Saturday Arts: Shane Gamble

Shane Gamble plays tonight, 2/28, at the Rams Head Tavern at Savage Mill. He's about to release his third album, Way Back to Town. You can hear some selections from the album and other tunes at his MySpace page. "Rosalee" sounds pretty good to me.

From his bio on eventful.com:

Spring 2009 will mark the return of emerging tunesmith Shane Gamble, as he releases his third full-length release Way Back To Town in early March. Following in the footsteps of Gamble’s sophomore release, Behind The Blue, this new album is an emotionally charged offering of honest and colorfully diverse music—from the shiny tremolo guitars of “All Over You” to the smooth baritone vocal and steady rolling lilt of “Rosalee.”

“It’s that sensation of suspension—whether tucked within the elusive emotions of love, mystery, or train of thought lyrics—that seem to drift throughout the music,” Gamble explains. Grooming himself on the classic sounds of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Black Crowes, and the late Chris Whitley, Shane has created a distinctive sound centered on his thought-provoking lyrics, colorful guitar patterns, and haunting ’70s-esque pedal-steel, while striking a delicate balance between pop hooks, atmospheric ballads, and pocket grooves.

Here's an article written prior to his previous album, Behind the Blue.

See our full list of Howard County weekend highlights for things to do this weekend.

Weekend Highlights

A summary of restaurant, music, shopping and art events in Howard County, including Columbia and Ellicott City this weekend, February 27 - March 1.

Howard County's Winter Restaurant Weeks are in full swing until March 8. See the full list of participating restaurants here.

The Iron Bridge Wine Company is having its first Open House of the year on Saturday, February 28. Wine to taste, food to snack on and 20% off all purchases of 12 bottles or more.

Also see our list of daily specials at area restaurants.

Music in Howard County this weekend:

Fri. 2/27: Smooth Kentucky plays at The Friendly Inn.

Fri. 2/27: Ken Fischer & Wayne Smith play at The Judge's Bench.

Fri. 2/27: The Rob Byer Band plays at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Fri. 2/27: Mike Needer plays with My Boy Blue at Jilly's.

Fri. 2/27: Rob Fahey plays at Kelsey's from 10:00 pm.

Fri. 2/27: Damon Foreman play at the Frisco Grille.
Fri. 2/27: Don Belew plays at the Ten Oaks Tavern.
Fri. 2/27: vs. the earth plays at La Palapa.
Fri. 2/27: Qi Lo plays at the Golden Sports Bar & Grill.
Fri. 2/27: Stella Mira plays at Nottingham's.

Sat. 2/28: A Stone's Throw (?) plays at The Friendly Inn.

Sat. 2/28: The Jeff Miller Band plays at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Sat. 2/28: Mike Needer plays with Old School at Kelsey's Pub.

Sat. 2/28: Danny McDonnell plays at the Frisco Grille.
Sat. 2/28: Area 51 plays at the Golden Sports Bar & Grill.

Sat. 2/28: Idle Americans play at Bare Bones.
Sat. 2/28: Whiskey Train plays at The Judge's Bench.
Sat. 2/28: Candlelight Red plays at Nottingham's.

Sat. 2/28: Shane Gamble plays at Rams Head Tavern Savage.

Sun. 3/1: Harry Traynham Duo plays at Victoria Gastro Pub.

Citysearch

I'm trying to find something nice to say about Citysearch as a restaurant review site, and the best I can do is it's a national site that gets a lot of traffic and often pops up high in search results.  The usefulness of the site for Howard County establishments, however, is low.  It's hard to accurately search by neighborhoods, much less the whole county.  The rankings don't make much sense -- in the search results it seems everything gets 4-1/2 stars.  The reviews are rarely recent and not well distributed.  The Mango Grove has 29 reviews (the most I found for any restaurant), but the Iron Bridge Wine Company has only one.

Some reviews are "native" to Citysearch and others appear randomly aggregated from other sites like TripAdvisor, ChefMoz, and others.   For example, the listing for Cafe de Paris includes 8 reviews, including one from TripAdvisor, but none more recent than 2007.  But if you look up Cafe de Paris in TripAdvisor, you'll find 8 more recent reviews, including two from this year.   

