Uma Uma Soft Open Brings Ramen To Rte 40 -- And Maybe The Best Little Bite I've Eaten All Year

Tomato tonkatsu ramen

Uma Uma has brought the ramen shop to Ellicott City, and you should check out noodle soups and more at the friendly, casual restaurant.

Ramen -- like barbecue -- can lead to food blog warfare among experts about styles and execution.  So I'll leave that to other people and report just my observations.

First, the soup tastes delicious.  Lil' Chow and I lunched twice in four days.  We split three varieties because my toddler spilled much of a miso ramen until he realized that the stylish bowl tipped more-easily than the plastic ones at home.  Each variety was delicious.  All different.  My opening favorite is tonkatsu -- a pork broth served with the ramen, bok choy, slices of pork, and a just-boiled egg.

Uma Uma's pork bun

Second, the pork bun may be the best little bite that I've eaten all year.  It's one of Uma Uma's appetizers.  Steamed bun filled with a thick slice of tender, braised pork and house-pickled onion.  Rich and sharp, warm and chewy.  Each bun is a perfect two or three bites.  Get your own two-bun appetizer.  Don't share.  They're that good.

Uma Uma just soft opened on December 23.  They're getting organized, and they're starting at a run because the tables are already packed at the busy hours.  Yelp folks are already uncharitable about wait times and hiccups.  Don't be that way.  Go check out Uma Uma for something new and delicious that you can reach in 15 minutes.

For the uninitiated, ramen is noodle soup.  Again, the experts will crucify me for simplification.  Ramen lives in many, many forms.  Folks suggest ramen as a way to explore Tokyo.  They write about the best in the world.  But go check that last link.  The "best in the world" meant Japan, California and Manhattan.  On our local menus, ramen appears at places like Matcha Time and White Oak Tavern.  This is the first specialty shop, trying to make a go with ramen, grilled chicken, buns and a few other dishes.

Miso ramen

To me, ramen's real draw is slurping the broth.  Each spoonful -- and even the chopsticks bringing up dripping noodles -- offers the rich, cloudy broth.  The broths differ.  Miso, spicy miso, pork, etc.  But they're the backdrop for each bowl, and you can alternate mouthfuls of pork or vegetables.  I love bok choy.  A little crunch and mild peppery flavor paired beautifully with the almost-creamy tonkatsu stock.

Give Uma Uma a while to come into its own.  They've been open a week.  Chefs will adjust their recipes.  Waiters will pick up the ordering system and the kitchen flow.  I respect the comments on my White Oak Tavern post that suggest that the ramen there can differ day-to-day.  So go slurp up Uma Uma's good start and see how it goes from here.

Now, Uma Uma has some nice desserts.  The owner charmed Lil Chow with a green-tea mochi filled with ice cream.  But know that you can walk around the corner of Uma Uma's parking lot to a terrific bakery and coffee shop -- Tous Le Jours, a French bakery by way of Seoul with pastries, cakes, macarons, coffee and more.  It's a great place to hang out after dinner.  Please ignore the toddler who turns to a table of talkative young adults and shouts "Quiet! Be quiet!"  I have idea who that kid could be.

Use winter to explore an entire season of noodles and soups.  Like ramen, you can get them together in the hand-cut noodle soups at Hang Ari in Catonsville.  Or go noodles and fried chicken at Tian Chinese Cuisine in Ellicott City or Da Rae Won in Beltsville.   Or go exotic noodles with the fish noodle entree at Grace Garden in Odenton.  My one bummer is a vegetarian friend with Japanese wife.  There are no vegetarian ramen at Uma Uma.  What do people recommend as the best vegetarian soup around here?

Uma Uma
9380 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
410-461-8282

NEAR:  Uma Uma is on the north side of Rte 40 to the west of Rte 29.  It's between Boston Chicken and Lighthouse Tofu -- another great option for warm soup if you want soondooboo tofu stew.  There are a few parking spaces in front of Uma Uma, but your better bet is the lot along the side of the shopping center.  You turn off Rte 40 just before Boston Chicken, then park in the spaces in front of you or to your right.  It's good -- you're midway between dinner at Lighthouse or Uma Uma and dessert at Tous Le Jours.

Surprise: My Favorite Ramen Slurps At A Farm-To-Table Restaurant (For Now)

Ramen at White Oak Tavern

I stumbled on my favorite local ramen at a "guys night out" at White Oak Tavern.

White Oak is a casual bar and grill trying to push seasonal dishes and farm-to-table ideas on Rte 40 in Ellicott City.  It's working a middle ground with aspirations for high-end meals, but a casual feel a little less expensive that a meal in DC or Baltimore.

Coming soon to Rte 40

It hit a home run with everything on my night out.  A brussels sprout appetizer that looks so good that we each ordered had one as an appetizer.  Then a main event of rich, dark broth cooked with chewy noodles, bok choy, and a just-cooked egg.

This is part of a "Surprise" series that I'm writing as I try to start blogging again.  Come back for more in the next few days.

A real restaurant reviewer would focus on the delicious broth.  A ramen expert could explain why that savory liquid paired so well with the tender noodles.  But I'm going to tell you about the pork belly.

It was the best pieces of pork belly that I've ever had in my life.

