Skip to main content

In Search Of

 


Sometimes you just want comfort food. My daughter had been through a rather challenging day and I told her she could pick where we would be ordering for dinner. Her request? Mashed potatoes. Not mashed potatoes alone, mind you, but as a signigicant component of the overall meal.

Precovid that would have meant a trip to Bob Evans. Sadly, our favorite Bob Evans has closed, we don’t eat inside restaurants these days, and Bob Evans carry out has disappointed us one too many times. So. What do you do?

I went to the Howard County Eats Facebook group and put it to them.

Best place to get mashed potatoes in HoCo that isn’t a wildly expensive proposition? We’ve got a comfort food craving over here.

Here are their responses:

  • Wegman’s
  • Boston Matket
  • Ma’s Kettle
  • Daniel’s Restaurant
  • UNO’s
  • Texas Roadhouse
  • Grill Marx
  • White Oak Tavern
  • Ale House
  • Stanford Grill
  • Bushel and a Peck
  • Whole Foods (Hot Bar?)
  • KFC
Other suggestions that made me smile: buy Bob Evans mashed potatoes at the Giant, make your own mashed potatoes, and, the woman who maintained the best mashed potatoes in town could be found at her house.

Who knows? It may very well be true.

After discussing all these options, my daughter arrived at an unexpected decision. She suggested we order from Jason’s, and she got one of their enormous, dinner-sized baked potatoes. It made sense. Jason’s is a regular place for us. Their menu is familiar. Their baked potatoes definitely hit the spot after a rough day.

Have you ever found yourself searching your mind (or asking your friends) when seeking a particular food for which you have a persistent craving? Have you found any new restaurants that way? Also, since I seem to be keeping the comprehensive list now, can you recommend a place in Columbia/HoCo that serves great mashed potatoes?

Such a list might become a helpful public service.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...