Is Chiptole Coming To Maple Lawn? Plus, New Mexican, New BGR, Closed Peruvian, Closed Thai

Anthony's New York Pizza & Pasta

The talk about Maple Lawn is that Chipotle is going into the new construction going in near the Harris Teeter.  It's been that way for months now.  People who know real estate explaining why the space and location look right.  Other folks saying that the new facade looks like a Chipotle.

I nod when they say that.

But I honestly don't know how to spot a Chipotle.  I can identify a classic Pizza Hut as I drive past, but I'm taking folks' optimism at the Chipotle and hope that we'll get an announcement soon.

I don't see anything official about the other Maple Lawn construction, but talk is about several other restaurants in the works.  Maybe a seafood place or a pub near Harris Teeter?  Maybe a new breakfast and lunch restaurant in the new office building that they're finishing up on the other side of the development?

Although we're a bit limited these days by toddler bedtimes, we're always looking for new places.  Lil' Chow and I hit up Anthony's New York Pizza & Pasta in Clarksville one night when Mrs. HowChow was out of town.  Unfortunately, this was before Lil' Chow announced "I don't like sauce."  So I ended up eating both our slices and feeding him garlic knots in desperation.

While we're at it, other local food news that built over my hiatus in the comments and emails:

• Taqueria Los Primos has opened a "brick-and-mortar" store on U.S. 1 in Laurel, reports Steve on a comment.  This is one of the highlight taco trucks, so I'm eager to get over there.  And eager for Lil' Chow to come around to Mexican food more than tortillas.
• That's an influx of new Mexican.  Cinco De Mayo is filling the space that Royal Taj vacated when it moved to expanded space in Columbia.  Junior Barnes sent me the website link that says Cinco De Mayo will open in "early 2016."
• And BGR the Burger Joint may be come to Rte 108 next to the new Urban BBQ, says Kevlar51.    On the same comment threat, SHerrington asked if anyone knows what's going into the retail built at 10000 Old Columbia Road -- visible on the south side of Rte 32 but apparently empty as far as I've seen.  Does anyone know?
• Bangkok Delight in Columbia appears to have closed while I was on hiatus.  Jim S. left a comment, and Nicole mentioned it on Facebook in November.  I'm nostalgic because it was one of the first places that Mrs. HowChow and I went out for dinner.  That was back when we lived off Rte 108.  I remember really enjoying Bangkok Delight, then feeling like the food changed.  Alicyn recommends Little Spice in Hanover as a Thai alternative.
• Also, has one or more of the Bagel Bins closed?  Folks were talking in November.  Dzoey mentioned a Cafe Bagel on Rte 103.  That's new to me.  And what about Pisco?  That was the Peruvian restaurant near Perfect Pour in Elkridge.  Katie reported last week that it was closed.
• 5485 Restaurant appears to have opened in Columbia.  This is in the Doubletree Hotel near Rte 29 and Rte 175.  The staff says they renovated and changed from Morgan's to 5485.   When I called, they said the menu isn't on-line yet.  Has anyone tried 5485 yet? 
• Starting in January, you'll be able to visit the Manor Hill Brewery on Saturdays to buy cans and growlers of their beer, says MoCo Beer.
• Black Flag Brewing in Columbia has launched a Facebook site so that you can follow the brewery that will open on Snowden River Parkway next year.  And you can watch for the web site that they're building now.
• What is Mother's Howard County Grille planned for Elkridge?  After figuring out the calendar system to check on the liquor license applications at Wegmans, I'm having fun watching the liquor board web sit.
• Dzoey hit up the new Pie Five on Rte 40 in Ellicott City.  Several new chains are opening along Rte 40.  Pie Five is in new construction just west of Bean & Burgundy, which Dzoey says still has a good lunch buffet.  This is the report:

Pie Five does not take reservations and they do not deliver, but they have a special way of cooking the pizza so that it bakes in 2 minutes and it is ready for you 5 minutes after you order. You can specify your own pizza, choosing from five different crust types and four sauces and a variety of toppings, or you can use one of their pre-arranged combinations.

I tried three (pre-arranged) pizzas: the BBQ pizza, the Buffalo Chicken pizza, and a meat pizza (I forget the name) with one of their thin crusts and two of their thick crusts. I thought the thin crust was good, better than Domino's, not as good as Ledo's, and the thick crust was good as well, better than Pizza hut, not as good as what I've had in Chicago. The BBQ sauce was on the sweet side, with a hint of smoke and went well with the chicken. The meat pizza was good, with a good balance of salt and spice. The buffalo chicken wasn't what I expected, there was not much buffalo sauce, just some jalapeno peppers. It's a pretty crowded market so I wish them well. It's worth trying out.

• And finally, you need to check out VCnearDC's long comment about the best cheesesteak in Howard County.  The family did a four-stop taste test.  They decided that Philly's Best in Columbia had the best meat and therefore the best sandwich.  Now that's on my list to try as well.

