Revisiting the Beltway: One Last Trip around 695 (for the blog, that is)

As you may know, I finished the State-by-State project I've been posting up here every Sunday morning for the last few years.  For my final Sunday post, I have decided to revisit a previous project one last time: my Snacking around the Beltway series.  Due to crazy gas prices (which haven't really abated) and a total lack of time - in part exacerbated by said new project that lasted the last couple of years - I stepped away from it after examining every few exits around the Glen Burnie section of the Beltway (more or less Exits 1 - 8).

For this post, I summarize a few key spots I have visited throughout the rest of the Beltway.  Yes, I'm squeezing Exits 9 through 44 into one longish post.  This is, I admit, an inadequate way to finish it up, but it is better than nothing.

As I did in my January 18, 2009, Final Assessment post of the original series, I will again divide the Beltway up into six sections:

• the "Glen Burnie" section of the Beltway (south, Exits 1 through 8A) - I've already explored this one in more detail, so I'm not really coming back to it in this post.
• the "Catonsville" section (southwest, Exits 9 through 16B)
• the "Pikesville" section (northwest, Exits 17 through 22)
• the "Towson" section (north, Exits 23A through 30B)
• the "Essex" section (northeast, Exits 31A through 38B)
• and the "Dundalk" section (southeast, Exits 39 through 44)

This will not be a sweeping assessment of eats around the Beltway - I am exploring one, maybe two at the most, restaurants in each aforementioned section.  But these few restaurants hopefully do show the diversity of old and new eats off the Beltway, and will encourage you to further explore for ones I left off on your own.

The Glen Burnie Section (south, Exits 1 through 8A)

As I said, I have a few posts about Beltway eats in Anne Arundel County.  I will refer you to those, with one caveat: the Afghan place across the street from the Glen Burnie MVA is now a Hip Hop Chicken (map here).  I haven't visited it yet.

The "Catonsville" section (southwest, Exits 9 through 16B)

It's kind of silly to say I've "revisited" this part of the Beltway.  This is where I grew up: Lansdowne, which was home for my first 20-odd years, and Arbutus, Catonsville and such, where I got to (and still go to) frequently.  That said, I haven't really visited the newish eating establishments here lately: the new Middle Eastern place in Arbutus (Punjab Kabab & Sweets, map here), the frozen yogurt place along Maiden Choice (And what is up with this new fro yo trend?  Seriously, I don't get it), and the new Lansdowne Station shopping center, home to a Boardwalk Fries, an Italian place (Three Brothers of Lansdowne, the only Baltimore location of sixteen across the state; map here) and, notably, a new Chinese/American/sushi buffet.  That last part - sushi buffet - should send shivers down anyone's spine.

The place in question is the Teppanyaki Grill Supreme Buffet (map here) off Exit 10, near the Office Depot.  My mother told me that she took my sister here a few months ago and thought it would be a nice place to go get a sit-down meal.  Not nice as in "dressy" nice, but nice as in "Oh, you don't see us so often, it would be nice to spend some more time with you, and your sister liked this place" (full disclosure: my youngest sister, in her 30's, has autism, and it's not easy to find places that she likes beyond a set few places, so for her to like any place with Chinese food is in itself amazing to my family).

The place isn't my idea of "inviting": despite the many tables and booths, it seems quite crowded.  The mostly dimly lit interior doesn't help on that score.  Certainly though, the people there seemed to enjoy themselves, particularly the children's birthday party in the separate (and loud) meeting room next to the dessert buffet.

The Teppanyaki Grill has a bevy of the stuff you'd expect to find at a Chinese/Japanese buffet: various fried "Chinese" things, some maki rolls on ice which seemed freshly made at least (with massive amounts of wasabi sitting next to them), a section of "American things" just in case your stubborn Uncle Floyd won't eat "Asian" stuff, and large salad and dessert bars in case you are ever-so-slightly tempted to eat something healthy.

Yum.

For the price, however, this can't really be beat: all-you-can-eat for all of $7.19 plus tax ($10.39 for dinner instead of lunch; kids eat for less and very young kids eat for even less).  That said, it is a buffet, and as massive buffets go it is pretty average.  You may be thinking "Well what did you expect?" In a word: this.  I expected what I got, so I wasn't exactly disappointed.  But all the same, I don't usually enjoy this sort of thing, so I probably won't head back.  It didn't make me sick - that was a plus.

