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Jun. 27—More than 34,000 ballots were cast in 47 categories during this year's contest — demonstrating that eateries are dishing it out like never before in 2024. There's something for everyone, from fine to casual dining, food trucks to sit-downs, and familiar favorites to new on the block.
Ambience: Xenia Greek Kouzina
Bakery: Decadent, A Coffee and Dessert Bar
Honorable mentions:
Roggenart
Touche Touchet Bakery
Nothing Bundt Cakes
10980 Grantchester Way #110, Columbia, 667-786-7111, cured1821.com
The concept of a restaurant within a restaurant has found its niche in Columbia. Enter Cured, an upscale bistro, and explore a mecca of cocktails and comfort food. A telltale unmarked door opens to a 1920s-style jazz club. Dim lights, dark corners and art deco surroundings set the stage at 18th & 21st, a speakeasy throwback that takes its name from the constitutional amendments that enacted and repealed Prohibition.
Each venue has its own menu. Fans of Cured favor the Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, while burgers score high at the hideaway out back. Spirit-wise, both places offer their best-selling Smoked Old Fashioned, made of bourbon, brown-sugar syrup and house-smoked bitters.
The notion of two watering holes under one roof appeals to the clientele, said Vince Culotta, managing partner of both places.
"People don't buy what you're selling, so much as why you're selling it," said Culotta, 48. "They care about the culture and the ethos of [a restaurant]. People dine out for an experience, and our goal is to create, for them, a memorable one."
Honorable mentions:
Walkers Tap & Table
GameOn bar+arcade
White Oak Tavern
Barbecue: Mission BBQ
Honorable mentions:
Kloby's
Walker's Tap & Table
The Canopy
Bartender: Phil Fassel, Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:
Rachel King, Xenia Greek Kouzina
Pete Murphy, Walker's Tap & Table
Sydney Newman, GameOn bar+arcade
Beer list: Walker's Tap & Table
Black-owned restaurant: Althea's Almost Famous
Honorable mentions:
Apple Core Bakeshop
Icing on the Cake
Chick N' Friends
Breakfast/brunch: JAM Eateries
6010 University Blvd., Ellicott City, 410-740-3115, jameateries.com
JAM Eateries is a neighborhood brunch joint where patrons can enjoy brunch all day. Nestled on University Boulevard in Ellicott City, the restaurant overlooks a small pond along Snowden River Parkway.
Previously Eggspectation, the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch as well as craft cocktails, homemade Bloody Marys and inventive mimosas and features favorite menu items, including Bagel and Lox, JAMmin' Signature Bloody Mary and Mimosa Flight as well as breakfast burritos and tacos, omelets, pancakes, shrimp and grits, waffles and more.
Jon Hickle, 63, of Woodbine, has served as president of Mid-Atlantic Eateries, which owns JAM Eateries, for 22 years.
Hickle, who owned and operated Eggspectation, said the restaurant was remodeled two years ago, making the space airier and lighter.
"The comments we get from our patrons are how good it makes them feel because it's light and tranquil," he said.
Hickle said it is special for the restaurant to be selected by readers as one of the best in the county.
"It says a lot for our customers to take the time to vote for us," he said. "It makes the whole team feel appreciated and very proud of what we're doing on a daily basis."
Honorable mentions:
Walker's Tap & Table
White Oak Tavern
Victoria Gastro Pub
Chef: Chad Wells, Walker's Tap & Table
2465 Route 97, Glenwood, 410-801-9400, eatatwalkers.com
As a child, Chad Wells enjoyed hanging around food.
"I was the one who liked sitting outside with my grandmom, on her farm in Jessup, picking the tops off of green beans," he said. The kitchen was his chemistry lab, where he mixed and matched fixins' to no end.
"Sometimes it worked and sometimes it was disgusting — but that's how you learn to put ingredients together that makes sense," said Wells, 43. As executive chef at Walker's Tap & Table, in Glenwood, he keeps pushing the envelope, putting an offbeat spin on otherwise normal fare.
"We take comfort foods and turn them on their heads by thinking a little outside the box," he said. Like the fried deviled eggs and Frito pie burgers; sloppy joe egg rolls and Cajun crab pizza; and smoked tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons.
