This is pretty good news. While the location in Ellicott City is not extremely far from me (20-25 minutes depending on traffic), having one closer at Arundel Mills (about 10-15 minutes) may motivate me to stop by more often.

January 6, 2016 at 12:09 PM hirmando said...

Bon Chon Chicken - I'm closer to the Ellicott City location- is great. I do wonder about the quality of the chicken though. Would be great if they used chickens from one of the local farms. I've thought about trying to make it at home with one of the readily available recipes on the interwebs.

January 15, 2016 at 4:45 PM bumby said...

Mount Everest Restaurant - Indian and Nepalese - is going into the former El Hildago space near the Lyndwood Shopping Center off of Marshalee.

January 27, 2016 at 3:27 PM Craig C said...

I still can't understand how anyone like Bon Chon. Went to the one in EC and the 'famous' chicken was just very crispy chicken legs. The waitress was the typical rude/ lack of interest asian. I remember saying that night that I can't believe the $ I spent and how I let the 'buzz' lure me to a chicken place......

February 13, 2016 at 7:14 PM I know How Chow hasn't been around much, but these comments have gone a bit off the rails. Thanks for sharing Gudeg Lalas and Romy Khanna. I'm sure Agen Bola is delicious. And the Reuben and Chicken dinner (not clear from Bon Chon or Rajendra nagar Delhi, they're pretty close) sounds like an odd combo, but I'm glad to hear that you would have confirmed that you made these foods. I've never made anything like Bon Chon's chicken, which is the least homey dish I can think of. So....Gudeg and Romy, what's your preference, Mango Grove or Royal Taj?

February 25, 2016 at 9:42 AM Where in the hell is Mr. How Chow?

February 29, 2016 at 9:41 PM dzoey said...

Bean and Burgundy has closed and is being replaced by a "chicken and sushi" place. I was there on Feb 29 and the "under new management" signs were up as was the name of the restaurant(which I don't recall - it sounded like a Japanese name), but the Bean and Burgundy decor and signs were also up.

There was no sample menu posted, so we'll have to see.

With Bean and Burgundy closing, another All You Can Eat sushi place shuts down. The only one I know of left in the area is in the food court next to H-Mart in Catonsville.

In general, it seems like All You Can Eat places are shutting down - it used to be a popular lunch, but the only places I know that still have them are Indian restaurants. Does anyone know of any others?

March 1, 2016 at 10:05 AM Alas, after years of being a food blog, Howchow seems to be attracting the spam that is not food.

March 4, 2016 at 1:15 PM Bean and Burgundy is open, they just changed the name (something that starts with K) but the menu, buffet and same people are still there.

March 4, 2016 at 2:03 PM Sigh..this blog has really gone to the weeds

March 4, 2016 at 10:35 PM You're right, Bean and Burgundy (or K something) is still open. It was closed on Feb 29, but I had lunch yesterday there. It had a decent number of people and the food was good, possibly fresher, then before.

Glad to have my guilty pleasure back.

March 6, 2016 at 9:46 AM The new Cinco de Mayo opened where Royal Taj used to be. It's a decent tex-mex place, leaning a bit towards Mexico (they use queso blanco and crema, I didn't see any cheddar-jack) but still good tex-mex flavors. They'll also make guacamole at the table, much like South of the Border does.
I had the enchillada Suizas and it was a good version. A decent sized portion, not too large, and good flavor.
The only complain was the steak nachos used crema instead of sour cream and it caused the chips to get soggy.

Worth checking out. There's lots of Tex-Mex competition in this area though - LaPalapa (1 and 2), El Azteca, South of the Border, and Mi Casa just to name a few off the top of my head.

March 29, 2016 at 4:54 PM I just noticed the Sweet Frog Yoghurt on Rt. 40, in the shopping center with Mars and Bare Bones, has closed and is being replaced by a Smoothie King. Another casualty of the frozen yogurt overpopulation.

March 30, 2016 at 6:11 PM I'd say it's a casualty of frozen yogurt just not being very good!

April 1, 2016 at 3:48 PM Junior Barnes said...

FYI - R & R moved to its new location over a month ago and the burger place is in the old location.