No Liquor At Wegmans? The Liquor License Request Seems To Have Been Withdrawn

No Wegmans liquor for now, but here comes barbecue

For now, there isn't an active plan to open a liquor store at the Wegmans in Columbia, according to a Baltimore Sun article that came out while I was on hiatus.

In August, I had flagged the liquor license application filed by The Loft Wine & Spirits.  In November, Amanda Yeager reported that the application was withdrawn because of a zoning issue.  Apparently, the county says a liquor store isn't appropriate there.

Reading between the lines, it looks like folks are tussling behind the scenes.  I'm sure Wegmans would like to rent that second-story space, and liquor store owners are pushing the liquor and zoning laws.  Does anyone know updates since mid-November?

But while I was nosing around the liquor board website, I came across some other tidbits about new restaurants, including the Urban Bar-B-Que that looks really close on Rte 108 near Snowden River Parkway and the Mission BBQ on Rte 40 that I'll blog about soon.  Here's fun stuff:

• You may be able to buy a beer while your friends or kids play indoor soccer.  The November hearing that would have been for the Loft turned into a one-item agenda:  a license for the Soccer Dome in Columbia.  It's not my scene, but it seems to be an indoor soccer facility.
• There are new liquor licenses that mention restaurants that are new to me and are either opening or just opened -- Los Compadres in Woodstock, Home Slyce in Columbia, and Pie Five Pizza on Rte 40 in Ellicott City.  I got a little excited that I had discovered a new restaurant called Vantage House until I read closely and saw it's actually a license to serve beer and wine at a retirement community.
• The great coincidence was that Jeffrey Givens of Southern Skies Coffee in Finksburg just emailed me about Los Compadres.  He and his wife basically stumbled on the new Mexican restaurant in the Waverly Woods shopping center just north of I-70 on Marriottsville Road:

We had a few rare hours to ourselves for dinner, and I wanted Mexican. There's nothing good up our way, so we had planned on going to El Azteca in Clarksville.  Just out of curiosity, I fired up the Yelp app to see if there were any more options, and Los Compadres popped up with really good reviews.

Since it was so much closer, we decided to take a chance and I'm super glad that we did. Rommel, the owner, introduced himself and took us through the menu. It's mainly the standard fare, but they also had less common items like sopes and tortas.  My wife got three enchiladas with one each of pastor, carne asada and barbacoa.  I got chile rellenos.

I pretty much hold R&R as the gold standard.  If I graded R&R as a "10," I'd have to say that the food we had was a solid 8.5.  It was all very well seasoned and the flavor profiles were spot on.

The prices were very reasonable, with our bill coming in at $20.

I think the place is a real gem and deserves some good attention from the food press.

 Unfortunately, I think sometimes that the food press is evaporating around us.  I appreciate the Sun and WPost articles because they're becoming fewer and farther between.  I also welcome any reports on these new places in the comments below.

Blue Sand Seafood & Grill Brings A Seafood Riff To Korean Food On Rte 40: Raw, Grilled, Soup

Seafood dolset

As I'm getting better at understanding Korean food, I feel like the Korean food is getting better in Ellicott City.

The newest find:  Blue Sand Seafood and Grill, which opened in the back of the Bethany 40 shopping center and served a delicious dinner -- fresh, flavorful seafood that tasted authentic, but would also welcome folks looking to try Korean food.

Now, it's just one meal.  But I'm incredibly optimistic.  We had a kid-friendly noodle soup, grilled fish and a seafood rice bowl.  Everyone left happy, even though we hadn't touched the flashy stuff at the heart of the menu.

I say flashy stuff because the restaurant and the menu put the sushi bar and the enormous platters front and center.  We watched hand rolls go past us.  We saw enormous platters -- primarily of sashimi on the night that we visited, but ranging from broiled fish to shellfish to thin-sliced beef on the menu.

Grilled mackerel

We started simple.  Grilled mackerel, seaweed noodle soup, and a dolset seafood.  The dolset is a hot stone bowl filled with rice, vegetables, squid and a shrimp.  This is an ocean version of the dolset bi bim bap that I recommend in my Korean 101 post.

This was really good food.  Mackerel comes split and grilled.  The meat is firm and meaty.  The flavor a step stronger than salmon, but that keeps the meat moist even cooked through.  We pulled the backbone and the fish came off in chunks even with chop sticks.

We alternated with the seafood dolset.  I'm a huge fan of squid, and this was cooked perfectly, firm but not chewy.  Some greens, scallions and other vegetables made the bowl filling but light.  I added some of the spicy sauce served with the dolset, maybe a tablespoon too much for Mrs. HowChow.

In contrast, Blue Sand's seaweed soup was mild.  It was perfect for Lil' Chow, who loves soup, noodles and seaweed.  I'd recommend it, although I may stick him with miso next time and try the spicy seafood noodle soup myself.

