Monday, October 09, 2006
DON PABLO
Well, we had originally gone out looking for dim sum again. After some hard work around the house, my wife and I decided to check out local thrift stores to see if we could find “just the right piece of furniture”. A friend had told us about a new dim sum place on Rt. 40 in Ellicott City, just past Rt. 29, so we headed that way to try to find it. After we passed the junction of 29, we didn’t see anyplace that looked promising, so we decided it must be in that little shopping center where the two highways meet, as almost every business in there looks to be Korean-owned. However, we took the wrong turn and wound up on 29 South, so we just decided to hit one of the places in Dobbin Center on Rt. 175, and so we found ourselves at Don Pablo.
It’s a Mexican chain restaurant, and the food is fairly palatable. People mainly come there to swim in the margarita glasses, so the assembly line food is not expected to be incredibly captivating anyway. The “Three Amigos Enchiladas” I ordered were tasty enough, as anything would be when drowned in that much melted cheese. My wife’s relleno, while also good enough for the price and place, did betray the cooking style and philosophy. A relleno is supposed to be a stuffed pepper, but to cut corners on preparation and time, they merely placed the food on the plate and covered it with the pepper.
That, I think, points up one of the chief things I hate about chain restaurants. I can’t bring any real expectations to the table, so I can’t really complain when those expectations aren’t met. (I hoep La Madeline isn’t a chain, we’ve been eyeing that French place for a while.)
It’s a Mexican chain restaurant, and the food is fairly palatable. People mainly come there to swim in the margarita glasses, so the assembly line food is not expected to be incredibly captivating anyway. The “Three Amigos Enchiladas” I ordered were tasty enough, as anything would be when drowned in that much melted cheese. My wife’s relleno, while also good enough for the price and place, did betray the cooking style and philosophy. A relleno is supposed to be a stuffed pepper, but to cut corners on preparation and time, they merely placed the food on the plate and covered it with the pepper.
That, I think, points up one of the chief things I hate about chain restaurants. I can’t bring any real expectations to the table, so I can’t really complain when those expectations aren’t met. (I hoep La Madeline isn’t a chain, we’ve been eyeing that French place for a while.)
# posted by Renfield @ 12:34 PM 
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La Madeleine is a chain. :/ The food isn't great, so I just go there for the pastries.
Whenever I go to Don Pablo's, I get the chicken carnitas, which are pretty good. You're right about lowering your expectations for chain restaurants, though.
Speaking of dim sum, I have yet to eat it on this coast. I was thinking about trying Jesse Wong's, in Columbia. I wish there were more restaurants in our mutual neighborhood... seems like Olive Grove and G&M are sort of it unless you want pizza and subs. Depressing.
Whenever I go to Don Pablo's, I get the chicken carnitas, which are pretty good. You're right about lowering your expectations for chain restaurants, though.
Speaking of dim sum, I have yet to eat it on this coast. I was thinking about trying Jesse Wong's, in Columbia. I wish there were more restaurants in our mutual neighborhood... seems like Olive Grove and G&M are sort of it unless you want pizza and subs. Depressing.
I know what you mean about the restaurant scene, that's one of the reasons my wife likes living so close to Baltimore.
We tried the Jesse Wong's in Hunt Valley and were really impressed, but if you've got your heart set on dim sum, try the Chinatown Cafe on President Street. It's a few blocks up from the Wyndham and we made a point of going there during every Balticon.
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We tried the Jesse Wong's in Hunt Valley and were really impressed, but if you've got your heart set on dim sum, try the Chinatown Cafe on President Street. It's a few blocks up from the Wyndham and we made a point of going there during every Balticon.
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