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Victoria Gastro Pub, Chef Joe Krywucki on Route 108 and Snowden River Pkwy in Columbia


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'synaesthesia said:

There was this awesome article on poutine in New York restaurants. Are there any places around here that do them? If not, any way we could force one of the bazillion bistro-type places that just opened up to serve these little cholesterol bombs?

Victoria's Gastropub in Columbia, MD actually does a decent rendition of this.

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Victoria Gastro Pub is really one of the best restaurants in Howard County. It has an changing, adventurous menu on the gourmet pub theme, but I keep going back for burgers and beer.

Within our fair border, Victoria's upscale burger -- with a nice bun, good fries and delicious beef -- really has no peers. I love biting into a burger with real taste, with the juice that comes from fat but the flavor that comes from meat. My grill and a home-grown tomato make the absolute best hamburger, but Victoria is the place that I drive when I'm too cold or tired to do it myself.

(And this is all just their normal burger. The kobe beef tasted different to me, but not better and therefore not worth the extra money to me. But be firm on the fries. The last time I went for lunch, the fries were overcooked and hard. I should have sent them back.)

To go with the burgers, Victoria Gastropub offers the perfect option for people who like to sample beers, but can't throw back pint after pint. For about $12, you get five half-pours of the dozens of beers that Victoria offers on tap. It's a buck more for some special brews, but the five five-ounce glasses are a reasonable way to either try something new or build your own selection -- all wheat beers, a light-to-dark collection, etc.

For me, the best part of my sample was that I hated one of the beers that I tasted. My face looked like I had drank something rancid, but the horrified reaction made me realize that I had truly enjoyed the other four -- and not just drank them out of some "Emperor's New Clothes" belief that the beer must be good if I'm paying this much. All that fun sitting out on Victoria's outdoor patio. (Looking out, of course, on the parking lot -- but that is a separate post about Howard County dining.)

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I would not say that Victoria's Gastropub has a changing adventurous menu. It does change, but there are quite a few standards there that never go away. It is adventurous...for Howard County. Don't get me wrong, I like the place quite a bit and it does make a mean burger (I'm with you, too, in that the Kobe burger actually was not as good as the regular burger). And they do indeed have a great beer selection.

I am just happy that more non-chain restaurants are showing up in the Howard County zone. For far too long it has been a desolate wasteland WRT food....

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Hit this place for HoCo restaurant week last night. On the relative scale of the burbs vs the city, it was outstanding. In the end, it was pretty good, if a bit overpriced (at regular prices)

The "poutine" (no cheese curds so not really) was outstanding. Duck fat fries, gravy, duck confit, what else can you ask for, Confit was rather bland but who cares.

The star of the meal for me was the pork belly app. Crispy on the outside, melting in the middle, served over creamy grits. This place claims they get a lot of local products, and the corn and the zucchini served with my steak entree sure tasted like it.

The belly made me think of comments above about their "adventurous" menu. Our waitress noted how adventurous we were for getting tuna tartare and pork belly. LOL.

The steak was a thinly cut ribeye with chimichurri and crispy onions. Not particularly imaginative but they did a great job with it. Cooked perfectly, which I was worried about when I saw how thin it was.

Best part of the meal was the drinks though. They give you a chance to taste lots of drafts. 5 5.5 oz samples for 10-12 bucks depending on which ones you get. Pretty fair deal. Discovered Racer 5 because of this and will now be looking for it. They have Delerium Tremens on tap--according to our waitress only 2 places on the east coast do, or something like that. Underwhelmed by it but I am not a big Belgian guy. Half price wine on Thursday, with HoCo now letting you take home what you don't drink!!--a no brainer. We each were able to get a bottle and take home a lot.

My dining companion (who will likely be here soon) can describe her dishes more. I am not a big crab cake guy in general, but it was fine, with lots of big lumps and little filler. Tuna tartare was average at best.

They were out of the two desserts I was most interested in, and the two we got were pretty boring. I can't remember what mine was called, it was something chocolate praline something. She got Pineapple upside down cake. I don't want to crush dessert too much because I am not a dessert guy, but we had higher hopes going in.

All in all, will be back. Probably for beers and duck fat fries or burgers at the bar rather than 3 courses at a table.