Thank God, that had me worried for a second.

The "Pikesville" section (northwest, Exits 17 through 22)

So much to choose from, so little time... And money...

Unfortunately I don't get around to Pikesville much these days.  The last time I visited was to hit up the Seven Mile Kosher Supermarket off Exit 20 (map here) for some matzah meal a year or so ago.  A few years before that, I was a panelist at the Great Tastes food show, as one of many panelists discussing food blogging in Baltimore.  I had mentioned that I was hopeful that Baltimore would see an increase in the number of West African restaurants in the area, since Charm City is fortunate to have a relatively large and increasing Nigerian-American (and overall West African) community.  Afterwards,  somebody suggested to me that I try out Peju's Kitchen and Lounge off Exit 17 in Woodlawn (map here).  I hadn't gotten the chance until recently, when I finally made the trip for take out one night.  Actually, it ended up being the very last restaurant I will have visited for this blog.  I mean, I don't exactly do these in order here.

Peju's with its large black awning occupies the large corner in the Security Plaza strip mall across from Woodlawn High School.  The plaza also features a South Asian clothing store and several halal buffets and groceries, plus a store-front Islamic center, a driving school, a handful of store-front churches and a halal Chinese restaurant (I've heard of kosher Chinese places, but a halal one is new to me, and certainly fills a niche needing to be filled).  The slightly rusty (not rustic) exterior of the whole building complex belies the gorgeous warm amber interior of Peju's, which serves not just West African specialties like jollof rice (of course), fufu and puff-puff (the West African answer to the donut.  Mmmm, donut), but various Caribbean specialties.  The warmly-lit bar and lounge area open onto the main seating area in the interior.  In other words, this ain't Teppanyaki Grill Supreme Buffet (see above).

Since I was out running errands and had to get home, I opted for take-out.  Though my eyes alighted on Caribbean specialties like jerk chicken and curry vegetable dishes ($10 each, more if during dinner), I eventually opted for the more Nigerian jollof rice with beef (also $10, also more if during dinner).  The jollof rice was certainly better than my one attempt to make it a few years ago, and I loved the thick tangy, slightly spicy tomato sauce that went with it. The two slightly tough pieces of beef I got had a nice flavor, but clearly they were a side if anything: the star of this meal was the big, heaping mound of soft, tangy jollof rice.  A few sweet fried plantain pieces finish off this meal. I will have to go back for more.

The "Towson" section (north, Exits 23A through 30B)

While I hardly get to Pikesville or Woodlawn, I often pass through Towson since I live so close by.  The problem here is that I never get a chance to stop anywhere.  The downtown Towson area has seen a few new places pop up over the last few years even as places like Towson Commons have shut down.  Yes, many old favorites like Kyodai, Kathmandu and Strappazza (just to name a few) are all still in that downtown area.  One that has been around for a while but I haven't had the chance to visit until not long ago was the Towson Hot Bagels (map here), recently voted Best Bagel in Baltimore.  Is this the influx of New Jersey and New York kids at the University making this assessment?  Seriously though, it's an efficient set up.  It has to be, since there are so many of these college kids in there!  The bagels are indeed good: chewy and filling and lovely.  I got an everything with cream cheese the one time I went there with some friends from out of town.

A few storefronts have seen some changes across the street from the library on York Road (map here: they're all close by): the Indo-Chinese place is now straight up Indian (India Cuisine), and I still haven't gotten to the Chinese place next door (The Orient Restaurant) or the 7 West Bistro Grille around the corner, all conveniently nestled not too far from Exits 26 and 27.  One place I have gotten to is the Phò Dat Thành (map here), the phò place near the Melting Pot, and one of three in the Baltimore area (with locations in Laurel and Columbia).  This once was a "pan-Asian" restaurant serving Chinese, Japanese and Thai food.  It finally settled on Vietnamese.  While they have various stir fry options available, you will probably want to go for the phò: a good, large standard bowl of phò at not a very steep price.

