched the shopping center bagel place nearest her house. We crowd around them when they arrive for visits, hoping for a paper bag filled with the bagels that they consider routine.

But Bagel Bin works for me. Really works. The authentic skin around a bagel with real flavor and the dense texture that says, "This is not sandwich bread formed into a circle." At times, the bagels are inconsistent, but they're normally quite good and certainly the best that I have found out here in Howard County.  They're served in a variety from the old-line salt and poppy to the sweet newcomers like blueberry.  Plus, you can find little treats like bialy or even challah on Fridays.

I have worked my way through Bagel Bins. I started at the Wilde Lake location. It was one of the first errands that I did when Mrs. Howchow and I started to date. Weekend morning runs for some everythings, maybe a bialy, and if they're hot from the oven, maybe eat one in the car on the way home. Now, I have branched out to the ones in King's Contrivance and River Hill. 

I deduced that this is all part of a small chain, owned by someone crafty enough to build an empire but not interested enough to create a Web site. It's an interesting choice, and one that I actually respect. What do I want in a bagel Web site? They sell bagels, cream cheese, coffee. What would I want to look up? I want to go to a bagel shop, and I like that it feels like a local place. Local people at the tables. Odd photos on the wall. (Advertising a local photographer?) Local high school kids smiling behind the counter and making it impossible to really mind when they slow down the process or screw up an order.

Nothing beats a New York bagel, but I'm glad these places are here for me.

If you are looking for a Bagel Bin, look up the locations on the Web site for the Columbia shopping centers: www.columbiavillagecenters.com.  If you want more breads and cookies, check out my post about bakeries in Howard County.

Bagel Bin - Wilde Lake near downtown Columbia

Wilde Lake Village Greene

410-740-0024

NEAR: Right near the Columbia Mall and the Wilde Lake High School.

Bagel Bin -- King's Contrivance in southern Columbia

410-381-1730

NEAR: South of Rte 32 east of Rte 29. The shopping center is hidden in the King's Contrivance neighborhood, but it's worth the trip there for the bagels and soon for a Harris Teeters.

Bagel Bin - River Hill in Clarkville

410-531-0335

NEAR: Just north of Rte 32 on Rte 108. River Hill shopping center is just north and across Rte 108 from the car dealerships.