April 3, 2016 at 12:40 PM It would be great if HowChow would start reporting again although I'm glad to see others at least try to keep us informed.

April 3, 2016 at 9:18 PM I've been twice to the new R&R and the food is absolutely delicious, and the menu has expanded. There's plenty of seating, including large tables for large groups, though during lunch it can be challenge to find a seat. The service is...not as good as the food. Nothing terrible, just some mistakes like delivering the wrong dish, not delivering a dish, asking "is this your dish?"

Worth a trip to US-1 for.

April 4, 2016 at 12:52 PM Bruce Goodman said...

I WISH WE COULD AT LEAST HAVE A Cheddars Casual Cafe, Jack in the box, Cookout, or a Whataburger near Arundel Mills Mall.

April 16, 2016 at 3:41 PM sunshine said...

HowChow come back to blog please

May 3, 2016 at 11:27 AM I don't have any info on the Bon Chon, but I have heard that an italian place is going into one of the new office buildings in Maple Lawn and a Mission BBQ is coming to Ellicott City.

May 10, 2016 at 4:42 PM A Mission BBQ opened off of 108 in the shopping center with Cold Stone ice cream and Coal Fire pizza.

There's also a Primo Sub shop that opened in the same area as Qdoba and Pei Wei off of Dobbin and 175.

May 12, 2016 at 5:55 PM The BBQ off 108 is Urban BBQ not Mission BBQ. Their menu has a larger variety of more interesting items and the ribs are much better than Mission.

May 13, 2016 at 12:15 AM new burger place just opened for biz.

May 14, 2016 at 6:54 AM And the Primo Hoagies is good, really, really good. I have trouble not ordering an italian hoagie every day!

May 16, 2016 at 11:10 AM A great new coffee stand has opened at the Howard County Farmers Market at Oakland Mills on Sundays. They serve pour over coffee made to order. Best cup of coffee. Worth the trip! Finally great coffee in HoCo!

May 21, 2016 at 10:17 PM The Romano's Macaroni Grill in the Colubia Crossing shopping center is closed. Can't say that I'll miss it. I saw a zoning sign down by the street, but couldn't quite read what it said. Is there already another restaurant moving in to this space?

May 23, 2016 at 2:41 PM Bistro Blanc has closed.

June 1, 2016 at 7:48 PM Typical rude/lack of interest Asian???!!! Wow...that's such an ignorant generalization!!! I'm sure there is nothing typical about your race but the ignorance you display.

June 5, 2016 at 6:11 PM Wow, so it's been 6 months since the last post. What other Howard County food blogs are good / active?

Also, tried the Himalaya restaurant that replaced Hidalgo off of Montgomery Rd. It's a Nepalese / Indian restaurant and does serve Momos and some good Indian-Chinese dishes - try the chow mien, it's not not American chow mien at all, it's very flavorful. In general, the vegetarian dishes, like paneer saag were excellent. The base chow mien was very good, but the chicken in the chicken chow mien was way, way overcooked. Not burnt, just really tough. I saw the same pattern at the lunch buffer. The vegetable dishes were good, the meat dishes, tough or overcooked.

I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but if I was in the area and wanted Indian Chinese food or momos, I'd stop by.

June 5, 2016 at 7:25 PM msikora said...

Katie, this is what is listed on the Columbia Association's development tracker about the Macaroni Grill. Looks like it is going to be torn down and re-built.

SDP-16-031: Seeking approval for demolition of existing Macaroni Grill in Columbia Crossing Shopping Center and construction of BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse.

June 6, 2016 at 10:26 PM Guano said...

To dzoey and others:
HowChow has obviously quit blogging due to time issues - I tried to contact him (Brent) directly to ask but didn't get a response. There are no other restaurant blogs in HoCo - closest is 2 Dudes (2 teenage siblings write on local restaurant but very irregularly).

I guess the only way to keep information flowing is to continue doing what some of you have started and use this BonChon post as a running community message board to pass news and our own reviews.

June 9, 2016 at 10:16 AM kevlar51 said...