Slightly crisp,  Rich pork flavor.  No fattiness.  It was firm like a piece of meat, and it reminded me why pork belly has been a craze.  With a really good beer and the brussels sprout appetizer, it was as good a meal as I remember eating this year.  Now, it was a pricey bowl.  I don't remember exactly, but it was an out-to-eat dinner price like $15-25.  Absolutely worth the price, but entirely fair to compare it with the equally-fun ramen at Matcha Time in Ellicott City.

Ramen at Matcha Time

But it will be a blast to start comparing White Oak to Matcha Time to Uma Uma.  Uma Uma is the ramen and yakitori restaurant that has been planning and constructing since Spring 2014.  They're close now.  (Update:  I just heard that they plan to open on December 23, 2015!)  They had chairs there when Lil' Chow and I walked past 10 days ago.

Uma Uma sounds like a place that Lil' Chow will love -- soup, noodles, rice and chicken.  They're between Lighthouse Tofu and Boston Chicken on the north side of Rte 40.  When you check them out, walk around the corner for dessert at Tous Les Jours.  That French bakery by way of Seoul has great pastries, coffees, drinks and a great atmosphere to hang out.

But back to the White Oak dinner, my friend and I had a really good night.  It's a basic decor, more like Frisco Tap House than Aida Bistro.  But they're pushing for really interesting food, and the place impresses me.  I'd love to hear if other people can comment below with recommended dishes or reports about dinners at White Oak.

Folks have been emailing me about the Uma Uma sign.  I appreciate them all.  I'd love to hear from folks if they see it is open or (even better) if they get to try the food.

Matcha Time Cafe Is A Small Spot With Big Reasons To Stop, Including Onigiri For Me

Miso soup and onigiri at Matcha Time Cafe

It's a small spot with a small menu, but there are big reasons to stop into Matcha Time Cafe off Main Street in Ellicott City.

Matcha Time is a two-room Japanese restaurant at the top of the public parking lot at Hamilton Street.  They mostly serve sushi, teas and ice cream.  For each, it's unusual options.  These are unique varieties of tea, ice cream concoctions from Japan, and sushi that range from basic rolls to make-your-own hand rolls.

I went for onigiri -- an Asian snack or light meal made with palm-sized rice balls.  The rice is flavored with or wrapped around fish or other ingredients.  Lil' Chow and I had just finished biking the Trollery Line #9 trail up to the Breadery, so I ordered two onigiri -- one salmon and one another spicy fish.  I forget which fish.

I remember that it was a well-done lunch.  Filling but light.  Fresh rice and good fish.  That makes sense because Matcha Time's main savory offerings are sushi.   The menu had basic rolls, along with a shrimp tempera udon and hand roll sets where you get nori and sushi to roll your own.  Those are pretty unique -- and I assume authentically Japanese -- options for such a small restaurant.

If anything, Matcha Time will get better in the winter.  It's a cozy spot for lunch or for tea and dessert.  When the weather chills, Lil' Chow is going to demand indoor places to eat ice cream, and I could imagine taking a walk on Main Street and come back to Matcha Time for warming tea, filling sushi, and exciting ice cream.
Can anyone explain the Japanese ice cream options?  The do ice creams like green tea and black sesame (along with vanilla).  Then they do kakifori or "shave ice" -- both "western style" and "Japanese style."  What do people recommend?

Matcha Time Cafe
375 Hamilton Street
Historic Ellicott City, MD 21043

NEAR: Matcha Time Cafe is just off Main Street in downtown Ellicott City.  Matcha Time's address is Hamilton Street, but you should park in the public lot behind Tersiguel's.  Matcha Time is visible at the top of the parking lot next to La Palapa.

While I've Been Out: Sushi On A Picnic Table And Other Unexpected Adventures This Summer

Sashimi lunch on a picnic table at Lake Elkhorn

Just when I think I have everything under control, life -- and a toddler -- teach me that they're in charge.

Above is a luxurious lunch that I had planned to eat at Sushi King.  Lil' Chow and I did errands one summer day, and I patted myself on the back as we walked into the Columbia restauran.

Lil' Chow loves soups, especially Asian soups like miso, soybean paste, and miyok guk.  We would eat lunch.  I'd draft a blog post.  I was a brilliant father who would enjoy a relaxed meal and restart his food writing.

Note that the photo above is a picnic table at Lake Elkhorn.  I gave Lil' Chow a spoon just a few minutes early.  The miso soup was too hot.  He screamed, reasonably.  And then he was inconsolable, loudly.  Really loudly.  It was the first time that I retreated from a restaurant because was embarrassed to be bothering the other customers.

That sashimi lunch special was delicious.  In recent years, Mrs. HowChow and I have become infatuated with Sushi Sono -- it's amazing rolls, its exciting specials, its lakefront location.  But Sushi King was our first Columbia spot for fish, and they still slice delicious pieces into a special lunch with rice and soup.  Sushi is one of those restaurant meals that I seek out because I don't have those skills at home.  Even simple sashimi shines when someone like the Sushi King chefs do the right things with slicing and pairing fish with lemon and crunchy radish pieces.

