Meatless Fridays #3 & #4

My last few weeks of Meatless Fridays have taken me to both familiar and unfamiliar territory. Meatless Friday #3 took me to Columbia's Noodles & Company. Oddly enough, I have never been there before. It is an efficient chain with American, Mediterranean (mostly Italian) and Pan-Asian (mostly Thai) offerings to which you can add meat of your choice. The Friday before last, I decided to add nothing to my pad thai. Though it wasn't remarkable, it certainly was satisfying enough. I would order it again if I had to.

Meatless Friday #4 took me back to Mango Grove on Dobbin Road. I am really starting to both look forward to going for their cheap and ridiculously filling vegetarian buffet and dread it knowing that I will leave full and slightly achy because of all the rich food I just ate. Please don't let PETA tell you that meatless food is not fattening (which they have apparently tried to say before). This is fattening. One remarkable appetizer I hadn't seen before was the bread pakora. Think a small piece of sandwich with potato filling slathered with a tomato chutney inside, then dipped in chickpea batter and deep-fried. It was just beautiful, but it showed me that I can't rely on vegetarian food if I want to lose weight. Mind you I'm not overweight, and I wouldn't mind losing a pound or two. Still, I won't see that happen if I still eat these things!

Meatless Friday #1

As I recently said, I am attempting to go meatless on Lenten Fridays, as per my cultural template and upbringing, just to see if I still have the fortitude to do so. Today was Lenten Friday #1, and I eschewed not only meat but fish (the go-to meat alternative for Catholics). My lunch choice was the always-tasty, always-filling, sometimes-a-little-slow Mango Grove for their always vegetarian lunch buffet. I had to hurry out since I was lunching between courses and had to get back to work. But it was quite a good choice. There was an okra dish that I had never seen or tasted before, and I failed to get the name of it, but it was quite a nice surprise. And their idli was soft and spongy. A good choice for anyone giving up meat for Lent. Even if only for 1/7 of the week.

Back to Mango Grove

I was in Columbia the other day, and decided to stop by one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Mango Grove. I've been here before, and in general I liked it (one semi-famous commenter did not, though she was later called out on it). I liked it enough to return for their $10 lunch buffet. At about noon, it was only moderately busy, unlike the dozens upon dozens of unlucky bastards waiting half an hour or more to go through the drive-thrus at McDonald's, Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A. Efficient, indeed.

Just a reminder: this restaurant, which specifically offers many Southern Indian dishes (dosas, idli, etc), will fill you up. Also, it will easily remind you (pace PETA) that eating vegetarian does not necessarily keep you from gaining weight. You could easily gain weight off this wonderful food. Just a few excellent things that popped out for me:

• the idli is tangy, but unlike other idlis I've had at area buffets, this black lentil and rice cake didn't have the funky taste I've found with others. It was a great complement to the channa dishes on the buffet, which came with their own oily fried puffed breads.
• I don't remember if aloo gobhi was on the buffet, but I ate something like it. Filling and delicious.
• Don't knock their various chutneys. My favorite was the tamarind chutney, which tasted almost like a very tangy barbecue sauce - in a good way. Close behind was a coconut milk chutney that was wonderful on the various breads I had on my plate.
• They had two types of basmati rice on the buffet: plain and lemon. Go with the lemon. It's light enough to not overpower, but strong enough that you will taste it.
  
• Also, their papadums are some of the most delicately-spiced (though deceptively sturdy) I've ever found at an Indian buffet.
• The waiter brought out a complementary dosa with a lentil filling. The texture was a little dry but it still had a lovely flavor.
  

So there's another endorsement for an inexpensive, filling and meatless (I didn't say not fattening) Indian buffet. Please, people, dispense with the 30 minute wait at Wendy's, chick-Fil-A and Micky D's. By the time you get in and out of the buffet (or the one at the attached and very much not meatless Mirchi Wok) you would've gotten through the drive-thru anyway.

