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Laurienzo Brick Oven Cafe, Jay and Bruce Laurienzo's Family-Owned Mini-Chain in Mount Airy and Hyattstown


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Dining in Clarksburg, MD

I thought I would write a few capsule reviews on the dining mecca of Clarksburg, MD in Upper Montgomery County. (This is at Don Rockwell's suggestion.)

This might be stretching it a bit, but Laurienzo is sort-of technically in Clarksburg.

It's physically located up in Hyattstown but they have a Clarksburg address. Anyway, I have not yet been to this location yet, but this is a second location for the Mt.Airy restaurant. As far as I know this is a locally run place, so probably worth checking out.

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Maybe Laurienzos needs a thread too? I feel like I might have started one before, or at least threatened to.

I haven't been to the Clarksburg location either- I'm not sure how any business succeeds in that particular area (hyattstown). Maybe enough people live up route 75...

Anyway, in Mt Airy they do a decent business. The pizza is ok- though it is not the "hand tossed and charred" version that is in favor now. My favorite dishes are apps- their "Shore Shrimp" are swimming in Old Bay and some oil suspension...sounds gross but is addictive. Their seasonal butternut squash ravioli are also very nice.

The Mt Airy location features dark walls and a kind of sophisticated feel, which stands out when you're that far out (it should be noted that the Internet ends only about 5 miles north of their restaurant). They always have plenty of staff that may not be super polished but are nice and not overwhelmed. Overall, a nice neighborhood place.

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Go ahead and laugh at me, but these two restaurants present me with one of the greatest technical challenges of my career.

* Both restaurants have the same name.

* The Mount Airy restaurant might be in Carroll County (in which case, it would go in the Baltimore Forum), or, it might be in Frederick County (in which case, it would go in the Washington Forum). Do not assume you will find the answer to this dilemma so easily using Google Maps: S. Main Street in Mount Airy appears to be right on the border, and even zooming in, I'm not entirely certain which county it's in.

* If the Mount Airy restaurant is in Carroll County, there would, in theory, be one thread for the Washington restaurant (Hyattstown), and one thread for the Baltimore restaurant (Mount Airy), in which case there would be no "Multiple Locations" or "Local Chain" issues - the former would go in the Maryland Dining Guide; the latter would go in the Baltimore Suburbs Dining Guide.

* If the Mount Airy restaurant is in Frederick County, there would, in theory, be only one thread for both restaurants, and it would be in the "Multiple Locations" Dining Guide in the Washington forum, and would be considered a "Local Chain."

* However, it isn't this simple. Despite having the same name, the restaurants are different in concept: The Mount Airy restaurant is a full-serve restaurant with private dining, and a more elaborate kitchen capable of producing entrees such as Pan-Seared Atlantic Salmon; the Hyattstown restaurant is more of a quick-serve restaurant that appears to have *only* a wood-burning oven, and concentrates on pizza and other simple fare.

* And yet, the menus aren't "different" so much as the Hyattstown menu is a "subset" of the Mount Airy menu - so instead of being a different concept, the Hyattstown menu is merely a smaller, more limited version of the more elaborate, Mount Airy restaurant.

* Do you understand now why my job is so difficult and stressful? This is going to keep me up at night for the foreseeable future, and I'm considering writing the mayor of Mount Airy, Steve Yokeley, and asking for his opinion and guidance.

* For now, as a stopgap measure, I'm going to turn a blind eye to the possibility that the Mount Airy restaurant might be in Carroll County, and also that the formats of the two restaurants are different, and consider them to be a Local Chain in the Washington forum.

* My life is hell, I tell you. Hell.

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Such a tangled web you weave.

They are in Carroll County.   At the restaurant, the county line runs down Hill street, just behind them.  The line then joins and runs on Main Street just south of the restaurant.

I'm so very sorry.

Jesus.

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Despite having the same name, the restaurants are different in concept: The Mount Airy restaurant is a full-serve restaurant with private dining, and a more elaborate kitchen capable of producing entrees such as Pan-Seared Atlantic Salmon; 

In the past, after my wife got a scallop dish, we commented that maybe they would be better off NOT serving the more elaborate dishes

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