Dive Into Pisco, Which Is Slowly Opening Off 175

Ceviche at Pisco

A new Peruvian restaurant Pisco is slowly opening in Elkridge -- bringing the upscale menu, classy interior, and strip mall location that has worked so well for Facci.

We stumbled into the soft opening last week.  Literally the first day.  They had intended to just have friends and family while the kitchen started up, but they offered us seats if we wanted to try.

I'm optimistic.  Pisco is owned by the same facts who run Facci .  It's a Peruvian menu and maybe a flashier interoir design than the other two.  Definitely memorable and full of ambition.

They missed some cylinders on the first night, but, again, they had said it was a soft opening and discounted everything 50%.  Among several dishes, we tried two ceviches, which are the Peruvian specialty that would bring us back again and again.  Fresh-tasting flavorful marinades on both dishes.  I assume that it is tricky to slice fish like I've had with excellent ceviche where it isn't chewy, and I'm sure that practice will let them improve.

We had a cool appetizer that was a composed ring of mashed potato, egg and what seemed like shrimp.  We also tried the grilled heart.  By which I mean, I ate the grilled heart -- antichucos -- because Mrs. HowChow passes on organ meat.  One of the skewers was perfect, grilled on the outside and moist inside.  Peruvian is a terrific cuisine because the building blocks are similar to lots of European or Latin American food, but you get all kinds of different flavors and dishes.  We'll go back and write in more detail when they're really running for business.

I don't know if Pisco is still in a soft open or if the grand opening happened this weekend.  This looked like a great place for a drink.  I imagine a lot of dates and ladies night with the decor and menu.  The outdoor seating is pretty, and a classic parking lot cafe -- the indigenous Howard County experience -- as you can see below.

(Update:  I removed mention of Xitomate.  That's owned by the folks who run Azul 17.  The Facci-Pisco empire is separate.)

Pisco
6630 Marie Cure Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075
(410) 312-4888

NEAR:  Pisco is in the shopping center with Perfect Pour and Trader Joe's.  This is at Rte 175 and Rte 108.  The post office says that is Elkridge.  Then it is right across from street from Columbia.

Watch For Pisco Restaurant To Open Early Next Week; New Peruvian On Rte 108 In Elkridge

Watch for the new Pisco restaurant to open on July 28 and 29 near the Trader Joe's in Elkridge.

Pisco is a Peruvian restaurant specializing in ceviche, a marinated fish dish that seems perfect for the summertime.  We're really excited because this is the same folks who created Facci.

I heard about a July 28 date when I walked past last week on my way to Perfect Pour.  Now there is an anonymous comment on a prior post saying the grand opening will be July 28 and 29.

Pisco is in the shopping center with Perfect Pour and Trader Joe's across from Costco.  This on Rte 108 just north of Rte 175 -- right on the border with Columbia.

Pisco And Ceviche Coming By Mid-July To Elkridge

Pisco coming to Elkridge off Rte 175

Get ready for Peruvian fish and liquor at the new Pisco restaurant opening in weeks off Rte 175 in Elkridge.

The former home of Mama Lucia is still under construction, but talk at the site Monday was that it will open in the first half of July.  Maybe first week.  Maybe second week.

Tile floors were in.  You could see the outline of the kitchen and a large square bar in the entrance where chefs will make ceviche.  I respect the amount of work that goes into creating a restaurant, so I'll be cool if work goes deeper into the summer.  But the talk was definitely early July when Mrs. HowChow asked yesterday.

People started to mention Pisco last December.  This appears to be a new place from the folks who own Facci.  That's a good sign.  We love ceviche, and I think people will love pisco sours.  If Pisco does Peruvian like Facci does Italian, then this could be some terrific fun.

Pisco Restaurant -- coming in July 2014??
6630 Marie Curie Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075

NEAR:  This is the shopping center with Trader Joe's and Perfect Pour at the intersection of Rte 175 and Rte 108.  The center backs onto Rte 108 and faces the Costco.  In some ways, this area is really Columbia, but I'm going with the post here.  The former Mamma Lucia was on the end away from Trader Joe's.

New Peruvian Chicken Near Fort Meade, A Blogger Event At Petit Louis, And Recs For Ramen, Cuban, Sysco Shopping And More

Jeff from the Southern Skies coffee company made a new find recently just east of Howard County on Rte 175.

That's Peruvian chicken for the north county -- and just one of the great finds or bits of advice that people email me or leave in the comments.  Again, I'm trying to capture a bunch here so that more people can share.

First, Jeff's thoughts on Lima's

I wanted to tell you about a new restaurant on Rt.175. The other day, my wife and I were coming back after conducting some business on Ft. Meade and happened across a Peruvian chicken place called Lima's. It's located in the old Friendly's place at 2641 Annapolis Rd. 

We split a half chicken and had black beans and fried yucca on the side. I've been eating Peruvian style chicken for more than 20 years, so I can say with some authority that the chicken there was very good. The skin was nice and crispy and even the breast meat wasn't dried out. The beans would have benefited from more seasoning but weren't bad. I didn't try anything else on the menu, but I saw that they featured Peruvian specialties like ceviche and lomo saltado.

On Thursday, Petit Louis in Columbia will host a free event for bloggers and blog readers as part of their kickoff of their outdoor space n the lakefront.  Check out HoCo Blogs for the details and how to sign up.  Wine tasting and snacks from 4-6 pm, what more could you want?

