Restaurant Review - Belcibo Cafe

One thing you have to do, is keep your eye out for the new local places when they pop up. A great way to do this is using your friends on facebook and instagram. IG is especially good because once you identify something that you like, they help you to discover more things just like it and since I love new food and to eat, getting the suggestion of new restaurants is always great. That is where I first got a glimpse at this new place located in Reisterstown Road Plaza, Belcibo Cafe.

Though they have been open for a couple of weeks, they just recently had their grand opening and for me, I'd rather not do one with the festivities if only to try and avoid a crowd, lines and wait times where possible. So I took the kids down on a Saturday morning in order to finally get a shot at the chicken beignets which had caught my eye via their ig page. The location itself isn't all that big but it's cozy enough and you have a seating area for eating or your wait (more on that later). The staff is more than pleasant and I witnessed them speaking to people walking by to draw attention to the restaurant. They also came and checked up on us and acknowledged our presence during our time there and it was appreciated.

The menu is simple enough, there is a nice variety of breakfast items which are available all day which include a variety of waffles, breakfast sandwiches and biscuits. The lunch menu has a nice list of sandwiches several of which I want to try. There was also a special of the day and they had something I haven't seen before, the "lemonade bar" where they can add one (or maybe more) additional flavors to their lemonade. I ordered the chicken beignets, a chicken biscuit and my daughter ordered a sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. She tried a pina colada lemonade while I had original.


Now what you're waiting for the taste test. The chicken biscuit was solid. I'm not sure if the maple butter was on it, I didn't taste any but the chicken is almost perfect, though I felt like overall it needed a touch of salt. Subtle thing that made it better, they use thigh meat which means it stays moist and doesn't dry out like breast meat tends to do. The portion size was also great for the price. The Beignets have the same thing, nice, moist chicken that needs a touch more salt, however, the breading has a nice mixture of sweetness and savory flavor. Dipped into the syrup, it's the best part of chicken and waffles together in a bite sized package. My daughter liked her sausage, egg and cheese sandwich and everything is very fresh. Note, the sausage is turkey and they don't have any pork items on the menu, only turkey bacon on some of the sandwiches. The lemonade....man they are betaing chick-fil-a with this. I only got a medium but I should have just said give me all of it. Balanced, sweet but not overly so, I can't give it enough accolades. I didn't try my daughter's pina colada but I can imagine those flavors pair exceptionally well given what the base lemonade tastes like.

Look if you are in the area, you need to stop by Belcibo and give it a try. I said the chicken is slightly under salted however it is still tasty, cooked well and tender. Using thighs is a great choice that most places won't make. The lemonade is great and the staff is friendly. the only issue was it seemed to be confusion in the back of the house. Our order took kind of long to come out as well as another couple who was waiting. While they were nice about it, I do have to ding them a little bit because of it, I mean that's kind of important. Hopefully, this was an anomaly and going forward they will be a bit quicker. But if you have some time, don't let that deter you from going over and grabbing a bite.



Rating:4/5

Read More

Taste Test - Sunset Raw Acai Bowl and Smoothies

This is a sort of an odd review. It is a hybrid restaurant review, a little bit, and a taste test of the products at this new entry to the eateries in Owings Mills, Maryland's Foundry Row development. Unlike a lot of the shops over at Foundry Row, this is a smaller business that isn't a huge corporation. I was excited to be able to come in and try these bowls because I have seen them on instagram but never had a place to go and actually try one until now.

Sunset Raw is sparse on the interior but it also seems to fit with the healthy concept. There is a bar seating area for ordering and enjoying as well as a few tables and chairs both inside and outside. They also have a cooler for their prepared juices which you can buy to go and looking at their social media pages, they have been successful with that part of the business for sure. Ordering was quick and painless and I chose to try the sunshine acai bowl while my kids both went with mango smoothies.

