Link: Baltimore Beer Week On The HocoRising Blog

Baltimore Beer Week runs October 7-17, and there are events every night in Howard County spots like Victoria Gastropub, the Judge's Bench, the Rumor Mill and T-Bonz.

The HocoRising blog took the time to create day-by-day links to all of the Howard County events.  Check out that post to see the tastings, classes and specials.  And, as always, keep an eye on the Baltimore Beer Guy blog.  The BBG doesn't have as much time to post during college football season, but I hope he'll write some beer week updates when he has breaks in the post.

Asian Fruit And Trees - All The Way From Fulton

Fall has arrived, but you can hit up the Friday farmers market at the Howard County General Hospital through the end of the month.

The exotic draw is Asian fruit grown in Fulton, reports Kyle (who is kicking off an entire food blog full of material this month like his report about shopping for food at the home brewing store).  At the Friday afternoon market, Kyle has been buying fruit and even trees from Pong's Orchard, a family-run business that grows fruit and trees on 27 acres in Fulton.

Mr. Pong and family are selling Asian pears, Fuji apples, white peaches and fruit trees at the farmer's market on Friday afternoons in the HoCo hospital parking lot. They supposedly have other stuff too like goji berries, kumquats, persimmons etc. but I haven't seen them for sell yet.  Apparently, the orchard location in a neighborhood is not conducive to a roadside stand. So they sell at farmers markets, and they were at Highland Days.

So far I've tried all the stuff they have and been happy with the quality and value. I even bought a couple of trees, a Meyer lemon and variegated kumquat, that can live in my house during the winter. What I really want is a kefir lime. The leaves are an essential ingredient in southeast Asian food. I'm going to ask if he can find one.

The Pongs have owned an orchard in Fulton since 2001 when they moved their operation from Montgomery County, according to this Web page from the Howard County Economic Development Authority.  They grow plants -- including tree peonies -- on 27 acres.  I can't tell from the few articles whether they're

The farmers market at Howard County General Hospital is scheduled to run through October 29.  Market hours are 2 to 6 pm.

Link For Howard Magazine's 2010 Best Restaurants?

Aida Bistro sent out an email today saying that they had won three Best of Howard 2010 dining awards from Howard Magazine.

Congrats to the winners, but does anyone have a link for new awards?  I assume that Aida Bistro read about new awards somewhere.  I'd love to link.  I'm preparing my own 2010 rest for my "Best Of" posts.

Baltimore Beer Week: Learn To Brew Your Own

If you can boil water, Brandon Miller says that he can teach you to make beer at home.

Brandon is running a free Brewing 101 class at Maryland Homebrew in Columbia as part of Baltimore Beer Week.  The October 14 class will include an explanation of ingredients and some demonstration brewing.

Brandon will be jond by members of local home-brewing clubs (CRABS, MALT & C.S.I.), so this is a chance to talk beer whether you're a beginner or already someone filling carboys in your kitchen.  Check it from 6 to 9 pm.

Maryland Homebrew is a retail shop for the home-brewing crowd.  It's in a business park off Oakland Mills Road near the main Columbia post office.  It's open Tuesday to Sunday.  Obviously, it is aimed at the home brewer, but Kyle has tipped me off that it offers malt, spices, gadgets and other items useful for the home cook as well.

Baltimore Beer Week is actually a 10-day celebration of the suds that starts tomorrow and runs through October 17.  The organizers assembled a mesh of beer bars and breweries so that there are events around town every night -- including events at Howard County spots like Victoria Gastropub, the Judge's Bench, and Kloby's.


If you want more about Baltimore Beer Week, check out Brandon's blog post.

Maryland Homebrew

6770 Oak Hall Lane

Columbia, MD 21045

410-290-3768

NEAR: Maryland Homebrew is off Oakland Mills Road near Snowden River Parkway.  It's right near the main Columbia post office in an office park.  They're open Tuesday to Sunday.

Look For A New Bread At Bon Fresco: Soft Italian

Watch for a new bread this week at Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery -- a soft Italian loaf to go along with the ciabatta and baguettes.

No one sells better bread than Bon Fresco in Howard County.  Now the owner Gerald Koh is sampling an Italian bread that Chris said "was perfect like everything else he does, crunchy, yet had a chewy sweetness to it.  It's more like the usual bread you would get at a sub/sandwich place which I think will help introduce more people who are not fans of the heavier breads like ciabatta or baguette."

Koh told Chris that they'll start selling the Italian loaf this week.  Chris recommends trying it on the cold cut sandwiches like the Genoa or the Venice.  And he has plans for a homemade meatball sub.