Citysearch aims to cover other topics like bars, hotels, shopping and more.  The results there are just as dubious, as far as I can tell.  I just can't find much to recommend it, and I hope Citysearch covers other towns and city better.  It doesn't do much for me.

Who do you trust when it comes to restaurant reviews? Who does the best job of covering Howard County restaurants? I hope my blog is a help, but there are certainly lots of other resources available on the web. This is one of a series of Restaurant Review Site postings that aim to find which are really the most reliable when it comes to local coverage.

Howard LIVE! Report

If you didn't get to the Howard LIVE! show this past weekend at the Turf Valley Resort, here's a bit of what you missed. More than 150 exhibitors covered a wide waterfront of luxury home goods and services, gourmet foods and alcoholic beverages. I was there more for the food than the home decor ideas, so I'll start there.

When you registered for $20 you received a wad of food and drink coupons. Local restaurants oZ Chophouse, Elkridge Furnace Inn and Alexandra's of Turf Valley each offered hors d'ouvre-sized samples, one coupon each. Alexandra's had the home court advantage, with two stations and offerings of lamb chops, crab cakes, and a duck appetizer topping the list. The lines for each of the four food stations moved briskly, for the most part, but it would have been nice to have more stations and variety at the show.

The drink coupons were good for a taste of more than 40 wines, a dozen or so beers, vodkas and liquers. I'm not sure how many coupons they gave me, but it was more than enough. The wines were from all over the world, most sold locally through retailers such as Glenwood Wine and Spirits, The Wine Seller, and Decanter Fine Wines. The standout for me was a Spanish Rioja, Rentas de Fincas Reserva. Toward the end of my visit I was one of many folks pounding down samples to make full use of my coupons...not the best way to encourage discriminating analysis, which maybe was the point.

There were also 20 or more snack and gourmet food providers. One highlight for me was discovering FireFly Farms, an award-winning Maryland producer of artisan goat cheese. They were introducing three new varieties -- Black & Blue, Cabra LaMancha and Bella Vita (none yet available on their very nice web site, but coming soon) that were each quite wonderful. Another winner popular with a number of folks were parmesan crisps from Kitchen Table Bakers, sold locally at Casual Gourmet. Barbeque sauces and rubs from Baltimore-based Picky Vicki were also a hit.

While the food displays that gave away samples tended to generate the most traffic, the bulk of the exhibitors offered home improvement, decor and luxury items. Quite a few were playing up their environmentally friendly or energy saving features, and there are several I'll follow up with in coming weeks. This winter's heating bills, despite my solar investments, have me thinking of additional window insulation and energy monitoring options.

In sum, Howard LIVE! proved to be an informative and calorie-intensive way to spend a few weekend hours. I have a few new things for the shopping list and some home improvement items to think about. If the show rolls around again next year, I'll probably attend, especially if I see any advertising or promotion of the event.

Bistro Blanc - Dining Update

I've had the pleasure of dining with friends at Bistro Blanc several times in the past few weeks and thought I'd give a report. The news is good. The restaurant's been busy each of the weekday and weekend evenings we've been there. Reservations are certainly suggested for the weekend.

The food is consistently very fine, with Chef Marc Dixon's menu selections varying slightly depending on the fresh ingredients he finds each day. The menus online are indicative of what's served, but not necessarily what you'll find any given night. And even though restaurant week is just starting, Bistro Blanc has been offering a $30.95 prix fixe menu for several weeks now.

Among the starters, the flatbreads (either mushroom or prosciutto) are definitely winners, and we thoroughly enjoyed the grilled shrimp with grits, "pork 'n beans", and mussels with a very light curry sauce. We just wish it was easier to get extra bread to soak up the curry sauce; the bread is evidently finished in the oven for each order and takes a little time. Soups and salads have been good, but not as memorable as the other starters.

The slow cooked, or sous vide, salmon is still a standout entree. Most recently it came topped with a little red caviar or roe that added an interesting crunch to contrast with the pillow-soft salmon. There's also a slow cooked chicken, which was fine, but the salmon seems to really respond to the cooking method. A scallop risotto entree was tremendous, with enormous fresh grilled scallops. Steaks were grilled just right, though the accompanying potato galette was a little too dense.

We've learned to save room for desserts at Bistro Blanc. The chocolate ganache with vanilla gelato is a warm and cool treat. The peach strudel in phyllo looks massive but seems to quickly disappear. And you can't go wrong with a cheese plate or sorbets. They're both handled nicely.