Carlyle Club

I don't think I've written about the Carlyle Club since it changed its menu from Lebanese to what I would call "haute South Asian" (more specifically, South Indian). I don't know why. I've eaten there twice, and both times I was quite satisfied. Last night I went with friends who live in walking distance (lucky bastards). It was pretty slow last night, but heck, it's a holiday weekend.

Eric & Alan got wine, but I went for a podina lassi ($4) - a mint, honey and cardamom lassi (yogurt drink if you're unfamiliar) that filled me up just like the milkshake it so closely resembles. Of course, I had help from our appetizers and my entrée. We all shared two appetizers and a salad. The salad was made of arugula and acorn squash ($6), and was a pretty simple and satisfying salad at that. Added to that was a helping of cochin calamari (also $6) - I'm assuming it's calamari flash fried a la Kochi, Kerala-style. It comes with a smooth tomato chutney and is not the kind of calamari you'll find in Little Italy. It's different, and tasty, but went too fast. The other appetizer was just a helping of onion pakora (I didn't catch the price). I've found most pakoras to be a little on the tough, gritty side. This one wasn't tough, and was only a little gritty, and otherwise quite tender. Yes, I'm saying you should order this when you go. It's one of the better pakoras I've had.

My entrée was a dosa, but I'm afraid I caused a little confusion - almost exclusively for myself, since I can't make a decision to save my life - by wanting to mix two dosas together. Their dosas make for good appetizers, but for someone with a small stomach and bank account it can be a very good choice for your entrée. I ordered the habanero and mango dosa ($9), which had a traditional filling of onions, lentils and potatoes with an habanero and mango sauce on the side. But I wanted some paneer as well, so the waiter proposed putting some paneer in with the traditional filling. I don't know why I am so dense, but I was the only at the table who didn't quite understand this at first!

The dosa was served not like a crepe, as I've seen it other places (such as at the Mango Grove), but was instead decoratively shaped in a cone sheltering the filling that sat on the plate. I thought the filling could have used a small dash of salt, but it otherwise tasted delicious. The dosa itself had to be filled like a tortilla, in which you put food and then eat it with your hands (at least that's how I ate it). It's a tasty dosa and a tasty filling. The Indian pickle ($1.50) I ordered on the side was a nice, sharp, salty and tangy contrast to the dosa.

What I ordered cost around $20 to $25. The guys just asked me for a twenty. I didn't ask questions. I'm looking forward to going back again sometime.



NB: Starting with this post, I'm going to begin using the "locally grown" tag when I talk about restaurants. What I mean is that the restaurant in question (in this case, the Carlyle Club) goes out of its way to use local ingredients, such as plants and meats, as part of its menu. For now I will try to use it with restaurants as well as markets. Things that won't be lumped in with tag include beers and wines (those will get the "Maryland products with pride" tag instead. It also won't include crabs, because it's assumed that those will be local. For my purposes, "local blue crabs" means Chesapeake - Maryland and Virginia crabs, not ones from North Carolina, even though those are good, too. If a local crab house does not primarily use local blue crabs, I'll be mentioning that (*COUGH**COUGH*Phillips*COUGH**).

A Note about Slanderous Anonymous Posts

I am totally cool with anonymous posts - in fact, I get lots of perfectly nice and constructive comments from posters named "Anonymous" (my sister, who doesn't have a Blogger account, occasionally posts under this name). Anonymous posts in and of themselves do not bother me.

I also don't mind critical comments, whether or not I agree with them, and whether or not they are even critical of me. Some of y'all have had some quite constructive things to say (Dan's enthusiastic un-recommendation of Cafe Hon is one good example). I learn from these comments, and it helps me to be more critical in my critiques as well.

What does bother me is the occasional critical, even slanderous, comment posted by that brave soul known as "Anonymous". To wit: last week while I was in the Netherlands I got an interesting comment about the folks at Mirchi Wok and Mango Grove, whose dishes (not as much whose service) I raved about a while back. I then got an interesting comment slandering the owner, Mr. Rowit Chalwa, talking about how he is a crook who overcharges his customers (to paraphrase the commenter - these are definitely not my thoughts - Indian-Americans apparently are too docile to say anything, them being Indian and all). The commenter then went on to describe how anyone who questions the bill will either get the silent treatment from Mr. Chalwa or a browbeating - the comment really wasn't clear on this. The best part? The commenter is Anonymous.