Cooking From The Home Brewing Store: Your Source For Malt, Funnels And Grains Of Paradise

Home brewing is in the name, but home cooking can be on the menu if you check out Maryland Homebrew in Columbia.

The store specializes in ingredients and tools for people who make their own beer or wine.  But Kyle turned me on to using Maryland Homebrew to find unique cooking ingredients as well.  Malt for bread baking.  Grains that you can grind yourself.  Exotic spices and even tools.  This is Kyle's beginning tour:

I go there most often for dried malt extract. Malt is the flavor in malted milk or malt vinegar. It can be used anywhere you want sweetness with that unique malt taste. I use it in making bread or pizza dough for a touch of malt flavor. It also helps give a darker color to the baked product. I just add a tablespoon or so to the flour and mix it in good. Consistency wise it's sort of hard to work with and you have to mix it in well or you'll get clumps of malt. Maryland homebrew sells it in 1 pound bags in light and dark forms. I store it in a glass canning jar for easy access and to slow down the hardening process. Unlike the liquid form, dried malt extract doesn't go bad but it will turn into a rock over time. The store also has just about every form of grain you can imagine and a free use grain mill to grind it.

Some ale recipes sometimes use some unique herbs and spices. So if you need a local source for grains of paradise, juniper berries or dried elder berries, this is the place. Grains of paradise has a black-pepper-like taste with herbal notes. Sam Adams uses it in their summer brew.  How can you resist saying something like "I'm serving seared rare tuna encrusted with grains of paradise?"

Finally, there are the gadgets like  thermometers, funnels, large spoons and my favorite:  the bottle washer. The bottle washer attaches to your laundry sink (you may need an adapter) and will spay a super-hard stream of water into any type of  bottle, jar, can etc.  It'll clean anything with hard to reach places. 

This is the kind of place you wander around and see something new every time you go. The store employees get busy sometimes but are very helpful at findfing stuff or answering questions.

Maryland Homebrew just joined my list to check out, although it may take a while because it's not open Mondays when I sometimes have free time.

Maryland Homebrew

6770 Oak Hall Lane

Columbia, MD 21045

410-290-3768

NEAR: Maryland Homebrew is off Oakland Mills Road near Snowden River Parkway.  It's right near the main Columbia post office in an office park.  They're open Tuesday to Sunday.

Turkshish Kebap Replaces Cazbar in Columbia

The Cazbar Kebap House in Columbia appears to have been replaced by a new restaurant -- similar Turkish menu, but a new name Turkshish Kebap House, reports Kyle.

Turkshish appears to be a similar Mediterranean menu with an emphasis on Turkish food, but the new menu has different items and prices that are about 20% higher, says Kyle.  He couldn't tell if there was new management or not.

The Cazbar in Columbia had some relationship with the established Turkish restaurant in Baltimore.  The original Cazbar still has Web pages describing a Columbia location.  So I'm still figuring out what has happened.

Larriland Farms: Focus On Apples & Pumpkins, Then Run That Straw Maze With A BBQ Sandwich

Pick your own spinach!!  It's pick-your-own spinach season!!  And broccoli.  It wasn't ripe this weekend, but it's coming soon.  Cauliflower too!

Nothing beats pick-your-own caulifower except . . . . well, except for apples, pumpkins and the best food from an amusement park.

Larriland Farm has moved into fall, and the weekends are there to squeeze the best times of our this season.    Rows of apples -- 17 varieties over all -- to load up on sweetness and bake yourself a pie.  Fields of pumpkins.  (Sorry, we took the perfect four on Sunday afternoon.)  And great food.

Larriland has gone two ways for weekend food this October, and it's absolutely worth the drive our I-70.  First, eat a real meal from the folks at Towne Grill in Lisbon.  They have a stand selling burgers, hot dogs and my favorite, the pulled pork and chicken.  They also had smoked turkey legs, which were absolutely hilarious to watch little children eat.  Picnic with some sandwiches and fries.

Then, get some treats at the fritters and cider stand.  Apple fritters -- being peeled, chopped and fried right in front of you.  Hot cider mulled with honey and spices.  It's all reasonably priced.  It's all fun to eat.  You can buy all kinds of vegetables in the barn store, but you should treat yourself to barbecue and some apple fritters before winter sets in.

All that food comes on top of the pick-you-own produce.  The spinach, broccoli, etc. are healthy, but the apples and the pumpkins are easy ways to celebrate the season.  They're selling a dozen varieties of gourds and pumpkins at the store.  Weird enough varieties -- warts on a pumpkin! thin gourds that look like a snake! -- that people were photographing themselves with them.  But you can hunt your own big pumpkin out in the fields.  We pulled four beautiful ones ourselves.

