Pub Dog in Columbia

Beer and pizza, pizza and beer. What more do you really need? For Pub Dog in Columbia the answer is not much. You can choose between a whole bunch of pizza and beer combinations and flavors, and beyond that there are just a few salads and appetizers. But if you're going to focus on only two of life's staples, pizza and beer are not a bad start.

Here the beers are craft brewed (locally?), available in 10 or so flavors, and come two glasses for $4. There are another seven "mixed breed" variants of a black-and-tan, and fresh root beer. The beers are pretty good and it's fun to experiment. I'm not sure any of them they qualify as "great," but they're fun. There's a full bar and a nod toward wine drinkers, but the emphasis is heavily on the beer.

The pizzas are individually sized 10" thin crust jobbers with 22 different combinations to choose from. They arrive quick and are quite good. I had a "Froggy Dog" with Dijon chicken, asiago, mozzarella, mustard, garlic, bacon, tomatoes and Dijon mustard and had no trouble polishing it off. The "Wing Dog" featuring Buffalo wing sauce and chicken looked popular. Most of the other pizzas come with multiple toppings, and everyone should be able to find something they like. As long as it's pizza.

The ambiance of the place is warm and friendly, focused on the bar but with an area of booths for a little more quiet. The location is in the same shopping center off Dobbin Road with the Frisco Grill and Mongolian Grill, among others. Stop in for lunch, dinner, or any other time you have a hankering for pizza or beer.

The Friendly Inn

Well, who knew there was a bluegrass-friendly roadhouse in Howard County that features some of the best local and regional music acts? I certainly didn't, until I found out about the Friendly Inn. For years I've been driving by the nondescript building at the corner of Rt. 144 and Folly Quarter Road and had never been tempted to set foot inside. But this blog gives me an excuse to check out places, and I think I've found a new favorite joint.

I'm partial to the mix of bluegrass, Americana, alt-country, roots, acoustic or whatever label applies to the music featured at the Friendly Inn, and that makes all the difference. If you don't care for the music, you probably won't have much reason to stop in. The food is a decent mix of bar food, sandwiches and burgers, and the Friendly fries are hand-cut and nicely seasoned. But I don't think too many people come just for the food. It's the music, and the friendly atmosphere that would make you come back.

The basic schedule appears to be solo acoustic acts on Wednesdays, open mic on Thursdays, and area/regional bluegrass acts on Fridays and Saturdays. The Friendly Inn website has a good calendar. There's a small cover charge for at least some of the weekend acts.

If you want to check out some of the music to see if it fits your taste, here are a few of the acts coming in the next month or so: the Dundidits, Bendt Fendyr, The Brothers Ashby, Smooth Kentucky, Satyr Hill Band. Maybe I'll see you there.

Second Chance Saloon

It's taken me a little while to get to the Second Chance Saloon, which opened early December in the location of the Fire Rock Grill and the original Last Chance Saloon that had been there for years. The Oakland Mills village center location is a little off my beaten path and I admit I sometimes still get turned around trying to find it. Even if you have the same problem, it's worth seeking out the Second Chance Saloon if you want a friendly beer, burger or meal.

With 12 beers on tap and nearly 50 bottled brands available, the Second Chance Saloon is certain to satisfy your suds appetite. The food side of the menu is pretty good, too, in a pub/tavern kind of way. The catfish Po' Boy I had was fresh and hearty. The burgers and sliders looked good, too.

The Second Chance Saloon has no shortage of diversions while you're there. Live music most Thursdays through Mondays, pool and shuffleboard tables, darts, a bookshelf for kids and others, TVs for the sportshounds. Coming soon, they say, is the NTN trivia game that had a bunch of regulars at Rocky Run when it was alive. Come to think of it, the Second Chance is a worthy successor to Rocky Run as comfortable local hangout, with food good enough for families and a bar scene active enough for those who want to spend a few hours with friends or meet new folks.

Mink's Tavern

If you've driven past the intersection of Rt. 97 (Georgia Avenue) and Rt. 144 (Frederick Rd.), you've seen the sign for Mink's Tavern "coming soon" for several years. The time has finally come. The tavern is now open daily from 11:00 am until midnight or 2:00 am on weekends. It's a sports-oriented bar with a few tables, lots of flat-panel TVs, and a pool table.

The menu for now has only a few basic hot sandwiches and some appetizers, so don't make a trip just for the food. But Mink's aims to be a friendly neighborhood place to watch a game or just hang out. There's also an open mic night on Wednesdays. We wish Mink's success in the wilds of western Howard County.

Mink's Sports Tavern
14600 Frederick Rd.
Lisbon, MD 21765
410-489-5446

Update: See this post from blogger/photographer Randy Santos about his evening at Mink's on open mic night.

Kelsey's

Kelsey's is a locally owned Irish pub and restaurant that has been holding down (and expanding) its corner near the Normandy shopping center since 1994. The bar side has grown just about as big as the quieter dining room side, but both areas are welcoming and enjoyable. Kelsey's aspires to be "your neighborhood meeting place," and indeed it has a comfortable and well-worn ambiance that shows they're doing something right. With the fireplace in the dining room, plenty of TVs scattered about, free wifi, lots of fans for football or basketball games, live music some evenings in the bar, and a live jazz Sunday brunch, Kelsey's seems to have a little something for everyone.

You get the same full menu in the bar or dining room, with wealth of appetizers, sandwiches and entrees to choose from. There are a few nods to the Irish theme, like a good stew or corned beef and cabbage, and some Chesapeake area staples with crab or oysters. But mostly it's straight-ahead pub and tavern fare done well and served in hearty portions. It's not especially cutting-edge cuisine, but it feels mostly home made and satisfying. For lunch or dinner, weekday or weekend, Kelsey's is a reliable choice.