My son for some reason had a problem with his drink, I wouldn't put much stock in it however because he still drank it. I think it was the idea that dates are in it and he doesn't know what they actually are. My daughter who is the smoothie expert said the smoothie was filling and good, however she still prefers Tropical smoothie cafe and another local place, The Flying Avocado better. I ordered the sunshine acai bowl which comes with bananas, blueberries, strawberries, coconut flakes and granola. I passed on the coconut but had everything else.

It's always a big question when trying something you have never had when you don't know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised by this. The acai berry mixture reminds me of a slightly "grape" flavored strawberry concoction. It tastes good, and just very normal. The granola settled in just underneath the layer of fruit and you get some with every spoonful of acai. It's weird, just because this is pretty much a smoothie, but you're using a spoon. The fruit was fresh and blended well with the 'smoothie' mixture. That's the biggest rub for me, it's kind of hard to eat, especially in this large container. I live maybe 5 minutes away and the melt by the time I got home was a little bit much. There is also no way to really save it for later, I have it in the freezer, but I don't want it to completely freeze. This might be a good item to share with another, especially when coupled with the prices which are a bit high for a smoothie concoction. Acai bowls are about $10-$12 and smoothies are close to 9 bucks starting out. It's not a budget friendly item. However, other than that, everything was solid overall.


Rating: 4/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - Matchbox American Kitchen

There are a lot of smaller local chains that are around these days. Restauranteurs are getting much better with getting a concept up and running and having the process worked out much more quickly in the past. This allows them to try and stay around with economies of scale and to return some of the money to investor much more quickly. Matchbox American kitchen fits into that mold. With not more than a handful of locations, they are prevalent enough to be accessible, yet somewhat special. At least that's the goal.

Matchbox fits right into the mold of too many new restaurants. Exposed steel, reclaimed wood, very hipster chic. I get why, it looks clean and nice, and is less expensive than other designs. However, at this point, it's not a really good way to separate yourself visually from the swaths of other restaurants selling new age 'pub fare' or bar food. This particular location located in Rockville, MD was fine, but it didn't seem too inviting overall. For comparison, I would look to Iron Rooster which is very similar but has more down home colors that bring it some warmth as opposed to the red of Matchbox.


Outside of the decor, the menu is standard fare and my wife started with cream of crab soup. The soup was nice in it's flavor and the amount of crab. No complaints. However it did come out lukewarm, for her that's fine but if I had ordered it I would want it to be actually a hot bowl. I ordered a double pepperoni brick oven pizza. My wife ordered a burger which came with a ridiculous mountain of onion straws. The onions were good though, nice flavor and texture but in my mind the presentation was crazy overdone. I don't need that many onion straws, it seems like it could be very wasteful. They also put a little bit too much arugula on the burger itself. My pizza was somewhat disappointing. The pepperoni was very good. It definitely was the star of the show because the sauce was boring and the crust was bland as well. Regarding the preparation, the crust wasn't as crispy as I would like it to be in the middle.


Matchbox might have had an off day in terms of preparation. That happens. However I don't know if the food itself warrants giving them a second chance. While it wasn't bad, it wasn't groundbreaking either. For my pizza I would prefer to go to Blaze or somewhere like that which is less expensive but tastes better to me. The soup was good, but lukewarm and the burger, while presented nice, and decent flavor, doesn't do enough to warrant a repeated visit. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and other times...it just is. This was one of those times. The one thing that does still interest me, is the opportunity to try their short ribs....I am there for that.


Rating: 3/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - Chicken Shak

So There is a nice little location in Reisterstown that has been home to several small restaurants over the past few years. I couldn't tell you why so many don't last other than the fact that most restaurants in general fail. However, I have high hopes for the latest tenant in the space, Chicken Shak, a mix of Peruvian style charcoal chicken, and local style "pit" meat sandwiches. My wife and I went in recently to check it out.

First of all Chicken Shak is not to be confused with a small Michigan based chain called Chicken Shack. This is a brand new idea that mixes one of the new hot sensations at least in this area, of Peruvian charbroiled chicken and a Maryland staple of pit beef, turkey, and pulled chicken. The menu is a little bit large and includes Whole, Quarter, and Half chickens, chicken tacos, salads, salmon, and the aforementioned pit beef and turkey. Then there are the sides which are pretty numerous with cole slaw, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and different kinds of rice.

