HowChowBlog

Shin Chon does terrific barbecue. I'm a huge fan of all their grilled meats, panchan, and the dolset bi bim bop. But you can try the liquor too if you want to learn a little foreign culture. We got to eat with friends who know far more about Korean food, and they introduced us to makkoli. Makkoli is a unfiltered rice wine. It's very smooth, almost creamy. It has the lower alcohol of beer. We thought the bottle from Koodsoondang brewery went great with the table of meat and panchan. It's a mild flavor and a slight carbonation, brighter than beer but not as much alcohol as a standard wine. Reaching completely inappropriately across cultures, we both thought the makkoli tasted like an alcoholic horchata. (We also liked the fruit wine called bokbunja ju.) One note: Makkoli is normally served in small bowls. My friend and I split a bottle. We just sipped form the bowls. I'm sure you could drink it from a glass, but let the Shin Chon people know if you're happy to get the normal bowl.

The beauty of a food blog is that it almost justifies getting a taco on the way to dinner with friends. I had noticed recent comments about Tere's Latin Market talking about tacos and other specialities that I don't remember from a visit in 2008. So I detoured there on Rte 40 one night on the way to Korean at Shin Chon Garden. Back in the day, Tere's was just a small market. Now, there's a taqueria in the back. It's counter service with tacos, sandwiches, and some other dishes. For $2.50, I picked up a snack -- and found a great little place for Mexican food. Start with the flavor. The first taco was al pastor. Diced pork on two fresh corn tortillas came through moist, fresh and spicy with chopped cilantro on top. Even the takeout packet came with sliced radish and cucumber, which crunched nicely in contrast. Tacos al pastor Then come around the butchering. My wife -- who doesn't snack on the way to dinner -- talks about the meat at R&R Taqueria at the Shell station in Elkridge. It comes beautifully even from a tiny kitchen. No gristle. No chewy pieces. Tere's Latin Market pulls off the same trick. The pork was just better than anything I can dice out on my own. So I had to go back. Like the next day for lunch. I ordered up two tacos -- chorizo and beef. Again, moist, flavorful meat with spices. Chorizo was rich and greasy. (In a good way.) Beef was butchered right again and went great with squeezes of lime. There is a small bar of fresh salsas and chopped peppers and other vegetables. You can doctor them in the fashion that works for you. Seriously folks, these were delicious tacos, and Tere's pairs them up with horchata -- the creamy, refreshing Mexican soft drink that makes a special meal. R&R Taqueria makes a magical meal in a gas station. Now, there is an Ellicott City option as well.

The folks who run Tutti Frutti in Ellicott City are going to open a Bon Chon franchise nearby. They have a Facebook page announcing the Bon Chon. They say it should open in "approximately" January 2012.

One bit of news for local diners -- Bistro Blanc in Glenelg is opening a new "cellar" room next week for private dining and a chef table looking into the kitchen. This is a standard these days in city restaurants. But the only similar experience that I have heard about in Howard County is Aida Bistro. Rajneesh emailed me about the new space, which they have renovated and will soon outfit with a custom chef table. The new space is on the same level as the main dining room, but renovated out like a stone cellar. Rajneesh says they will be able to accomodate 18 for private dining and eight for the chef table looking into the kitchen. We actually chose Bistro Blanc for my birthday, and I'm months late to write an update post.

Maiwand Kabob is a great one to pull off the back page because it is still delicious after all these years. Still love the kabobs, but the side dishes actually make thing place one of the best in Howard County. Order the pumpkin appetizer. Order the mantwo appetizer. Order the bread. Word is that they're opening a new location near the Target on Rte 175. It's mentioned on the Maiwand Kabob Web site, but I don't know the timing.

I'm completely with 1000yregg that the great order is some fried chicken and some of the jjajangmyun -- noodles with black bean sauce. The Korean fried chicken bring a unique crunch and some serious heat. The crunch comes from the Mad for Chicken coating that has a unique crispness. It's a thin, almost-brittle layer over moist chicken underneath. The meat isn't particularly spicy, but the glaze on the outside delivers all the flavor that you'd want -- salty/sweet for the regular and mouth-numbing for the spicy. Seriously, the spice was almost too much for me, and my wife happily traded hot pieces for the regular when we ordered a mixed set. The magic of Korean fried chicken is that the glaze delivers that flavor without soaking down the crisp coating. It's a delicious dinner, definitely worth a drive to the Lotte shopping center on Rte 40 and definitely a worthy alternative to Chick n'Friends in Columbia or Harvest Fried Chicken in Woodbine. Personally, I'd order the wings or white meat. The ratio of crunch to meat was perfect in the wings.