The "Essex" section (northeast, Exits 31A through 38B)

Sadly, I don't get around to this part of the Beltway that often anymore either.  I really should just stop between Exits 38B and 39 off North Point Blvd at the Prima Foods (map here).  This is Baltimore's premier stop for all your Greek ingredient needs, including their barrels of olives that you scoop yourself.  Closer to Route 7 and CCBC Essex lies places I have yet to get to, notably the Pizza Rustica (map here) at the intersection of crazy and crashy, er, Rossville Blvd and Pulaski Hwy near Exit 35 (seriously, why is that intersection so accident-prone?).

Ever since I last visited for the Beltway Snacking project a few years ago, I knew that Baltimore's favorite pit beef joint - and apparently the über-annoying Guy Fieri's - was in this area.  It did not dawn on me just how much closer Chaps Pit Beef (map here) is to 895 than the Beltway, so much so technically it shouldn't really be in this post.  But screw it, it's only a few miles away from Exit 35, so it's going in anyway.


For the few Bawlamorons who haven't been to this place - I admit, I was one of them until I went for this post - and for those outside the city who still aren't quite sure what "pit beef" really is, Chaps is not all big and flashing, and is even kind of easy to miss if you're not paying attention.  Plus, there isn't a large parking lot.  It is one of those places that stays small and puts out a quality product.  Okay, a lot of quality products: it's not just pit beef but various types of barbecue.  The menu is as complicated as any BBQ joint I've seen in this or other parts of the country.  But I went specifically for the pit beef sandwich, medium rare (about $6).  The meat is smoky, soft and juicy, and yes, you must bite down to get the slices of pit beef off the sandwich (but hey, that's pit beef for you).  Don't forget the many toppings along the window: horseradish, tiger sauce (horseradish mayonnaise), hots and a pickle chip belong on any pit beef sandwich.  I can't imagine eating pit beef without horseradish.  I just don't want to.

Isn't it better to imagine a nice juicy pit beef sandwich slathered with a big ol' blob of horseradish instead?

The "Dundalk" section (southeast, Exits 39 through 44)

Since family, work and friends are all in other parts of the area, I almost never get to Dundalk anymore.  And like with the Rosedale / Hamilton area it is easy to find pit beef in Dundalk.  Even easier since Merritt Blvd lost the wondrous Weenie World, one of my favorite hot dog places around the Beltway.  In its place is the Bullpen (map here), with the tagline "You can't beat our meat" (errrrrmm...).  Like Chaps and the nearby Bada Bing Bada Beef (which I did get to last time), this is also a pit beef and BBQ joint, and I will have to try it out next time I'm back down that way.

As with my much-delayed visits to Peju's and Chaps, I did finally get to the Boulevard Diner (map here).  Guy Fieri also stopped by here (my God, how many of these places has Guy Fieri infected with his presence anyway!?) for his DD&D show.  The Boulevard is your quintessential diner - nothing much different about that, except for the massive illustration of Ray Lewis (W0000000000T!!!!!) in the entryway.  Inside, it's no-nonsense but friendly and quick service.  And it has all the diner classics: the Mediterranean stuff, the burgers, the meatloaf, the desserts, and the all-day breakfasts.  I hadn't eaten lunch that day but was in the mood for pancakes - not many, but pancakes all the same.

I have my fat group, my carb group and my sugar group!

I got the short stack of two massive pancakes ($5) with two sausage patties (an extra $2).  I can't think of much else to say: they were typically tasty diner pancakes. The sausage was a little gristly but nothing I haven't enjoyed eating before.  And of course, I bathed the whole thing in butter and syrup, as you are supposed to do with diner pancakes.  Yum.

Post-Script

Had I decided to continue the blog - and had gas prices fallen again - I might have liked to get around the Beltway again.  I'm not sure I would've had the time, though: the one thing I remembered while doing the research for this post was how much time it took the first time around. So revisiting these various joints around 695 is just something I will have to leave to others.  Every exit has something worth eating (and probably something that is best left alone).  Search it out, folks.  I may not be writing about it, but I will certainly be searching for it nonetheless.

Places I visited

Boulevard Diner (diner) - 1660 Merritt Blvd, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-8660

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Yes, why not?

Chaps Pit Beef (pit beef & BBQ) - 5801 Pulaski Hwy, Baltimore, MD 21205; Phone: (410) 483-2379

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Yes, and I'd have to

Peju's Restaurant and Lounge (Nigerian / West African / Caribbean) - 1724 Woodlawn Drive, Wodlawn, MD 21207; Phone: (410) 277-9779

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Sure, especially since it's the only Nigerian restaurant in the area.

