Better Than Fireworks

 

Sometimes you have an experience that makes you extraordinarily happy for no good reason. I mean, there are reasons enough, but you feel a kind of joy you weren’t expecting. 

That was yesterday’s dinner.

We are not big Fourth of July partiers at my house. I’m not a fan of the heat and none of us are fond of crowded, peopley experiences. So we had a quiet day and decided to splurge on a dinner out if we could find a place we fancied that was open on the holiday. 

Thanks to the Facebook Group Howard County Eats I was able to find an accurate listing and put them to my family for consideration. The winner? Tribos Peri Peri in Ellicott City.

It was new to us, making it an adventure, which added to the fun. 

I should clarify that while Tribos has an Ellicott City address most of us wouldn’t describe it as such. I’d be more likely to say that it’s “across from Waterloo Elementary School” or “near where Eggspectation used to be.” This came up when I was writing about Jam. At any rate, it is easy to find and we were delighted that it was open.

The owner greeted us warmly and guided us through the order process. The big question is “how spicy?” It was clear that he was doing a pretty steady carry out business last night. We arrived at around five thirty and had the dining space to ourselves. It’s a big airy space, simply but beautifully decorated. High ceilings. Your choice of tables or booths. 

Of course the ideal is to see a local restaurant bustling with customers. And it may have been after we left. We were on the early side. But since I’ve had to stay away from restaurants for so long because of the pandemic, it was a little thrill for me to have a completely no-worries restaurant meal. The universe doesn’t really owe me that, but it was heavenly for the time that we were there.

The original Tribos was created by restauranteur Lubna Ismail in New Jersey. Here’s a video clip featuring Ismail describing why she chose the Peri Peri concept. If you’ve had food from Nando’s you may assume that Tribos is the same, but it’s worth trying it out to enjoy what makes it different. For one thing, Tribos Peri Peri is a Halal restaurant, making it enjoyable by our Muslim friends and neighbors. 

The Tribos menu offers enough variety that almost anyone could find something to their taste. 

I chose a chicken pita (medium spicy) and it was heavenly. The quality of the chicken was exquisite and the flavors were amazing. All of us thoroughly enjoyed our choices and we made plans while we were eating to bring my sister and her family when they visit from out of town next week. 

Honestly, I came away with the kind of euphoria one gets from a restaurant experience that goes right in every way. I was happy the rest of the evening. Sometimes simple joys are the best. 

Tribos Peri Peri celebrated their Grand Open in January with a visit from County Executive Calvin Ball.

Photos from HoCoExec Social Media

I wish we had gone sooner!

As an aside, I came away curious about a large blank space on one wall.

Do you think it’s a screen? Possibly one can reserve the restaurant for business meetings or movie nights? I have to admit I looked at that space and thought it was the perfect place for an art piece by Melanie Royster, who does gorgeous murals, including the ones at The 3rd.

If you haven’t already been to Tribos Peri Peri, give them a try soon. The food is excellent, the service is warm and helpful, and the space is bright, comfortable, and appealing. 

Photos from HoCoExec Social Media