Grab a roll of paper towels and make plans for an early lunch on the side of the road -- if you're lucky enough to work in Howard County. Right outside the entrance to the Savage MARC station is a guy with a pull-behind barbecue serving up delicious meats at roadside prices. I ate pulled pork Monday after being clued in by George Berkheimer of the The Business Monthly. David Welch had platters of meat cooking, and he pulled the pork off the bone to build an enormous sandwich for me. Then he left me to doctor it up with spicy sauce and his personal spice mixture. This is moist, firm meat coming right off the heat. It is a rich smokey flavor, but it's truly just pork. You really want to add spice and sauces -- maybe sauce in the bottom of the container -- so that you can dip and alternate flavors. My $6 sandwich was so large that I couldn't finish it off. I ate until full, then shredded the leftovers into soup tonight. Dave runs a weekly rotation -- pulled pork Mondays, beef brisket Tuesdays, big pork chops Wednesdays, ribs Thursdays, and chicken Fridays. Six bucks for each except the $9-19 ribs. He also sells kielbasa, half smokes and sodas. He worked originally in upscale hotel kitchens, then started a hot dog stand and moved onto the current deal where he works this lunch crowd and does catering through Dave's BBQ and Catering out of Laurel. Dave was a generous host, searing a piece of skin into crackling. He talked about his competitive barbecue wins, including a 2006 Maryland state championship. The other customers talked up the brisket and a once-a-month special of jambalaya. Dave starts selling at 9 am. I assume he gets business from the truckers who start their days early between the wholesale markets in Jessup down through all the business parks along U.S. 1. Some days, he is sold out before noon. This is a perfect spot if you work somewhere near Fort Meade, and it's off-and-on Rte 32 so it's doable from anywhere in Columbia. I'm going back as soon as I can figure out how to be home on a different weekday. Expect posts on brisket, chops and ribs over time! The catering -- which includes sides, utensils, etc. -- seems like a deal starting at $11/13-a-head if you pick it up and running to $21/23-a-head with all-you-can-eat spreads run by a catering crew. The one flaw in my plan was that I didn't get a napkin from Dave. I ate in a parking lot before my next errand, and I was glad to find a clean rag after chomping through juicy meat that had soaked through the light roll. So get those paper towels and start driving.

If you just want to try some tasty grilled beef, you need to check out the special antichuchos on the menu at Chick'n Pollo in Columbia. The restaurant in the Hickory Ridge village center does most of its business in Peruvian roast chicken, and I'm a fan of the chicken, sweet plantains and yuca fries. But the new find is another Peruvian speciality, the antichuchos. You get a plate with thin slices of marinated beef grilled on skewers. It's a slightly chewy texture, but a rich beef flavor, a bit salty from the marinade and perfectly paired with the spicy tomato salsa served on the side. The skewers come with a boiled potato that Chick'n Pollo drops in the flyer when you order. The potato halves come out crisp, but not greasy. Ask for an extra little container of the green sauce that they serve with the chicken. That creamy, spicy sauce goes great with the potato. That's it. Go try the antichuchos. You'll be happy. If you want to know more, then you need to read below. But do you? That's grilled heart, baby. Peruvian grilled heart on a skewer. Don't let the organ meat scare you off. Heart looks like cut-up steak. You get a strong beef flavor. You get a little more chew than you'd get from filet, but way more flavor. Chick'n Pollo puts a minor char on the meat. The first time that I ate antichuchos was as a high school exchange student. My vocabulary didn't match my appetite. After my host father asked which appetizer I liked best, I said the beef. He asked if I knew what it was. I didn't. Everyone chuckled. He asked if I knew what "corazon" meant. I didn't. Everyone chuckled again. He tried a few more words. Then he finally put his fist on his chest and went "thump, thump, thump." I got the point. I still ate the antichuchos. I'm not rushing out for tender or intestine, but heart somehow falls on the side of the line with tongue.