A new burger place opened in the former R&R location--Chef Rod's Outrageous Burgers. So it's the same owner as R&R. Lots of choices--very overwhelming at first. I wasn't very impressed with the burger itself (3 little piggies), but later realized the patty was a pork belly burger and not a straight beef hamburger. So with that in mind, I'll withhold judgement until I've tried something else. The burger was huge though. At half a pound, I kind of wish there were smaller options. It also comes with fries, so I wouldn't mind being able to cut that out too for a cheaper price. That being said, at $9 for a half pound gourmet burger with fries, I was pleased with the value received.

The cook kept insisting I try his crabcake next time. We'll see. I'm picky about my crabcakes :)

June 13, 2016 at 11:29 AM Was at fudruckers today and they said Wednesday will be there last day open

June 18, 2016 at 2:55 PM I am going to miss Fudds. I loved the elk burger since I am not supposed to eat restaurant hamburgers due to fat content.

June 24, 2016 at 2:22 PM All we need is ANOTHER brewhouse in the same area as Friscos and Ale House...not.

June 24, 2016 at 2:25 PM geoberk said...

Agreed. With all the home-grown quality bews being offered in this county, the last thing we need is a cookie-cutter formula chain brewery run by corporate thought and focus groups. There's one in Laurel, anyway.

June 26, 2016 at 2:38 PM Hoping to see a Mongolian grill return to the area. I would even be okay with a franchise location of Huhat.

June 27, 2016 at 2:34 PM Anybody tried Little Kampala on Rt. 1 South and North Laurel Road? Ugandan food, looks like they may be open but I'm not 100% sure, the open sign has been lit periodically.

June 27, 2016 at 9:12 PM So the building at the corner of 40 and St. John's Lane has finally been demo'ed in EC. Could we finally be getting the Chipotle?! I checked the realty website and it still lists them.

July 2, 2016 at 1:33 PM dan said...

July 7, 2016 at 9:15 AM oops, posted that without seeing people already mentioned it. sad!

July 7, 2016 at 9:16 AM http://howchow.blogspot.com/2010/12/kolache-kreations-in-ellicott-city.html -- this place is closed too. never went there, too late now!

July 7, 2016 at 9:20 AM Bon chon fan said...

Has anyone received an update for this locations opening? I still haven't seen one. They are also opening a Bon Chon in Canton . They are slated to open in September

July 9, 2016 at 6:36 AM Barbecue news:
• New Mission Barbecue on Rt 40 in Ellicott City (old Crab Shanty location) grand opening July 11th

• Saw sign today at old Foster Country Store (Rt 144 and Triadelphia Road) that Town Grill from Lisbon is opening a second location there (no date on when).

July 10, 2016 at 10:40 PM Kung Fu Tea (bubble tea, drinks, dessert) just opened in the same shopping center as Honey Pig and Soft Stuff in Ellicott City.

July 15, 2016 at 10:28 AM There is a new sushi place called Kome Sushi opening next to the Pizza Hut Take Out off of Snowden River Parkway. Drove past it last week and there was a sign that just said Coming Soon, no date given.

July 22, 2016 at 10:17 AM It's really shitty that HowChow just abandoned this blog without saying a word. Really shitty indeed.

July 22, 2016 at 10:51 PM Jen Blacker said...

Anyone know what's going in at the Fudruccker's location on Dobbin? Drove by this weekend and noticed it was closed.

July 25, 2016 at 9:34 AM This blog has been a wonderful resource and while it is sad that the owner seems to not be posting anymore it is certainly understandable given the new addition to the family.

There, fixed that for you.

July 25, 2016 at 11:24 AM JR Rothschild said...
July 25, 2016 at 6:11 PM Black flag brewery opened 7/27 off Snowden! Need to check it out.

July 30, 2016 at 12:52 AM Mars food store on Rt 40 closed on July 31.

August 2, 2016 at 9:32 PM LDAP Plays said...

Maybe we can create a subreddit on Reddit dedicated to Howard County food and Restaurants? I would hate to affect this sites brand, when I think food in Columbia, I think HowChow. Yet there seems to be an interest in sharing views on HowCoFood.

August 8, 2016 at 10:18 AM Howard County Foodie said...

