Is An Indian Restaurant Closing In Maple Lawn Before It Even Opens? New Place For Rent?

For more than a year, people have been talking about a new Indian restaurant in Maple Lawn called first the Polo Club and later Ananda.

Are they closing before they even opened?

The building looks beautiful inside, and it seems close to completion.  The business even applied for a liquor license.  But Keller Williams has a listing on Craigslist offering to [update: rent, I think,] the building -- saying it would be great for a retail store or a "barista bar."  Giulia spotted the ad and posted on a Facebook group.

Does anyone know what's up?  The Maple Lawn developers definitely thought an Indian restaurant was opening here at their last annual meeting.

The Coolest Garage Doors In Howard County

That window appears to slide into the ceiling like a garage door

The Polo Club is still under construction in Fulton, but I think they have the coolest garage doors in Howard County.

(Update: In early 2014, TaylorLegal posted on Twitter that the restaurant would be called Ananda.)

On Saturday, we looked in the windows of the dining room that overlooks a little water management pond, and Mrs. HowChow noticed that the huge windows aren't windows.

View out the windows

If we're right, they're doors.  Entire windows appear to sit on slides like garage doors, and they look like they'll slide up into the ceiling in good weather.

Now the Polo Club appears to be opening in some cold winter month like late December or January.  But those windows should open in the spring for some beautiful breezes.

This is a nice trend.  I saw similar huge windows at the new Facci in Turf Valley, and a bunch of places have added patios -- including Twist & Turn in Highland and Portalli's in Ellicott City.  I feel like Victoria Gastro Pub's covered patio was relatively unique when it opened several years ago, but these other folks have added nice options as well.

Expect Two New Maple Lawn Restaurants In Next Weeks -- First The Grille, Then The Polo Club

Expect two new restaurants in open in Maple Lawn in the next few weeks -- first The Grille and then the Polo Club.

That's according to the Maple Lawn developer who discussed the restaurants at the community's meeting last night.  None of the plans are final -- which makes sense because opening a restaurant seems like complex work.

The Grille is working on some final arrangements, the developer said.  This is the restaurant replacing the Venegas Prime Filet just off Rte 216.  He said they had an inspection last Thursday and are probably aiming for a soft opening some time next week.

The Polo Club is a few more weeks behind.  (Update:  In 2014, it appears that the Indian restaurant will be called Ananda.)  The talk was about an opening in late December or early January.  This is an Indian place being built from scratch up near Johns Hopkins Road by the folks behind the Ambassador.  I still don't see a Web site for them.

Updates On Future Restaurants -- Highland Inn Working Indoors, Ernesto's Coming To Rte 40, Red Parrot At Turf Valley, Grille 620 Mystery

Highland Inn - Outdoor construction looks complete

New restaurants keep coming to Howard County -- and we keep waiting for a few that have been on the board or under construction for a while.

I'm collecting what I can see.  Who knows more?  Any opening dates?

The Highland Inn looks like the work is heading inside.  Since the upscale restaurant on Rte 216 was announced last year, they did huge work renovating the building.  But the construction fences have been removed, and work presumably continues inside.

The new Polo Club in Fulton is a little behind that timeline.  Walls are still

The Polo Club in Fulton

going up in yellow construction boards.  But you can see the shape of the Indian restaurant destined for Maple Lawn Boulevard.

One of the recent hot spots has been Turf Valley, which clearly recruited second locations from local restauranteurs -- Xitomate, Facci, Mimi's Kabob.  Tim found a July 16 lease plan for Turf Valley that shows even more restaurants.  He wrote about Turf Valley and a follow up on new Mexican on Rte 40:

Red Parrot Asian Bistro is back on board for Turf Valley Towne Square. It was on the original plan last fall then dropped off until this new one. They also have a location at McHenry Row in Federal Hill near Harris Teeter. They join Grille 620, Xitomate, Facci, Mimi's Afgan Kabob, Subway, Yolave and Petite Cellars. Those of us west of Marriotsville Road are very excited to have some decent dining options close by.

I have not been able to find out any information on "Grille 620", have you? 

Also, I was looking through the Summer 2013 "Best of Elliott City" glossy flyer and I see that Ernesto's Fine Mexican Food is in fact coming to the Enchanted Forest shopping. The ad states "Next To Jilly's "Late July - Early August."  Their logo is the same of this website so I guess it's the same folks:,

Then there are places on Rte 40.  Shilla Bakery still has paper in the window, reports RelocatedFromNoVa.  And Bean & Burgundy is on its way a little farther west.  Last report had been that they were aiming to open in late August.  Who knows more?

Who knows timelines or Web sites?  What other new places have I overlooked?  There must be some new places in Columbia.

New Indian In Maple Lawn Will Be The "Polo Club"

The new Indian restaurant coming to Fulton will be called the "Polo Club," the developer said at tonight's Maple Lawn annual meeting.

The restaurant under construction on Maple Lawn Boulevard just below Johns Hopkins Road is being built by the folks who run the Ambassador in Baltimore.  That's still a steel frame, so the Polo Club probably won't be serving food until next winter.