For our meal My wife and I split a chicken which is cooked nicely, it has great charcoal and smoke flavor through the meat and the white meat is moist which can be tricky with chicken. My wife was especially impressed with the seasoning blend on the skin of the chicken. My chicken had some extra sauce on it which I dipped my chicken in and it was good and enhanced the flavor. It tastes like the seasoning blend from the chicken in a liquid form. I like the broccoli as well which wasn't mushy and did have some flavor to it. The cole slaw wasn't my wife's favorite, it was a bit tart for her.

For the kids they had BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches. The chicken was the same as the charbroil chicken that I had but pulled apart and put together like a traditional pulled chicken sandwich. The sauce is sweet and reminds of something like Sweet Baby Ray's. But mixed with the good flavor of the chicken it works really well. it is served with home made kettle style chips. They are thick cut and a little on the burnt side, which I like, but they weren't even mine and I might have eaten too many. They could cut back on how many they give, and maybe cook a little lighter, but it wasn't bad.

Chicken Shak is a nice new restaurant with a good product. I will be going back to give the pit sandwiches a try and to see what they do with the Salmon. They are just getting started so there are some service kinks, however when they get over that hump things should be good for them. The food I tasted was good and unique and a worthy competitor to the places already in the market. The restaurant has a nice clean design and incorporates a lot of the modern design that is going on in the market place.


Rating: 4/5

Read More

Restaurant Review- Andy Nelson's BBQ

If you don't know anything else from the things I post on this blog about what I like to eat, you would learn that I just love BBQ. The smoke, the charcoal, the beef, the sauce, all of it. Andy Nelson's is one of the most lauded places in the Baltimore area to get some Q. Always on the list, I finally had a reason to be in the area to stop in and get a taste of it.

So Andy Nelson's is a quaint place with an outdoor shed set up that was bustling in the nice fall air that existed in the morning, an indoor seating area near where you order, a drive through - which my daughter and I were impressed by, and a separate area for catering orders. It's obvious that it's a popular spot. The decor is quaint and southern roadside, not what you would expect to find in this area at all. In comparison Mission BBQ is a corporate version of that style while Urban BBQ is a hipster version of the same concept. This is the real deal. They sell their sauces and some other items inside and ordering was quick and easy. The staff was warm and the food came out quickly.

Now in order to provide a comparison between all of these places, I try to make sure I order the same or at least similar items. So today it was a brisket sandwich for me with greens and Macaroni and cheese. I also ordered a half pound of rib tips. my daughter had the pulled pork sandwich with macaroni and potato salad. I am glad I got some sauce on the side because it's not on the sandwich, nor given on the side unless you grab it.

For my food, the brisket on the sandwich was from the lean part of the brisket, which is the worst part to give-on it's own. I have come to believe that if you don't ask me which part I would like it from, you should be giving me a mixture of both because you need some fat for tenderness. The rib tips were pretty good. Some pieces were more tender than others, but it also felt like it wasn't quite as slow cooked or smoked. it was marinated well and the flavor was well infused, but it didn't have a rub or anything on it. I did dip it in some of the classic red Andy Nelson's sauce, which was fine. It wasn't overly sweet or overly tangy. It was a good balance of flavors.

The sides were only so-so to me. I was told the potato salad was a bit salty, I didn't try it myself unfortunately. The Greens that I had weren't bad. They were seasoned alright but some more salt might have been good. They pale in comparison to those from Urban BBQ though which are some of the best you can get from a restaurant period. The macaroni and cheese was realer than say Boston Market, but also when compared to the BBQ places in the area which are chains of some kind, it doesn't keep up. Mission BBQ and Urban are way better with more love and time spent on their Mac and Cheese sides.