The Sushi King folks were also really nice when I abruptly shifted my order to go.  I ended up at a shaded picnic table at Lake Elkhorn, perfectly happy as Lil' Chow nosed around the pavillion and I thought about how even a parenting disaster work fine on a beautiful summer day.  Give me a picnic table in July over any freezing day in February.

So things haven't worked out the way that I planned.  I had thought that I'd keep blogging even with last fall's toddler adoption.  I even thought once or twice this year that I had my feet under me enough to start posting again.  I was wrong then.  We'll see if I'm right now.  Look for more HowChow next week -- and hopefully going into the future. 

This is part of my "While I've Been Out" series to restart the blog.  Late last year, the blog got some serious competition.  I'm still working out how to keep writing while I'm doing so many other new things as well.  Look for more posts next week.  Thanks to everyone who has kept reading, emailing and commenting.

Sushi Buffet Has Returned To Rte 40; Bean & Burgundy Is Adding Lots Of Fish To The Menu

Bean & Burgundy Bread has added fish to the menu -- an all-you-can-eat sushi lunch that started last month and runs on special through May.

Check out the Bean & Burgundy Facebook post.  I haven't tried the fish yet, but Chris was nice enough to highlight the buffet to me.

I mourned the loss of Kimko Seafood's lunch buffet when it closed on Rte 40 a while ago.  I have to admit that my sushi eating has tended more towards Sushi Sono than all-you-can-eat.  But there is fun in gorging, and it does make for a talkative, extended lunch if you check it out with friends.

Katie posted Tuesday on the CupcakeRN blog about her visit to Bean & Burgundy.  She reports that the buffet had everything from pasta and Korean food to the 20+ sushi options.  She says the fish to rice ratio was decent, and the sushi was tasty.

May promotion is $13 per person with a free drink.  After May, it will be $13 during the week and $15 on weekends.

What have people found at the Bean & Burgundy sushi buffet?  Any recommendations?  What else have people liked at Bean & Burgundy?  I have been infatuated with the new Tous Les Jours on my few recent trips to Rte 40, so I haven't stopped at Bean & Burgundy recently.

Salmon-Skin Rolls: Voted Least Likely To Be A HowChow Favorite, But Now A Crunchy Contrast

Salmon skin roll at Sushi Sono

Who would have ever expected to write rhapsodically about eating fish skin?

It sounds like a joke, but the salmon skin roll has become one of our favorites since I learned about them from a friend.

Almost every sushi restaurant offers their variation on this cooked roll.  Thin pieces of salmon skin with a little attached fish, broiled until crisp and then rolled sometimes with vegetables and the standard nori and rice.

Done right, it's a contrast with regular sushi rolls -- crunch and an unctuous char among dishes that can have a similar texture of rice-fish-nori-rice-fish-nori.  I think we tend to order salmon skin rolls when we have a few people around the table.  One or two pieces punctuate a meal.  We don't need half of the rolls to have skin.

Over the winter, we discovered that Sushi Sono does an exceptional salmon skin roll.  More meat than many other variations and cooked to the precise point where the skin crunches, but hasn't burned.  That version may even be better than our prior favorite at Yama Sushi in Ellicott City.

If you're looking for something fun, I really suggest getting 6-10 people together for one of the private rooms at Sushi Sono or Sushi King.  They both offer special tables where you sit on benches in an enclosed space.  Exotic fun for adults -- and surprising kid-friendly because we have had toddlers wander around the room without bothering anyone outside.  Check out my post about the Sushi Sono room, and call either place to reserve the roms.

Age Tofu At Sushi Sono -- Outside the Fish

Age Tofu at Sushi Sono

No one beats the sushi at Sushi Sono in Columbia, but I recommend the age tofu appetizer if you want to step outside the fish.

This is the kind of dish that makes me never fry at home.

I look to professionals like the Sushi Sono kitchen that turns our perfect crisp blocks of silky firm tofu.  They're crunchy, but not oily.  Hot pieces that are easy to lift onto your  plate and then spoon over with the dashi broth at the bottom of the bowl.  The flavor -- earthy and warm -- comes from that broth and the large slices of dried fish that actually wave as the heat from the tofu.

Your first piece of tofu will be hot and crisp.  The second will have rested a few minutes in the broth and become a bit chewier and more flavorful.  It's a terrific treat and another lesson about how Sushi Sono worries about texture and subtle flavors, far more than fancy sauces or spices.

If you like age tofu, I also recommend the same appetizer at Shin Chon Garden in Ellicott City.  They're different dishes, but it's a testament to the flexibility that age tofu contrasts equally well with a plate of tofu or a grill full of Korean barbecue.

Korshi Buffet Brings All-You-Can-Eat Sushi, So Stretch That Stomach And Don't Be Surprised

I admit it:  My plate is the full one in back.

The new Korshi buffet has opened in Columbia, and I will leave it to other people to debate whether you get your money's worth with all-you-can eat sushi and Korean food.

I got my money's worth at a weekday lunch.  We took out a friend out to celebrate his new job, and I ate three plates of food -- two more than anyone actually needs at noon.

Korshi is fun for about $13.  You need to know what you're getting.  One line of sushi with thin-sliced fish, and one line of Korean dishes.  We liked a few tastes of spicy tofu, and I splurged on chicken wings.  But the sushi was clearly the draw.

