Just a follow up to my last post. I’ll wait a couple days for them to settle down before trying it out.

My wife and I tried lunch at the new Big Greek Cafe in the strip mall at Snowden River Pkwy and McGaw. Surprisingly good! We tried their Avgolemono Soup, Gyro Sandwich, and Gyro Salad. They were giving out free Rice Puddings that day. All very good, and HUGE portions, provided next day's lunch, too. Very friendly and efficient service. We'll be back.

https://www.biggreekcafe.com/menu/

Hey again, pit beef fans,

Went to Expressway today for the 1st time in months, and it did not disappoint. They never miss, the sandwich is consistently great. They also make the best baked beans out there anywhere. A steady and deserving #1.

Rankings unchanged:

1: Expressway

2: Pioneer

3: Canopy.

I may run a head to head between #2 and #3, best 2 out of 3. If you follow my posts, the no Sunday operation at Pioneer may hurt its chances.

Elsewhere:

I find myself up in Timonium often of late. Now definitely preferring Charcoal Deli over Jake's in that area.

Fast Eddie's in Fallson/Bel Air area has moved across the road, next to the comic store.

As always, post your experiences and recommendations...

Jang Su is a Korean restaurant specializing in Ox Bone broth soups. They are located where Over Rice poke & donuts used to be, near Soft Stuff.

I'm really not sure how to review this. I ordered a seafood pancake and the brisket seollangtang. Like most Korean restaurants, the food comes with some Banchan, or side dishes. At Jang Su, tha Banchan consists of kimchi, radish kimchi, pickled radish, and pickled squash(? I think). The kimchi was the real thing, not dumbed down for non-Korean palates. Seollantang is a white colored soup that is served hot but not boiling, which I appreciated. There were thin slices of brisket, some sweet potato starch noodles and green onion in the broth. The reason I'm unsure of how to review this is that I didn't care for the seollangtang. There was no, and I mean zero, seasoning in the soup. There is a salt cellar and a pepper grinder at the table with the expectation that you will season the soup to your taste. But...even with some salt and pepper, it's still a pretty plain tasting soup. However, I looked at the other tables and they all seemed to be enjoying the soup. I was advised to take a bite of kimchi or pickle and then have some soup, letting the kimchi/pickle flavor the soup. To me, this was extra work and tricky to get just right, but...I think it's just because I didn't know what to expect and this took me by surprise.

So, judging from the diners at other tables, this is a good version of the soup and they all seemed to be enjoying it. From my own experience, I didn't care for it, but I suspect it's because my palate is just not educated.

Oh, the seafood pancake was decent. Better than some other restaurants along US40, not as good as the one at Niko.

Do any of the restaurants in Maple Lawn that have outdoor seating use heat lamps or something similar this time of year when it gets chilly in the evening?

The former Boston Market on Route 40 in Ellicott City (in the same strip shopping center as Uma Uma and Tous Les Jours) has a new sign "Ye's Seafood House". Does anyone know what this might be? (An internet search doesn't return anything useful.)

OK, so this is just outside HoCo, but I thought I'd ask. I occasionally have meetings out by Dulles Airport and often the fastest way home is US15 to I-70. This takes me past Mt Airy at a good time to pick up dinner and then finish the drive back to Ellicott City.

Which restaurants would you recommend?

We do enjoy CarterQue and I just tried Tony Pazzo (it's OK - a bit pricey for the area). What else should I try?

It’s something our kid enjoys and would love to find one close by.

preferably in a large quantity for a good price? I have costco and sams club but they don't have it. I'm tired of buying small bottles and feeling i could get a lot more for cheaper.

Does anyone know if hip hop fish and chicken is still happening in Columbia?

I think Korean fried chix is it's own category so not including that. Also my list takes into account costs. Some restaurants that probably have amazing fried chicken can be about $5 a piece which I will never get out of principle. This list is basically bang for the buck with tastes being a big factor.

KFC tuesdays- 8 pc for $10. Can't beat it unless u dislike KFC.