Phò Dat Thành (Vietnamese) - 510 York Rd, Towson, MD 21204; Phone: (410) 296-9118

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

Prima Foods (market / Greek) - 51 Kane St  Baltimore, MD 21224; Phone: (410) 633-5500

• Would I shop there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to shop there again? Sure!

Teppanyaki Grill Supreme Buffet (buffet / Chinese / Japanese / American) - 3551 Washington Blvd, Lansdowne, MD 21227; Phone: (410) 242-5887

• Would I eat there again? Probably not
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Um, no

Towson Hot Bagels (bagels / breakfast) - 16 Allegheny Ave, Towson, MD, 21204, with locations in Timonium and Canton

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Hmmm...

Places to visit later (though I must leave others to write about them)

The Bullpen (pit beef & BBQ) - 1099 Merritt Blvd, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-3529

Hip Hop Fish & Chicken (fried chicken / fast food) - 6604 Ritchie Hwy, Glen Burnie, MD 21061, with various other locations in the area; Phone: (410) 766-1515

India Cuisine (Indian) - 321 York Rd, Towson, MD 21204; Phone: (410) 583-7770

The Orient Restaurant (Chinese / Japanese) - 319 York Road, Towson, MD 21204, with locations in Bel Air and Perry Hall; Phone: (410) 296-9000

Pizza Rustica (pizza / Italian) - 8805 Pulaski Highway, Rosedale, MD 21237; Phone: (410) 682-8640

Punjab Kabab & Sweets (Pakistani / Indian) - 5313 East Dr, Arbutus, MD 21227; Phone: (410) 737-7773

Seven Mile Supermarket (kosher / Jewish) - 201 Reisterstown Rd,  Pikesville, MD 21208; Phone: (410) 653-2000

7 West Bistro Grille (American / bar) - 7 W Chesapeake Ave, Towson, MD 21204; Phone: (410) 337-9378

Three Brothers of Lansdowne (pizza / Italian) - 3611 Washington Blvd, Lansdowne, MD 21227, with sixteen locations statewide; Phone: (410) 536-1080

Kitchen of India

Last week I was set on trying out the Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon - who claim the best burgers in Baltimore (of course, I'll be the judge of that) - as it stationed itself in Hampden. About 12:30 I parked, walked, then got back in the car and drove around in the rain looking for this burger wagon, to no avail (perhaps the Chowhounders were sick, as "tweets" over the weekend seem to suggest).

So with no hope of burgers, I headed around town to finish other errands. Said errands took me out to Essex, and on the way back I avoided an accident and hit Joppa Road. It had dawned on me that an Indian restaurant I even missed during my Beltway Snacking series had been sitting on Joppa Road, beckoning to me from the Beltway.

Why does the phrase "COMMMMME to Butthead" rattle around in my brain right now? Oh well...

Kitchen of India is, maybe, one of the last Indian restaurants in the area that I hadn't gotten around to trying out. So with time and a hankering for South Asian cooking, I pulled into the parking lot. The $7.95 price tag didn't hurt either.

After ordering a water, I set to the buffet, a slightly smaller than average one. But most of the standards were there, with varying, though generally better than not, results:

• The onion relish and tamarind & coriander chutneys were good, and complemented the food well. I stuffed a lot of the onion relish into the naan bread that the waitress delivered to me about five minutes into the meal.
• Oh, the naan was soft and warm.
• The basmati rice and pulao did not feel like they had been sitting around all day, which shows that they're paying attention to their product.
  
• The generic chicken curry was not terribly spicy, and the chicken was particularly dry - odd since the chicken curry was in a sauce. It was extremely forgettable.
  
• In contrast, the chicken tikka masala was one of the better ones I've had at a buffet, in a nice, slightly buttery masala sauce. And I don't know what happened but this chicken was as moist and tender as the chicken in that curry was dry and stringy.
• Likewise, the tandoori chicken, a must-try, was much better than most I have eaten. Typically you will find buffets filled with somewhat bland tandoori chicken that tastes underseasoned and feels overcooked. This is why I rarely even bother with tandoori chicken when I eat at Indian buffets. But the tandoori chicken here was quite good, with a nice tangy, smoky flavor, a tasty spice blend and a tender and moist texture. Has my faith in tandoori chicken been restored?
• The kheer rice pudding was more liquidy than most I have had - and they usually are liquidy. Not a favorite.