Some rolls.  Some pieces.  I thought the quality matched the lunch joint near my office, and I love being able to try one thin slice of a half-dozen different rolls, chased by thin slices of a half-dozen different fish.  Each time that we walked through, the chefs were offering a full array of salmon, tuna, eel, octopus and more.  Plus, I assume there are more options at dinner when the price jumps to $23.

Until they get a liquor license, you can bring your own alcohol without a corkage fee.  I grabbed a six-pack of Hite beer at the liquor store just north of Korshi's shopping center.  I actually walked there by jumping up a low retaining wall off the parking lot.

Again, please don't be surprised at an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Sushi Sono sells single rolls for more than we paid for lunch.  Shin Chon Garden and Honey Pig specialize in grilled meats.  Don't be surprised if Korshi's offerings don't match those flavors.

Korshi replaced Nichi Bei Kei, a Japanese restaurant whose Web site says that they were relocating to a spot near the Columbia Mall.  I think those plans were from 2013.  Does anyone know if or when Nichi Bei Kei will open there?

The Columbia Korshi is apparently a spin-off of a Virginia restaurant with the same name.  They have different management, folks said on the phone when I called Virginia to try to get the hours of the Maryland store.  On Yelp, someone noted that the Virginia restaurant has table-top barbecue, but charges $40 for dinner.  If you know the Virginia place, don't expect an exact copy.

Korshi
9400 Snowden River Pkwy
Columbia, MD 21045
410-309-9991

NEAR:  Korshi replaced Nichi Bei Kei in the corner of a shopping center on Snowden River Parkway.  This is the same center with Pars Market, the new Chutney restaurant, and Azul 17.  This is south of Oakland Park Boulevard and north of Broken Land Parkway.

Ramen In Howard County -- Two Spots For Now, And Plans For "Uma Uma" Coming To Rte 40

Ichiban Cafe's ramen

I'm nervous to write about ramen, but we need to start the conversation because you can slurp bowls here in Howard County.

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup that has had a long-standing spot with chefs and food writers who champion favorite places and talk up both tradition and innovation.  Chicken or pork broth.  Vegetarian versions.  Add-in ingredients like pork belly or poached eggs or . . . intestine.  Ramen is something more than a meal and less than a craze.

The New York Times wrote about ramen.  Artifact Coffee in Baltimore did a six-day special celebration.  David Chang talked it up on his PBS series Mind of a Chef and even offers his recipe in the Momofuku cookbook.

Now, you can get in on the movement closer to home.

We've eaten ramen at two local restaurants -- Ichiban Cafe in Columbia and Manna in Ellicott City.  Again, I'm scared to write too much because I can't claim much knowledge.  On the one hand, it's a humble dish -- noodles, vegetables, maybe some meat or other special items, all in a warm broth.  On the other hand, people get crazy about ramen.

A few weeks ago, a friend met me for dinner in Manhattan, and we met at 5 pm.  She and her daughter were in line even earlier because Ippudo NY is so hot that it fills shortly after it opens and stays full all night.

I can't claim that our ramen matches one of the places that the New York Times calls one of the 10 best in the city.  Ippudo's broth was exquisite, and the fresh noodles were even better.  But I'll talk up both our local options -- and welcome other people to join in with observations.

Manna and Ichiban Cafe are both casual places -- one a Korean counter-service in the Lotte food court, the other a Japanese-Chinese place with a sushi menu near Target.  In both places, we ordered without expertise.  Manna has one broth and options for "add-ins" like dumplings.  Ichiban had two broths, and I somehow lost the notes that I typed as we ate.

Manna's ramen

In both places, you get a great dinner for $10-15.  Bowls of salty, spicy broth with warm noodles and toppings.  As I remember, Manna's looked like packaged ramen that I ate in college while Ichiban's seemed a bit more unusual.  But I enjoyed both -- especially I alternated between spoons of soup, slurps of noodles, and little treats like sliced pork or mushrooms -- without knowing how to judge them against anything else.

Give them a try in the next few months so you'll be ready when the specialists arrive.  Emily Kim emailed me last week to talk about her plans for a ramen-and-grilled-chicken restaurant that will replace the Jerry's Subs on Rte 40.  Emily is a University of Baltimore business student who is building a business from an obsession:

Back in 2009, I stumbled upon a Japanese ramen shop in New York during my spring break. From the first sip of Tonkotsu ramen broth and noodles, I found my new addiction.  I found myself getting Mega Bus ticket every week to get ramen.  So from beginning of 2013, I started a business plan to open a restaurant in Ellicott City.

That business will be Uma Uma -- a restaurant that Emily plans to open to serve both the noodle soup and the Japanese grilled chicken called yakatori.  The current plan is for construction to start June 1 and the restaurant to open in late summer.

So ramen has arrived in Howard County.  Newbies can have a great time just reading link after link about the dish's variations.  But some experienced folks could tell us what they think about these two local kitchens -- and anywhere else that I have missed so far.

The food court next to Lotte clearly holds treasures that I still need to find.  Manna sits in the back, but there are other Korean and Japanese options as well.  Can anyone recommend other dishes at joints in the food court?

