Rumors abound...

In the past, I've heard rumors about a great place in Ellicott City, MD. The rumors sad that The Rumor Mill (pardon this terrible pun sequence) was a great place to eat. And, as it turns out, those rumors were most factual.

The Rumor Mill is, as it labels itself, a fusion bar and restaurant. They serve a good mixture of Asian and American-inspired entrees, as well as some other stuff. My PIFC suggested we go to it, since she'd always wanted to go. Having heard good things myself, and then reading the menu, I couldn't resist. So, my PIFC I went there for my birthday last month, and it was one of the best experiences either of us have ever had. If my memory serves me, the food, the atmosphere, and the service were all magnificently awesome.

I'll start by describing the service, which was top notch. We had a waitress, a hostess, a guy that brought us alcoholic beverages, and two other random guys that brought us part of our meal. All five of these people were friendly, outgoing and professional.

The hostess greeted us politely at the door, and asked us if this was our first time there and if we wanted to sit at the bar or not. We informed her that we had a reservation (not that we needed one), and she quickly went to the computer nearby to find our reservation and to help us to our seats. Most impressively, when my PIFC called, she made the reservation for "Team Awesome", our once-secret moniker.

The fact that the restaurant allowed her to make such a reservation impressed me. They look like a fancy place, but they obviously know how to have fun. Apparently, when they called her earlier in the day to confirm it, they asked for "Misses Awesome" on the phone. Ten points for going along with our silly nonsense, Rumor Mill. Ten free points, right there!

As it was our first time there, the waitress gave us a quick rundown of the menu and suggested a few things for us. This was definitely helpful, as the menu was full of waaaaay too many delicious-sounding items. In addition to that, she stopped by several times during the meal to ask us how everything was and to offer us refills on our glasses of water, which seemed friendly and not too overbearing. Personally, I can get annoyed if a waiter or waitress comes by too often during a meal. However, this young lady never got annoying, and I think it was because of her friendly and outgoing attitude - she really seemed like she wanted us to be there.

The atmosphere was spectacular. The restaurant and bar inhabit a small, back-alley house in historic Ellicott City. The bar was right inside the front door, and the restaurant seemed to mostly consist of the second floor of the house, with an additional small area of seating on the first floor.

To get to the dining area, we had to walk up a magnificently grand staircase. It was twice as wide as a typical staircase. It seemed to be made of its original wood, which, with its aged and stained look, was quite classic-looking. The staircase also had what was probably its original railing and banister.

When we reached the top of the staircase, the world was open to us. The were an entire second floor up there, fit into what looked like it might've been some sort of attic or something. We were basically in a loft, at this point.

The decorations on the second floor were minimal, but classy, while the paint on the walls was of a muted tone and perfect for the setting, and a row of windows (which started at your feet) lined the wall that faced the alleyway. And, being able to look down at the entrance and bar really made the place feel more open.

And, finally, the food. Oh. My. Gods... THE FOOD.

THE FOOD.

THE FOOD. WAS. AMAZING.

My PIFC ordered a "tomato tower", which was basically balsamic vinegar and basil-infused goat cheese layered between fresh tomatoes, and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. I have never, in my entire life, had a juicier tomato than the ones in that tower. I wish I knew where they got the tomatoes from, as they were juicy, red, and delicious. The olive oil and balsamic vinegar really added to the tomato-eating experience. And, while I personally don't like goat cheese, my PIFC said it was absolutely delicious.

I ordered chicken tempura, which came with a zesty orange sauce and BBQ sauce, both of which are apparently made "in house", and both of which were absolutely delicious. On the outside, chicken tempura really appears to simply be chicken strips. And you know what? Maybe it is. Maybe I really did order glorified chicken strips at The Rumor Mill. But guess what? They were the best damned chicken strips I ever had, then. The chicken fell apart in my mouth, like a piece of fish might. The batter was soft and flaky, and went perfectly with the sauces. To be honest, I think the batter's flavoring actually helped bring out the intensity of the sauces' flavors.

And... Those were just our appetizers!

For her dinner, my PIFC ordered crab dumplings. I don't eat crab (worst Marylander ever, I know), but I must say, these things were absolutely delicious. The actual dumpling part was soft, but also crispy (which sounds like a contradiction, but it's not). The meat inside was mixed with several things, most notably a dijon-mustard flavoring. According to their website, roasted garlic and Old Bay are also a part of the mixture, but to me, the dijon flavoring stood out the most, and that's what I remember. They were served with "sweet soy sauce", which was a perfect companion.

For my main course, I ordered what might seem as a boring, normal item: chicken teriyaki. However, I assure you that it was not boring or normal at all. The chicken was cooked to a slight perfection, just tough enough to be chewy, the way chicken teriyaki often is, but perhaps a little softer than most restaurants. The teriyaki sauce seemed to be some sort of "sweet"-flavored teriyaki sauce, and the assorted vegetables were fried to perfection. The only thing that was normal at all was the rice: the soft, puffy white rice that came with it was actually pretty average for white rice.


After we finished eating, our waitress asked us if we wanted dessert. And you know what? As full as I was at this point, there is no way I could ever turn it down. My logic was as follows: As great as the rest of the food was, the dessert couldn't possibly be anything other than amazing.

And, I was proven correct. My PIFC ordered us banana wontons. Yep, I actually just said banana wontons. It was a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, and banana all wrapped up in a delicious, crispy shell. The order came with three delicious little wontons, drizzled with some sorta chocolate sauce, and served with Kahlua espresso ice cream. Yep, I said Kahlua ice cream. Mmmmhm.

