One More Restaurant Wish: Grace Garden in HoCo

I'd like to add one more wish to yesterday's list: It would be great if we could convince Chef Chun Keung Li at Grace Garden to bring his skills back to Howard County. Grace Garden really is serving some of the best, most authentic Chinese food in the area. The reviews and comments from HowChow (and here), Chowhound, Baltimore City Paper (see the review and 2008 Best Chinese Restaurant winner articles), Baltimore Sun and Washington Post have been glowing for good reason.

Chef Li cooked at the Hunan Manor in Columbia for 13 years before leaving to open his own restaurant in 2005. The buzz for Grace Garden has grown steadily, especially in the past year. The food really is quite good and worthy of the plaudits and enthusiasm. It rekindles my faith in the quality and variety of true Chinese cuisine.

The location of the restaurant, however, in a rather seedy part of Odenton is not very inviting, and it's certainly a hike from my neck of the woods. I'd love to try more of Chef Li's specialties on a regular basis, but the location and storefront ambiance make it an infrequent destination. It would be so much nicer if Chef Li's talents were on display in a more pleasant and accessible location, and as long as it's my wish I'd prefer that it be in Howard County.

It would also be wonderful if Chef Li's ideas of serving quality Chinese dishes would raise the sights of a few other local chefs and restauranteurs. But maybe that's asking too much all at once.

So, what do you say? Anyone willing to start a petition? Or an investment group?

2009 Restaurant Wish List

Here are some of the things we're wishing for in 2009 for the Howard County restaurant scene. Let us know if you agree or have your own wishes to add to the list.

We wish for a wider choice of seafood restaurants in the county. Right now it seems like there's Crab Shanty and Red Lobster, then you're on your own. We especially wish we could find a good grilled or broiled whole fish and an authentic take on fish and chips.

A respectable barbeque joint would be nice. Something to give Bare Bones some competition -- even a Red, Hot and Blue would be an improvement, but I'd really like something with local character and decent ribs, chicken and pork with a variety of sauces and styles.

We wish for a broiled Peruvian chicken somewhere in the county. Also a good arroz con pollo, Cuban style (I know Cuba de Ayer is just south of our border, but I haven't gotten there yet).

An everyday tapas or small plates place. Ranazul, Iron Bridge, Bistro Blanc and Aida's all offer tapas or small plates but it feels like a major investment to order more than a few, and they're generally pretty fancy. In Spain, tapas are often cheaper and more straightfoward, and it's easier order a bunch for the table (the really inexpensive wine doesn't hurt either). LeeLynn's seems on the right track, but even there they seem a little pricier and more ambitious than they need to be.

A Five Guys, please. Love them burgers and fries, and the peanuts, too.

And, in the end, we just hope that all of our favorites can weather the economic storm and make it through the year.