Green Valley Marketplace(elkridge)- I believe an 8 pc is $8.99? and they have a day where it's a dollar off i think. I like the deli and hot bar sometimes at this grocery but i feel they have some of the best grocery store fried chix altho i wouldn't call it special in any way.

Royal Farms- their chicken prices keep going up. I remember when their 8pc deal was like $10 not even that long ago. I would have sworn I saw a recent sign for it being $14 now? altho that may be a 10 pc.

Shoppers Food Warehouse- I feel their fried chix is underrated. both the grilled and fried. 8pc @ $8.99

Roy Rogers- Only reason i'm rating this further down is it's expensive if u get a low quantity of chicken. About $3 a pc. But if u get the Tailgate MVP meal then it's a bit over $2~ for a 16pc which includes sides. that's way too much chicken for me but I generally don't mind having leftovers either. I also think Roy Rogers has it's own taste more than the others or maybe it's nostalgia. Only one around that i'm aware of is Burtonsville.

ChicknFriends- I'm rating this place lower because i feel they're expensive as well. I used to get it regularly when they first opened in Long Reach(now in Owen Brown) but I just don't find them worth it anymore. I know some people swear by their pressure cooked but to me it's only a little bit better than the above grocery store places.

Popeyes- I'm not the biggest Popeyes fried chix fan but i've been spoiled by it working around Laurel. I think i've just had it too much. The one on route 198 Ft Meade Rd has a deal every tuesday. It used to be 2pc + biscuit for .99 a long time ago, then went to $1.29, and now i'm not sure what the tuesday special is. This is why i've had it too much. I don't think the other Popeyes locations has a tuesday special.

Hip Hop Fried Chix- I'm not the biggest fan of their powdered sugar with salt? sprinkle and i feel their pieces are small. I am really disappointed the one that was supposed to open up in Oakland Mills has been nixed since i thought their buffalo wings were a good bang for the buck and i liked their fried clam strips.

Jollibee- It's just way too expensive and very overrated to me. Again i know some people swear by it. The pcs are huge and it's very crispy but otherwise the tastes are very average. I'm also not the biggest fan of putting my fried chicken into a gravy dip altho i'm probably in the minority with that. I was also not a fan of many of their other menu items.

Safeway/Giant- these are bottom of the barrel to me. It's cheap and convenient, and even then not so bad, but still at my lowest tiers. I'd put Safeway over Giant since Giant can sometimes be very salty. i think around $8.99 per 8pc.

Walked past this today and it seems there’s work being done inside. The new honeygrow next door is quite popular so I imagine this will be a hit too.

Does anyone know when the Big Greek Cafe is slated to open? It’s opening in Columbia off McGaw Road.

Sangam just opened and is located where Zen Garden used to be, across the parking lot from ECDiner. It's so new that Google Maps doesn't know it's there yet.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and serves a wide choice of both northern and southern Indian cuisine. I tried a dish I hadn't seen before as the main course, appam with fish curry. Appam is like a soft, while, slightly sweet pancake, related to dosa. Unlike dosa, where the filling is inside the dosa, appam pancakes are separate from the bowl of curry and you tear off some appam and use it to grab some curry and pop it in your mouth. The experience was reminiscent of eating Ethiopian food, but without the sour fermented taste of injera.

My appetizer was samosa chaat and it was the best version of that dish that I've had. Better than the ones at Mango Grove or Royal Taj. They included bits of pineapple and it added a nice bright note that elevated the dish. Highly recommended.

The service is nice and attentive. While English is a second language for some of the servers, communication wasn't a problem. The manager even came by to ask how the meal was and if there were any issues.

Sangam is brand new and still working through a couple of "new restaurant" jitters. There are Thali's on the menu at lunch, but they won't be available until the second week of September. The kitchen can be slow, especially as the restaurant fills. The food is worth the wait though.

I look forward to exploring more of the menu in the future and recommend people check it out.