Andy Nelson's may have been crowned by the local media and magazines but it doesn't make it for me. While the place itself is a character, the food lacks the same charm. it's a bit sparse and bare and when I see these kinds of accolades given to a place I expect the flavors to stand out a little more and be bolder and stronger. I can't give Andy Nelson's the same accolades as others, it's alright to me but I wouldn't rush out to try it again.


Rating: 2.5/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - Bagby Pizza Company

So Foundry Row is bustling and new shops are opening up every week. Searching for a bite to eat after a long day at work I figured something familiar yet good was in order so i rolled into Bagby Pizza Company, expecting to drop in order our normal pies and roll out. Lo and Behold I was surprised to see that apparently, Bagby is two different concepts under one umbrella, which could work but is definitely confusing.

So I normally get a bbq chicken pizza but as I ordered, i noticed that not only this version of the restaurant has pizzas, but also sandwiches and pasta. If that were the difference, that one is slightly larger and has an expanded menu I could understand it even if I thought it wasn't a good idea. However, there are also multiple pizza sizes, Small and Regular to choose from and if you look closely, some minor menu differences that could make a difference if you are really particular.

My wife and son are plain pizza types, so I got a pizza split with cheese and half with pineapples added. The crust is pretty good, I still think the other location seemed a bit better however. They also drop circles of mozzarella which is fine but when trying to eat the pizza and pull it apart, the cheese didn't separate on the slices like i felt that it should. The pineapple also wasn't actually cooked onto the pizza, just placed there afterwards which my wife wasn't feeling as much.

My daughter's BBQ chicken pizza was a little different but the chicken wasn't bad. It just seemed to be missing something. I ordered a Turkey and Bacon sandwich. I thought that it would be a warm sandwich for some reason but it's a cold sandwich on ciabatta bread. The turkey is good and the garlic aioli is superb. The bacon is salty and mixed with everything it is definitely good. I really like this, if it is a big more than I would expect in price. This is a decent addition to the menu.

The service was fine, the young men working were prepared and got the dining area cleaned quickly after customers left. The food came out fast as well. The one thing, I live maybe 5 minutes away and by the time I got into my door, the pizza was lukewarm. 


I don't pretend to be a restauranteur but I do think that there are a couple of issues with how Bagby is doing things. It's not really the food, because it is still solid, if not what I have expected and that's solely based on the operation. Because it is so close to the "Bagby Pizza" location there is bound to be confusion as to what is different and what is the same at each place. I can appreciate the addition of sandwiches and pasta, but the main draw is the pizza and they should be the same at both locations. At least the same recipes would be nice so there would be symmetry. I'm willing to give them more chances, and try some sandwiches but just the confusion I got was a bit unnerving.


Rating: 2.5/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - Shake Shack

I have stuff just sitting around to post and this one is a place that has such a legend behind it at this point, and a great chef backing that it might be somewhat controversial at the end. Shake Shack is a public company now, with huge fanfare and a very strategic growth plan. While the fast casual upscale burger business is booming, no one has the reputation that the Shack has at this point. So during Baltimore Comic con weekend, the family made a trip to the Baltimore Inner Harbor location to see what the hype was about.

There is no shortage of burger spots in the area and a new one Smashburger is opening soon around the corner from my home and there is a heavy presence of Five Guys. Being that one of the big things that was being hailed was the chicken sandwich, I decided to go with that and step outside of the burger box to see what some are comparing to the infamous Chick-fil-a sandwich in a favorable manner. My wife went with the grilled hot dog smothered in cheese, while the kids both had the shack burgers with sauce on the side.

The chicken sandwich was good, but it didn't break any ground. I wouldn't wait in line for it if there was a chick-fil-a close by is what I'm saying. It has shredded lettuce and Buttermilk herb mayo which was cool to me. It just wasn't crazy good. I had a lemonade to drink which was excellent however.

The kids were less than impressed with their burgers, although my son did tell me that it was better once the shack sauce was on the burger, which he tried after tasting it without. They also had milkshakes which just felt like Mcdonalds to my taste buds. My daughter openly said she preferred the Five Guys burgers. My wife said the hot dog was as expected.