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See how I craftily wait for my friend to write his review and then I only have to write a few lines. :rolleyes:

I basically agree with Dave's assessment. Re: the poutine, I think I'd prefer to have just the fries with the duck gravy, and I'm also anxious to just try them with the truffled sea salt. The fries themselves were really my favorite component, they were nicely seasoned with a good bit of rosemary. I was underwhelmed by the confit - seemed a bit dry and there wasn't much of it. It was still a tasty pile of fattening fatty goodness all around though and it's worth ordering if you go.

My tuna tartare was served with a salted boniato chip. No idea what boniato is (I should go look it up), but it gave a slight touch of sweetness and a good bit of salty which was necessary for the dish. The tartare itself was pretty average, but did have a little kick when combined with the aioli on the plate.

My crabcake came on a sauce of sweet white corn, must have had some mustard in it as well as I could see the seeds, and sat on a slice of tomato with a dollop of lemon basil aioli and corn shoots. As Dave said, the crab meat was mostly nice lump and the dish was very good, again when you combined all of the components. It was also a generous portion imo.

My main complaint was desserts, especially b/c they tout the fact that their desserts are homemade on their website. I really wanted to try both the coconut banana bread pudding and the pineapple upside down cake. They were out of the bread pudding so we opted for trifle instead, only to learn that the last one had just been given away, at which point we had no choice but to have the chocolate praline cake (although to our servers credit she offered us berries instead if we didn't want the chocolate). I was underwhelmed by the chocolate cake and the pineapple cake was just so sugary sweet, both the cake and the pool of rum sauce it was sitting in, although I will say I liked the tartness the few cherries on top added to it. We had contemplated getting only 1 RW menu and sharing the app and dessert, but ultimately got 2 b/c we wanted the bread pudding as well. Had we known, we would have ordered differently. Oh well, in the end, it was the only real disappointment and I expect stuff like that will happen during restaurant week.

Otherwise, everything was very good. We were able to enjoy a bottle of Conundrum and a bottle of Mollydooker at about what we'd pay for them in a store b/c of half price wine night, and we got to sample some interesting beers. There were a few I liked, but agree the star was the Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, which I have since confirmed Corridor (in Laurel) carries (the others were the Flying Dog Porter and the Arrogant Bastard).

I would definitely go back for burgers, duck fat fries and beers. Oh, one other note, they do have a beer club that would seem fun for anyone really into beers. I'm more of a wine drinker and don't live quite close enough to justify that many visits, but if I lived nearby, I bet I'd join. Anyway, it's definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

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Victoria Gastro Pub is really one of the best restaurants in Howard County. It has an changing, adventurous menu on the gourmet pub theme, but I keep going back for burgers and beer.

Within our fair border, Victoria's upscale burger -- with a nice bun, good fries and delicious beef -- really has no peers. I love biting into a burger with real taste, with the juice that comes from fat but the flavor that comes from meat. My grill and a home-grown tomato make the absolute best hamburger, but Victoria is the place that I drive when I'm too cold or tired to do it myself.

(And this is all just their normal burger. The kobe beef tasted different to me, but not better and therefore not worth the extra money to me. But be firm on the fries. The last time I went for lunch, the fries were overcooked and hard. I should have sent them back.)

I totally agree with you on the burger. It has a full beef taste that you have to go to Central or Ray's to beat. I also agree with your comment about the kobe burger. Though for value it's hard to beat the burgers at Sunshine Market -- a slightly different ambiance. :rolleyes:

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We went back on Friday, this time for burgers and beer, rather than the multi-course RW menu we had last time. We did share an order of the fried oysters, good, but couldn't taste much oyster. But the burger, I couldn't stop talking about it as we ate. I think it competes with some of the best burgers DC has to offer. Excellent airy homemade bun, really beefy taste to the burger, cooked perfectly (I ordered med-rare), with some cheddar and really delicious bacon added. My only word of caution is that it's very greasy. Side of duck fat fries is a must. I'm curious to try the more expensive burger, but given the reviews here and how much I enjoyed my regular burger, it will be tough to convince myself to do so.

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In generating the update Baltimore guides, I noticed this mention about their French onion soup.

They have quite an extensive beer selection- featuring a lot of US craft brews as well as a few from the UK, Germany, Belgium, and Japan. There menu also tried to make more classy usual pub favorites like fish & chips and burgers.

I went there yesterday for lunch.