I think I've finally figured out the Enomatic wine machine, which dispenses a taste, half glass or whole glass of various red or white selections. It's still a bit of a gimmick, good for tastings and conversation, but you can do just as well from the full wine list, or choose a bottle from the retail shelves and add a $10 corkage fee. Friends have also loved the extensive beer selection.

Bistro Blanc is also open for lunch and Sunday Brunch. I haven't tried those menus yet, but I'm happy to face the challenge. It's a treat having this restaurant in the area. If you haven't been yet, come on out.


See my previous dining review and capsule description of Bistro Blanc.

Bistro Blanc is on our list of Nearly Best Restaurants in Howard County.

Bistro Blanc regularly holds special dining events, including cooking classes. Check for them in our Monthly Restaurant Events listings.

Live Music This Week: Feb. 23 - Mar. 1

Here's a list of live music coming up this week here in Howard County. It's best to check with the venue to be sure the listing is accurate. Let me know if this list is useful to you. And get out and see a show!

Mon. 2/23: Open Mic Night at the Second Chance Saloon.

Tue. 2/24: Mardi Gras party with Grilled Lincolns at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Tue. 2/24: Open Mic Night at The Judge's Bench from 8:00 pm.

Tue. 2/24: Open Mic Night at the Phoenix Emporium from 9:15 pm.

Wed. 2/25: Jason Anderson plays at The Friendly Inn from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

Wed. 2/25: Sons of the Radio play at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Wed. 2/25: Open Mic Night at Mink's Tavern from 9:00 pm.

Wed. 2/25: Open Mic Night at Cacao Lane from 9:00 pm, featuring Brian Frank.

Wed. 2/25: Dave Hawkins plays at Rams Head Tavern Savage.

Thu. 2/26: Open Mic Night at The Friendly Inn from 8:00 - close.

Thu. 2/26: Qi Lo plays at Kelsey's from 10:00 pm.

Thu. 2/26: Open Mic Night at the Frisco Grille.

Fri. 2/27: Smooth Kentucky plays at The Friendly Inn.

Fri. 2/27: Ken Fischer & Wayne Smith play at The Judge's Bench.

Fri. 2/27: The Rob Byer Band plays at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Fri. 2/27: Mike Needer plays with My Boy Blue at Jilly's.

Fri. 2/27: Rob Fahey plays at Kelsey's from 10:00 pm.

Fri. 2/27: Damon Foreman play at the Frisco Grille.
Fri. 2/27: Don Belew plays at the Ten Oaks Tavern.
Fri. 2/27: vs. the earth plays at La Palapa.
Fri. 2/27: Qi Lo plays at the Golden Sports Bar & Grill.
Fri. 2/27: Stella Mira plays at Nottingham's.

Sat. 2/28: A Stone's Throw (?) plays at The Friendly Inn.

Sat. 2/28: The Jeff Miller Band plays at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Sat. 2/28: Mike Needer plays with Old School at Kelsey's Pub.

Sat. 2/28: Danny McDonnell plays at the Frisco Grille.
Sat. 2/28: Area 51 plays at the Golden Sports Bar & Grill.

Sat. 2/28: Idle Americans play at Bare Bones.
Sat. 2/28: Whiskey Train plays at The Judge's Bench.
Sat. 2/28: Candlelight Red plays at Nottingham's.

Sat. 2/28: Shane Gamble plays at Rams Head Tavern Savage.

Sun. 3/1: Harry Traynham Duo plays at Victoria Gastro Pub.

Weekend Highlights

Don't forget the Howard LIVE! show at Turf Valley this Saturday (11:00 am - 6:00 pm) and Sunday (11:00 am - 5:00 pm). Tickets are available at the door, but there's an online coupon for $5 off.



And there's the "Out of the Bins" show of local artists at the Slayton House Gallery on Saturday from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. It features the work of wonderful photographer Michael Oberman and a dozen or so other artists in various media, with all works under $200.

There's no shortage of live music to choose from this weekend:

Saturday, February 21:
The Ashby Brothers play at The Friendly Inn from 9:00 pm.

Synfuse plays at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Against the Grain plays at Jilly's as part of a benefit for Special Olympics.