I searched down the list of topics and surprisingly didn't find a thread on this. Right now my go to's are Hunan Manor and China Taste. Hunan Manors prices have gone up a lot. Eggrolls are like $6 now which is crazy. I really like some of their dishes(General tso's, beef in black bean, etc.) so i'll probably still go but much less than I used to. I love China Taste but their prices have been high for awhile. their eggrolls are a decent price at least. Love their chicken w/ broccoli.

So where and what dishes do u recommend in Hoco for Chinese?

.

The signs are up in the windows and it’s already in Google Maps. Not sure when it’s opening, though - does anyone know? It’s located on Frederick Rd. in the same strip as Pizza Boli’s.

Corner Bakery (near the mall)

Was in the area for lunch and saw construction underway with big posters for Tous Les Jours. It’s the same Stanford Blvd shopping center as Pub Dog, Pho La Cay, Small Bundt Cakes, Mango Grove, Gyu-Kaku etc.

The first casualty of the Korean Chicken bubble popping is CM Chicken (on US40 near Sprouts) which went out of business a few months ago. I saw a sign for Hangry Joe's, but do not know when they plan on opening.

I've been to the Hangry Joe's on Little Patuxent Pkwy and enjoyed it. To my taste, it's the best of the new hot chicken restaurants. I like spicy food and their medium level is enjoyable while their hot level is a fun challenge. I haven't tried the very hot level yet. The sandwiches are very tasty and quite large. I prefer Hangry Joe's to Raising Cane, Dave's, and Crimson Coward.

Restaurant List if you see something on here that looks amazing let us know.

Edit:

What I tried (so far)

The Collective: Offshore

• Service type: Lunch, dine in, at the bar.
• Menu: is busted on the Restaurant week website so here is a photo of the lunch menu I asked for the dinner one but they where still updating it. idk it seems "fine".
• Selection: I had the Caesar Salad, and the Smash burger. I also had Oysters (2 USD per oyster) that where not on the fixed price menu.
• Thoughts: The Oysters where clean and tasty, I think 2 USD is a little high but that might just be my pre inflation brain talking. idk about the plating in the photo above it looks like ice at the bottom under the oysters but I think its rock salt would have preferred ice to keep the oysters cold af but was just me and I ate them first. But the plate was cold af and that helps. Idk the thermal conductivity of rock salt but live your life.

The Caesar was ok, there was no black pepper on it at all and I was not offered any which was eh odd but such is life. The dressing was light and the cheese crisps things where good. Could have used some red onion and mushrooms but such is life.

The burger was good but goes for 17 USD on its own normally which is not crazy for Columbia (but should be) but there "Wagyu Burger" 24 USD is better imo. There are two patties on the "smashed burger" and they where flavorful. Lettuce on top? for some reason but was not just 2 ice burg shreds so that was nice. the charmlised onions where good and I could have used maybe 1.7x more of them. Fries where great. I ate them all.

if you can swing it go to the The Collective: encore nextdoor they share the same kitchen and the price point IS WAY lower but this burger was 8 USD there but are only open for events and music etc..

• Service: Good the places was empty maybe 5 tables of people in there so the staff was nailing everything no problems. Had Tabasco (a requirement for oysters imo), there mustard was whole grain and they did not ask if I wanted yellow or something else. The TV near me had ESPN on mute.

• Coke or Pepsi: Coke

Victoria Gastro Pub

• Service type: Lunch, dine in, at the bar

• Menu: IS WORKING Online it says dinner but they serve the same RW menu for lunch and dinner.

• Selection: Marinated Cantaloupe, Smoked Chicken Primavera, and Mango Habanero Cake

• Thoughts: Marinated Cantaloupe OMG go fucking eat this. Then tell them you want it all the time I think I dreamed about this dish. It is a complete dish from garnish to main elements. The Cantaloupe is firm and just a tiny bit tart from the hibiscus the Buttermilk mousse is creamy and just a little sweet when you get another hit of tartness from the arugula it is off set by the honey on the plate. Then there is another hit of the toasted sunflower seeds adding a little crunch. THIS SHIT GO SO HARD and nothing I have had in HOCO has even come close. shit just go for this. FUCK I MIGHT GO BACK JUST FOR THIS.