And the best part of Larriland is free -- photos, photos, photos.  You on a ladder in the apple trees.  Kids running around the straw maze.  Everyone walking around the pumpkin fields.  I don't know why pumpkins make great pictures, but they're hilarious.  Click here for all of the posts about Larriland.

(Update: Tanya, who blogs at From Cleveland To Charm City, was at Larriland as well on Sunday.  I recognized her from her blog, but it was a step too geeky to interrupt her group of friends and say "Hey, we're bloggers!)

Free Farm Open House On Saturday In Ellicott City

Start thinking about next year's garden at the open house tomorrow at the UMd.'s research farm in Ellicott City.

There will be a free open house from 10 to 3 Saturday at run by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  Hay rides, insect races, farm animals for the kids.  Farmers market vendors selling products for the foodies.  Master gardeners answering questions for adults.

For more information, check out the UMd. Web page.

Central Maryland Research and Education Center
Clarksville Facility
4240 Folly Quarter Road
Ellicott City

NEAR:  The center is between Rte 32 and Rte 144 on Folly Quarter Road.  It is a short drive from Rte 108.

Link: Rumor Mill on HoCo Rising

The Rumor Mill in Ellicott City gets a rave this morning from the HoCo Rising blog.  HocoRising talks up chef Matt Milani, who sounds really adventurous and who put out finger foods and small plates that sound terrific.

Honestly, the Rumor Mill and the Pure Wine Cafe have languished on my "to do" list.  They're not close.  I hadn't heard much talk.  Suddenly, I am desperate to try "lollipops" of blue cheese, beet and bacon that were made on an "anti-griddble" and that HoCoRising describes as melting in your mouth.  This is the benefit of a web of small blogs about Howard County -- more voice means more eating.

Will Your Home Owners Association Serve Scotch?

My homeowners association has never offered me a drink -- let along an entire night of scotch tasting.

But the liquor will pour on October 24 when the Harpers Choice Homeowners Association hosts a dinner and scotch tasting at Kahler Hall.

The Columbia homeowners association is charging $100 a ticket ($75 for non-drinkers) for the event when a representative of the Scotch Malt Whiskey Association of America will pour the samples.  The event is co-sponsored by the Wine Seller in Ellicott City.

I can only hope that my homeowners association takes a lesson from Harpers Choice.  For next year's annual meeting, I'm thinking martini bar.

For more information about the Harpers Choice scotch tasting, call 410-730-0770.

Touche Touchet's Cake Decorator Rita Llanso Wins Grand Prize In A National Contest

Rita Llanso of Touche Touchet won the grand prize at the 2010 Pillsbury Grand Championship Cake Decorating Contest, according to the Columbia bakery's Facebook page.

I'll try to find more later today.  We need a photo of the winning cake.

(Update: Photos on the Touche Touche Facebook page.)

Thanks to Kyle for the photo of the bakery.

Ann's House of Nuts In Columbia

My grandfather and his brothers eventually shut down their company that manufactured womens nightgowns.  (Uncle Adrian's standard line: "I have been in ladies' underwear my entire life.")

They shuttered the Bridgeport factory and moved into World Headquarters for another decade.  It was a converted two-bedroom house behind a gas station.  Rundown.  Completely unprofessional.  But a place where the brothers went daily to talk, read the paper, and be ready for the main event: lunch.  At one point, they had stationary with "World Headquaters" across the top.

Ann's House of Nuts isn't as ironic.  Ann's is a serious nut and trail mix company with a factory in North Carolina, and their world headquarters on Snowden River Parkway in Columbia.  It's a real headquarters with a serious retail store.

Ann's retail store sells a few different lines.  Up front was an outlet section -- big bags of peanuts or yogurt-covered raisins for $1.  Much of the store was Ann's House of Nuts branded stuff -- nuts, trail mixes, rice crackers, and more.  Then the back was bulk items, including candy and tons of baking supplies.


Obviously, you should go to Ann's for nuts.  My nephew and I got a huge bag of peanuts, and they had walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and almonds.  You can buy pounds of nuts if you needed, including whole nuts in their shells if you wanted to put out a bowl with a nutcracker.

But fall is the perfect time to check out Ann's for all kinds of stuff.  Seasonal stuff and candy for Halloween.  Baking supplies like sprinkles and chocolates.  Exotic dried fruits like figs, kiwis, etc.  I had expected a pretty basic outlet, but Ann's runs a professional space.  It's shelved and displayed like a regular store, and they worked the crowd -- winning over my nephew with a lollipop.