Well, you could want ramen.  After my post last week, Anonymous reported that Nari Sushi in Columbia does a kimchi ramen, and Xani vouched for the ramen at Ichiban, which I had mentioned.  I can't wait for the new ramen restaurant to open on Rte 40.

Go For The Chicken, Stay For The Fried Yucca, Plan For Grilled Beef Heart Next Time

Chicken, yucca and rice & beans at Grille Chick N' Pollo

You can buy roast chicken in so many places, but it is worth a drive to the Hickory Ridge village center  in Columbia for a Peruvian take -- and especially some Peruvian side dishes.

Grille Chick N' Pollo was one of the new restaurants for 2013, replacing a similarly-named restaurant that had occupied the space before.

This is casual, counter service.  They serve roasted chicken, and it's moist and cooked through.  Bones make such a difference.  Even the Chick N' Pollo white meat is a world better-tasting than the boneless, skinless breasts that I keep in the freezer.

To me, the stars are the side dishes.  Plain yellow rice, but they work when you mix in the black beans. They're rich and earthy.  Then you add the green sauce.  That's fiery and fresh.  Chick N' Pollo charges extra for extra sauces, and they're worth every quarter.  I added sauce to the chicken, the rice, and then used the rest for dipping the fried yucca.

If you like french fries, then you'll love fried yucca.  Chunks of starchy vegetable fried crisp.  They're one of my favorite foods if you can get them hot and spice them up with sauce.  Chick N' Pollo has those fresh sauces, and they fry yucca so that it comes out light and tender.

Grille Chick N' Pollo wants to be more than fast food.  They have some cool fusion ideas like a Thai burrito made with their chicken and salsas.  They serve desserts like flan and alfajores, the cookies that I had enjoyed at the prior iteration of this restaurant.  Next time, I will try the grilled beef heart.  Again, I had enjoyed the antichucos under the prior management, and I hope the current folks make the chewy, beefy cut as deliciously.

Hickory Ridge can be an overlooked food option in Columbia.  They have several other good restaurants, including Hickory Ridge Grill and Luna Bella Ristorante.  They also have Meadows Custard for dessert if you want to eat chicken, then enjoy a sweet as you sit on the plaza.

Grille Chick N' Pollo
6470 Freetown Road
Columbia MD 21044
240-755-0079

NEAR:  This is on the back side of the Hickory Ridge village center.  That's Cedar Lane between Rte 32 and Howard Hospital.  There is a Giant on the front side of the shopping center, and Chick N' Pollo is on the opposite side.  Park in back to be closest.

Peruvian Chicken Is Coming Back To Columbia

Peruvian chicken is coming back to Columbia -- at the same Hickory Ridge village center spot where it used to be.

Signs for Grille Chick 'N Pollo say that they're coming soon.  They're in the backside spot where the old Chick 'N Pollo used to be.  Jeremy sent me the photo above.  It looks like a similar place advertising roasted chickens.  I hope that they'll have plantains and the antichuchos.

Does anyone know the story or timeline for the new Grille Chick 'N Pollo?

(Update: The signs now say that they'll open on January 3, 2013.  Amanda posted photos on the HowChow Facebook page.)

Antichuchos at Chick'n Pollo in Columbia

If you just want to try some tasty grilled beef, you need to check out the special antichuchos on the menu at Chick'n Pollo in Columbia.

The restaurant in the Hickory Ridge village center does most of its business in Peruvian roast chicken, and I'm a fan of the chicken, sweet plantains and yuca fries.

But the new find is another Peruvian speciality, the antichuchos.  You get a plate with thin slices of marinated beef grilled on skewers.  It's a slightly chewy texture, but a rich beef flavor, a bit salty from the marinade and perfectly paired with the spicy tomato salsa served on the side.

The skewers come with a boiled potato that Chick'n Pollo drops in the flyer when you order.  The potato halves come out crisp, but not greasy.  Ask for an extra little container of the green sauce that they serve with the chicken.  That creamy, spicy sauce goes great with the potato.

That's it.  Go try the antichuchos.  You'll be happy.

If you want to know more, then you need to read more.  But do you?

Aji Amarillos At Lily"s Mexican Market

The back of the refrigerator shouldn't be where food goes to die -- but instead a place where a few staples live to spice up your meals.

Stock your fridge with aji amarillo peppers at Lily's Mexican Market in Columbia.  They're spicy.  That surprised me.  I grabbed them on a whim, and I ate the first one out of the jar because it looked like a sweet yellow pepper.  Shocking heat!  Since then, I have used them more to zest up a meal.

Added them to greens and to pasta sauces.  Sprinkled diced pepper over a salad.  Cut them up for tacos.  They're less spicy than jalepenos, but the real value is that that they're sort of preserved in a salty brine.  Not pickled, but they have lasted weeks, and the clean, bright flavor is a great alternative to the smokey chipotle peppers that I also stock up at Lily's.

Aji amarillos are apparently a Peruvian staple.  Great if you wanted to learn traditional dishes, but I recommend them to anyone because they could zip up your own food.  They were a key part of the best crab cakes that I have ever cooked.  You could add the peppers to almost anything -- omelets, sandwiches, hummus -- for something different and hot.

Lily's is one of the great food outlets in Howard County.  Go for some takeout tacos, and you're guaranteed a good trip.  Then check out the shelves for things to buy -- the fresh made tortillas, the cactus for tacos, the different peppers, the sauces, and on.  Click here for all the posts about Lily's Mexican Market.