No Stringz Attached plays at Golden Sports Bar & Grill.

VOX plays at Kelsey's from 10:00 pm.

Jack Selway plays at the Frisco Grille.

Blues Therapy plays at Bare Bones.

Kajun Kelley plays at Rams Head Tavern Savage.

Three Legged Dog plays at Michael's Pub.

Tripwire plays at Nottingham's.
The Judith Geller Band plays the Thrive on the 3rd jazz and blues coffeehouse from 8:00 - 10:00 pm.

Sunday, February 22:
Doug Segree plays at Victoria Gastro Pub.


And finally, Howard County's Winter Restaurant Weeks kicks into gear on Monday, February 23 through March 8.

Baltimore Magazine 50 Best Restaurants - Where's HoCo?

Baltimore Magazine's March 2009 issue features its first ranking of the top 50 restaurants in the area. I congratulate the staff and lead critic, Suzanne Loudermilk, for tackling the tough task of actually ranking their favorites and for writing credible, thoughtful reviews of each restaurant. I now fully recognize the challenge and sleep deprivation that task must entail.

It doesn't look like the results are posted online yet, but it's no surprise that Charleston tops the list. The Black Olive, Cinghiale, Linwood's, Oregon Grille, Woodberry Kitchen, Aldo's, Antrium 1844, Pazo and Meli round out the Top Ten. I really don't have an argument with these choices, except that I'd put Woodberry Kitchen higher, probably #2. Overall, it's a conservative list geared toward old favorites (but where's Christopher Daniel?), though there are quite a few places I look forward to trying further down the list of 50. If I were taking guests out for a night in Baltimore, this list is a definitive place to start.

You have to get toward the tail end of the article before you find a Howard County establishment, but it is after all Baltimore Magazine's list and there's a built-in bias toward the city. In all there are five Howard County representatives in the list:

#36 Iron Bridge Wine Company

#37 Aida Bistro & Wine Bar

#40 Tersiguel's

#47 Victoria Gastro Pub

#48 Jordan's Steakhouse

Again, I can't argue that these are probably the top five restaurants in the county, and all are on my list of Howard County's Best Restaurants. I could quibble with the order, putting Tersiguel's and Jordan's a bit higher, but it comes down to moods and personal taste.

One last note. I'm glad to see the rather dubiously generated reader's poll results are relegated to a small sidebar in the article. They get about as much space as they're worth. And I'm not at all bitter that I didn't win the $100 gift certificate.

An Loi Pho

An Loi Pho is a great place for a warming bowl of the classic Vietnamese noodle soup, pho.  An Loi offers nine different versions of pho, seven with various cuts of beef, one with chicken and one vegetarian.  But you are really the chef as you sculpt the flavors in your bowl with the fresh condiments and bottled sauces at your table.  It's hard to go wrong, as long as you take it easy with the hot sauces at the outset.

The pho may be what gets you in the door, but there's a lot more on the menu to keep you coming back.  There are many choices of "bun," a vermicelli dish topped with grilled meats and fresh vegetables, other prepared noodle dishes and soups, and a set of steamed or fried rice dishes.  Appetizers include fried spring rolls and soft-wrapped summer rolls with your choice of grilled meats and a tasty peanut sauce.  I'm looking forward to getting back and trying some more.

An Loi Pho does not appear to have a web site.  It's located off Snowden River Parkway, one traffic light away from Broken Land Parkway.

An Loi Pho

7104 Minstrel Way

Columbia, MD  21045

410-381-3188

Don't miss HowChow's more detailed post on An Loi Pho and their salted sodas.

Live Music This Week: February 18-22

I've compiled a list of live music coming up this week here in Howard County. I'm frankly surprised that there's this much music going on all the time. The website MDparty does a good job listing dates, venues and bands, but it doesn't cover everyone, so I've given it a shot but I'm sure it's not complete. Also, it's best to check with the venue to be sure the listing is accurate. Let me know if this list is useful to you. And get out and see a show!

Wednesday, February 18: Tim Nodar plays acoustic at The Friendly Inn from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Tim is a member of the Baltimore band 3fifths that just had its first studio release.

Wednesday, February 18: Wes Cohen plays at The Judge's Bench.

Wednesday, February 18: Sons of the Radio play at Sonoma's Bar and Grille. (?)