The Unmanly Chef can provides great local restaurant reviews and recipes. He just did a Best of Howard County.

August 10, 2016 at 4:12 PM Tian Korean Chinese Restaurant is serving up amazing food if you know what to order, try the black bean noodles, they're heavenly.

August 12, 2016 at 7:20 PM Chick N Friends is now in Owen Brown behind the Giant near Sonoma's. It's a bigger space with some table's. Kome Sushi has a grand opening sign. It's where Pizza Hut dine in was.

August 20, 2016 at 5:08 PM The Grille at Maple Lawn has permanently closed, apparently sometime in early August.

August 21, 2016 at 11:07 AM Anyone know location and name of the new place opened by owner of Bon Fresco? I believe it is located across Broken Land from Lake Elkhorn.

August 21, 2016 at 3:38 PM The new Bon Fresco location is off Broken Land in an office park:

9861 Broken Land Parkway | Columbia, MD | 21046
OPEN Mon - Fri | 7am - 3pm

August 22, 2016 at 10:04 AM tacitus said...

Hope Mr and Mrs HowChow are doing Okay.

I do like the reddit idea.

August 24, 2016 at 8:49 AM Just like that, Primo hoagies is closed! A sign indicated that they will reopen under new management, but that didn't happen with Garbanzo, so we'll see.

September 2, 2016 at 1:13 PM Oh, that's a shame about Primo, I really liked their hoagies. I'm sorry to see them go. Hopefully they will re-open.

In happier news, Niko Sushi, which used to have a decent sushi buffet in Normandy shopping center has re-opened as a regular sushi (no buffet) restaurant with the same chef and owner and most of the same staff. They're located in the shopping strip diagonal to Rita's at 144 & St. Johns lane.

September 2, 2016 at 4:40 PM I saw a sign in the window of the now closed Bistro Blanc in Glenelg saying that a new restaurant would be opening there in mid-October - Dandelion Bakery and Bistro.

September 3, 2016 at 2:38 PM There's a new Indian restaurant called Paradise on Rogers Ave just south of 40. The food is very good, decor is early carryout, but it's clean and they have real china dishes and heavy utensils. Plus it's nice to not have to go all the way to Columbia for Indian.

September 4, 2016 at 3:35 PM jones said...

FYI, someone did actually create a subreddit for Howard County Food & Restaurants.

September 5, 2016 at 3:52 PM Chammpps at the mall, Fuddruckers on Dobbin, and Fatburger by Costco all have closed.

September 7, 2016 at 12:27 PM Chammps closure was planned, if not announced. They've been closing them quite a bit over the last year. On December 15, 2013, the restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy and again on August 10th, 2016. Quick googling shows locations in TX, MN, and others that have all shuttered recently.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champps

September 8, 2016 at 8:47 PM About time with Fatburger. It didn't seem like anyone ever went there, traffic always flowed to Jersey Mikes.

September 9, 2016 at 11:58 AM Well with Fatburger closing I won't be bothered with forgetting I don't like Fatburger. I went in there way too many times to only remember it was worth nowhere near the price charged.

September 10, 2016 at 10:44 AM There's a sign for Mint Indian Cuisine and Lounge coming soon in Clarksville (off 108; I believe where Pudgies used to be located).

September 12, 2016 at 1:06 PM Sign for regionale, american sandwich place, up at old starbucks location in shipley's grant shopping center. Anyone know more?

September 12, 2016 at 9:00 PM regionale => Region Ale. Sandwiches from various regions around the country. The Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/493304194199107/photos/a.499987220197471.1073741827.493304194199107/499987200197473/?type=3&theater It is scheduled to home this fall.

September 13, 2016 at 9:03 AM Fatburger was sued in landlord court a couple months ago.

September 28, 2016 at 2:54 PM ANY new updates on Panera in Maplelawn?

September 28, 2016 at 2:56 PM Has anyone been to Cava? I had samples of their food, which seemed fine, but was wondering how the service is.

October 7, 2016 at 9:12 AM I've been to the Cava in Montgomery Mall and it was very good. I find some of their juice and soda flavors a bit odd, but drinkable, and the salads are very good. No problem with the service, though I haven't tried the Columbia one yet.