Overall, I was not terribly impressed, given all of the hype surrounding the chain. It wasn't bad but it didn't make me want to rush back when there are other versions of this concept that taste better and are more affordable.


Rating: 2.5/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - Geb's Barbecue

I love Barbecue and it was suggested that I try this place out which is in the business center in Woodlawn between Security Boulevard and Liberty Road. It is a breakfast and lunch place, set up to be able to accommodate the local area business center employees and the federal employees located not too far away. The first thing about this place is that it is hidden away in the cut in a nondescript building. Even once entering the building itself, it's easy to get thrown off because you walk into a lobby and the eatery is off to the side. It is jarring.

The decor is nice and friendly but the space seems to have been an old cafeteria the way you are herded around. The new thing is chalkboards and I don't have a problem with it. I'm not a breakfast guy although Gebs does sell breakfast food all the hours they are opened, I went to try some Q! There was also an odd smell like the mop water wasn't fresh.

I ordered a brisket sandwich and fries and my daughter had a grilled chicken sandwich. The food didn't take long to come out and the staff was friendly. For my daughter's sandwich, she said the chicken was a little dry however the sauce on it was really good and made up for it. The fries smelled great the entire ride home and they weren't overly seasoned but not exactly what I was expecting when I finally got a chance to check them out and taste them.

My brisket sandwich had potential but ultimately didn't deliver. The roll was classic and tasty. The barbecue sauce is pretty good as well, no complaints with it and it was the best part of the meal. The brisket, while it had flavor, was too tough for my liking. When I get brisket it should come apart easily not fight me and that was a real downer.


Geb's seems like it could be a good place to eat but I wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was a bad day, and maybe as some reviews say, it is better for breakfast than the barbecue. I wanted to really enjoy it but I felt let down by the brisket.



Rating: 2/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - Iron Rooster Baltimore

So I know I've been gone for a minute but work....man work. But I did manage to get something new squeezed in courtesy of my wife who made us reservations at a restaurant I wanted to try called the Iron Rooster. Some of you between Baltimore and Annapolis probably have an idea and may have heard of it as they have been making a name through some nice new food selections and a great social media presence. Their instagram page looks great! So anyway, we made it on a nice Saturday afternoon to the Baltimore location which I guess is technically in Brewer's Hill.


The atmosphere, is something out of a food network set to me. The location is bright and airy with a new "modern country" style to it. White washed wood, pale but bright colors, designed to look slightly worn. For instance, they serve water out of a large 'canning' jar at the table. The booth we sat in was absolutely huge.

We absolutely went in part because at The Emporiyum my wife and I had candied bacon, which we thought was a regular menu item but it was actually something that they did special. We ordered the Orange Marmalade BBQ pork belly that was on the menu and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't the candied bacon either. The sauce that was on it had a nice flavor, though the bacon itself was more fatty than I tend to like but my son destroyed it. Now let's talk about the service here because it's important. After getting into our entrees my wife was still wishing she could have the candied bacon. Our server asked his manager about it who came over to our table, explained that it was a special thing they did, but then said he would get the chef on duty to try and make us some with no charge just because it was apparent we had been really looking forward to it. We got the bacon a few minutes later and I definitely think that that is the kind of above and beyond service that has to be highlighted.

Now to our meal, I ended up getting the chicken and waffles, my son, a short stack of pancakes, my daughter, the cakes on cakes, and my wife got the french toast. Now cakes on cakes has crab cakes set on top of fried green tomatoes and cornmeal pancakes with asparagus and a chipotle hollandaise. I tasted her crab cakes and they were very fresh, it is three small cakes but they have little binder or filler. I don't eat tomatoes so I can't tell you about those, but the cornmeal cake was fine. The french toast that my wife had was good on it's own and it wasn't too soggy or dry. It had a good bite to it and was cooked just right. She ordered strawberries on the side but didn't really think they were needed.