Ann's House of Nuts store is open weekdays.  I don't know nut prices, but I got the vibe that prices were good.  The outlet stuff was clearly a deal, and the rest seemed like an amazing selection with reasonable prices.

Ann's House of Nuts World Headquarters
9212 Berger Road
Columbia, MD 21046
301-317-0900

NEAR: Ann's faces Snowden River, but it is actually on Berger Road.  You turn onto Oakland Mills Road -- a right turn if you're coming from Rte 32 and a left if you're coming from Rte 175.  Then right on Berger Road.  Click here for coupons.

Raging Bitch India Pale Ale & Baltimore Beer Week

This has been the summer that I drank Raging Bitch pale ale from the Flying Dog brewery in Frederick.

Dry, fresh beer.  Crisp, but surprising refreshing considering that it's bitter as you swallow.

I barely drink liquor these days, so I don't have the vocabulary -- let alone the comparison -- to give you a comprehensive review.  But Raging Bitch has been an absolutely perfect beer.  Delicious flavor.  Light on a hot night.  Great with food.

Flying Dog's beers are available at almost every liquor store these days, although I picked up my last two sixpacks from the Perfect Pour in Elkridge.  The bitterness has been the real surprise.  For the past few summers, I bought wheat beers.  They're smooth and sometimes thick.  I wouldn't have asked for a bitter beer, but the Raging Bitch has been ideal every time that I crack open a bottle.

If you want real beer advice, you should always check out the local blogs like the Baltimore Beer Guy and Beer in Baltimore.  You also need to check out the Baltimore Beer Week, which runs for a second year on October 7-17, 2011. 

The Baltimore Beer Week is a spectacular local event.  I love what appears to be teamwork between the beer afficianados, the brewers and the local beer bars.  You actually get 10 days of events -- everything from featured events aimed at thousands down to free tastings at local liquor stores. 

Locally, you can try a beer history class at Howard County Community College.  A free Flying Dog tasting at Snowden River Liquors in Columbia.  A pub tour in downtown Ellicott City.  And then there are specials at a bunch of Howard County restaurants -- daily events a places like Judge's Bench, Victoria Gastropub,  T-Bonz Grill,  and Frisco Grille & Cantina.  Go on the Baltimore Beer Week Web site and search by venue.

(Update: In the comments, ADM IV copied out addresses for Web pages that show all the Howard County events, although Blogger doesn't turn them into links.  The HocoRising blog did a similar list, and his post includes links that you can just click.)

Could Hofbrauhaus Replace ESPN Zone?

Here's something to chat about during Baltimore Beer Week -- Could Hofbrauhaus replace the ESPN Zone in Baltimore?

An anonymous commentator says he/she talked to the manager at the Pittsburgh beer hall and was told that they're negotiating to take over the ESPN Zone space in the Inner Harbor.  The Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh appears to operate under a license from Staatluches Hofbauhaus in Munich, which means that the German beer and food must be pretty close to authentic.

I won't get excited yet because it's an anonymous comment on a food blog.  But I would love some sausages and pretzels.  The Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh has a dining room and then a beer garden overlooking the river.  That business model seems to take advantage of the harbor view and the big space in Baltimore.
 
Anyone know more?  As always, thanks for the comments.

(Update: Oh, no!  Robert says in a comment below that Hofbrauhaus is more tourist than authentic German, and the other review that I heard was "Their beer is just OK . . . [but] could be a fun place."  So it's a rumor, and it may not be as exciting as I thought.  We'll see.  But a fun tourist spot does make sense in the Inner Harbor.)

Dinner Tonight: HoCo 360 Found Food In Your Yard

The Hoco360 blog should be on your list for great photography of local life, but it is also elbowing into the food blog space.

Now you get a great photograph and a link to a recipe -- all based on food that you can collect for free in your yard.

Richard Gorelick To Become Sun Restaurant Critic

The Sun has promoted Richard Gorelick to become its new restaurant critic, replacing Elizabeth Large who retired earlier this year.

Gorelick has reviewed in Baltimore since 2002 -- first for the City Paper and then for the past two years as a freelancer for the Sun.  He starts Monday, and he will take over the Dining at Large blog as well.

The Sun's article talks about Gorelick's freelance writing, but it strangely omits the fact that he also had been working with neuroscientists.  Gorelick first crossed paths with the HowChows because he was working with Barry Gordon's cognitive neurology / neuropsychology group.  I can only assume that restaurant critic is such a serious job that no one wants to admit Gorelick was dabbling in some second-rate subject like medical research at Hopkins.