I'd actually love advice on other things to order.  I have posted many times about Korean food, but I'm an amateur.  Can anyone leave a comment with suggestions for Blue Sand or for Korean seafood in general?  A group could have a ball ordering those platters or maybe filling a table with grilled fish, soup, a dolset and some sushi.  I also see that Blue Sands could be a spot for people with adventurous tastes like sea squirt and live sashimi.

But I'd recommend our three dishes even for someone just learning about Korean food.  Or consider swapping out the soup for a sushi order or hwae dup bap -- a rice and sashimi mixture that I posted about last year.  That's all accessible and obvious.  Plus, you'll get a good introduction, especially because the small dishes served with the meal -- called panchan -- were really good.  The cabbage kimchi had a crunchy and a warm, but not sour flavor.  The stuffed cucumber kimchi was crisp and refreshing, a terrific taste after some grilled mackerel.

"Push button" -- Lil' Chow

If you work near Rte 40, Blue Sand offers several lunch specials for $11-14, including bento boxes headlined by sashimi, sushi, kalbi and salmon.  Blue Sand replaced the Kimco Seafood restaurant, which I don't remember having as an interesting or as tasty a menu.

If you go to Blue Sands, look for the numbered button near your table.  Many are on the walls at Blue Sands, but they can be on the table at other restaurants.  When you want something, push the button.  Often, the staff in a Korean restaurant doesn't check back with a table.  They wait for a ring, then come to assist.

Don't seat your children next to the button.  Lil' Chow spent a significant part of our meal alternating between singing "ding dong, ding dong" and asking me to push the button.  I was just glad it was out of his reach.

Centre Park Grill Has Opened In The Former Cafe De Paris; Upscale Cousin To Mt. Airy Tavern

The new Centre Park Grill

Centre Park Grill has soft-opened in the former Columbia home of Cafe De Paris offering an upscale variation on their work at the Mt. Airy Tavern.

I haven't had a chance to stop at Centre Park yet.  I was chuckling recently when I remembered that I once had so much free time that I stopped at Gadsby's on opening day.

The bourbon that I'll try when I get there

Centre Park is run by Jim DiChiara and the folks behind the Mt. Airy Tavern.  They took over the space that used to be Cafe de Paris on Rte 108 near Rte 100.  They renovated, and Jim was aiming to stretch in his new kitchen -- a little more culinary flair, a little less bar food.

I had to laugh because the Centre Park folks sent me a few photos, including a bourbon that I really want to try on its own.  It was exactly the come-on that I need -- although I have to admit that our eating out has been just toddler quickies.

Check out Centre Park on their Web site or on Facebook.  I'd love folks to try to new place and leave comments with reactions and suggestions.

Joe Squared Pizza Coming To Main Street Ellicott City, Landlord's Manager Tells The Sun

Joe Squared's pizza -- maybe coming to Ellicott City

Joe Squared Pizza will open an Ellicott City branch in the former Taylor's Antique Mall on Main Street, the landlord's project manager told the Sun earlier this month.

Joe Squared is a really good pizza restaurant with two locations in Baltimore.  We ate lunch at one today after a morning at Port Discovery.  It's a thin-crust square pie with high-quality toppings.

Blair Ames wrote a story on Dec. 11 about a tax credit announcement held on Main Street with a bunch of elected officials.  I would have thought tax credits were news 20 years ago when I was a newspaper reporter.  But amid a stultifying list of projects, Ames quotes Don Reuwer with information that actually affects people --  that they have a tentative deal for Joe Squared to occupy the first floor of the former Taylor's Antiques with offices on the second and third.

This is a prominent spot right at the intersection with Old Columbia Pike.  It is across from Pure Wine Cafe, which pairs nicely with Joe Squared's casual vibe and attention to ingredients.  The Taylor's folks have talked about a restaurant since at least January, and Reuwer told Ames that they hope to finish the project in six to eight months -- so figure next summer or fall because construction is always difficult and often delayed.

Hat tip to the anonymous commenter who mentioned Joe Squared and Main Street on yesterday's post.  I hadn't read the Sun article, and no one had mentioned it to me.  There is another comment that says the new restaurant from the folks who own Victoria Gastro Pub will be FoodPlenty in Clarksville.

Double hat tip to the HoCo Rising blog that noticed the lede buried in the Sun story last week.  Of course, some bloggers live a leisurely life where their new baby can't run yet.

Who Knows About New Projects By Victoria, Bon Fresco And Bistro Blanc? More Good Stuff?

Talk is cheap, but it is getting louder about supposedly new projects by the folks behind Victoria Gastro Pub, Bon Fresco and Bistro Blanc.

Does anything know the actual plans?  I've heard talk that they're all working on new projects.  Maybe a sibling for Bon Fresco in an office park off Broken Land in Columbia.  Maybe a second restaurant from the Victoria folks?  Maybe a new or second location for Bistro Blanc near Rte 32 and Cedar Lane?

These are places that people love, and new restaurants would be great fun -- especially if they're opening late in 2015 when we may have enough control on our lives to get out to them.

Please comment if you know anything.