I cannot verify if the comment is truthful or merely slanderous, but see for yourself - it is repeated word-for-word here (this time the commenter isn't anonymous, calling him/herself "SaidLikeItIs"). Maybe it's true, maybe not, but the only disappointing thing I found about their service was the slowness. I haven't found anyone else specifically saying these things, except one person (here - it's the one comment of four like it). One person was disappointed in the food at Mirchi Wok. I agree - Mango Grove's is a bit better than Mirchi Wok's, who left me longing. And maybe I'm being PC, but the comment's dismissal of most Indian-Americans as "spineless" seems a bit, well, racist to me. As far as the bill goes, it's always a good idea to watch your bill and make sure you haven't been overcharged. And if they complain, definitely do make a stink. Make a big stink. But you don't need to insult a whole ethnic group to do so, and you certainly don't need to go by your secret identity of "Anonymous". Don't need your birth name and SSN or anything, but Anonymous could be anyone.

So starting now, if you want to slime someone, have the guts to put a name to your comment (signing up for a Blogger, TypePad, Wordpress or other account helps) and refrain from attacks on an entire ethnic group. Otherwise, I ain't publishing your comment.

UPDATE: I really don't want to discourage Anonymous comments here - feel free to comment, Anonymous! I'm just saying if you are going to call someone out, don't just go hide back in the woodwork. But even if you do post with no identity, I will not post any racist, sexist, or otherwise bigoted things here. Just won't.

UPDATE TWO (JUNE 29. 2008): I took a gander at the above-linked slanderous review and found this interesting tidbit from a more supportive patron, quoted here:

BTW as for the previous review …some feeble try at defaming such a strong foundation….looks like she has a complex about being Indian .I witnessed this lady customers horrible behaviour and all the guests in the restaurant were applauding when the cops walked her away for her vulgar behaviour and vandalism. I am glad the restaurant owners are choosy & vigilant for not letting such characters get away with typical “Gimme some free food or I’ll scream” behaviour. This way civilized patrons can get the great dining experience they come back for.

Explains a lot.

Mango Grove

The sister and I went to see George Romero's new zombie flick Diary of the Dead last night. The movie was pretty good, though it just kind of ends abruptly, gruesomely, and with not a lot of closure - is that what Romero was going for? (WARNING: gruesome picture from the movie at the end. Don't say I didn't warn you). Since it was Friday, she wanted to veer away from meat (ironic in retrospect, considering the movie we saw). Bottom line: we were looking for sushi - the closest sushi place to Arundel Mills (the only place in the area showing Diary). The closest one I could find was the Sushi King in Columbia, so we went there. I almost turned heel when we walked in the door and saw fifteen people standing around, waiting to be seated. I did turn around when the maitre'd told me she didn't know exactly how long the wait would be, but it would probably be about 30 minutes to an hour. It was very busy, which means it's probably good, so I will go back.

Fortunately I knew of other places to go. A few months ago I went to the nearby Mirchi Wok - also right on Dobbin Road, and nestled behind a McDonald's and a Wendy's, and next to the Mango Grove. Mirchi Wok is a Chinese-Indian restaurant with an okay buffet. Mango Grove is a vegetarian Indian restaurant, whose buffet I have never tried. Neither place was crowded, and I let Cathy choose. We went for Mango Grove.

I'm not kidding about Mango Grove being a vegetarian place. Everything on the menu is either vegetarian or full-on vegan. For some reason I wasn't worried, as I usually am when I go to a "vegetarian" restaurant. I have had some bad experiences with "vegetarian" food. Not vegetables, or meatless/fishless/diaryless/eggless dishes, but food specifically made "vegetarian". For example, the last time a Boca Burger passed my lips was a very long time ago. And that Morningstar Farms line of "meat"? That shouldn't be forced on anyone. But I admit that there is good vegetarian and vegan food out there (hey, Roopa) - I just haven't found much of it in the freezer section.