Tamar Fleischman in the Examiner says Gorelick is breaking with the anonymous critic tradition.  She says lots of people know Gorelick and that he looks like an iconic rock star.  So keep an eye out.

Canned Peaches At Larriland Farm

The next two months are perfect for Larriland Farms -- pick apples from the trees, select a pumpkin from the field, and enjoy the last outdoor weekends of the year.

Definitely check out the farm store that Larriland has expanded over the past two years.  (If nothing else, buy the dried fruit candy at the checkout.)  Keep your eyes out for canned peaches.  Larriland had them at the end of the summer.  They're peaches grown on the farm, then canned locally.  Four dollars is expensive for fruit, but I bet that they're delicious -- and that I'll cherish them in mid-winter when they'll be the taste of summer in a can.

Larriland Farms in Woodbine is an easy 30-minute drive from almost anywhere in Howard County.  From the southern county, take Rte 32 to I-70 West.  From Columbia or north, take Rte 29 to I-70 West.  Larriland has hit the perfect tone where it's family-run and friendly, but professionally operated so that everything runs well.  Click here for all the Larriland posts.

If you go to Larriland, consider a barbecue meal before or after at Town Grille in Lisbon.  It's great BBQ even though it is inside a gas station.

Re-Thinking The Columbia Wegmans: Let's Aim To Open On Memorial Day 2012

Even someone loopy enough to run a food blog can see that it is crazy to stand outside a half-built grocery store in February.

So I'm rethinking my call for a mass rally at the Columbia Wegmans site on Valentine's Day 2011.

At this point, the smart money would bet on a Columbia Wegmans by Summer 2012.  They're clearly re-grading the entire site, and there are finally big machines working off McGaw Road.

So I'm shifting my call to arms to Memorial Day 2012.  That's a heart-stopped delay for someone remembers being horrified when someone said the Howard County store might not open until 2009.  But it seems silly to stand in the snow a year ahead of schedule.

Let's make sure Wegmans knows that we are planning for early Summer 2012.  Memorial Day.  Still cool enough that you'll want to explore the cheese section, but just in time for grilling and summer vegetables.

You can join a Facebook group or just sign up for the Facebook event.   The motto remains the same:  "If they're open, we shop. If they're not, we help build."  I'll adapt the plan as we get closer.  Maybe they'll offer samples or early tours. Maybe we'll bring power tools to help with the punch list.  Or maybe we'll just run a guerilla barbecue on the side of McGaw Road.  Viva la revolution.

Trolling: Breakfast At Frank's, Gyros At Hickory Ridge, And The Orange Fluff At Meadows

Today's Trolling takes you across the county from Jessup to southern Columbia.  Dennis writes about his weekly breakfast at Frank's Diner, then talks up two of the joints in the Hickory Ridge village center in Columbia.  That center -- just north of Rte 32 on Cedar Lane -- has become a magnet for casual dining with Chick'n Pollo for Peruvian chicken, Luna Bella for pizza, and Maruha Steakhouse and Sushi for Japanese -- plus Dennis' two favorites:

Every Saturday morning my daughter and I go to Frank's Diner in Jessup on U.S. 1 just south of Rte 175. This is rare find for the area - an authentic New Jersey diner transported to MD! The menu is fairly standard diner offerings. Great breakfast offerings (even goes deep to have local favorites like Scrapple). Of note is the kids/seniors breakfast - one egg, one pancake and side of bacon or sausage for only $4.99. The best thing though is the staff - Mr. & Mrs. Frank are friendly and inviting, always taking time to talk to my daughter about school, her placement drawings, etc. The wait staff is also very friendly, we feel right at home!

Columbia can be a tough location for non-chain dining. One great find that overcomes that issue is the Hickory Ridge Grill. Great Greek selection (the gyro is my favorite) and their kids spaghetti is a 'real' meal - penne pasta with red sauce and ginormous meatball. The staff is extremely friendly, usually have two or three people stop by our table to see how our meal is going.

Throughout the summer the family and I frequent and seek out new ice cream joints. We've tried all in the area and have found the best to be The Meadows Custard in Columbia. My favorite item is the Orange Fluff.  Its the perfect blend of orange, vanilla and creaminess of a nice shake. Typically my daughter wants to trade her choice with mine! Also, their blue raspberry ice is fantastic. Best blue raspberry flavor I've found. That is my two year old son's favorite item, he never hesitates to order it.

Trolling on Tuesday is my attempt at a series where readers would share three things with other HowChow readers -- favorite restaurant dishes, food to buy, food experiences, etc.  Click here for all the Trolling posts.  Click here for the explanation and the rules.  Anyone can submit.