October 7, 2016 at 4:27 PM Cava is similar to Chipotle, but with Mediterranean food. They make your order while you wait in line and then you pick it up and pay. So there is no service to speak of.

October 7, 2016 at 11:53 PM After writing my comment on Cava, I decided to visit the Columbia branch. Granted, this is a single visit experience, but I came away thinking it was not as good as the Montgomery Mall branch. The staff was disorganized, with waits everytime an assembly segment was handed off to another person. There were people standing around in back, but it was always someone else's responsibility to help customers. At the end of the line as I was checking out, I asked for some pita bread. It took the person behind the counter three times to ask for pita bread before one was produced.

At 6pm on a Tuesday they were out of lentils. Do they not restock for dinner?

My experience with the Montgomery Mall branch was not like this - there everything flowed smoothly and all ingredients were in stock.

There is a very similar restaurant in Dobbin Center across Rt 175 named Nalley Fresh. If you feel like a salad, you might be better off trying there.

October 13, 2016 at 6:27 PM There are signs on the Primo Hoagies off Dobbin Road that indicate they may be re-opening Monday, 7 November. Anyone have any more information on that?

November 1, 2016 at 12:16 PM The Primo Hoagies website seems to list the same thing, so I think it's looking pretty good to reopen next week.

November 3, 2016 at 3:03 PM s. chou said...

I love Cava Grill and was delighted they finally opened a location in Columbia. Most of the DC/Montgomery County locations been open for several years, so I think the service issues at the Columbia location is just because it's new.

My first visit to the Columbia location had long overflowing lines, staff was unsure of things, but then again, it was after the first week they opened. by my second visit to Cava a couple weeks ago, they had sorted out the lines and the staff was pretty organized. Still, my favorite part of going to Cava is drinking their seasonal house juices.

November 7, 2016 at 9:03 AM Any ideas on what's going in the new building at Rt 40 and St Johns? The building is non-descript, but I'd heard a Mexican restaurant.

November 7, 2016 at 9:12 AM RickC50 said...

Primo is back and as good as ever!!! Went there for lunch around 1:30 PM, and it was crowded...not too many places to sit. The parking lot has a different layout now.

November 7, 2016 at 7:59 PM I can confirm Primo as well. I went on election day around 1:30 and it wasn't very crowded at all. Same food, same prices, paved parking lot. What's not to love?

November 8, 2016 at 5:03 PM New building at Rt 40 and St Johns is a Chipotle: https://jobs.chipotle.com/job/ellicott-city/new-restaurant-opening-ellicott-city-md-team-member/282/3351615

November 14, 2016 at 7:53 AM Asian Court moved from the Home Depot shopping center to Turf Valley Shopping center. I tried the dimsum today and it was just as good as before. The space is newer and brighter than before, but it seems a little smaller.

November 19, 2016 at 4:09 PM Apparently McDonalds in River Hill Shopping Center is closing at the end of the year. This is what they told me in the drive-thru last night. I tried to call them several times today to confirm, but the phone was never answered.

November 26, 2016 at 9:39 PM Tom Farrel said...

I went to the Primo Hoagies on re-opening day and it was very crowded. However, I noticed the bread was thinner than before and not as fluffy. Also, the rice pudding did not have cinnamon in it. I mentioned this to someone on floor and they told a manager who promptly removed the remaining containers from the shelf, but no one came to my table to replace mine or explain. Also, I was expecting a manager on the floor the first day to check on customers, but there was none.

I went back a week later and the place was pretty dead. The bread was still flat as well. I am not saying the sandwich tastes bad but I definitely preferred the old bread. I think the bread ingredients are the same but they must be baking it differently?

November 26, 2016 at 9:46 PM What it the scoop on Chipotle in Maple Lawn? In regards to the McDonalds in River Hill...I could be wrong, but I think they are just renovating it. There were many workers there last night completely rehabbing the interior, but the McDonalds sign was still on the building and lit up.