Whole Foods is negotiating to open its first Howard County store right next to the Columbia Mall, reports the Tales of Two Cities blog. The blog says Whole Foods is in the final stages of taking over the first floor of the former Rouse Company headquarters that was designed by Frank Gehry. http://bit.ly/sonZXr

We eat out infrequently so I tend to prefer dishes that I know that I can't make at home. That's how I ended up ordering from the "chick" part of the menu at Venegas Prime Filet in Fulton. My wife went true "steak house" with a filet and a side of macaroni and cheese. But that empty plate style -- a steak and nothing else -- seems odd to me. I was captivated by dishes where the skills are more obvious. "Tournedos of Filet Mignon." I had to ask how to pronounce the dish, and it was obvious from the first bite that I wouldn't know how to whip it up. Slices of steak, cooked perfectly, layered on top of sauteed spinach and potato pierogies, then topped with garlic butter shrimp. This was a terrific meal. Meat charred, but tender inside. Shrimp so sweet that I promised again not to buy the tasteless ones defrosted at the supermarket. The pierogies were crisp, but not greasy. In the pile, their centers became soft and rich with the drippings from the butter, meat and spinach. Their edges stayed crunchy. That's the skill of a professional chef. (And everyone should know that I'm completely biased because Venegas' chef is my neighbor.) By turning the pierogies perpendicular to the meat, you get a special dish where I alternated between bites of shrimp, meat, super-charged mashed potatoes, and crunchy crust. Anyone will tell you that Venegas is expensive. This is a special occasion spot, although we migth grab bar stools for a fried calamari treat. That's a real test for a restaurant, and Venegas delivers with all the devilish fun of fried food, but with squid that stayed tender even as the dish cooled. We loved it. I'm thinking about stools in the bar and calamari and sliders as a fun weeknight out. The menu says sliders come with tomato chutney. As I said, I'm a fan of sauces and combinations and all the little ways that real kitchens separate themselves from those of who just watch Top Chef.

Are you going to have a car? Or just walking/cabs from Hotel Monaco? I love Woodberry. I definitely agree with the folks who talk up Fells Point. You could walk around there (gelato, crab cakes, etc.) or Hampden as an evening out. I'd also suggest the Helmand for reasonably-priced Afghan.

If you like the carnitas, check out cochinta -- another pork variation with achiote and citrus. They had that on the handwritten menu on the wall with the buche, tripe, etc. I'd recommend trying anything here. So far, all the tacos have been delicious, and they're only $2 so you risk almost nothing!

The local coffee shop scene gets a new roast and a new take on international bulgogi now that Anna's Coffe Roastery has opened in Columbia. Anna's follows a line of local coffee shops that roasts its own coffee and sells a line of breakfast and lunch options until the end of the work day. They're getting nice comments online about the coffee, but I went right for the flashy stuff: bulgogi tacos. This seems like a staple trend in places like Los Angeles, but the bulgogi taco is a nice lunch option here in Howard County. It's the cousin of the bulgogi panini at Riverside Coffee -- and a similar use of Korean barbecue to head onto an international scene. Anna's sells two bulgogi versions -- a "sweet' version with beef and a "spicy" version with pork. They're thin-sliced meat, charred nicely and served on a corn tortilla with rice, letture and sour cream. In the end, neither is very sweet or spicy. The main flavors are the meat and their sauces, which were rich and offset nicely by the lettuce crunch. Like Riverside's panini, Anna's tacos are aimed at a general audience. It's a nice mix of Mexican and Korean favors, enticing to anyone who likes a little barbecue. My friend and I split two of the $8 taco plates, and I went spicy when he let me decide which of the final two tacos to finish. If anything, I could have taken more spicy too. A little kimchi, even on the side or as an optional topping? Or some pickled Mexican vegetables to add just a little zip?

