Ellicott City

Wow, 3 separate trips for me to historic Ellicott City, MD in one week — nice! And also a fun time at the Fretz Showroom in Columbia, just to change things up.

Six of us had dinner at Ellicott Mills Brewery last Saturday, but all my blog followers (maybe 6 of you) already know that.

Laura and I had a great time at the Manor Hill Tavern this Wednesday. It has only been open 3 weeks. Everything is sparkling clean and the staff is super excited.

There is a bar upstairs and a pizza oven downstairs. We tried the macaroni and cheese and the spent grain pretzels – pretty good bar food. Laura had my favorite, Manor Hill’s Grisette and I had a juicy hopped Citra Splendor DIPA. On a lark, I tried the barrel-aged Viertal Belgian-Style Quad. The cherry and wood nose was wonderful, but the taste was all whiskey and cough syrup.

We learned Manor Hill Tavern had the misfortune of opening just a few weeks before the flood this summer which hit on July 30th, 2016. The Marriner family showed persistence in managing to reopen after such a discouraging start. I wish them all the best! I will definitely come back again.

On another night, I met some fellow bicyclists for the county council budget meeting to make our pitch for more money for the Howard County Master Plan. Afterward, someone suggested heading to the Judge’s Bench – not me, I swear! The Judge’s Bench is a very nice beer bar – quiet enough for easy conversations and a great variety of quality beers. I had an Allagash Curieux. It is just a yummy beer! An outstanding bourbon barrel-aged tripel!

Fretz in Columbia, MD

Amy and I had a great time at Fretz in Columbia. Because they sell Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen appliances, I expected some sort of sales pitch. Instead, we just sampled some delicious appetizers and I had a crisp lager, Old Oriole Park Bohemian by  Peabody Heights Brewery. Fretz Showroom actually has a large kitchen classroom where Chef Jerry Pellegrino taught us to cook pimento cheese biscuits, pot pies, and bread pudding. He is knowledgeable, hilarious and fun!

Cheers!

Warren