Friday, September 28, 2007

Exit 14: Edmonson Ave (to Catonsville)

Well, I had another lackluster lunch today. I took my car to Edmonson Road, which has little in the way of food. There is a Pizza Papa John's and a Royal Farm. As far as independent places? Not so much.

I stopped by Moontime's Cafe, the former Mo & Trish's Place (map), but I wasn't in the mood to enter a bar today. So I continued on to the other restaurant on Edmonson Ave. Hunan Joy (map) serves Cantonese, Szechuan and other healthy Chinese dishes. Hunan Joy is pretty small - there's a table and some chairs. That's it. It is pretty homey, though. I looked at the menu and after a few questions, I ordered the Chung Ta Beef ($5.25 for lunch) with fried rice.

Twenty minutes later I was at work eating my beef. The dish, overall, was pretty average. It was the fluffiest fried rice I have ever had (that's for sure). The beef was soft and a little flavorless. One thing I liked was the addition of so many pieces of broccoli and slices of carrots - much more than a typical Chinese take out. It was all swimming in a slightly sweet, somewhat salty sauce that tasted good at the time. But on the whole, it was an average eating experience.

In retrospect it didn't turn out too well. I'm now nursing a little gastrointestinal disturbance. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? But I'm feeling it now.



Places I visited:

Hunan Joy (Chinese / Cantonese / Szechuan) - 829 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228;
Phone: (410) 788-8877
  • Would I eat there again? Likely not
  • Would I go out of my way to eat there again? No
Places to look up later:

Moontime's Cafe (American / bar and pub food) - 408 Ingleside Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228; Phone: (
410) 788-8877

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go back to Edmondson but go east - there's a fantastic restuarant between the Royal Farms and the gas station. Great food, extremely tempting dessert case. I used to go there quite a bit when I lived in that area. There's a salad with a ranch/horseradish dressing which is delicious, but they also have standard sandwiches (crab cake, pulled pork, etc).

John said...

I'll definitely go the other way next time! Thanks...

Jeff Quinton said...

Not sure about Edmonson, but on the Frederick Rd. Exit you have to find Taneytown Deli and eat there. It's off Frederick Rd. in downtown Catonsville on a side street.

John said...

Jeff: Ah! You obviously didn't catch the write-up about my little excursion to Taneytown Deli yet :) Honestly, I am the last person in the area to have visited the place!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, it's call the Ville Grille, and I agree wholeheartedly. We've enjoyed every meal we've had there. Their fries/chips are wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, the 'Ville Grille has closed. Great food, but a little pricy. Their horrible parking problem contributed to their downfall. Taneytown Express has opened on Frederick Road and is as good as the original.

Anonymous said...

Take a another look at Edmondson Avenue -- go another 1/2 mile west to Scittino's Italian Market and Cafe Roma - Both are excellent for lunch and a treat. Scittino's is a Catonsville tradition.

Pam @ bibbidi-bobbidi-beautiful said...

I miss ville grille! I heard the chef was opening another place in Ellicott City? Does anyone know if this is the case?

Cooking Contests said...

The old chef of ville grille opened a new place called Jackson's.