Wednesday, February 18: The Van Meter Duo plays at Rams Head Tavern Savage.

Wednesday, February 18: Open Mic Night at Mink's Tavern from 9:00 pm.

Wednesday, February 18: Open Mic Night at Cacao Lane from 9:00 pm.

Thursday, February 19: Open Mic Night at The Friendly Inn from 8:00 - close.

Thursday, February 19: Open Mic Night at the Frisco Grille.

Thursday, February 19: Rod Sebastian plays at Kelsey's from 10:00 pm.

Friday, February 20: Appalachian Flyer plays at The Friendly Inn.

Friday, February 20: Let Her Rip plays at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Friday, February 20: Moe Stringz plays at Jilly's.

Friday, February 20: Don Morrison plays at Kelsey's from 10:00 pm.

Friday, February 20: Idle Americans play at the Frisco Grille from 9:30.

Friday, February 20: Sweet Leda plays at Bare Bones.

Friday, February 20: The Grilled Lincolns play at Michael's Pub.

Friday, February 20: Full Effect plays at Nottingham's.

Saturday, February 21: The Ashby Brothers play at The Friendly Inn from 9:00 pm.

Saturday, February 21: Synfuse plays at Sonoma's Bar and Grille.

Saturday, February 21: Against the Grain plays at Jilly's as part of a benefit for Special Olympics.

Saturday, February 21: No Stringz Attached plays at Golden Sports Bar & Grill.

Saturday, February 21: VOX plays at Kelsey's from 10:00 pm.

Saturday, February 21: Jack Selway plays at the Frisco Grille.

Saturday, February 21: Blues Therapy plays at Bare Bones.

Saturday, February 21: Kajun Kelley plays at Rams Head Tavern Savage.

Saturday, February 21: Three Legged Dog plays at Michael's Pub.

Saturday, February 21: Tripwire plays at Nottingham's.

[UPDATE:] Saturday, February 21: The Judith Geller Band plays the Thrive on the 3rd jazz and blues coffeehouse from 8:00 - 10:00 pm.

Sunday, February 22: Doug Segree plays at Victoria Gastro Pub.

Happy Presidents Day

A tribute to one of our unsung Presidents, from an unsung school project somewhere...

Sunday Arts: Jeremy and Kevin

Appearing tonight at Victoria Gastro Pub from 8:30 - 11:30 pm is the local acoustic duo Jeremy and Kevin. You can hear some of their music on their MySpace page.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Have a great Valentine's Day.

If you're looking for a special place to eat today or tomorrow, don't forget our listing of Valentine's Day restaurant specials.

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.

Howard LIVE!

The Howard LIVE! Food, Libations and Luxury Home Show is coming to the Turf Valley Resort on Saturday, February 21st (11:00 am - 6:00 pm) and Sunday, the 22nd (11:00 am - 5:00 pm). It's an interesting show, combining gourmet food, wine and lots of home decorating and improvement exhibitors. It comes at a challenging time in the overall economic environment, but one hopes it's a sign of resilience in the local economy. Or maybe it's just a sign of ostentatious overindulgence. You be the judge.

It's very much open to the public, with tickets available for $20 ahead of the show, or $25 at the door (but you can download a $5 coupon from the website, too). For that price, you get tastings from such restaurants as the Elkridge Furnace Inn, oZ Chophouse, and Alexandra's, as well as 20 gourmet food and snack purveyors. In addition, you get samples from a broad selection of fine wine, spirits and artisan brews. And you get to wander the full range of more than 100 exhibits of luxury home goods, services and suppliers. If you want to skip the alcohol, you can get tickets for $12 online or $17 at the door. Kids 6-12 years old are $5 and under 6 are free.

Metromix

Metromix is a nationwide entertainment guide website that has a strong Baltimore presence (it was founded in Chicago, but Baltimore was one of its first additional markets). Metromix's parents are newspaper publishers Tribune and Gannett, and its local partner is the Baltimore Sun. It's an interesting experiment to try to garner an advertising alternative to local newspapers, and it's geared specifically for an 18-34 year-old demographic. But the question at hand is: how well does Metromix serve Howard County? The answer: not too well.