"I want people to be excited about what they are going to eat — and we [strive] to exceed their expectations," said Wells, former chef at Alewife, in Baltimore, who helped open Walker's five years ago. "Plus, we're relentless about making everything from scratch from fresh, local ingredients."
Chinese: Hunan Manor
Honorable mentions:
Peter Chang's
P.F. Chang's
Sushi King
Honorable mentions:
Xenia Greek Kouzina
Walker's Tap & Table
GameOn bar+arcade
Coffee: Decadent, A Coffee and Dessert Bar
Honorable mentions:
Mad City Coffee
Roggenart
Rosie's Delicatessen
Crabcake: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:
Xenia Greek Kouzina
Leelynn's Dining Room and Lounge
Bushel & A Peck
Deli: Rosie's Delicatessen
2465 Route 97, Suite 15, Glenwood. 410-982-6551. Rosiesdelicatessen.com
New York-style delis thrive in, well, New York. But in western Howard County, with its checkered tracts of cows and posh colonials?
Rosie's is bustling in the boonies. Having opened in January, the upscale deli has impressed patrons with its savory subs, coffee bar and homey feel, a turn-on for a fast-food joint these days.
"We try to get to know our guests and to give them a high level of hospitality in a deli atmosphere," co-owner Anthony DiGangi said. Popular subs are Rosie's Italian (named, like the deli, for DiGangi's late mother) and the Bada Bing, a fresh fried chicken cutlet flanked by all the trimmings. Breakfast sandwiches draw early crowds.
The deli doubles as a market for Italian groceries, including salads and sliced meats. (Think: Dipasquale's, of Baltimore, with free parking.) Rosie's and its sister restaurant, Walker's Tap & Table, bookend the same shopping center and share their kitchen maestro, Chad Wells, named best chef by Howard Magazine readers.
Honorable mentions:
Mikey and Mel's
Jason's Deli
Bon Fresco
Dessert: Decadent, a Coffee and Dessert Bar
Honorable mentions:
Xenia Greek Kouzina
GameOn bar+arcade
Walker's Tap & Table
Fine dining: Xenia Greek Kouzina
Food truck: Greek on the Street
Honorable mentions:
Tasty Empanadas
Taqueria La Patrona
Manor Hill Pizza Trolley
Frozen treats: The Charmery
Honorable mentions:
Coldstone
Park Ridge Creamery
Alex's Snow Cones & Ice Cream
Greek: Xenia Greek Kouzina
Honorable mentions:
Konstantine's Greek Taverna
Cava
Greek on the Street
Honorable mentions:
Hudson Coastal
Xenia Greek Kouzina
GameOn bar+arcade
Healthful menu: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:
Great Sage
Elkridge Furnace Inn
Nalley Fresh (tie)
Rosie's Delicatessen (tie)
Indian: Royal Taj
8335 Benson Drive, Columbia, 410-381-1111, royaltajmd.com
The staff swears by its checklist of how to please patrons, a handful of to-dos that have sent diners home happy.
"Some [customers] are really into food," owner Binda Singh said. "For others, it's ambience, service and hospitality.
"We nail all four things."
In an opulent setting (6 rooms, 20 crystal chandeliers and 7 fireplaces), guests dine on dishes of lamb and lobster, crab and chicken, drenched in savory marinades and served by an attentive yet unobtrusive wait crew. Here, one gets hooked on Chilean sea bass with coconut sauce, or on the goat garam masala, curried with spices and yogurt.
Reservations are required and, on busy evenings, patrons who face untimely waits may receive a bottle of spirits, on the house, from the well-stocked bar filled with bourbons and such.
"We feel good when people come happy and leave extra happy," said Singh, 39, who plans to open a second venue in Middletown by year's end. "We want them to be our guests for life."
