Carl LaFong

I would definitely recommend the Turkish manti, beef-stuffed ravioli with a yogurt sauce. Blew me away on my first visit and it's hard to restrain myself from ordering when there are plenty of other things to try. If you enjoy the mantwo at Afghan restaurants like Helmand in Baltimore, it's very much worth seeing the Turkish twist on the dish here. (Note to self: I really ought to look into where the dish actually originated. It's fun to spot cross-cultural culinary exchanges like this.) A while back I had a dish which cosnsited of slices of sucuk, balls of pimiento(?) goat cheese drizzled with a tiny bit of a light honey-based reduction, and microgreens with a splash of herbed vinegar, and it was glorious. My only complaint was that the balance was by far in favor of the cheese, which had an overpowering flavor so it was better to just enjoy the meat separately (or with a bit of the greens). But that was a quibble because otherwise it was easy to see how well the flavors contrasted and complemented. There is a very skilled chef and staff in that kitchen. Easily in my top 3 for Frederick.

Yeah, KF, if you're in the mood for a sandwich check out the tortas. The meat (al pastor) is tasty and nicely marinated, not overseasoned, and I kind of wish they'd have a bit more of it, if only to balance out the richness of the butter-grilled bread. Seriously, the richness is almost too overwhelming by the third bite, but I'm usually able to suppress that feeling by the fifth bite through the finish. Also had the chiles rellenos which were pretty good (served with shredded pork as well as cheese and sauce), though (as they were take out) they probably lost a bit of the experience by not being fresh and hot out of the frying medium. If only Cafe Bueno had chilaquiles, it would be perfect. Still looking for a local place with good chilaquiles.

Speaking of Isabella's, how has it been lately? I haven't been there (for a full meal) in years after I got fed up with the decline in quality. Stopped there for an appetizer with drinks a year or two ago and it was actually quite good, but it still fails to make my mental short-list when considering places to have a meal.

I've never had an experience as bad as ArlFred's at Monocacy Crossing, but it never really bowled me over enough to induce me to go out of my way for it for the last few years. One trip, a juicy and perfectly cooked pork tenderloin (still ever-so-slightly pink in the center) with (iirc) a pear cider reduction, the next, some greasy and otherwise flavorless duck nachos as an appetizer. In the middle, you have things like an appetizer of cold smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers which threw me back to the 80s (and made me wish for a bagel) but was otherwise fine. That pretty much sums up my experience. I will absolutely go back someday though. It's hard, though, since options in Frederick/DC/Baltimore are expanding faster than I can keep up.

Hi all, I'm a 10+ year resident of Frederick, MD, previously residing in Charlottesville, VA for about 8 years. ArlFred is my brother and has been pointing me to this forum for years for rock-solid recommendations. We'll probably post in many of the same threads. In addition to going out, I greatly enjoy cooking and like to think I'm not terrible at it. I'm open to attempting just about any dish of any ethnicity, as long as I can get my hands on the ingredients (which, even in Frederick, gets easier every year). Looking forward to interacting with you all.