Ichiban Cafe
6250 Columbia Crossing Circle
Columbia, MD 21045
410-290-1898

NEAR: Ichiban is in the Columbia Crossing shopping center with Target. This is off Rte 175 at Dobbin Road. It is near the Joseph A. Banks and across from the Dick's Sporting Goods.

Manna
inside the food court next to Lotte
11-A Golden Triangle
8801 Baltimore National Pike (Rte 40)
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-480-5050

NEAR: Manna is inside the food court next to Lotte.  If you're looking at the supermarket, there is a door to the left that leads through some stores in a food court with about four restaurants.  Manna is at the far back.



Uma Uma (coming late summer 2014)
9380 Baltimore National Pike (Rte 40)
Ellicott City, MD 21042

NEAR: Uma Uma is coming to the space currently occupied by Jerry's Subs on the north side of Rte 40.  This will be right next to Lighthouse Tofu.

#15 Roll At Sushi Sono; It's Delicious, But Just Not What I Had Told You About Last November

The actual #15 Roll

On a recent night at Sushi Sono, the blog's name was taken in vain.  The photo above is the #15 Roll.  It has smoked salmon, crunchy seaweed, and crab on top with flakes of dried tuna.  And it needs the protection of the Sono staff who told diners that HowChow had gotten that wrong.

In November, we had eaten a delicious new roll with green tea noodles, and I swear that we had ordered the #15 Roll special that night.  Either way, I posted a rave describing that as the #15 Roll.  This month, people ordered the #15 at Sono and then asked whether the recipe had changed -- maybe green tea noodles had been removed?

No, the Sono folks said, with grace and patience.  That roll with green tea noodles has a name that translates like Green Tea Noodle Roll.  It's another special that the kitchen is working to perfect.

Then the killer:  "I know HowChow says that was the #15.  But it wasn't."

How embarrassing.

I have revised the November post to note that that was the "Green Tea Noodle Roll" or something similar.  And now, I come again to praise the #15.  This is another Sono success where the chefs play with flavors and textures.  The smoky flavor of the salmon against the sweetest of crab.  The crunch of seaweed with the papery flakes of dried fish.  Both the "Green Tea" and the #15 are worth checking out.

We have begun to order every visit off the white board of Sono specials.  If anything, that has made us more-interested in driving to Columbia.  We get new surprises, and everything is done right.  If only HowChow could produce as perfectly.

#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.

Special Hiramasa With Yuzu At Sushi Sono

Hiramasa with ponzu at Sushi Sono

Sushi Sono has a delicious sushi special -- and you need to snap those up to make sure they don't go down other people's gullets.

Hiramasa is an amberjack apparently farmed in Australia.  When it arrives in Columbia, Sushi Sono turns the fish into a special sushi.  Thin slices of the mild fish, glazed with a tangy citrus sauce.  That's yuzu, a citrus variation that mixes a sour tang into the mouthful of rice and fish.

Sushi Sono has long been one of our favorite restaurants in Howard County -- especially the large special rolls.  We started with the hiramasa special to break out of our standards, and it was perfect.  No soy sauce.  No wasabi.  The two pieces were a perfect balance of fish, rice and glaze.  Before finished that meal, I was already planning another visit with all sushi and sashimi.

Order that hirasama right away.  The kitchen buys a limited amount each day.  We wanted to end the meal with a second order.  But they were sold out!

There is really great sushi in Howard County.  Sushi Sono is stellar -- well worth a drive from one of the cities, and there are so many other great places that sushi is one of the county's deepest cuisines.

Link: New Matcha Time Cafe In The Patch

The signs for the Matcha Time Cafe have been up in Ellicott City for more than a year, but the small Japanese restaurant will finally open for business on June 15, reports the Ellicott City Patch.

Andre Metcalfe interviewed the cafe's owners about their plans to offer sushi, pastries, and tea in the spot at the top of the large parking lot off Main Street.  They're near La Palapa, and they also have a small Japanese boutique.

First Thoughts: Sushi Tendou in Fulton

Yellow Angel and Pinky Control rolls

You don't add this much rock to a shopping center unless you have high expectations.

Sushi Tendou opened last week in Fulton -- across the lot from the Maple Lawn Harris Teeter -- and the little restaurant opened big.  Stone walls.  Cool lights.  A sculptural school of fish swimming along the ceiling.

I run a media empire eating in shopping centers, and even Mrs. HowChow and I were surprised to walk into Sushi Tendou and find a place that wants to compete with the best sushi and date night spots around.

This is high end sushi.  The prices and the dishes are clearly aimed at competing with Sushi Sono and Sushi Yama, not takeout fish.  Sushi is already one of Howard County's deepest cuisines, but we thought Sushi Tendou can swim with the big boys.  Unusual, interesting rolls.  A variety of classic sushi.  Japanese dishes like teriyaki, udon and soba.

We had two specials rolls that pulled off the trick of mixing fish, rice, fruit and other toppings.  "Yellow Angel" -- shrimp tempura, cucumber, mango and spicy, crunchy salmon.  "Pinky Control" -- spicy salmon, shrimp tempura, kani, avocado and spicy mayo wrapped in a pink soy paper.  Both were fresh, creative and delicious.  Strong salmon flavor with no fishiness.  Crunchy shrimp even on the last piece.