Honorable mentions:
Ananda
Mint Room
Chutney Indian Restaurant
Italian: Tino's Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Honorable mentions:
Facci
Stella Notte
Eataliano
Japanese: UMI Sushi
Honorable mentions:
Sushi King
Sakura Japanese Steak, Seafood House & Sushi Bar
Koto Sake Japanese Steak House
Korean: Honey Pig
Honorable mentions:
Shin Chon
Tous Les Jours
Chosun Hwaro
Honorable mentions:
E.C. Diner
GameOn bar+arcade
Pub Dog
Latin: La Palapa Grill and Cantina
Honorable mentions:
El Azteca
Ernesto's Fine Mexican Food
Lime & Salt Taco Bar
Honorable mentions:
Reckless Shepherd
Toby's Dinner Theatre
The Collective Encore
Honorable mentions:
Rosie's Delicatessen
Bon Fresco
Tino's Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
New restaurant: The Collective Offshore
10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, 443-545-1030, thecollectiveoffshore.com
The Collective Offshore is a lively restaurant bringing two new concepts to life. Nestled along the lakefront, the restaurant features vast views of Lake Kittamaqundi.
Serving seasonal coastal cuisine from Maine through the Carolinas, the restaurant features a range of lunch and dinner entrees including blackened fish tacos, buffalo fried chicken sandwiches, crab cake sandwiches, crab stuffed lobster risotto, grilled filet mignon, and saffron scampi seafood pasta.
The restaurant also runs the entertainment and live music venue, Encore, bringing local talent to Downtown Columbia.
Staci Samaras, 53, of Ellicott City, has served as co-owner and managing partner of the restaurant for one year.
Opened May 3, 2023, the restaurant stands out among other restaurants in the county, Samaras said, because of its location and sister business.
"We're right at the Columbia lakefront, so we have incredible views from the main dining [room], the bar and the private dining rooms and we have a patio that's full-service dining," she said. "We also have the entertainment venue, Encore, that we operate as well."
Samaras said she is excited that the restaurant was selected as one the best in the county.
"We're thrilled because there were a bunch of restaurants that opened in Howard County this year," she said. "For us to come out on top in a category that we could never win again is awesome and to be well-received as the best new restaurant, that's just amazing."
Honorable mentions:
The Blackwall Barn & Lodge
Rosie's Delicatessen
GameOn bar+arcade
Outdoor dining: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:
Turnhouse
Xenia Greek Kouzina
Elkridge Furnance Inn (tie)
The Collective Offshore (tie)
Overall: Hudson Coastal
Pizza: Coal Fire
Honorable mentions:
Walker's Tap & Table
Tino's Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Ledo's
Place to take out-of-towners: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:
Walker's Tap & Table
Xenia Greek Kouzina
GameOn bar+arcade
Place to take the kids: GameOn bar+arcade
Honorable mentions:
Hudson Coastal
Decadent, A Coffee and Dessert Bar
Tino's Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Seafood: Hudson Coastal
Honorable mentions:
Xenia Greek Kouzina
The Elkridge Furnace Inn
The Collective Offshore
Server: Fozan "Fuzz" Farooqui, Walker's Tap & Table
Honorable mentions:
Jose Torres, Xenia Greek Kouzina
Liz Nissley, Hudson Coastal
Shawn Clark, Hudson Coastal
Sports bar: Ale House Columbia
Honorable mentions:
Greene Turtle
Manor Hill Tavern
White Oak Tavern
Steak: Grillmarx
Sushi: UMI Sushi
Honorable mentions:
Sushi King
Sushi Sono
Sushi Q
Takeout: Tino's Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Honorable mentions:
Rosie's Delicatessen
Hunan Legend
Five Guys
Thai: Dok Khao
Honorable mentions:
East Moon
Thai Aroma Restaurant
Manow Thai
Value: Tino's Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Honorable mentions:
Walker's Tap & Table
Boro Kabob
Chipotle
Vegetarian options: Great Sage
View: The Collective Offshore
Honorable mentions:
The Turn House
The Elkridge Furnace Inn
Lāk at Merriweather Lakehouse
Wine list: The Iron Bridge Wine Co.
Honorable mentions:
Xenia Greek Kouzina
The Elkridge Furnace Inn
Tino's Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Editor's note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to nominate and vote online from March to April. The results are generated solely by readers' votes. The Baltimore Sun does not take responsibility for the services offered or advertised by those listed.