November 29, 2016 at 12:28 PM New restaurant opening at The Grille at Maple Lawn site. Hudson Coastal Raw Bar and Grille looks like it will be a seafood restaurant opening this Fall: http://www.hudsoncoastal.com/

This is the 4th restaurant at this site since Maple Lawn opened around 10 years ago - hope blooms eternal.

November 30, 2016 at 11:25 AM The Hudson Coastal sign is up on the new construction next to Harris Teeter.

November 30, 2016 at 7:31 PM You are right Hudson Coastal is in new buildings (West Marketplace) near Harris Teeter and Firestone - not The Grille at Maple Lawn location - not sure who is going in there.

December 1, 2016 at 10:07 AM There are also signs up for SteelFire Kitchen & Bar and Chipotle near Harris Teeter in Maple Lawn.

December 1, 2016 at 1:54 PM Heard that Chipotle is open in Maple Lawn - next to Harris Teeter

December 2, 2016 at 11:27 AM Has anyone else tried Regionale yet? My wife and I went last week and found it interesting. Not the least expensive place, but the service was good and the food was well prepared.

December 5, 2016 at 12:41 PM After reading Eric's post, I went to Regionale last week. It's a little (mostly takeout) sandwich+ shop in the Shipley's Grant shopping center next to Cold Stone Creamery. It serves familiar sandwiches from across the country. The website is here: http://www.regionalesandwich.com/ If you miss the crunchy rolls from Primos, you can get them from Regionale. It will be interesting to see if they can compete with other gourmet sandwich shops such as Abby's and Bon Fresco. They are open for lunch and dinner.

December 12, 2016 at 4:01 PM Maple Lawn New Restaurant Openings:
Chipotle is opened at Maple Lawn at 11811 West Marketplace situated near Harris Teeter (and another is opening soon on Route 40 at the corner of St Johns Lane).

Also at new area near Harris Teeter:
Hudson Coastal Raw Bar & Grille, a locally owned seafood restaurant had a soft opening a couple of weeks ago. No reviews on Yelp but decent looking menu/reasonableprices and some good comments on Facebook page.

SteelFire Kitchen & Bar, new bar/restaurant is about ready to open from looks and hiring staff. They indicate they will serve customizable burgers, salads and 'American cuisine,.

December 15, 2016 at 11:36 AM Saw coming soon signs for BJ's restaurant and brewhouse at Columbia crossing (near bww, famous daves, target, etc). Have yet to try regionale and finally had cava the other night!

December 15, 2016 at 7:40 PM We went to Zapatas in Harpers Choice Saturday evening. It seems about a month or two ago the owners sold it and it will no longer be a Mexican Restaurant. Our very nice server said it will be called "Jazz's Caribbean and Soul Food Kitchen" and have some interesting items such as oxtails, jerk chicken, collards, and cornbread among other things on their new menu (they also will keep the fajitas and have a cheeseburger that he said was great). They are in the process of remodeling the old bar and restaurant and hope to have everything done sometime early next year. It will be more casual, with more televisions, sort of like Sonoma's, according to him. Currently the menu is still Zapatas' old menu (they are still using the Zapatas menus). It was sad to lose Zapatas after all these years, but I wish Jazz's luck with the new concept. It sounds interesting and should be fun and different.

December 19, 2016 at 4:31 PM Luna Bella is closing.
To our friends, fans and family,

It is with the utmost sadness that Joe and I are announcing the closing of our beloved Luna Bella on December 31, 2016. With the future of the village center being so fragile, we have decided it is in our best interest to close our doors on a high note. We are not claiming bankruptcy, we have not been “kicked out”, and we have not given up. We are in fact doing very well. We are simply tired of putting up with a huge corporation that does not have their tenant’s best interest at heart. A corporation where phone calls are not returned and questions are never answered. A corporation that demands a percentage of our business, that lets a business close their doors and put 25 people out of work. A corporation that gives us no incentive to stay and that doesn’t even bat an eye that we are leaving. It has been our belief that they don’t want any of us here. We believe it would be too costly for them to negotiate leases. It has broken us to the core, a core that will be forever changed by the course of events that have taken place. But this does not diminish the belief that Joe and I have led a successful life here. You see for us, success is not a huge house, but the huge feeling of home when you enter it. Success is not measured in dollars or status, but measured in the lives that you make a difference in. Success is not measured by the fancy car you may drive, but in the drive you have to lead with integrity and truth. No corporation can take this from us. The face of the small business owner has changed, and we will continue to diminish as long as large corporations make it impossible for us to survive and thrive. All of this and more will erase the small business as we know it today. It is an immense loss for us all.

