Thursday, January 22, 2009

Kabobs and Barbeque in Howard County

Where should a carnivore got to dine?

You can get meat at any restaurants (except Great Sage), but some of those balance the meal with vegetables. Burgers come with fries. Korean bulgogi comes with an entire table of kimchi, seaweed and pickles.

Sometimes, you don't want to be distracted by anything green. My travels say that you can visit three types of joints for meat-lover experience -- barbeque, pit beef and kabobs.
  • For barbeque chicken, pulled pork, or ribs, my place is Kloby's Smokehouse in Laurel. This is Johns Hopkins Road where Laurel, Fulton and Columbia come together. Very convenient off Rte 29. You order at the counter. You take away or sit at the casual tables. In comments, other people have talked about Bare Bones and Pig Pickers on Rte 40 in Ellicott City.
  • For pit beef and other barbeque, some people really like Canopy on Rte 40 in Ellicott City. I enjoyed Uncle Grubes off U.S. 1 in Elkridge. Nice beef with a charred edge, served with surprisingly good coleslaw. You order at a counter and can eat outside. But the real champion in Pioneer Pit Beef in Woodlawn -- a shack with just enough room for you to step inside, order a sandwich and step back out with . Pioneer is the real deal -- that flavorful cut of beef, grilled and then sliced so thin that you bite them like it was filet mignon. It's just north of Rte 40 and great to pair with grocery shopping at the H Mart.
  • For kabobs, my car heads on its own to Maiwand Kabob in Columbia. Ironically, that's as much for the pumpkin and other appetizers as for the kabobs. The complete Afghan experience at Maiwand Kabob is just one of my favorites overall. If we're just talking grilled meat, you should also check out Mimi's Kabob in Clarksville (also Afghan) and Parsa Kabob in Elkridge (Persian).
If you're cooking meat, the most unique experience is J.W. Treuth and Sons in Oella. Or check out the upcoming "What I Learned" about meat markets.

This is part of the "What I Learned" series of posts. They're organized in rings. See below to continue on the ring about different cuisines. Or click to switch to the posts about shopping in Howard County or posts about areas and ideas.

PREVIOUS: Indian Restaurants in Howard County
NEXT: Burgers in Howard County

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never been to the Klobys in Laurel, but apparently it's from the same guy that runs the Klobys in Woodlawn. It's a bit out of the way from Howard County (closer than Laurel for me, though), but the taste and variety there are quite good.

Jessie Newburn said...

love kloby's. stop by often for my regular standby lunch: 1/2-pound of pulled pork and hot fries! yum. i get two meals out of this (usually).

Anonymous said...

Pioneer has the best roast beef especially with the Tiger sauce, but do NOT eat their pork which comes slathered in an awful sauce.