Inadvertently, our rolls both had salmon and shrimp tempura, but they tasted completely different.  Open less than a week, Sushi Tendou has already thought enough about the food to make unique items.  At the same time, our third roll was just one of their basics, and it came out particularly enticing.  Great fish tartar, and Mrs. HowChow pointed to the rice, which was moist and tender.

None of the great sushi in Howard County is cheap.  The big rolls at Sushi Tendou run $13-16 for a not-so-enormous size.  Most sushi pieces are $3 each.  An age tofu and three rolls filled us up, but we're not the biggest eaters.  We came warned by comments on a prior post, so it's seemed fair -- although probably not an every-week spot for most people.

Overall, Sushi Tendou is aiming high.  The interior design with stone and artworks looks like Facci or Iron Bridge, not like the Hair Cuttery down the row.  It's friendly enough to bring kids, but it's cool enough to bring a date -- especially if you can get one of the two-seat booths against the wall.

If I had one complaint, it was that I think they're still working out the kitchen.  We ordered a spicy, crunch tuna roll.  The waitress confirmed that when we asked, but there was nothing crunchy or spicy about the roll.  It tasted like great salmon so we snapped it up.

On the next trip, I want to try more Japanese food -- maybe the udon soup or the octopus appetizer.  I was also captivated by hand rolls.  Maybe that's a way to try get a taste of eel while eating with "no eel" valentine.

On that age tofu, does anyone have advice about how to eat it?  The tofu was beautifully fried, crispy but not greasy.  We just couldn't lift the soft tofu easily with chopsticks -- and often couldn't maneuver the tofu into the dipping sauce.

(And since the Internet often lacks humor, we all know "media empire is a joke, right?)

Sushi Tendou
8194 Westside Boulevard, Ste G
Fulton, MD 20759
301-317-3303

NEAR:  Sushi Tendou is just off Rte 216 in the Maple Lawn development.  It shares a parking lot with the Harris Teeter.  From Rte 216, you turn at the traffic circle for Westside Boulevard, which is just west of the main Maple Lawn entrance.  Sushi Tendou is on the end of a strip shopping center facing the supermarket.

Has Sushi Tendou Opened In Fulton?

The new Sushi Tendou has opened across from the Harris Teeter in Maple Law, reports DonkeyKong.

Is this a full open?  A soft open?  Has anyone been?

Comfort: The Classiest Takeout Dinner Around

A takeout spread from Sushi Sono

It's always odd to realize that I get such comfort from a food that I didn't really eat until after college.

Takeout dinners are a wonderful comfort on busy days, and you can get delicious takeout at many places around Howard County.  But the classiest takeout comes from one of the best restaurants -- Sushi Sono.

Sushi Sono's fish and rolls make it one of my favorite restaurants in Howard County, and I'm always surprised at how well it makes the trip home in the car.  I steer away from rolls with tempura shrimp.  That's no problem because you can fill a platter with good ideas -- the vegetable roll, the #14, bridal, hurricane eye . . .

Fill a pretty platter, and you could run a dinner party with Sushi Sono's takeout.  Plop the takeout containers in front of the television, and you can just relax with delicious fish.  Either way, it's a winner.

Sushi has become ubiquitous so you don't need to drive to downtown Columbia for Sushi Sono.  I'm just saying it's beautiful, amazing food that you can carry home.  Where do you get takeout sushi?  What rolls or other dishes take home the best? Check here for all the posts about sushi.

AYCE Sushi At Kimko Seafood Restaurant

Not my plate. I skipped salad.

There are only two types of people in the world: Those who want all-you-can-eat sushi and those who don't.

Or is that just here in my house?

I took the '34 Act Gourmet for a weekday lunch at Kimko Sushi in Ellicott City.  This is the former Bethany Sushi.  It's a Korean restaurant with lots of seafood specials.  Many offered in Korean printed on the wall.

We started simple -- walk in, order the buffet, and go to work with an empty plate.  We filled them fast.  Start with the sushi, of course.  Don't overfill the plate, but work down the line.  Fish is cut thin, but there is a lot of it.  Some sushi pieces with a single slice.  Many rolls with rice, vegetables and fish.

Kimko's sushi

On the second plate, look around.  Along with the sushi in the front, Kimko has a hot bar along the side.  That's some Korean food like barbecue beef, noodle dishes, and kimchi.

Don't miss the kimchi.  I was facing all-you-can-eat sushi, so I could pass on salad, rice, and tempura vegetables.  But the kimchi was delicious without being very spicy.  Other pickled vegetables were a refreshing contrast to the sushi on plates two and three.

I promise this is a good idea.  Some people don't want all-you-can-eat, and I can't claim Kimko has the pizzaz of Sushi Sono or Sushi King.  But it's fun.  Rolls are varied -- tuna, salmon, shrimp, roe, etc.  Rolls are creative.  Several had sliced beets, which were interesting and a little sweet.  The fish was delicious.  Even the tempura shrimp rolls held up on the bar.

(Update: I think the buffet was about $12.  I lost my notes.  And I'm pretty sure it was just Monday to Friday.)