Regardless of this, it has been our greatest joy and pleasure to have served you, to have known you, and, to have become your friends. You have become part of our family. We have done our best to be our best, and although we have failed at times to be THE best, it was always our utmost goal. I am not sure what is in our future, but whatever it is, we have learned a great deal in our time here and will forever keep all of you in our hearts.
Joe and I would like to thank so many people. First and foremost ALL of our employees, past and present, which have become such a huge part of our life. We have seen so many of you grow to become successful both professionally and personally. And many now have beautiful families of their own. It is because of all of you, that we have been able to shine our light as bright as we have. We will never forget you; we will miss you immensely and will truly be forever grateful.

To our guests, well there would be no Luna Bella without you. You have stood by us for 15 years, we have seen your children grow and have met your grandchildren. We are honored and humbled by your unwavering support. We have celebrated engagements, weddings, birthdays, holiday parties, retirements, and countless other celebrations. All of which we were honored to have been a part of. Sadly, we have had to say goodbye to those who have left us. But have been so very grateful to have known them.
We ask that you come by these last 2 weeks of December to celebrate our 15 years, and to say goodbye. Our last day of business will be December 31st, New Year’s Eve. How fitting. It will be a difficult couple of weeks, but we look forward to seeing you all and share in the memories we have created.

Lastly, Joe and I would like to wish all of you good health, great happiness, much prosperity, and lastly….. Nothing but good eats.
With humble gratitude and great sadness,
Celeste and Joe

“A bottle of red, a bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant”

Billy Joel
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

December 19, 2016 at 7:26 PM TH said...

HOCO may be getting a new diner soon. According to the Howard County Development Tracker, a plan was submitted in November 2016:

Project Description: Site Development Plan to retrofit Mimi’s Café in the Gateway Overlook Shopping Center to a Silver Diner.

I'm looking forward to it!

December 20, 2016 at 10:16 AM Heard river hill McDonalds is becoming a Chick Fila. Can anyone confirm?

December 20, 2016 at 9:26 PM No, the RH McDonald's is just getting a remodel.

December 21, 2016 at 1:15 PM It's open. Long line right now.

December 21, 2016 at 4:06 PM BJ's? Just what we need in Columbia, a brewpub that determines its beer lineup by focus group and serves formulaic food to go with it. Meet me at Jailbreak.

December 21, 2016 at 5:40 PM I didn't see a line, or any people at all, when I drove by yesterday. The windows were still papered & the "now hiring" poster was still up.

December 23, 2016 at 11:57 AM It's been one year since the last post from Howchow. This comment section has some good info and there's a Reddit community at Howard County Food, but I do miss Howchow's writing and interest in the local scene and hope some day he will have time to continue this blog.

January 4, 2017 at 8:21 PM Anyone know what happened about Town Grill moving from Lisbon to old Foster's Country Store location in W. Friendship on Frederick Road?

January 12, 2017 at 3:48 PM Dandelion Bistro and Bakery in Glenelg (former Bistro Blanc location) just had soft opening this week. Post comments if you go.

January 12, 2017 at 4:09 PM Manor Hill Tavern is opening in former Diamondback Tavern Location (Old Columbia Pike near Main Street) in Mid February.

January 25, 2017 at 12:16 PM Both Hudson Coastal & Steelfire are OPEN in Maple Lawn. The liquor store in Maple Lawn is moving to another location behind Hudson Coastal and a Chinese restaurant may be in the works where the liquor store in moving from.

February 7, 2017 at 5:03 PM Mint has finally opened in Clarksville, where Pudgies used to be. Good Indian food, lunchtime buffet. Belly dancer on Saturday night. Worth the wait for them to open!!!