  Smoked Chicken primavera was good not great. Is pasta and vegetables. The chicken was good and set off that really bright flavor of the veg. it was a good dish just not blowing me away I think it needs a little hit of something artichoke hearts, grilled broccolini, idk something to make me go wow.

  Mango Habanero Cake VERY GOOD another dish you can tell was iterated on a few times there are meringue things that where good and NOT GIGA dry that is the whipped cream looking things on top and the sides. The heat was balanced out by sweetness it was really QUITE GOOD. I liked the plating really it was a good end to the meal. I though the slice was about the right size if even a little big it would be very sharable imo but all good desert is.

• Service: GREAT, as always ngl I have not had a bad time here really good and they always ask for feedback. The place had plenty of seats so GO EAT THERE.

• Coke or Pepsi: Coke

The Food Market

• Service type: Dinner, dine in, at the bar

• Menu: IS WORKING Online

• Selection: Bacon Wrapped Mac and Cheese Stuffed Shells, Mango-Lian BBQ Glazed Beef Spar Ribs, and Blueberry Olive Oil Cake

• Thoughts: Bacon Wrapped Mac and Cheese Stuffed Shells im give this dish a big ehhh it sells it self on the name more then anything. dont get me wrong im here for all of it, each of these things works on its own and some times together. The bacon was very far from crispy and provided a little smoky taste. The shell was fine (is pasta idk what else to say) the macaroni was again fine not great. The sauce was ass im more then willing to admit that I like the dish in principle but would have loved it in a diff form. Maybe the bacon is cooked in a ring mold first to get it crispy or maybe the dish is laying on a bed of bacon. The macaroni was fine but at a place like food market I want it to be crazy good. The sauce was very generic cheese sauce and could use a whole rewrite idk what turned me off but it tasted and looked like American cheese and was not the vibe.

  Mango-Lian BBQ Glazed Beef Spar Ribs this is kind of a mess on the plate plating wise but everything on the plate was good though not great. The zucchini was very good (cooked to the edge of sin in butter I am sure) had good crunch and reminded me I should be eating more zucchini. The spare ribs are ultra thin sheets of beef that where tasty but not filling it honsitly reminded me of schnitzel. You cant see it in the photo but there is a rice cake kind of like those thin sheet potatos stacked togther then baked. I though it was good but honestly would have preferred potato.

  Blueberry Olive Oil Cake good. Food market always has banger deserts and this is no acceptation to that. If you vibe with cakes like this go get one.

• Service: Great. Food market makes me feel at home at first it comes off as a did you have a reservation vibe, but the people there make it amazing the food always good and sometimes amazing. The drinks are great and the bartenders are fast and good at there jobs. I will say there steak knifes are ASS. The one I had could not cut for anything my regular knife was sharper. idk maybe they at the end of there life span but they need new ones they are the odd serrated ones so I doubt you can even sharpen them.

• Coke or Pepsi: Coke

Blowfish Poke & Grill

• Service type: Lunch, take out

• Menu: IS WORKING Online

• Selection: Poke Bowl, Hawaiian Sun, Ube Cheese cake

• Thoughts: Good spot for lunch. I have not fucked with Poke much but this seems good idk I have been to the spot near 100 but if there is a better joint please let me know. The bowl is mostly rice with some other toppings for what you pay at Chipotle you get good fish, a drink, and great desert I am calling it a DEAL. The rice is what they call red rice, I would call it purple and it comes from what I would call Koren glutinous rice it looks black but comes out purple and a little sweet. Shit go there just for that. The Hawaiian sun was good I want to try some other flavors but it is ice tea in a can hard to fuck up. The desert was Ube cheese cake and fucks hard I legit might be back just for that.

• Service: Great, helped me through the process and explained everything really really nice people. The vibes where very nice.

• Coke or Pepsi: n/a (I also did not look)

Hello pit beef fans,

Not too much to report on the local scene.

Ratings will remain the same:

1. Expressway

2. Pioneer

3. Canopy

My last experiences at Pioneer and Canopy were not great, so no one will be challenging up anytime soon.