Overall, despite the lack in variety, Kitchen of India offered some good standard dishes, particularly their tandoori chicken. Just save yourself the trouble and don't bother with the chicken curry. There are better things to eat there.

The Lady is Singed

Heard not long ago that The Lady and Sons suffered some minor fire damage. Glad not much damage was done. I haven't eaten at TL&S before. Then again, the last time I was in Savannah was 2003, when my cousin Bruce, his wife Carolyn and the kids took me the two hour ride by minivan from Augusta to visit it and Fort Pulaski. A stop in the city was mandatory.

My friends Alan and Eric headed to Savannah and nearby Charleston, South Carolina (currently featured in a Baltimore Magazine article) for a vacation last year. On my suggestion, they stopped by Paula Deen's then-non-fire-damaged restaurant. They got there for the buffet. From what they tell me, it wasn't very good. Looks as if the Lady and Sons puts out their lower-quality stuff for their buffet.

Maybe things will go better in that big uber-buffet Paula has just opened up in Tunica, Mississippi? Oh, and watch the video on the aforelinked website. The song by Crossin Dixon grates on my nerves a bit, but the reactions of the people in the video? SNL couldn't have done a funnier job (during their good years, I mean).

Leslie Ann mentioned in a past comment (which I can't find) that there's a very strange ad for the "Paula Deen Tunica Buffet Experience" running as far away as Atlanta. Sadly I have not been able to find this ad on YouTube, but I did find this promo video. If you watch long enough, at about 1:50 or so you hear Paula express her desire to have "more children" with Harrah's Casino (who is, frankly, not my type):

Morongo

Damnit, this clammy, rainy weather is going to be around through the weekend. That's most of my vacation. >>SIGH<< So that put a crimp in our plans today. But Jim, Gil and I (the three of us that went to Amsterdam in March) set off for the Morongo Casino and Resort. Run by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, it includes a massive hotel, conference center, buffet, food court, bar and casino. That last part, a massive casino, is the main draw of many tourists (both local and international) halfway along Interstate 10 between Redlands/Yucaipa and Palm Springs. Even as we debate slots in Maryland, gaming on sovereign Native American reservation land has been legal in California for almost ten years now.

My friends won a few hundred dollars today. Me? I made $30, but eventually lost it and all of the $20 that grew from it. (This is why I don't gamble.) But unlike most people who visit, at least I didn't use the ATM. I could've lost a lot more. I was prepared to withdraw something, but I didn't. And I wasn't willing to pony up much, so really I shouldn't feel so bad. And besides, most of those profits go directly to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. So I really shouldn't feel bad at all.

One more thing to salve my wounded pocket was Gil's offer to buy lunch for the three of us at Morongo's Potrero Canyon Buffet. He comes to Morongo enough that he has a "Members Club" card, on which he racks up points for using the slots. He's used them enough that he could get us all lunch for free! I would have taken photos of it, but snapping pictures in a casino? Probably not such a good idea. Think about it.

This casino has a wide variety of offerings, most of which I sampled. For a non-Indian (South Asian buffet, though I guess you could say it's an American Indian buffet) buffet, it wasn't bad. Among the offerings I tried, the pork stir fry and machaca soft taco were the best. I would order the pad thai and pesto linguine again, though neither was a highlight. Dessert-wise, I was pretty satisfied with the apple cobbler and tiny little cremes brulées. Not so great was the egg lower soup. I could hardly eat it at all. I was disappointed that there was no Native American cuisine. That would be innovative, no? At least there's the overpriced Mitsitam Café in the National Museum of the American Indian in DC

Afterwards I hit the slots. That's where I lost the twenty bucks. Then it was back on to the cold, drizzly afternoon of Southern California in... late May? It even snowed in some parts of the dessert.

Exit 5 - MD-648 - Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd (to Ferndale)

I finally made it into Ferndale today, and I tried to find Willy's, which I saw along the road the other day. Too far from the exit, but turning left (from the inner loop) I ran across the Burwood Village Center, a shopping center that used to have a Metro Food Market. It's now a Food Lion. It also used to have a favorite Chinese restaurant of mine from when I was younger. There's another Chinese restaurant in it's place, too.