February 27, 2017 at 3:49 PM The Patch is reporting that a Caribbean restaurant opened earlier this month in Harper Choice Village Center where Zapata's used to be. The website is here: https://jazzislandsoul.com/

February 28, 2017 at 11:25 AM David said...

Both are excellent. Truly great burgers at Steelfire. Great fresh seafood at Hudson and fresh oysters. Both have very nice bars and dining rooms.

March 3, 2017 at 8:22 PM BonChon at Arundel Mills is currently holding their soft opening. I drove by on Saturday but didn't have time to stop (dine-in only during the soft opening).

March 19, 2017 at 10:59 PM Kogiyaki/Bean & Burgundy permanently closed a couple of weeks ago. A new sign popped us this weekend, Mid-Atlantic Seafood, which appears to be a small (4 location) local chain with really bad reviews on Yelp.

March 20, 2017 at 9:31 AM Does anyone know what is going in on Stanford Blvd? Looks like a food building. Haven't been able to locsate permit info.

March 26, 2017 at 1:58 PM Editing myself--it appears to be a Texas Roadhouse.

March 26, 2017 at 6:49 PM @GwynethJones - The Daring Librarian said...

Awww how sad this blog has been neglected for a year. Maybe someone should do a podcast about it like Missing Richard Simmons! Could there be an evil housekeeper involved?

Anyway, for everyone else - is there a Twitter & Instagram hashtag we all could use to connect other than leaving comments here? How about #HowChow or #HoCoChow - both sparsely used at the moment.

I've not logged onto Reddit since I gave up Something Awful back before Slenderman was invented.

Best wishes to the owner of this blog who can come back anytime - no social media pressure from me, I sometimes only post every other week or once a month! I can't throw stones!

March 26, 2017 at 7:57 PM I do miss Howchow. I hope he is well. In addition to the Twitter & Instagram sites, there's the HoCoFood topic on Reddit.

March 27, 2017 at 4:46 PM Husband and I had lunch at the Manor Hill Tavern in Old Ellicott City last week. Definitely fancier than Diamondback Tavern and pricier, too. They have a pizza oven in the dining room. Hubby had the Blue Hawaii Pizza that has pineapple and Spam. It was quite good. I had the burger. Burger is very juicy and roll is good but needs to be sturdier than the airy brioche they're using now.

March 30, 2017 at 11:54 AM Drove by the new construction today between Stanford Blvd and Snowden River Pkwy. Definitely looks like a Texas Roadhouse. Which would be consistent with https://www.howardcountymd.gov/DesktopModules/DnnSharp/SearchBoost/FileDownload.ashx?file=15910&sb-inst=9164 A welcome addition!

April 2, 2017 at 3:25 PM New Town Grill at Foster's Country Store, 11707 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, MD opens tomorrow 4/18/17. Same menu basically as original Town Grill in Lisbon. Menu is on line at: http://www.towngrillfosters.com/menu.html

April 17, 2017 at 12:42 PM Went to Dandelion Bistro this weekend.
Service was excellent
I had the fish taco (appetizer). The tuna was cooked perfectly but it was in an unheated grocery store like tortilla wrap which didn't taste good at all.
Another in my party had the brisket sandwich -very good, needs better bread or toasted bread.

April 24, 2017 at 8:32 AM A Kumar said...

Coach Rental and Bus Charter Services Grow in Popularity as More People Value Travel. Columbia Maryland to NYC Bus

May 11, 2017 at 2:26 PM RJ said...

For anybody wondering, Cosi on Old Dobbin Road in Columbia is becoming a Modern Market Eatery.

Also, Texas Roadhouse on Stanford Blvd is supposed to open in July.

June 2, 2017 at 10:39 AM Some finally got fast pizza right!

You Pizza in Clarksville(from owner of Facci) is fantastic.
Great crust, sauce, cheese and other ingredients.

Negatives: The counter is not well designed making it difficult to pick up you order, and it is a bit of a hike to walk there from the parking lots.

June 5, 2017 at 9:25 PM New Restaurants coming to Columbia Mall per Baltimore Sun

Shake Shack!!!!
Uncle Julios!!!
Some others I've never heard of!!
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