Tian Chinese Cuisine actually isn't Chinese. It is Korean food -- the "Chinese" cuisine sold in Seoul in the same way that General Tso's Chicken is sold as Chinese cuisine here. As I have read, one of the basics are noodles served either in black bean sauce (jjajangmuyn) or in a spicy seafood soup (jjampong). But people had bemoaned the fact that no one around here makes their own noodles. Until now. An acquaintance told me that Tian had begun to smack out their own noodles. Literally. In the restaurant (and in the short video), you hear the thwack, thwack, thwack of someone slamming out noodle dough in the kitchen. With that inspiration, we ended up on only our second night of Korean-Chinese. Clearly, we're not the experts to comment on the intricacies of jjajangmyun, but the black bean noodles were delicious comfort food to me. The noodles are tender and chewy. They absorb the mild, black bean sauce, and it's a great contrast with the pickled radishes and onion that they serve as a limited panchan. We had jjajangmyun (#1) and a cold noodle soup (#18). Thinner noodles in the soup, also chewy. They came in cloudy broth with some hard boiled egg, a few slices of beef and paper-thin radishes. It's garnished with thin-cut vegetables, and you flavor it yourself with the clear vinegar that comes on the table and some excellent wasabi that comes in a small bowl. With the cold and the hint of vinegar, the soup came across like gaspacho. Refreshing and perfect after a hot day, although the taste is more mild and earthy rather than diced vegetables. Overall, Tian is a fun, inexpensive evening. Those two dishes would have filled us for less than $20. We also ordered steamed dumplings, which were fine but not special. Next time, I going for jjampong, the handmade noodles served in a spicy seafood soup. Tian offers combo meals where you can get two half orders on a plate split into two halves If the media link at the top of this post doesn't work, I posted the short video on Facebook.

Soretti's Ethiopian Cuisine has transformed itself into a nice, casual restaurant, and the Burtonsville spot has now begun to toss out the exotic items. Years ago, this was a coffee shop. But now Soretti's has spruced up the art, added more tables, and hung curtains to soften the front windows. They're serving beer, including an Ethiopian variety, and even offering bread made from the authentic teff. Teff is a grain, actually a grass native to Ethiopia. It's a gluten-free whole grain that people traditionally turn into the spongy injera bread that literally forms the basis for Ethiopian meals. People take meat or vegetarian stews and serve them on plate-sized discs of injera. You eat by tearing pieces of bread and scooping up stew. In most American restaurants, the injera is actually made from all or mostly wheat. Teff bread is more expensive and harder to make, but Soretti's has begun to offer the original for a $2 up-charge. Give it a shot. I took advantage of the current lunch deal -- $8.50 for any dish except the meat combinations. I got a vegetarian combination, which meant five different stews and two pieces of injera. Two kinds of lentils, cabbage, greens and a spicy tomato salad. It's delicious food, and it was a deal even with $2 for the teff injera. Teff injera is drier than the type that I'm used to eating. It is a bit darker. It is also less sour. I hold out hope that Mrs. HowChow will like it more. Injera has never been her thing -- thus why I go for the lunch special on a day when I was off work by myself. I feel like the teff was, ironically, less exotic and more like the flavor of a familiar bread. But let's be honest: It's a unique bread on its own. I really can't suggest Sorretti's enough. The owner is extremely friendly, and the food is delicious. Definitely try the sambusas, which are a variation on the samosa, empanada, fried filled pastry. Two people should consider ordering a pair of combination plates -- one meat, one veg -- so that you can taste a variety. Or start simple with the beef or chicken tibs. This is a hole in the wall worth the drive one exit south of the county line. If you're down on Rte 198, consider two other options for dessert -- homemade ice cream at Seibel's or tres leches cake at Cuba de Ayer. They're in the same stretch of Rte 198 just west of Rte 29.

Definitely kosher, and they announced last week that they're aiming to open in May 2011 -- presumably after Passover. Pita & Rye circulated a press release with quotes from owner Jay Fridkis and Rabbi Hillel Baron, who will supervise the kosher kitchen. Baron, who runs Congregation Ahavas Israel, says in the release that this will be Howard County's first kosher food establishment.

I think that I know the name of the rabbi who will oversee the "kosherness" of the deli, so I'm pretty confident. I did stare at the pictures trying to decide if there was cheese on any of the sandwiches. Probably not my most-useful time spent considering that the Web site content may just be stock photos or even a stock menu.

There will be a new deli in the Maple Lawn development -- apparently called Pita & Rye. The talk is that it will be a kosher deli, actually supervised by a rabbi and not just "kosher style." This is in Fulton just off Rte 216. Does anyone know about Pita & Rye?

