fuzzy510

If there are any differences in the menu, they're minor. They're largely the same place in terms of food offerings. It's also a much bigger location; there's actually places to sit most of the time. I think the most frustrating thing is that the quality at the Hillandale location, in my estimation, has dropped off since they opened. I could understand if they just needed some time to get it right, but that hasn't been the case. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed it about six months ago, and now it's pretty much out of my rotation. I just don't get it.

So I keep going back to Urban in Hillandale, and I keep ending up more and more disappointed each time. Sometimes it's dry meat, sometimes the brisket is fattier than it should be, but whatever it is, I'm leaving unfulfilled. Am I the only one experiencing this? Is the Rockville location also dropping off?

You know the Peruvians make good stuff!

Chalk up the College Park location as another victim of the economy. http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/med...y-3716981.shtml

Had my first RTC experience tonight, and I was thoroughly impressed. Went with a friend for Butcher Burgers in the Bistro, and I finally see what all the fuss is about. Got mine au poivre, and it was fantastic, cooked just how I like it and, most importantly, tasted like meat. It's refreshing to get a good burger (especially at that price) which is that tasty, and to see such care put into it instead of just treating it as if it's a lower-class alternative to a "real" meal. The two of us decided to splurge for dessert since we paid so damn little for our meals. I loved my key lime pie, and my friend, who is picky about his chocolate mousse, was also happy. They didn't end up on the check, though, and after we pointed this out to our server, he came back and told us dessert was on the house. Sweet! Bravo, Michael, for bringing an outstanding, affordable alternative to the chain-restaurant hell that Downtown Silver Spring has become.

Personally, my cast-iron pan is always so hot by the time I'm ready to cook with it that there's no way anything that could be living on it still would be toast once I was ready to use it. If I'm cooking steaks, say, my pan is sitting in a 500-degree oven for a while, and that's going to do a much better job of sterilizing it than any soap on the market could ever do.

Ledo (the restaurant, not the chain) doesn't have it's own thread here?!?!?! Mon dieu!

Actually stopped by myself last Friday during lunch for RW and had the exact same dishes to start; the excellent mussels and the braised short rib. The short rib was a little bit fattier than I prefer, even for a short rib, but I also ate the whole thing rather greedily, so I couldn't have disliked it that much...... Dessert was the banana crisp with the rum and Coke ice cream which was......interesting. The ice cream tasted very good, and was something I'd like to try and reproduce myself, but I wasn't as impressed with the banana crisp. Lacked something for me. Overall though, impressed with the place in general, and I'm intrigued to go back to check out the lounge menu.

Bumping this to the top to point out that the Elkridge location is participating in Howard County's RW. I have no words.

Having eaten there (while drunk after an unknown large number of shots at Santa Fe Cafe, but hey, cut a college kid a break!), I can tell you for certain that neither of those are the pizza at Ratsie's. The picture on the right looks like a poorly photoshopped slice of Papa John's, and who knows where the one on the left came from, but it's not from Ratsie's. Grocery store freezer case does sound about right for that one.

I'm a fan of The Bagel Place in College Park. Whether that's because they're that good or because they're a five-minute walk from my apartment is up to you to decide, but I've always been pleased by the bagels I get there. They must be doing something right anyway, because on Sunday mornings the line will go out the door, and you will NOT be able to find a place to sit inside. I especially can appreciate getting a hot breakfast sandwich there in the morning before classes. Yum. In fact, I think I'll head over there now......

And it's not even going to be close, at this rate.

I have every intention of making bacon ice cream in the coming days. I'll be certain to report back on how it is.

Stopped in to the Wheaton location for dinner tonight, my first visit since they moved. The chicken was better than I remembered it, and still easily the best pollo a la brasa of the many different options in Wheaton. Fries were good and crispy, and the cole slaw was the cole slaw. One thing that I did find somewhat weird, though, was that their menu was displayed on an HDTV monitor on the wall. Quite different from the old hole-in-the-wall location I can remember going to growing up.......

Hey folks, My name's John, and I'm a student at the University of Maryland. I've taken up cooking as a hobby, and I'm becoming more and more of a foodie along with that (at least, as much as I can be on a student's budget). Pleasure to meet you all!

You haven't?!?!?! That's possibly the best reason to go!