Before our appetizers ever arrived, my PIFC also ordered some sort of delicious alcoholic beverage that I can't remember the name of. However, I'm pretty sure it involved blood oranges.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic experience, and I would suggest it to anybody that cares to try Japanese-American fusion food. If you haven't tried anything like that before, this would most definitely be a great first experience for you.

1. I used their website description for more accuracy in the meal descriptions, because I can't be expected to remember every detail from a month ago.

Crepes, crepes, crepes.

Yes, today I am writing about the wide, wonderful world of crepes.

Crepes are a delicious food from Brittany, a region of France. Not only does this food hail from France, but it is actually quite French: elitist, aloof, airy, and sometimes fruity.^[1]

I digress, though. I think that is quite enough about all of that word/food etymology and the like!

Crepes are a type of thin pancake: a very, very thin pancake. Sometimes, they are so very, very thin, they actually resemble a flour tortilla more than a delicious pancake. People sometimes eat crepes plain, but usually they come with something on them. The most popular way to eat them is as a "sweet crepe", usually with fruit or a fruit spread on them (or caramel). Another popular way to eat a crepe includes putting meat on them/in them/around them.

Now that I've explained to the ignorant masses what a crepe is, on to the true purpose of this blog: a dining experience. I'm going to set aside the rest of this entry to discuss a particular crepe I found enjoyable: a chicken, tomato, and cheese crepe from Mina's Crepes in Towson Town Center.

Mina's Crepes is still kinda the "new kid on the block" (no relation to Donny Wahlberg's music group) at Towson Town Center, but that means nothing in the scheme of things. Mina's might be new, but they are 100% delicious and awesome.

Mina's serves very tasty, very, very thin crepes, which they make to order. You can order them with a variety of delicious accouterments, including both sweet things and meat things.

I went to Mina's last Sunday with my PIFC. We both ordered different things, and both were amazingly delicious. I got my crepe with chicken, tomato, and cheddar cheese on it. When I bit into it, it was like a tasty little bundle of salty joy. It was especially good accompanied by whatever honey mustard they use there.

The crepe itself was soft and tender, not too chewy or tough. While I had a little difficulty cutting it with a plastic knife, that had no real bearing on how good it was. The chicken was some of the best chicken I've had as a filling in anything I've ever ordered that had chicken as a filling, and the tomatoes were crisp and fresh. The cheese was perfectly melted: with each bite, strings of cheese fell from my mouth, down to the plate below.

My PIFC ordered a sweet crepe which contained caramel, granola, and strawberries. It looked like an adorable little breakfast-y pocket of goodness. In addition to the delicious caramel inside, some more caramel was drizzled across the top of the finished crepe, which made it glisten with sugary delight.

In her own words, "the strawberries were really fresh, and the granola gave a nice, crunchy contrast to the strawberries". That sounds delicious, and I really wish I'd tried it now.

Not only was the food delicious, but the staff at this eatery was particularly friendly and helpful. Everybody behind the counter seemed to genuinely be happy that we were there, and were just as friendly to the other customers that came before and after us.

In addition to the friendly staff, and delicious food, the prices were absolutely fantastic. A crepe costs $2.39, and any meat is $1.00 to add to it. Tomatoes and cheese were $0.50 each. The fresh fruit seemed to follow the pricing of meat at $1.00, and granola and other similar items were like the tomato and cheese: $0.50. My PIFC and I ate for about $13, which included our crepes, a bottle of water, and a medium fountain soda. These days, I don't think you could even pull that off that cheap of a meal at McDonalds, and the quality of the food at Mina's is a thousand times better!

Mina's might be the best thing in the mall (which, admittedly, isn't hard to do).

1. You know, the word "crepe" is even a French word, now that I think about it.

This is about blueberry muffins.

I love those things; they're absolutely delicious!

In my experience, the best blueberry muffin experience for your money can be found at Double-T Diner. Their muffins are slightly buttery, of quite a a decent size, and they a good, full flavor of grain and fruit. And what can be better than that? You can order them slightly grilled for an extra bit of awesomeness. These muffins are a perfect side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They also make a great stand alone item, and go quite perfectly with a cup of hot chocolate, especially if you get the hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.^[1]

The muffins so good that I often find myself craving these wonderful little bakery items at the oddest of times. I have found myself driving somewhere and simply thinking about them randomly, then craving them. The mere mention of Double-T (or the sight of it) conjures up powerful cravings for these things: they're that addictive.

Sadly, Double-T has found themselves embroiled in some controversy and lawsuits. According to news sources, allegations of sexual harassment of employees by management are common, so I personally no longer feel comfortable eating here. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a restaurant with as good of a blueberry muffin.^[2]

1. For an added bite, order a glass of Irish Mist or some other sweet alcohol, and mix it into your hot chocolate.
2. If you're not looking for a sit-down experience, Safeway's bakery section has what is probably the best muffins of any grocer's bakery section. They're rather huge, quite buttery, and filled with chunks of blueberry.

Why?

This blog is dedicated to the culinary adventures of myself and my PIFC (partner-in-food-crime).

We often find ourselves venturing far and wide (okay, far and wide from our respective locales, but not far or wide from Baltimore itself) for food experiences. Sometimes they can be as simple as trying something different at the local Chili's. Other times, however, our adventures bring us to a strange fusion restaurant where the menu is so diverse, we really just want to order one of everything.

Having experienced so much delicious food in the past, we feel the need to share our experiences so that others can make an educated choice. So, from time-to-time, one (or both of us) will write about the delicious food we find ourselves ingesting.