Some reports from further afield:

If you've followed these for a few years, you'll see that I make a report on Chaps in Rehoboth, DE. Well, this will be the last report, because it is closed. I don't think it will be missed.

Another casualty is Bulls Eyes Pit Beef on Belair Rd. in Baltimore County. Closed earlier in the year.

My travels took me to the east side of Baltimore County, and I wanted to hit MeatMan. But their days of operation made that not an option (cue rant on opening hours. Maybe less places would shut down if they were OPEN WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO GET A PIT BEEF SANDWICH.) Anyway, I ended up at a place called Baker's in Middle River. Sandwich was drier and more overcooked than anything you can get at the Canopy, if that can be believed. Flavor was still good, but most might find that not appealing.

Bayside Bull remains a bridge too far. Maybe one day...

As always, post comments, opinions, and experiences below.

Went to Peter Changs in Gaithersburg last week then the Peter Changs in Merriweather the next day. I noticed that the prices for most of the small plates were $5 cheaper in Gaithersburg than Merriweather. The rent must in really high in Columbia.

This chain specializing in Cheesesteaks has opened an restaurant in Elkridge next to Curry & Pie, near the library on US1. I stopped to try them on a late Sunday morning after watching the Facebook Howard County Eats group go nuts over this place. I was curious.

It's been a few weeks since they've opened and there's still a lot of demand. I didn't have to wait long to order but it did take 10-15 min for them to prepare my order. They had quite a number of call-in orders keeping them busy. Does their food live up to the hype?

I ordered "the original" and a side of spicy cauliflower. The cheesesteak was steak and cheese. I didn't ask for any vegetables (tomato, lettuce, onion) and none was offered, though I'm sure it's available if you ask. The cheese is mixed into the chopped steak and I have to give them credit. It's exactly what I think a steak&cheese should be. Steak, cheese, roll and lots of flavor. The cauliflower was well cooked, just tender and not overwhelmed by the breading, but I didn't care for the hot sauce which was buffalo-style. Too vinegar forward for my taste. Still, I get why they're busy. The cheesesteak was very tasty.

Price for a 8" original sub + cauliflower side dish + fountain drink: $25. Not cheap, but sadly, not that expensive these days.

Is it true?

I was referred to this spot in DC called “Un je ne sais Quoi...” and fell in LOVE with their fresh pastries and now I’m hooked! Problem is, I don’t go to DC for work but one day a month 😟 I’ve only been able to find bread shops in the HoCo area. Please send recommendations 🙏🏾

This restaurant replaces Mutiny Bay Pirate Bar on US1 in Elkridge and serves Mexican food. I stopped for lunch Friday and had a pleasant meal. It's well decorated and quite comfortable. They've gotten rid of all the pirate kitsch, but the bar is still there and they've updated the rest of the decor as well. The service was new, but very nice and fairly knowledgeable about the menu. No complaints.

I had the ceviche from the Appetizers list, a cup of their corn chowder, and a single asada taco. Free chips and salsa were brought to the table. The chips were warm and tasty. The salsa was a bit salty, which at first I thought was the chips, but the chips themselves were not overly salty. I suspect that will be adjusted as they settle in. The ceviche was quite large. A large margarita glass filled with seafood sitting in the right amount of lucha de tigre. This was just like the ceviche I had in Mexico and differs from Peruvian ceviche in that it doesn't come with the big-kernel corn or cornbread. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't cheap, but I feel I got my money's worth.

The corn chowder was also very good. Slightly sweet from the cream and the corn but with enough seasoning and other flavors to tamp down the sweetness. Good to the last drop and worth ordering again.

The street taco was OK. It wasn't bad, but didn't have the same intensity of flavor as the tacos from food trucks.

I didn't try the more Tex-Mex dishes like enchiladas or fajitas or burritos. They looked good, but are a bit more coin than I'm used to paying for Tex-Mex.

Soluna is worth checking out. I think it's a good replacement for Mutiny Bay. Quite tasty and not as silly.

Any place in HoCo I can buy fresh squid ink pasta?