Throwback Thursday - The Orient Perry Hall

This post originally appeared on August 9, 2019.

Though we now have two excellent Chinese restaurants in our area, on occasion we do go to The Orient. The enormous portions and good prices are part of the allure, but also the food is very good.

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I have often lamented the lack of good Chinese food in the Baltimore area. Oh sure, there are several carry-outs and smaller restaurants serving up Americanized food, but how many of them are actually good? As far as I'm concerned, Grace Garden in Odenton and Hunan Taste in Catonsville (which has been "temporarily" closed since at least November of 2018) are the only two that are consistently good. Szechuan House in Timonium is extremely spotty, but they have a huge menu and it is possible to find one or two decent dishes. Asian Taste in Ellicott City is good for dim sum, but we were disappointed by a recent dinner. Some folks swear by Chopstix Gourmet; we went for dim sum once and were not impressed. There's a new place in the city called Panda BBQ. I have heard positive comments, but their online menu indicates a very limited menu of mostly skewered meats and vegetables. We have gone to Galaxy Asian Cuisine for dim sum once and enjoyed it. We'll need to visit again to check out their dinner offerings.

And then there's The Orient. My family used to frequent the original Towson outpost back in the 80s and 90s. That location closed a few years ago, but there are others in Bel Air and Perry Hall. A new Towson restaurant opened a couple of years ago; we haven't been yet. The Perry Hall restaurant is right up the road from my Dad, so we have gone there a few times and haven't been disappointed.

The food is primarily American Chinese-style, but everything we've tried has been consistent and well-prepared.

We've had the crispy duck twice and have enjoyed the tender meat and salt-and-pepper seasoned skin.

The mai fun noodles can be had Singapore-style (with curry) or a simple soy sauce seasoning with meat and shrimp. They don't have as much wok hei as the same dish at Asian Court, but they are still quite good.

The Szechuan string beans, a family favorite, are still nicely crisp and green at The Orient.

We've also tried the House Crispy Pepper Squid and the whole shell-on shrimp with the same preparation (above), and have found them to be quite delectable. Shredded Crispy Beef and General Chou's have been admirable, with tender meat and a still-crisp coating, despite the sticky sauce on each.

Portions are huge, and prices are very reasonable. We've gone on Saturday afternoons and found the place abandoned, which is a shame. However, that means we get all the attention and the food arrives promptly. Though it's not Grace Garden, I am looking forward to our next trip to The Orient, mostly for the soy sauce noodles and the House Crispy Pepper seafood dishes.

Have you been?

The Orient
9545 Belair Rd
Baltimore, MD 21236
https://www.theorientmd.com/

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Samos

How is it that I've lived in Baltimore for [many many] years and never went to Samos? We don't get to Greektown very often, and the last few times it was to dine at Ikaros. Ikaros is good, but we discovered that it is not Samos.

We wanted to eat everything, so we did. There were three of us, but we ordered enough food for 5 or 6. First was the trio of dips; from the five options, we chose the taramasalata, or fish roe dip, tzatziki, and olive tapenade. They came with a smattering of crudites and a pile of addictive toasted pita triangles. Oh, the pita. I could have just eaten that and been happy.

But we also ordered the grilled octopus, which came with a sprightly salad of tomatoes, red onion, green olives, and the evil chickpea (which were easy enough for me to pick out). And more pita. The char flavor on the cephalopod was quite excellent.

We also had the spinach pie, which was nicely flaky but not as thick with spinach and feta as some other places. It was good though.

We also tried some souvlaki. My brother debated with the waitress between the pork souvlaki served sandwich-style or merely skewered. I convinced him that we had enough pita on the table. Still, when I ordered one pork skewer and one of shrimp, our waitress assumed the pork should be the pita-wrapped version. It was actually a very tasty sandwich (is it a sandwich, technically?) The four shrimp at $7.75 seemed a bit skimpy, but they were excellent. And came with pita.

We also had the lamb chops, which seemed pricey at three for $25, but they were so juicy and delicious, I can deal with the cost. Plus they came with a small Greek salad, a pile of potatoes and veg, and of course, more pita.

I couldn't resist the Greek green beans, which were so so good.

Oink! We finished most of the food, apart from some of the veg and a pile of pita triangles, and we ordered dessert, too. I was in the mood for galaktoboureko, a custard-filled filo concoction topped with cinnamon and honey. My brother ordered the same.

Mr Minx got the baklava. Both desserts were served warm in large, shareable portions, each a steal at only $4. Delicious. But probably too much food for me. Or any normal mortal.

I ate too much, but everything I ate made me happy. And isn't that the most important part of a meal?

Samos is cash-only, BYOB, so be forewarned. There is an ATM on premises though. Also, they don't take reservations, so if you like to eat at peak dinnertime, be prepared to wait. We old folks arrived at 5pm and had no problem getting a table. However, we also had to contend with multiple families with very small children, who, though well-behaved, were also very vocal. Good thing they were cute.