I just say that to tell you how totally blown away I was by some of the food at this place. I admit: I am usually kinder than I probably should be (yes, the Café Hon review, and yes, the Golden West review - though I still stand by the things that I did like). But once we got past the long wait to give our order (I think we sat there for 10 minutes in a mostly empty restaurant), this place truly impressed us. Plus, there were so many dishes we were not familiar with at all - the typical chicken tandooris, vindaloos and other characteristic dishes of Northern India that weren't here at this mostly Southern Indian restaurant. It was like the first time we had ever visited an Indian restaurant, all over again!

Despite their massive dosai crepes, which easily are 1.5 to 2 ft long rolled up (I am getting one of those the next time) and their oothappam pancakes, we opted for other things. Here's what we had:

This is our tangy potato-chickpea appetizer, which was on the specials menu. I am embarrassed that I didn't write down the name or anything. I have no idea what this was called (except that "batata" - or "potato" - was in the name - that's all). It had a kick. Chickpeas, potato, pieces of onion and tomato, in a tangy combination of tamarind, cilantro and - I believe - yogurt. Eight went for $6, and twelve for $8. I had that with a ridiculously large Taj Mahal, which I couldn't finish. That was the proprietor's recommendation.


Cathy had a tasty, meaty (not real meat) jackfruit stirfry with onion and green bell pepper ($12). I forget the name, but it was another special and another recommendation on the part of the proprietor. I got the nargissi aloo ($13). As the menu says, it is: "Scooped potatoes stuffed with an exotic blend of vegetables, mild spices, nuts and cottage cheese" and simmered in their "house special 'Makhani [tomato butter] Sauce'". This is obviously not one of the vegan dishes, but is still vegetarian. The sauce was probably the best makhani sauce I have eaten in about a year or two of constant helpings of murgh makhani (chicken in butter-tomato sauce). Very filling - only five balls of nargissi aloo, with my sister helping me eat it, and I still had enough to split the difference with her and take some home to eat for breakfast. We had a big helping of basmati pulav (pilaf) to go with it (complimentary) and some garlic naan. I have had better garlic naan, but it wasn't bad.


For dessert Cathy had the mango chocolate mousse - another special of the night - and I had the baadal jaam: a warm gulab jamun sitting between two frozen halves of mango kulfi in cold sweetened milk (rabri). I probably should have gotten the mousse, because this wasn't much to write home about. I could have gotten a better dessert at any Indian buffet, putting a gulab jamun in a small bowl and pouring rice pudding on top of it. It was a little difficult to eat the kulfi and the rabri was pretty weak. It was the only really weak part of the meal.

The meal was $61 - after tax and 20% tip it was almost $75 for the two of us. It was good, filling vegetarian food, and a perfect Lenten Friday alternative for the Catholic who doesn't feel like fish again.

And then we went and saw a movie where dead people eat living people. That's definitely not vegan!

Mmmm. Dad. This is the lead heroine's mother, eating dear old dad. Definitely not on the menu at Mango Grove.

Mango Grove (Indian / South Indian / vegetarian) - 6365B Dobbin Center, Columbia, MD 21045; Phone: (410) 884-3426

Exit 17: MD-122 (Security Blvd, to Woodlawn)

Exit 17 branches off into two distinct directions - towards Security Square Mall, and into Woodlawn. Since I knew of good places in either direction, I broke this up into two trips.

I don't really know Woodlawn side of Exit 17 as well as the Security Square Mall side. I do know that there is the big City View Bar & Grill (map), which seems to offer just about every generic item of American (and specifically Maryland) food there is. But I've never gone in. I almost did, however, until I caught a gander of a brand new Indo-Pakistani buffet across the street. Since I'm a sucker for South Asian food, I headed right, to the IndiClub.