The shopping center at the corner of B&A Blvd and Furnace Branch Rd. has a few eateries. There's Burwood Deli (map) with subs, sandwiches, even chicken-fried steak. I wasn't in the mood for this today, so I walked to the other end to find Italia's Corner Café (no map - it's the same as for the deli, so why bother?). Italia's is right next to a Curves - a pairing of businesses that is either absolutely idiotic or positively brilliant - and it looks like a good lunch place. It has a buffet, something I rarely see in "ethnic" restaurants, other than the Indian or Chinese ones. And it's a bargain for only $9. But it ends at 2, and I got there a few hours too late. Perusing the menu told me to wait another day, when I could come for the buffet.

I did hit a buffet that day, in the same shopping center. It was the Beijing Buffet (again, see the deli for a map). I don't know if Italia's has a carry-out option for their buffet, but Beijing does. Before 3:30 the buffet is only $6.50; afterwards it's $9.50. Getting there late, I forked over the $9.50 and grabbed my styrofoam carry-out box and plastic lidded carry-out bowl. I hoped I could avoid a repeat of the bad food I had last week, and almost had at Hong Kong Restaurant.

Beijing has two things aplenty: variety and flies. Had I seen all the flies before I paid, I would've turned heel and went back to the deli. But I was stuck. Thankfully, I could just nuke it in the microwave at home. But I didn't want to touch the roast beef brisket / fly landing pad.

There were several types of food there. The Chinese was more or less standard buffet fare - egg foo yung (didn't try it), General Tso's chicken (again, good), fried shrimp (doable), stir fried veggies, shrimp and whatnot (tried none of them). There were also some more decadent items - Beijing (Peking) duck (bony, as is all duck, but good), crab rangoon (fattening and tasty), dim sum (yum), teriyaki chicken (didn't try it) and sesame balls (like little sesame rice flour balls - tasty). The sushi bar next to this section had nobody in it, but I try to avoid buffet sushi anyway (pace O-nami).

Then there were the salad items. I religiously avoided these.

Finally there were the non-Asian items: roast beef (too many flies for me), steamed crabs (huh?), macaroni and cheese (again, huh?), etc. Beijing Buffet is not lacking in variety. And I must admit, as far as buffet food goes, theirs was better than most.

But I still wasn't taking any chances. I nuked the hell out of it when I got it home. One full shrimp with the head still attached was a little difficult to get apart, but not tough. My cat enjoyed the tail - goofy cat, I didn't think he'd actually eat the tail, just eat around it.

Oh, and I didn't get sick this time. I guess 2 minutes on high in the microwave kills any fly residue well enough for me.

Places I visited:

Beijing Buffet (Chinese/American/Japanese) - 7089 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Suite A, Glen Burnie, MD 21061; Phone: (410) 691-2221

• Would I eat there again? Sure, but only take-out
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Probably not - again, the flies are, um, unsettling

Places to look up later:

Burwood Deli (deli / American) - 7075 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Glen Burnie, MD; Phone: (410) 684-3757

Italia's Corner Café (Italian) - 7089 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Suite F, Glen Burnie, MD; Phone: (410) 684-3817

Little Grove Lunch Buffet

I occasionally go to the Little Grove in Linthicum for lunch - though I have been making a better effort to bag my lunch, which is cheaper. I had their hot buffet today. It was good. Not very good, but good. The cajun catfish was a little dry in some places, moist in others. There was also this Mediterranean chicken stir fry thing, and actual stir fry. Both were tasty, with delicious red peppers, red onions, green peppers, etc., etc. Little Grove also regularly has some plain steamed veggies - eh - and some rice. I just wish I could get there on a day that they offer their spanikopita. I love spanikopita.

Wegman's

The big New York-based super-supermarket chain Wegman's moved into town last year - Baltimore Magazine named it the best area supermarket of the year. I decided to do a little Thanksgiving shopping there. I tell you, it was a madhouse! So many people. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS some fool just stopping in front of you and looking around or something. I used to enjoy shopping, no more!