The problem is the questionable quality of the user reviews and "Metromix Picks". It's too bad, because there's a lot I like about Metromix. It's real easy to zoom into the 163 restaurants in Howard County, then see which have 5 stars (21 of them, they say). The restaurant listings themselves are informative with maps, photos, thumbnail descriptions and special event listings. But is Zapata's really the best restaurant in the county? And why does it have 5 stars, but no user reviews?

When the "top ten" listings make no sense, you've got problems. I'm not just being a restaurant snob. Here are Metromix's top ten by user ratings and "Metromix picks" for Howard County.

User ratings: Zapata's, Mango Grove, Charter Deli, Longhorn Steakhouse, Sakura, Bippy's, Fuji, Phoenix Emporium, Kelsey's, Lakeside Coffee

MMX Picks: Ram's Head, Aromi d'Italia, Judge's Bench, Hunan Legend, Mad City Coffee, Crab Shack, Manna Food Plaza, Mongolian Grill, Korean Takeout, Dahlgren's

You tell me, do they have any basis in reality? By the way, among the top ten User Ratings list, there were a grand total of two actual user reviews. And what's a MMX Pick? An advertiser? There's no explanation. So, for me, the credibility of the Metromix listings are sadly lacking. And it's too bad because it really is a well-designed site.

Can we, as users, do much about it? I've added a few reviews, but it's hard to get enthusiastic. You get to write your comments and grade the establishment on overall rating, food, ambiance, service and value. Those ratings are aggregated -- you don't get to see the individual user ratings, nor can you see other ratings by that reviewer. And regular users can't add restaurants if they're not already listed. Yelp has a much more vibrant and informative community of user reviews. And there's no support for bloggers like there is in Urbanspoon.

Metromix undoubtedly covers the Baltimore restaurant, bar and music scene more effectively, but for Howard County it's a disappointment. The groundwork is there to make a really good site, but the user community seems to have passed it by.

Who do you trust when it comes to restaurant reviews? Who does the best job of covering Howard County restaurants? I hope my blog is a help, but there are certainly lots of other resources available on the web. This is one of a series of Restaurant Review Site postings that aim to find which are really the most reliable when it comes to local coverage.

Going Solar in Howard County: Expanded our System

Here's an update on our experience with solar electric panels in our home.

Last month we expanded our solar photovoltaic system from 1kW to 2kW, or from 6 panels to 12. We made the decision for two main reasons: we've been very happy with the initial installation and the cost savings we've seen, and with the new year we became eligible for a new round of federal, state and county tax credits and incentives.

In earlier postings I've talked about our initial experience with solar power, the financial incentives and battery backup. As reported earlier, we had initially seen savings in electricity usage of nearly 35%. I have to admit that as the winter days grew shorter and our evening energy usage rose, our monthly energy savings declined to as little as 10-15% of our former usage. Today I received my BGE bill for January, and it was actually higher than before we installed solar, but it was also the coldest month in several years, and we had a glitch in our solar power generation that I'll explain below. The bottom line is, after nearly a full year with a small solar electric system, I can say that our overall electricity usage has been reduced nearly 25%. Conservation, not actual solar power generation, accounts for the greatest portion of savings, but if we had not put in the solar panels I know we would not have been as energy conscious.

As for the financial incentives, it should work out that the entire cost of the nearly $8,000 expansion will be covered with tax credits and grants. As of January 1, the federal tax credit now covers 30% of the system without any limit, Howard County offers a property tax credit of 50% of the system up to $5,000, and we acted quickly to stay eligible for the state of Maryland grant of $2,500 per kilowatt of solar power generation installed. That makes any further energy savings or income from Renewable Energy Credits gravy for us. It's hard to argue with the economics of a small solar power system, especially in Howard County.

Our system provider, Standard Solar, did a fine job upgrading the system over two chilly days last month (I'm glad I wasn't the one scrambling around on the roof). For several weeks during the rest of that cold January we had a hiccup in that the system was not feeding excess power back to the electric grid, so we weren't getting the full benefit of the expanded system. I didn't notice it until last week and we got the issue sorted out quickly over the phone. Now, with the 2kW system generating power on a sunny day, I can actually see my meter running backwards, selling electricity back to the grid and cutting my BGE bill. It's a great feeling.

In sum, our experience with solar energy continues to be excellent, and I certainly encourage you to consider it for your own home and circumstances. The financial benefits remain attractive, and the environmental and psychic rewards are hard to beat, too.