Red Pearl has added dim sum, and it delivers all the ingredients for brunch -- good food, a relaxed pace, and just enough chatter in the restaurant to energize the day. Red Pearl dim sum became the official meal of our holidays -- Christmas Day, one weeknight, then New Year's Day again. Steamed dumplings with barbecued pork. Roasted duck. Shrimp in rice noodle sheets. I could grab dishes off each cart that passed by, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Red Pearl started with an authentic Sichuan menu that they've augmented since last summer with Hong-Kong-style dim sum. You can order from a menu on weekdays -- even at dinner -- but the real drama is weekend brunch when waitresses push rolling carts. Bring a crew so you can share a table of flavors. For me, Red Pearl meets or exceeds the dim sum at Asian Court in Ellicott City or Oriental East in Silver Spring. A large selection, and terrific classics like shu mai, sticky rice, steamed BBQ pork dumplings, and fried sesame balls. The shrimp dumplings were filled with spinach and seafood that tasted fresh and sweet. If Red Pearl beat out my old spots, it was because of unusual items like shrimp in rice noodles and roast pork with crispy skin -- a great texture considering that many dim sum can be starchy and soft. They even have special carts where a waitress crisped up chicken dumplings so that they hit our table sizzling. After two full tables, I still haven't tried the soft tofu dessert or the black "sesame rolls" that I saw after gorging last weekend. Dim sum can also be a parade of meat, so I'd highlight two vegetarian items -- the large plate of Chinese broccoli and the vegetable dumplings. Those round dumplings have a delicate flavor Ask the waitresses what they have on their cart. Often, they'll just show you the best seller even though they have three or more items hidden in metal containers. Ask for anything that you don't see. We got the vegetable dumplings because a waitress went and found vegetarian items for us. At least the last two weekends, it was a Chinese crowd in Red Pearl. The glass dividers create private areas, but the restaurant chattered with energy. (And it wasn't distracting because most of the conversation wasn't in a language that I don't understand.) That suggests they're pleasing people with more dim sum knowledge than I have

Korean restaurants continue to pop up on Rte 40 in Ellicott City, and the new Lighthouse Tofu BBQ makes the strip even more attractive for anyone who wants to venture out from Baltimore. Lighthouse Tofu is a branch from an established Rockville restaurant just like Honey Pig came from a Virginia original. It's a deceptive storefront -- a tiny sign at the end of a shopping center with a Jerry's subs. The door opens into a bright, spacious restaurant that was packed last Saturday night. This is casual food. The menu -- at least the one that I saw -- was only three pages long. There are many variations, but you basically choose between savory pancakes as an appetizer and between tofu stews, grilled meats and octopus/noodle dishes for the main courses. The prime dishes are the stews called soon doo boo. They're tofu stews. You pick your level of spiciness and whether you want beef, oysters, others seafood or kimchi as the flavoring. The stew comes out still simmering from the kitchen, and the waitress cracks an egg that you stir into the stew where it basically disappears among the other ingredients. The medium soon doo boo with beef and pork made a perfect winter dinner, warm and luscious in way that filled us up but didn't leave us stuffed at all. It's a simpler place than Shin Chon Garden. The panchan -- pickled side dishes that come to every table -- were limited to sprouts, chopped garlic, a cucumber salad, and two kinds of kimchi, including a "water kimchi" that was lightly-spiced and new for me. The bulgogi and other meats are cooked in the kitchen, and they don't come with the spicy sauce or the lettuce to make little rolls. But the waitresses welcomed us even though we were the only table in the room that didn't appear to speak Korean. They explained all the dishes, checked in regularly to refill tea and panchan, and kept asking if we were happy. And we were. The flavors were delicious, and it was just fun to enjoy different variations of Korean food. Lighthouse cooks its rice in stone pots, which they bring to the table. After the waitress spoons out most of the rice, she pours tea over the rice that has charred against the pot. That brews until they end the meal by ladling charred rice tea with some soggy grains into a metal cup. It tastes like charred rice, a palate-cleansing end to a spicy meal. The waitress said it helps digestion.

There is talk that a new southern Indian restaurant will fill the Columbia space where Aida Bistro left for its new, expanded home. I heard that the people who own House of India are going to open the new place with dosas, idli, etc. Anyone hear about more details?

The flavor in a donut comes from sugar and oil, but the magic comes from making fried food that tastes light. The donuts at Laurel Tavern Donuts comes out soft and puffy, topped with the simplest cinnamon or frosting and easily the best part of a cold morning. Even the cake donuts are light. They have a sweet crust that supports the strawberry frosting, then gives way to airy cake inside. If Laurel Tavern Donuts were owned by some 21-year-old college grads, it would have a marketing story about old-fashioned technique and artisan donuts. They'd hit up a local farm for some berries, and they'd push a tale of locally-grown produce to get some of the love that food writers have blindly lavished on cupcakes and lawyers who quit to make food. But this is Laurel. The "tavern" sits on U.S.1, and its immigrant owners offer coffee and a dozen variations on fried dough. You should go for a donut worth the calories. Sweet, slightly oily, but still light enough to make Dunkin Donuts taste leaden and tired. Check out the donut holes as well. The Laurel Tavern is in the former location of the Little Tavern chain. They also serve up breakfast sandwiches and mini-burgers along the lines of the Little Tavern speciality. I haven't tried those yet.