For another report, check out Kyle's report from last year.  And if you don't want all-you-can-eat, you can still stuff yourself at Kimko.  The This Is Gonna Be Good blog wrote about a seafood feast of the regular menu -- including a meter-long wooden platter of sashimi.

Can anyone recommend other food at Kimko?  A bunch of specials are written up without English translations, but they're clearly focusing on seafood -- down to tanks full of live fish.

Kimko Seafood Restaurant
10176 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
(410) 480-1442

NEAR:  Pay attention.  This isn't hard, but I have screwed up the directions several times.  Kimko is on the north side of Rte 40 just west of Bethany Lane.  But it doesn't face Rte 40.  Turn right two driveways before the traffic lights at Pine Orchard Lane.  Kimko is all the way down at the end.  If you go too far, turn right anyway.  You'll drive into a parking lot with Mirocjo and other good food.  You can walk up the hill and into Kimko's back door.

People Comment About CrunchDaddy, Ice Cream, Asian Liquor, Italian Food, Schwarma, & More

The "orange roll" at Yama Sushi

I recommend the orange roll at Yama Sushi, but I don't remember exactly why.  I took a photo.  I created a post.  But I didn't write down notes -- or at least I lost them before I could write out an explanation.

But you should definitely try the Columbia sushi joint.  That's one of many places that I discovered through comments that people left on HowChow.  The newest place was Tere's Latin Market, which I tried for the first time in May.  John, Kelsey and others chimed to recommend specific dishes at the Ellicott City spot.  They're joining with one of my Chowhound favorites, Elgringoviejo who has posted about Tere's tacos there, saying he prefers them to R&R.

One question about a possible new place:  Has anyone seen a cheesesteak truck working the area near Rte 216 and Maple Lawn?  Eric emailed me, saying that he had seen the truck twice but hadn't been able to catch the details as he drove past.  Anyone know the story?  Email me.

Beyond new places, the comments provide everything from recommended dishes to reports of meals to requests for information.  As I try to do, this is a catch-all of some recent comments so that you can check them out:

• In the midst of a political argument about the liquor store at Wegmans, Jade's Mama actually made a point about the wares -- or the local lack of Asian wines and other liquors.  I, for one, would buy makkoli or the Shaoxing rice wine that Andrew Nguyen put in recipes in Asian Dumplings.
• Kevin, Rob, Stephanie and others reported on their candied popcorn from CrunchDaddy Popcorn.  I stand by everything that I wrote -- although I think the honey and cinnamon variety may be better than I thought originally.
  

Sweet Japanese Dessert At La Boulangerie

Daifuku mochi from La Boulangerie

I think that I'm eating daifuku mochi, but I'm actually happy either way.

The La Boulangerie bakery in Ellicott City has a fun display of cakes, cookies and other sweets, but I stopped by last weekend for fresh mochi based on Gabrielle's suggestion on a prior post.

Daifuku mochi is a Japanese dessert with a sweet pastry made from rice wrapped around a filling of even-sweeter red bean filling.  That rice-cake mochi does many duties in Asian desserts, including as a topping on the tart frozen yogurt places that have popped up recently.

In La Boulangerie's daifuku, the mochi is almost floating away.  It's a mild flavor and a light, almost fluffy texture.  Imagine the texture of a steamed bun or a super-gourmet marshmallow.  It's the fresh taste of just-baked pastry, and it is wrapped around a sweet, rich filling.  Gabrielle is right that these are exceptional.  Mochi can be an acquired taste, but this is the place to seek it out.  Slice up the pieces, and serve them with fruit for a summer dessert.

Check out the photo above.  I confirmed with Wikipedia, so I'm confident that I bought daifuku mochi.  But the folks at La Boulangerie didn't recognize that name.  I asked by name and even showed them the written-out word.  They showed me "donuts" and "mochi."  The mochi was the right choice -- although they're priced like other fresh-based pastries at more than $5 for four large pieces.

The Big Three: Howard County's Deepest Cuisines Are Flavors That Will Lure Your City Friends

Korean barbecue at Honey Pig

There are at least three cuisines where you could make yourself very happy arguing about the best restaurant in Howard County.

You'll be happy because an answer will demand in-depth research and repeat visits.  You could leisurely work your way through great restaurants and probably still reach no consensus about the county's Big Three:  sushi, Indian and Korean.

This is part of HowChow's 2012 guide to Howard County -- "Welcome Home."  Ten posts to prove there are dozens of places worth your time, that you can find great food all across the county.  It's written for someone new to Howard County (maybe a link you send a friend thinking about moving here), but hopefully it's useful to anyone.

These are also the cuisines that I'd recommend you dangle in front of your city friends.  A few odd food-lovers will come to try gas station tacos with you.  But most of your friends will want dinner in your new neighborhood, and you'll want to make to their drive worthwhile.   At the top end, these joints are as good as any options in Baltimore and almost anything in Washington except the restaurants priced for lobbyists.