Samos
600 Oldham St
Baltimore, MD 21224
http://samosrestaurant.com

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!



Posted on Minxeats.com.

The Orient Perry Hall

I have often lamented the lack of good Chinese food in the Baltimore area. Oh sure, there are several carry-outs and smaller restaurants serving up Americanized food, but how many of them are actually good? As far as I'm concerned, Grace Garden in Odenton and Hunan Taste in Catonsville (which has been "temporarily" closed since at least November of 2018) are the only two that are consistently good. Szechuan House in Timonium is extremely spotty, but they have a huge menu and it is possible to find one or two decent dishes. Asian Taste in Ellicott City is good for dim sum, but we were disappointed by a recent dinner. Some folks swear by Chopstix Gourmet; we went for dim sum once and were not impressed. There's a new place in the city called Panda BBQ. I have heard positive comments, but their online menu indicates a very limited menu of mostly skewered meats and vegetables. We have gone to Galaxy Asian Cuisine for dim sum once and enjoyed it. We'll need to visit again to check out their dinner offerings.

And then there's The Orient. My family used to frequent the original Towson outpost back in the 80s and 90s. That location closed a few years ago, but there are others in Bel Air and Perry Hall. A new Towson restaurant opened a couple of years ago; we haven't been yet. The Perry Hall restaurant is right up the road from my Dad, so we have gone there a few times and haven't been disappointed.

The food is primarily American Chinese-style, but everything we've tried has been consistent and well-prepared.

We've had the crispy duck twice and have enjoyed the tender meat and salt-and-pepper seasoned skin.

The mai fun noodles can be had Singapore-style (with curry) or a simple soy sauce seasoning with meat and shrimp. They don't have as much wok hei as the same dish at Asian Court, but they are still quite good.

The Szechuan string beans, a family favorite, are still nicely crisp and green at The Orient.

We've also tried the House Crispy Pepper Squid and the whole shell-on shrimp with the same preparation (above), and have found them to be quite delectable. Shredded Crispy Beef and General Chou's have been admirable, with tender meat and a still-crisp coating, despite the sticky sauce on each.

Portions are huge, and prices are very reasonable. We've gone on Saturday afternoons and found the place abandoned, which is a shame. However, that means we get all the attention and the food arrives promptly. Though it's not Grace Garden, I am looking forward to our next trip to The Orient, mostly for the soy sauce noodles and the House Crispy Pepper seafood dishes.

Have you been?

The Orient
9545 Belair Rd
Baltimore, MD 21236
https://www.theorientmd.com/

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Green Bean Casserole

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and those of us who contribute dishes to the annual family feast are probably searching for recipes right about now. I do have some tried and true dishes, but I hate making the exact same thing every time. Even though I only eat turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, etc., once a year, I like to mix things up a bit.

We do have green bean casserole every year. It isn't one of the things I grew up eating, but any excuse to eat those french fried onions from a can is a good excuse. Especially when one can pretend they're part of a "healthy" veggie dish. Even better than onions are fried shallots, which come in a big plastic container at most Asian supermarkets (I got mine at Great Wall in Catonsville), because they are (I think) more versatile.

I have to admit using canned soup in the green bean casseroles of my past, mostly because I'm too busy with other stuff to make soup from scratch. But while it does dirty another pot, I have discovered that it makes for a much more delicious final dish. In other words, it's worth the effort. It actually doesn't take that long to make a white sauce, and it can be flavored any way you wish. Omit the mushrooms entirely and add fried onions, instead, or a big pinch of chicken bouillon powder (you probably won't need additional salt). Season your sauce with a variety of herbs and spices--curry powder is delicious here--or go as plain as you wish. You can also control the calorie count in the sauce by using 1% or 2% milk. The sauce won't taste as rich, but it'll still be very good.

And for goodness sake, don't save green bean casserole for the holidays...eat it all year 'round! We eat it over steamed basmati rice.

Green Bean Casserole

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
2 large portobello mushrooms
olive oil
salt
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups whole milk
pinch thyme
salt and pepper
1 cup fried shallots or French's fried onions

Cook the green beans in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove stems from mushrooms, trim cut end, and chop the rest. Scrape the gills out of the mushroom caps with a spoon. Rinse caps to remove any extra gill goop/dirt. Dice the caps. Place diced caps and stems into a 2 quart saucepan with a glug of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender and there is some juice in the pan. Add the butter and stir until melted. Stir in the flour. Cook the resulting paste, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, to remove the raw flour taste. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute. Pour in the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring gently, then turn down the heat a bit. Season with thyme, salt and pepper, and cook until thickened.

Remove sauce from heat and add cooked green beans and 1/2 cup of the fried shallots. Stir well to combine. Pour mixture into an 8x8 square baking pan. Top with remaining shallots.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Serve as a side dish, or eat over rice.