I must say that their hot buffet - priced the same as Whole Foods', at $6.99 - is not bad. Oh my God, there is a reason why so many people rave over Wegman's, and one reason must be sheer variety of hot food they offer - hot dogs, pizza, salad (not hot, but okay), chicken, sushi (again, not hot), and a pan-Asian buffet. It is the last offering that I sample when I go to Wegman's. It's not the greatest food, but it's good enough. I really like the flavor of their panang chicken, though today I went for the pineapple chicken (with a coating similar to orange chicken). It was pretty chewy, not something I will order again. Their chicken tikka was different, though again not notable. Steamed veggies, such as zucchini, carrot, red onion - good enough.

Okay, why do I eat at their buffet again?

Whole Foods

After work and a workout on Saturday, I like heading to Whole Foods to sample their buffet. It's burned me before - I've gotten sick on a less-than-well-cooked buffet from either of Baltimore's locations before. But at least they each have a microwave to heat it up, and I do strongly advise that you do heat it before eating.

That said, the temptation is too great to avoid it. The buffets there are good, if mixed in good and okay dishes; they just need to be heated before you eat. The buffets differ from location to location. Plus, each has a salad buffet - and all buffets are $6.99 per lb. There are two Whole Foods in the Balimore region. Both offer a pretty hearty and good buffet breakfast buffet, until around 11ish (the grits and cheese grits are heavenly). The WF on Fleet Street, by the Inner Harbor and Little Italy, usually produces a better hot buffet than the one in Mount Washington, on the other end of I-83 (well, the part that's in Baltimore City limits). Usually the Mount Washington buffet can be summed up in just a few dishes: tofu something and some variation on chicken wings. Black cherry chicken wings, buffalo chicken wings, marinara chicken wings, all these chicken wings! I don't like chicken wings that much, unless they're free and dipped in generous amounts of Ranch dressing. But I digress.

Today I opted for Whole Foods Inner Harbor, which has free parking with two hours validation (as opposed to Whole Foods Mount Washington, beside the beautiful Jones Falls, and has a big, free parking lot. It's in the same building as a hotel and the international headquarters of Sylvan Learning Center. Today they had some okay stuff and some delicious stuff on the menu. Recommended is the apple crisp - simply scrumptious, and a FAR better one than one what I had out last night (more on that in a future post) - that one just seemed like cinnamon-stewed apples with warm oats thrown on top. Yum? Um, no. But this one was all together, delicious crump topping with oats mixed in, crunchy and sugary, partly mixed in with the apples. Yum! Also good was the stir-fried asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes. I am not a big fan of asparagus, but this asparagus was good. In the above-average category was my main dish, black pepper steak on white rice. This was edible, but not worth remembering. They also had some tofu-stuffed bell peppers, which I almost sampled, but put back when I noticed how nice and hard the tofu filling actually was (tofu is supposed to be hard?). To that I added some crunchy cauliflour (the actual name of the dish) from the salad buffet to my plate - hell, it costs the same, why not?

I must urge you to try the cakes and cupcakes there. One more thing I love about the Fells Point location over the Mount Washington one is that the Fells Point WF often cuts up their unsold cakes into slices and sells them individually (a small vanilla buttercream yellow cake costs $13.99, individual slices are around $3, and only available on occasion; they won't slice one for you). The Mount Washington location almost never slices their cakes up for piece-by-piece sale, which is a shame. Each location also has chocolate and vanilla buttercream cupcakes. The decorations they put on them are fun and HUGE. I bought one today that had five smiling "people" of various races, all in a mound of "grass" and other icing objects. I haven't eaten the "people" yet, but I bet they will be tasty.

One MORE thing the Fells Point location has that the other does not is an assortment of gourmet chocolates and truffles from Knipschildt Chocolatier. These things are, again, scrumptious, but expensive as far as candy goes, at least on my budget. They are $12 per dozen, and $1.29 per each. I got three, of varying memorability. The least memorable one was the heart-shaped Antoinette, a mixture of white chocolate and rosewater. I got it simply for the rosewater, but tasted none. It was all delicious white chocolate, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't what it said it would be. Even a little rose water leaves a strong rose scent. There was none. More memorable was the Aisha, a white chocolate coating around a Turkish coffee ganache. Didn't taste like Turkish coffe - didn't taste like any coffee, actually. The one that was most memorable was the Helena, a syrupy caramel-centered milk chocolate candy lightly covered in (gasp!) sea salt. I am not that crazy about caramels, but this one was great, and the sea salt, most unusual on a chocolate, was the thing that made it memorable.