We started with the poutine- the fries were fried in duck fat, and they used gruyere, duck gravy, and sprinkled bits of duck confit in it. Not bad- I still prefer cheese curds.

I had the kobe style burger with swiss and mushroom served on a brioche bun- It was good.

My tablemate had the lobster grilled cheese which was made with brie- very rich.

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Went again recently. Lobster grilled cheese is pretty awesome. Charcuterie plate is decent - the mustards and pickles in particular were good. The fish and chips, though, was fairly uninspired. Bland, underseasoned fish where the breading was a bit too gummy (though still crisp on the outside). The tartar sauce was a little too heavily handed with tarragon so much as to become a tad overpowering. Beer choices, as always, are wonderful.

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I don't know what it is, but the lobster grilled cheese just does it for me like few other dishes. Maybe its because the beer list always puts me in a euphoric mood (or 1/2 price wine on Thursdays and company doesn't hurt either) but I can't recall a time where I've left and not felt completely satisfied.

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Brunch yesterday was eggs benedict which were good, but I'm coming here to write about my drink- they mixed their bloody mary mix with bourbon, a couple other ingredients I'm probably forgetting, and the rim was done in bacon and bbq sauce. Unfortunately their drink menus aren't on the website for whatever reason (high turnover among the drafts/mixed drinks probably #1 on that list) but it was delicious and quite the interesting take on the traditional bloody mary.

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Made a first visit here this past week at someone else's suggestion who is based nearby. Before going, checked this thread (big thx to all above!) and that helped hugely to navigate the big menu: The Burger. The Duck Fat Fries.

CONTEXT

I'm not very familiar with Columbia, or Howard County for that matter. But, in talking with my dining companion, he rattled off several nearby restaurants he thought worthwhile. So maybe a few reasons to venture back but, for now, some thoughts on Victoria Gastro Pub, so named to emphasize a heightened focus on food than, say, the multitude of regular taverns and pubs that dot the land.

VENUE

Victoria Gastropub (VG) is a family-owned business. Lots of twists and turns in how this business came to be but, since that's all second hand, I'll just say there's a nice video done by one of the family members who is also the place's namesake on yelp here. The place is huge and used to be a Bennigans in a past life. There's a large bar which suits the place given it's niche. Multiple rooms. My dining companion told me it's very popular and full all the time which is impressive given it must have a capacity of at least 150 or 200 if not more.

BEVERAGE

SInce this was a weekday lunch, we didn't do any drinking but drinking is a major reason to come here. VG has one of the greater DC area's most extensive beer programs. Between 15 and 20 beers on tap that regularly rotate and more than 200 in bottle. A definite stop on any serious brewmeister's greater DC area beer crawl. Alas, we didn't get a beer but I'd be remiss to not point this out since it's the best reason to consider driving from points afar.

SERVICE

Lunch was busy; maybe not entirely full but very close to it. Nevertheless, we didn't want for anything and our young server was incredibly friendly. We got the feeling her guidance was what the place's talking points stipulated (everything is great!) but we felt well served on balance.

FOOD

At the waitress's strong recommendation, I started with a New England Clam chowder. She promised it'd be "great" and "packed with clams." It was good but not any more packed with clams than most NE Chowders you'll find around.

My dining companion had a roast beef sandwich ('french dip' maybe?) he said he enjoyed.

For me, though, this was all about The Burger about which I'd read quite a bit. VG gets very positive reviews generally, and particularly for its version of the cliched burger and fries. This is true on virtually all the food websites, review and general content. Likewise upthread and a review Don did emphasizing the wine and beer program. Pretty much the only serious exception to general praise was Tom Sietsema's review but it was written nearly five years ago before VG was likely firing on most cylinders. Tom should revisit to be fair. This is no 3 star destination but surely it deserves more than the one star and somewhat harsh commentary that suited it then.

Simply put, a good burger. Better than most. Better than any chain save Ray's (if one even considers Ray's a chain; I don't). It's in the 'big messy burger' category with very good components. These include a house made challah bun, a large very flavorful burger, lettuce and tomato, house made pickles and a nice house made aioli. For $2 extra, I ordered their famed duck fat fries. They were worth it. A large portion of freshly made delicious hand cut potato sticks. Other reviewers elsewhere claim that this burger, called "The Black Angus" is the better of the two on the menu with the other being a "kobe" of suspect origin. I didn't try the kobe but I'd be hesitant to not recommend the Angus as a--or the--thing to order here with an interesting brew.