Shannon's Saloon

Shannon's Saloon is an everyday neighborhood restaurant that has been a Howard County fixture on Route 40 for 25 years. They handle the basic burgers, sandwiches, soups and entrees without a lot of flair or fuss. Don't go in expecting ambitious or trendy cuisine, but a friendly atmosphere and a competent take on the standards. There's also a set of reasonably priced daily specials, including a $15.95 lobster on Mondays and $12.95 prime rib on Tuesdays. The dining room and separate bar also have plenty of TV's for the sports minded. Shannon's is not necessarily a top priority dining destination, but a good weekday lunch or dinner alternative.

Ten Oaks Tavern

The Ten Oaks Tavern is now officially up and running, removing all vestiges of M.D.'s Country Pub it replaced. The website shows their full menu and has some pictures. The menu is geared toward bar food favorites likes burgers, wings, ribs and sandwiches. There are weekly specials of lobsters on Tuesday, crab cakes Wednesdays and prime rib on Thursdays. There are also some additional printed specials nightly like jambalaya.

We stopped in the other night and found the place busy with lots of M.D.'s regulars. It took a while for us to get service, but once we did, the food was quick and plentiful. We didn't find any real standouts on the menu -- it's your basic American bar food and plenty of it -- but it seems to be done competently and with a friendly dash of local spirit. Speaking of spirits, the bar itself appears popular in a Cheers-ey kind of way.

Diamondback Tavern

The Diamondback Tavern is now open (a few weeks ahead of schedule, even ahead of their website, for the moment...) in the former location of the Tiber River Tavern, just off Main Street in old town Ellicott City. I stopped in for lunch this week and found an eclectic and interesting menu of bar foods, sandwiches, salads and a homey set of reasonably priced ($13-18) entrees.

Highlights include crab and corn fritters, scotch eggs, fried oysters, bangers & mash, shepard's pie, and shrimp & grits. The chef seems to have an affinity for the deep fryer, not that there's anything wrong with that. The cholesterol-wary can investigate salads, a rockfish wrap and a few other items. The ingredients are local and fresh where possible. For now the same menu is available for lunch or dinner, but evidently some additional dinner specials will be coming soon.

Our friendly waitress informed us that the owners and chef hail from the Greystone Grill, while many on the staff are refugees from the recently closed Trapeze. The basic layout of the place will look familiar to former Tiber River patrons, but the new paint job and decor are pleasant. The good-sized bar is still there, separate from the main dining rooms.

If you needed another reason to get down to old town Ellicott City for some shopping and a nice lunch or dinner, give the Diamondback Tavern a try. We wish them good luck and will be back to try more soon.

Tips of the hat to Wordbones and the Baltimore Beer Guy for noting that the Diamondback Tavern was already open. And evidently the Second Chance Saloon is open too, so now there's another place to try!

UPDATE: The Diamondback's website is here, and you can see more about them at Restaurant.com. The restaurant also has an active Facebook page. Here's their contact info:

The Diamondback Tavern
3733 Old Columbia Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-313-8530

UPDATE: See this Examiner.com review of the Diamondback Tavern for some good photos of their dishes.

River Hill Sports Grille

Here's a sports bar that aims for a little bit more. Tucked into the back of the River Hill village center, facing the Columbia Gym, is the River Hill Sports Grille. It's been a tough location for previous restaurants over the past few years, but the current owners have put in 30 flat screen TVs, a big emphasis on football, sports and family friendly community events. The bar is roomy and sports-intensive, while the dining room is separate and a little more laid back. There's also a good sized private room for special events.

The menu is pretty typical bar fare with a few twists including regular, bison or kobe burgers, a pretty good take on fish and chips, and wings with nine different toppings. There are also nightly specials like half-price burgers on Mondays, lobster on Wednesdays for $18.95, and steak and shrimp on Thursdays for $15.95. The River Hill Sports Grille is a decent local alternative to the chain restaurants nearby. Give it a try.

Mangia Morphs into Waverly Grill

Another restaurant in transition (see our post on the Ten Oaks Tavern) is the Waverly Grill, formerly Mangia Italian Grill in the Waverly Woods shopping center in Woodstock. The signs outside still say Mangia, but the menu is new and the identity change is ongoing. I stopped in for lunch recently and found a full slate of burgers, sandwiches, pizza, pasta and bar food appetizers. The fajita wrap I had was tasty and served with home-made crab chips that were thick, crunchy and progressively addictive.

The Waverly Grill has a large dining room, bar and covered patio. The bar and dining room boast a bunch of TVs, making it a good spot to follow your favorite sport. The rest of the decor is a little bare at the moment, but that may hopefully change as the identity transition progresses. The Waverly Grill also hosts live music and other events from time to time, including The Kelly Bell Band on Thanksgiving evening, in case you want to work off that turkey dinner.

Victoria Gastro Pub

Victoria Gastro Pub, Columbia
Victoria's brings upscale food and drink choices to a former Bennigan's location. It's a big improvement. The menu has interesting variants on the typical burger, fries and salad staples, and the beer and wine choices are impressive. The bar is big and can get busy, but the dining room has different areas that break up the space and can afford some peace to enjoy a good meal.

Victoria Gastro Pub makes our list of Howard County's Best Restaurants.

Update: Victoria Gastro Pub regularly holds special dining events. Check for them in our Monthly Restaurant Events listings.

Update: The Baltimore City Paper published a review of Victoria Gastro Pub in December 2008. See my comments.