Sushi Sono has added two new rolls -- master pieces of fish and vegetables that push their already-imaginative food. The new rolls come on top of one of the best restaurants in Howard County. It's pricey. About $50 for three large rolls, a soda, and edamame. But those rolls are unique and inventive: The "sunshine roll" -- tuna with crunchy seaweed topped with spicy tuna tataki and a dallop of mango sauce. It's a spectacular roll. Fish with the spicy edge, the sweet of fruit, and the crunch of the seaweed. Special seaweed, the Sushi Sono folks explained. Cooked to create the crunch. Not the crackling of a cracker, but more the crunch of bean sprouts. The "sushi nugget" -- cooked tuna with onion, topped with scallop and then baked. You get five pieces laid on their side. It's rich and cozy. The wrapper has a slight crunch, but the real flavor comes from the fish and, I think, some type of sauce. The sunshine roll matches the No. 12 roll that the Columbia restaurant introduced earlier this year. That was a delicious roll with a tempura shrimp topped with tuna and a spicy sauce. The sunshine is light and flavorful. The tuna is spiced, then seared before its sliced on top. The roll fulfills sushi's best promise of fresh fish dressed up for a party. In contrast, the sushi nugget was a complete surprise. The roll comes hot. It's not the clean, light notes of most sushi. The warm, mellow flavor comes more like a winter soup, a restaurant soup where someone with skill has balanced ingredients into some special. It's closer to Volt than a sushi bar. Rich and concentrated like a stuffed mushroom, but sweet with the scallops on top. I don't throw Volt around lightly. This was a dish that someone thought about. "Small plate" cuisine where some chef has experimented and turned out bites that I couldn't figure out, let alone replicate. Worth a drive from either city.

The Town Grill in Lisbon is the place to go when you want counter service for barbecue and self-serve for gasoline. One of Howard County's best spots for grilled and smoked meats is inside the Citgo station on Rte 144 just off I-70. It's a classic joint, but don't let the basic spot fool you about the food. The Town Grill serves food with real flavor and skill. This isn't retro spot to go just because it's a quaint or unique. Instead, this is a place where the BBQ starts strong and the side dishes deliver country flavor with modern freshness and ensure that you have a terrific meal. This is the perfect place to get lunch if you go pick-your-own fruit at Larriland Farm. We parked a car packed with peaches last weekend and ate a late lunch of ribs and pulled pork. The pork was juicy with a good flavor. I ordered horseradish, which Mrs. HowChow liked, although next time she'll order extra barbecue sauce on the side. The ribs are a weekend special and come on the firm side, which meant they were perfect for me because we have a Jack Spratt thing going between firm, smoked meat and the fall-off-the-bone variety that my wife loves. The half rack was huge. The exterior was crisp, and the meat inside was moist and tasty. Lots of meat on each bone. With the ribs came sides that absolutely made the meal. Coleslaw that was fresh and light. Cornbread that came out hot, light and tasting of a home kitchen. (Or maybe better than home. A young guy sitting behind us called out, "This cornbread is better than my grandmother's.") And the best was a huge dish of baked beans -- thick and flavored with meat and something that gave it a spicy kick. None of the sugar rush that makes me skip most beans. The side dishes paired beautifully with the meat, and they're way better than I'd expect at even a good BBQ place. We sat outside, and the grill guys plied us with extras -- a little starter of grilled corn, potatoes and squash, then a taste of fresh pickles. (Also, check out the smoked salmon. They smoke it on site. It's smoked fillets -- great for pasta or cooking, not really salty enough to replace lox on a bagel.) This is a "hole in the wall" kind of place. It is literally in the Citgo, so you might have friends who don't want to eat in a gas station. But they're missing out.

Wegmans now says -- through Twitter -- that the store planned for Columbia won't open until 2012. It had looked that way, but it's official now. The site is cleared, but they're still doing roadwork on the surrounding area.