BOTTOM LINE

If nearby, definitely a good choice for lunch or dinner. If not nearby, only worth a drive if for the beers with the knowledge that you'll likely get a decent meal to accompany it. Better burgers are to be had in and around DC but not at a large number of spots. Pricing on food is reasonable as one would expect.

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Other reviewers elsewhere claim that this burger, called "The Black Angus" is the better of the two on the menu with the other being a "kobe" of suspect origin. I didn't try the kobe but I'd be hesitant to not recommend the Angus as a--or the--thing to order here with an interesting brew.

I looked back on my reviews and see that I didn't post the last couple of times I went. I did end up trying the kobe burger after having had the angus per my last post and agree that it is not as good, and more expensive so definitely recommend the angus. I've since had the angus again and continue to think it's an excellent burger on par with some of the best in DC. I cant get enough of the house made pickles and ask for extra.

I don't count on great service when I go, friendly, but not particularly efficient, but not so bad to make me really mind most of the time.

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The issue with ground Kobe beef is that it's always frozen, and when you freeze beef, especially ground you lose all the unctuous ness and creamy fattiness that fresh has. Freezing the beef affects the proteins and the moisture content of the meat, even more so with the fattier Kobe, which is why when you go to cook it the fat renders right out and your left with this bland dry crap wondering why you spent the extra money. Id go angus all day.

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The tap beer list is full of challenging stuff... I had a wild american ale, Kay a peach weiss that was on the soour side, our friends were a little surprised at their selections as being a little off beat.  The only part of the bottle list i looked at was the specials and it had a lot of interesting stuff

The food was perfectly acceptable if being of a quality that is replicable from the local giant.  My Cobb had all the requisite ingredients: blue crumbles, bacon, grape tomatoes, avocado and croutons that all were good but very dull in ensemble.  The dressing was forgettable and the bay shrimp turned out to be 20-26s.  Filling, fresh but at $18.00 very expensive.  I would say the other dishes were in the same theme.

The service was very enthusiastic but with a lot of lines like "Is everything delicious?"

If in Columbia, I would have no qualms about returning but it is not a destination for food, just beer.  British wine criitiques have a term for not spectacular vintages that have a lot of good drinking options if few truly noteworthy wines: "Useful"  That's the perfect word for Voctoria based on our one visit.  WHich is too bad as the beer program is far better than that.

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The tap beer list is full of challenging stuff... I had a wild american ale, Kay a peach weiss that was on the soour side, our friends were a little surprised at their selections as being a little off beat.  The only part of the bottle list i looked at was the specials and it had a lot of interesting stuff

The food was perfectly acceptable if being of a quality that is replicable from the local giant.  My Cobb had all the requisite ingredients: blue crumbles, bacon, grape tomatoes, avocado and croutons that all were good but very dull in ensemble.  The dressing was forgettable and the bay shrimp turned out to be 20-26s.  Filling, fresh but at $18.00 very expensive.  I would say the other dishes were in the same theme.

The service was very enthusiastic but with a lot of lines like "Is everything delicious?"

If in Columbia, I would have no qualms about returning but it is not a destination for food, just beer.  British wine criitiques have a term for not spectacular vintages that have a lot of good drinking options if few truly noteworthy wines: "Useful"  That's the perfect word for Voctoria based on our one visit.  WHich is too bad as the beer program is far better than that.

Sorry to see that you had a bad experience.  Whenever I have been the food has been amazing, although it has been a year or so since I was last there.  Is the lobster grilled cheese still on the menu?

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I was just at Victoria Gastro Pub on Sunday and enjoyed my meal. The duck fat fries were tasty as always, and I had the wild boar grilled cheese, also tasty. The other two times I'd eaten there I'd ordered the lobster grilled cheese, which is also tasty but also very rich, and I regretted it afterwards. The wild boar grilled cheese wasn't so rich. We also had a very generous cheese plate with house made pickles and yummy bread. I'm not a beer drinker, but of course they have a huge selection. My only complaint was that the service was pretty slow, especially considering that our party contained a 2-year-old and I was on the way to the airport. But it was Labor Day, so maybe that explains it. I don't recall slow service on my past visits.

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