Now I didn't think the pancakes were great, but they weren't bad either. They just were...pancakes. However, the Bourbon Brown Butter that they served with the pancakes and french toast was superb. It had the right amount of flavor and richness. It was almost like it could be used for ice cream or as a dessert itself. I had the chicken and waffles, and while it's not a large breast piece of chicken it is served well by it's size. The chicken was very flavorful and moist at the same time, it was the perfect size. It was just damn good. It also came with white gravy which I felt needed a little bit more salt and probably should have had on the chicken instead of on the side where it cooled really fast. it was a tad under seasoned for my tastes but it wasn't far off. The home fries are different because they are shaved more than anything else and they were nice and crispy. Some folks might have found them a little bit over but I like mine just in that way so I enjoyed them.

We had the nerve to get dessert, with us sharing the red velvet waffle ice cream sandwich. The waffle was nice, warm, not too thick and paired well with the ice cream and chocolate chips, although they were kind of large. We also had a drunken apple which is an apple baked in Cabernet syrup with ice cream and cinnamon-sugar biscuit waffle. Both desserts were large enough to share and the waffles done to perfection.

Overall this was a good trip. I would try the iron rooster again, although they have a somewhat simple menu there are a couple of other things that I personally will want to try including the waffle burger. The prices were reasonable for what we ordered and it was fulfilling. I do feel like there could be a little more in terms of salt and pepper with some of the food but it's a minor quibble. Extra points just based off of the manager and staff and taking care of us. The atmosphere was nice and the place is spacious. I try not to get people too excited over food places because expectations can ruin an experience but I would say if you want a nice brunch the Iron rooster is worth a visit and I could see it being worth the try for the evening hours as well, even if you're not a breakfast fan like the other members of my family. I saw a pot pie that looked great too. (edit-my wife made me update my ratings)

Rating:
Service: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - B.Doughnut

Instagram is a great place to find new things to eat and small specialty shops. Going through my feed I found a place I had never heard of before located in Baltimore in the Hampden area. The photos looked great but I wasn't sure I wanted to try and make the trip, especially without a guarantee to even get to taste all of the varieties that I I wanted. I took the trip anyway and it was well worth it.

The place is a small little store front just off of the main drag of Hampden, and midway down the block you could possibly miss it, the sign and front is so small. They are only open 730am to 1pm Wednesday through Sunday so I can imagine the weekends are crazy hectic. The area where you go in to purchase is tiny, smaller than your local every day coffee shop. They display the donuts on the counter on a tray so you can see what varieties are available. You can also see the menu for the week on their social media pages and they also have their own version of 'cronuts' on the weekends.

I ordered a wide variety, chocolate creme, vanilla creme, strawberry cheesecake, coffee creme and walnut, cinnamon and sugar, lemon creme, and the Homer which looks a lot like the doughnut eaten by the infamous cartoon character from the Simpsons. They all look pretty much the same except for the small bit of filling that sticks out of the pastries. None of their doughnuts have holes either, including the glazed and chocolate covered which I didn't get on this visit.

The best doughnut, Vanilla Creme which is soft and fluffy. A filling that has good balance and sweetness although my wife wanted even more inside. It's the same thing for the chocolate creme and lemon filled. The creme has the flavor you expect, and it isn't artificial at all. The coffee creme with walnut is also good and it's cool because it's a straight coffee flavor, and the sweetness from one's sugar or cream come from the doughnut itself and the walnuts are a nice little touch. The strawberry cheesecake is pretty good as well. Now the non filled doughnuts didn't wow me as much but maybe warmed up they would shine even more.


I was slightly worried that I would waste my time driving into Hampden to get doughnuts which can be hit or miss often times. I was very surprised at the fact these doughnuts were this good. Very fresh (you can really taste that in the dough) with great high quality fillings it is worth the trip if you have the time to get over there. They are opening soon in Virginia as well so they will be lucky to have a place this good and be accessible.