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Artifact Coffee

The first time I visited Artifact Coffee, my initial thought was that it looked like a smaller, more casual version of Woodberry Kitchen. That, of course, is no coincidence since both restaurants are owned by Spike Gjerde, and their rustic, crafty decor reinforces the notion that everything you eat here came from local farms and is skillfully prepared.

After the Union Mill building in Woodberry was remodeled for apartments, Artifact Coffee was created to give the tenants, primarily retired teachers, a place to have their morning coffee and a light breakfast. Special emphasis was placed on the coffee, and one can visit the restaurant on Fridays at 10 am for a "coffee cupping" to sample their new coffees. The menu expanded to daytime offerings of soups, salads, and sandwiches, and more recently, Artifact Coffee began dinner service Wednesday through Sunday starting at 5 pm. To compliment dinner, there is a selection of local craft brews, wines, and specialty cocktails.

The Minx and I went to Artifact Coffee for dinner recently and started our evening with a Duckpin Ale made by Union Craft Brewery located near the restaurant. In fact, Union Craft Brewery is one of the participants in Union Graze, a farmers' market hosted by Woodberry Kitchen and held in the area on Friday evenings from 4:30 to 8 pm through November 22. Along with the Union Craft beers, there is live music and produce provided by Five Seed Farms and Apiary.

Back to our dinner. For appetizers, the Minx ordered the roasted carrots and Japanese eggplant. Not a big fan of cooked carrots or eggplant, I opted for the griddled green beans. My green beans had a pleasant texture: slightly crunchy but without that squeaky quality that sets my teeth on edge. The toasted bread crumbs added a more definite crunch with the nutty brown butter providing that comforting depth of flavor and unctuousness usually missing in a vegetable dish.

Griddled green beans with toasted bread crumbs and brown butter

While I say that I'm not enthusiastic about cooked carrots or eggplant, I thought the Minx's dish was a fine example of those two vegetables. The carrots were firm without being hard, and their roasty flavor was not overly sweet like other cooked carrots I've had. The eggplant was soft and smooth with no hint of bitterness. The radish provided some crunch and the roasted garlic vinaigrette brought both umami and acid to the party.

Roasted carrots and Japanese eggplant, radish, roasted garlic vinaigrette

The waiter was highly enthusiastic about the Loaded Artifact Burger, so the Minx gave it a go. She asked for her burger to be cooked medium and the burger presented had a nice pinkness inside. It is amazing how much better a burger can taste when it is made with fresh, carefully raised beef. Such quality meat doesn't need much adornment, but the ample portion of melted cheese, fresh tomato, bacon, and toasted and buttered roll amped up the enjoyment factor nicely. I think the Minx would have preferred some fries over the strips of carrot, but it's okay to forego the extra fat and carbs once in awhile.

Loaded Artifact Burger: cheddar, bacon, marinated onion, house benne seed bun, vegetable ‘chips’

Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be ordering the burger or the pot pie (which looked delicious, by the way), so I thought I would be different and ordered the lamb sausage. Having a British grandfather made me a lifelong lover of lamb, and this sausage fulfilled my expectations. Lightly seasoned, the wonderfully gamy quality of the lamb shone through. The poached egg and rice were interesting additions as well. Once I broke the yoke and mixed the whole thing in with the rice, it took on a texture not unlike risotto. The yellow and orange peppers provided much needed acidity and their roasted flesh added some dimension to what could have been a fairly bland entrée.

Lamb sausage with roasted peppers, poached egg, and rice

Artifact Coffee is a place that is best visited when you wish to relax and spend some time away from the hectic world outside. They have one of the smallest kitchens I've ever seen in a restaurant (with the first induction grill ever used in Baltimore), so it's a miracle how Chef Adam and his crew produce such tasty dishes for so many patrons. However, miracles can take time, so it's best to order one of your favorite beverages, have some pleasant conversation with your dining partners, and enjoy the rustic decor.

Artifact Coffee
1500 Union Ave Ste. 114
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 235-1881





Posted on Minxeats.com.

Summery Vegetable Salad

I love salads. And not just the standard piles of lettuce with cucumber and tomato wedges, although those are just fine as an accompaniment to dinner (my mother always served a salad as a side dish rather than as a separate course, and we've adopted that practice). In the summer, a salad can be dinner, especially when it's full of textures and flavors.

Anything goes, really. Have too many tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers from the garden? Chop them up, add a sprightly vinaigrette, a bit of cheese, maybe some home-made croutons, and you have something tasty and good for you.

Summer Veggie Salad

1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup cooked edamame
1 cup steamed haricots verts
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
crumbled feta cheese

In a large bowl, whip together the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, agave syrup, and olive oil with a whisk or fork until emulsified. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, edamame, haricots verts, and any other vegetables you wish, tossing to combine with dressing. Add onion and cheese and toss again.

Serve at room temperature.

Posted on Minxeats.com.