A combination banquet hall and restaurant, IndiClub (map) - which looked emptier than it was, probably due to the size - serves foods from all over South Asia, with specific Southern Indian foods I had never before tried (and I've eaten a lot of Indian). Best was the uttapam, a savory pancake with leeks and other vegetables inside. A bit more sour was the idli (rice cake), though the texture was unusual and interesting. I didn't like that too much, but it wasn't awful, and everything else was quite good. I liked their sambar (a type of curry) quite a lot.

Other items in the buffet were a bit more familiar to me - two types of naan bread, chicken tandoori, various curries and vegetarian dishes, chutneys, basmati rice and the standard desserts (including a very satisfying gulab jamun). All of this came to a mere $8.95 (is that the set price for Indian buffets in Maryland? It seems like it). And, as I did, you can get the buffet as take-out, only in this case (as with most carry-out buffets) it is all-you-can-fit-into-one-styrofoam-container, instead of all-you-can-eat.

A few days - okay, a whole week - later (I've been busy, alright? Don't judge me!!!) I headed in the opposite direction. I could've headed towards Security Square Mall (map) again, but mall food is not typically on my radar (it's just not very good), though there is a restaurant or two I should probably explore, including Shaheen (another Indo-Pakistani place; mall map), and maybe the Cactus Willie's (mall map; I've talked to people that like the place, but I have never bothered to try it out). And of course, there is the Seoul Plaza (mall map), the City Paper's Best Ethnic Shopping Enclave of 2006, which has tons of goods for the Korean-American crowd. Nearby are some strip malls with other places to eat, one with a Panera Bread and a deli, still another up Rolling Road with a halal market and deli, next to the Salvation Army.

I, however, headed up Dogwood Road for some restaurants I had seen before and wanted to try out. Two on my list (map for both): Buon Giorno (traditional Italian food) and Lake Trout (traditional, well, lake trout, with various Southern and soul food accoutrements, even though lake trout itself is typically found farther north). I opted for the latter, and headed in for some lake trout.

A report some years ago in the City Paper mentions what good lake trout should be like: fried on the spot, with two pieces of white bread, as few bones as possible, etc. and so forth. At this Lake Trout, which is apparently the third location in what is now a local chain, they did indeed fry it up on the spot. For the price, I got a good bit of food - $6 or so bought me two pieces of trout (they also offer whiting), with two sides (I went for the greens and cornbread), plus a 24-oz Diet Pepsi for which I paid extra. I got it back to work and started in on it.

In retrospect, looking at the criteria for great lake trout, this didn't really fit the bill. Every other bite - I am not exaggerating, every other bite - had lots of little bones and often some bigger bones. Maybe my idea of "as few bones as possible" is different from most lake trout aficionados, but by most standards, it had a lot of bones. For the amount of work I spent picking bones out of my fish (and spitting them out of my mouth), I had relatively little fish. There was no way I could expect to eat this on the bread they gave me. Well, that is what the cornbread was for anyway, but it was small, dense and sweet, kind of like a cornbread brownie (a cornie?) than anything else. The one real bright spot was the greens, which were butterier than I normally expect greens to be, but quite tasty anyway.

I don't know. Maybe next time I'll just head back on over to the IndiClub.

Places I visited:

IndiClub (Indian / South Indian / Pakistani) - 1660 Whitehead Ct., Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 594-9600

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Sure would
  

Lake Trout (lake trout / seafood) - 6860 Dogwood Rd, Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 265-0122

• Would I eat there again? Maybe to try the whiting
  
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Um, no

Places to look up later:

Buon Giorno (Italian) - 6860 Dogwood Rd, Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 298-7781

Cactus Willie's Buffet and Bakery (American) - located in Security Square Mall, 6901 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244; Phone: (410) 265-1205

City View Bar and Grill (American / Maryland) -6700 Security Boulevard, Woodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 944-4013

Seoul Plaza (Korean market) - located in Security Square Mall, 6901 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244

Shaheen (Indian / Pakistani) - located in Security Square Mall, 6901 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244; Phone: (410) 265-6666

* Exit 17 sign adapted from http://www.aaroads.com/mid-atlantic/i-695e_md.html.