Rating: 4.5/5

Read More

Restaurant Review - Phoebe's Coffee & Bakery

Phoebe's is an independent coffee shop that is in Montgomery County. I stopped in trying to avoid the chain addiction which is Dunkin Donuts. While I just went in for some coffee and a pastry, Phoebe's also offers a wide array of sandwiches and some salads for your morning, lunch, and early afternoon desires.

The coffee prices aren't bad for this kind of shop and it has a good taste, although I didn't feel like the caffeine hit me the same way as Dunkin Coffee tends to do and I am not sure as to why that seems to happen when I visit the smaller coffee shops. They do have a nice looking selection of sweets and I ended up trying a couple of their small cheesecakes and macaroons which I was very surprised to see.

Let's talk about the macaroons, they are a nice size, and about average in price and have some decent original flavors. I tried both the Smores Macaroon and the Fruity Pebbles. The Smores could have had slightly more marshmallow taste and I would have liked to had some graham flavor instead of just chocolate and vanilla. There is also a nice little bit of straight up chocolate in the middle. The Fruity pebbles is a little more dividing. No one else in my house liked them which I thought they would, though I did enjoy it. There is a nice burst of different flavors like the cereal but there is an odd little graininess to it. I would still eat it again.

The mini cheesecake's which I tried were Red Velvet Cheesecake and Key Lime. They were alright, I was slightly underwhelmed by the red velvet though the cheesecake itself is fine. The Key lime had good lime flavor but was topped with coconut which I am against personally. They were cool though but I was more impressed by the macaroons.

This is a nice little spot to stop into and grab coffee and nice little bite to eat. The prices aren't too bad at all and the feel of the place is really nice. I'm going to go back and try some of their sandwiches in the future.


Rating: 3.5/5

Read More

Restaurant Review- Jersey Mike's Subs

The battle of the sub shops seems to be constantly on new ground here in Maryland and a spot that has been here for a couple of years now though I am just getting around to them is Jersey Mike's Subs, an East Coast chain that has a mix of hot and cold subs. I guess the idea is that this is your local sub shop on a chain scale so you will always know where the 'good' sub shop is without the local guesswork.

In a rush with the kids we stopped in in lieu of McDonalds. My son devoured his Ham and Provolone without complaint. Myself, I had the Turkey and Provolone while my daughter got a cheese steak- pretty much plain. Now as far as chain cheese steaks go. I'm totally against. They are always missing the flavor of a good seasoned off the grid grill and they are so pre-measured it never even looks like a cheesesteak. The other main problem was it took a long time for them to get started and it wasn't busy.

Now my turkey and provolone is just that. A Turkey and provolone sandwich. Shredded lettuce is cool i guess, it was crisp. the fact the meat is sliced right there is the big thing? It looks decent but the deli meat that is sliced seems to be the lamest and most generic you can get. It tastes fine but I'm used to the local markets which has better flavor and seems to be of a higher quality.


Jersey Mike's isn't the worst place to grab a quick bite but it isn't the best either. If it's the only familiar thing in the area or you just want a sub it's fine but I wouldn't go out of my way to find one for the food. It's only an average place.


Rating: 2.5/5

Read More

Restaurant Review- Wingstop

I don't think I have ever written up about Wingstop before though I have tried them once. I decided to go back to the spot name dropped by rapper Rick Ross on many occasions and give their limited edition Smoke 9 flavor a try and see if my earlier experience was the real thing.

I must say I have had Wingstop 3 times and been totally underwhelmed. I know Buffalo Wild Wings doesn't have the best reputation but I will say that their flavors are more interesting and tasty, while they sometimes struggle with consistency. Wing stop has always had solid, crispy wings.

Let me break this down, two weeks ago I stopped in and got some garlic parmesan wings and the main problem is their sauce has little garlic, a bunch of oil and just cheese sprinkled on the top. This time I got some boneless wings aka tenders, with the Hickory Smoked BBQ flavor and the Smoked 9 special flavor.