Yama Sushi is new, but competing

Sushi

I remember when eating raw fish -- any raw fish -- was a shocking idea, so I'm doubly surprised when I see it become a staple in American eating.  They make spicy tuna rolls in the supermarket!  Around here, they make sushi from basic to exquisite.  You can get whatever you want, and we regularly entice fish-loving friends to drive all the way to Columbia to eat with us:

• Sushi Sono in Columbia.  Our favorite sushi anywhere.  Perfect fish.  A casual, but classy setting. Their reservation system is a bit vague, but everyone eventually gets a seat where they can sample formal sashimi, unique rolls, and Japanese treasures like broiled yellowtail head, monkfish liver and the snapper special.
• Sushi King in Columbia.  We started at The King, and their rolls are still creative, delicious and enormous.  At either Sono or King, you can reserve a private room and meet friends around an enclosed table.
• Yama Sushi in Ellicott City.  A bit more casual, the newcomer to our top list serves up its own creative rolls.  I had never seen this "big roll" style until I came to Columbia, and Yama does really great combinations and sauces.  If anything, lighter sauces and spicier options.

If you're looking for a neighborhood place, there are other casual places.  Click here for all the posts about Japanese food.  Keep an eye on Hanamura in Columbia.  Remember Fuji Restaurant in Ellicott City and the new Nari Sushi in Columbia.  Think about the all-you-can-eat Korean-style sushi at Kimco in Ellicott City.

Indian

House of India has been our go-to place for comfort food, but I'm happy to say that it might be only the third-best Indian restaurant in Howard County.  Now that Mango Grove has opened its new location, there are three great restaurants clustered south of Rte 175 in eastern Columbia:

House of India takeout

• Mango Grove in Columbia.  They have opened their new location off Dobbin Road, so you can take the easiest adventure eating of your life.  Mango Grove is delicious.  It's full of unusual items like dosas, oothapapam, idli and jack fruit curries.  But's vegetarian so you can try anything without worrying.  The food is delicious.  The new location should be fun.  This is a unique enough menu to attract friends from your own neighborhood.
• House of India in Columbia.  This is Mrs. HowChow's comfort food.  The flavors are right -- fresh and bright with spices and herbs.  Look for Northern Indian staples like tandoori chicken, curries, samosas, etc., plus specials like a rock fish that was beautiful from the tandoor oven.  Takeout works great, and the portions are enormous.
• Royal Taj in Columbia.  Even with those two, this is the kitchen that people talk about the most these days.  The lunch buffet is creative and deep. and the dinners come on white tablecloths with wonderful curries and extras.  There are several people saying that Royal Taj is the best Indian around.

Indian food has expanded as much as anything since I came to town.  Akbar in Columbia is a location of the Baltimore institution.  Last year, Flavors of India opened with a mix of northern and southern dishes in Columbia, and Tandoori Grill converted a casual, counter-service deli on Johns Hopkins Road into a place that gets raves.  I'm a Tandoori fan, although Mrs. HowChow still wants her comfort food from House of India or Royal Taj.  You could run through all the posts about Indian food, then set out to discover.  You also need to keep your eyes out to see if Fulton gets a restaurant from the folks who own The Ambassador Dining Room in Baltimore.

Korean

The Korean restaurants in Howard County cluster along Rte 40, and picking three barely skims the surface of all the options that you can try along several miles of road.  Check the survey posts linked below, and you'll see there are places to serve everything from tofu stews to drinking snacks to Korean sushi.  

I'll start you off with three great restaurants that serve food that would please almost everyone -- barbecue, noodles, and fried chicken:

Feast at Shin Chon

• Shin Chon Garden in Ellicott City.  This can be a perfect restaurant.  It's casual.  It's inviting.  They serve spectacular Korean barbecue that you can control because you pick your own meat, make your own lettuce wraps with rice and sauces, and eat whichever of the side dishes look good to you.  You won't get better Korean in Maryland, and it's easy for your friends to find at the intersection of Rte 40 and Rte 29.
• Honey Pig in Ellicott City.  It's a bit cheaper, a bit younger, and a bit more chaotic than Shin Chon.  I'd recommend it for people who like Korean barbecue and have a craving along the lines of a "burger and beer" night.  Enjoy the scene, eat 24 hours a day, order the pork belly.
• Tian Chinese Cuisine in Ellicott City.  In Seoul, this is Chinese food.  Here, the cuisine is better described as Chinese-Korean.  They make their own noodles, and the simplest serving is a black bean sauce.  It's delicious, cheap and unique.  Plus, they serve Korean fried chicken, which is hot, spicy and crunchy.  One order of noodles.  One order of chicken.  Go now.

Last year, I posted a survey of all the Korean restaurants with expert commentary from friend-of-the-blog Kevin.  Start with my amateur post, then click through to Kevin's hilarious rundown.  That was before the Bon Chon fried chicken joint was announced in late 2011.   I have said that, in many ways, there is nothing I'd like more than a little Korean, and there are many posts about the food.  (Nicki -- That's for you again.)

Shin Chon is my suggested way to try Korean for the first time.  I'm going to post an amateur's step-by-step instruction next week.  But you could ease your way into Korean with a discrete place like spicy tofu stews at Lighthouse Tofu in Ellicott City or a fusion dish like bulgogi tacos at Anna's Coffee Roastery in Columbia.

What I Don't Know:  What's your favorite cuisine in Howard County?  What trio of restaurants could compete with the ones above?  What restaurants do you think are good enough to attract your friends to drive from the city?  What are your favorites among the sushi, Indian and Korean spots?