These joints were hot, I appreciate that but maybe thats part of the problem, they don't drain their products enough before they get them to you and they all come out with a pool of grease beneath them. Even the Hickory BBQ wings which were so basic and average, yet they were better than the smoke 9 which had no real flavor to me. Is it supposed to be like southern BBQ? It has a little bit of smokiness, a little bit of salt but that was it. I wasn't even sure if the liquid at the bottom was supposed to be flavor or if it was just grease.

The only thing that was worth it for me was the fries which were excellent, less burnt than Five Guys but just as fresh and good. In total, the price and quality of the food didn't match up. I'd rather eat the gas and heartburn inducing mighty wings they occasionally serve at McDonald's than these at the end of the day.


Rating: 2/5

Read More

Taste Test- Mission BBQ Salmon

So this is kind of late because Lent is pretty much over but I might as well get this in. Like many places, Mission provides an alternative for many people who give up on certain types of meat for religious reasons. Mission does a grilled/smoked salmon dish and I decided to take the chance on what they call the "back plate" special.

The Salmon itself has a decent flavor, it was cooked right and the seasoning blend is a good complement. now I'm not normally a huge fan of remoulade sauces because I'm iffy on lemonwith savory dishes, but this sauce was great. It made the fish so much better and it's a great thing to get from a fast casual place like Mission. I also opted to get the seasonal baked sweet potato with Honey Butter and Caramel Bread Pudding as well.

The Sweet potato was normal, I mean nothing much you can do with that, however, the honey butter that came with it was one of the best and most addictive things I have ever tasted. If they boxed that up and sold it I would have it every week and I have had some from say Land O lakes before and this was far superior. The bread pudding was pretty good with nice crispy bits and a good balance of caramel. I just don't know If I can be a full fan of bread pudding because it ends up so goupy. The flavor was good I just had texture issues with it.

Overall, the items that came with the main entrees made the food so much better and thats what they are supposed to do. Mission is one of the more solid places to eat at any point especially if you're a fan of Barbecue. Now this isn't to say smaller locals wouldn't blow them out of the water but for a fast casual chain, you can do much worse in my opinion.




Rating: 3.5/5

Read More

Restaurant Review- Nalley Fresh

Nalley Fresh for all I know is pretty local to Maryland and is in on the locally sourced, more healthy "Panera Bread" style cafe places where you can get a salad, soup or a wrap. While they aren't a bakery, you get that same vibe. Several locations have popped up between the inner harbor and East/Northern Baltimore County but the one in Columbia which recently opened was the first one I had the ability to visit and give a try.

Now the place was kind of dark and I didn't care for the lay out, like the soda fountain was in the middle of the seating area and the line for picking out your options on a choose your own meal just seemed to be an odd spot but it isn't anything major. The line wasn't moving very fast but that may be because the customers might all be unfamiliar with the menu board and options. I opted to purchase my wrap online and it was ready before the prescribed time.

So for my first Nalley Fresh experience, I ordered a Salmon wrap with Romaine lettuce, Purple Slaw, Brown Rice, Black Beans, 'sweet' corn, cheddar, tortilla strips and spicy ranch dressing. The Salmon took the wrap price up by 3 bucks but hey, go hard or go home. The wrap wasn't as big as I thought that it might be but it wasn't a baby, but I did expect just a tad bit more.

The Salmon tasted fine and the ingredients all were definitely fresh, however the tortilla strips I feel like got sogged up too quickly and didn't give me the crunch that I was expecting. The Spicy Ranch dressing has a good heat but also didn't have enough 'Ranchness'. I did feel like t was slightly flat and maybe some pepper or even a hint of vinegar or something slightly more acidic would have helped the overall flavor profile. The corn also didn't add the sweetness it was supposed to bring, but I attribute that to season and the fact that it was indeed very fresh.

Overall, I think it was a bit above average. I like the options and the choices you can make to ensure your food doesn't get too stale when eating there. Having a rotating selection of proteins is cool and also helps with the mission of fresh, local eating. The wrap I had wasn't perfect and I'm not sure if it is the best of their offerings but I see no reason to not go back and try something else from their menu.


Rating: 3/5

Read More