Olive Tree Restaurant
1005 Beards Hill Rd, Aberdeen, MD 21001

It's very challenging to find good restaurants these days especially Italian restaurants. Safe to say most Italian restaurants at least here in Harford County Maryland is premade frozen entrees that require deep frying or microwaving.
There are very few Italian restaurants that have been around for quite awhile and have fought off the Covid epidemic and survived.
One of the restaurants that I'll be addressing is Olive Tree Italian restaurant.  I have a group of friends that I dine with once a month and we go to a variety of different restaurants in Maryland.
Last night we went to the Olive Tree on a Friday and it was starting to get busy. I told the front desk since I got there and there were individuals asking for a friend got there that my name is Stu and hopefully they would hook them up to our table. That wasn't the case, as a matter of fact they were seated at another table waiting for us.
 Neither here nor there, we all got together and we ordered. I decided to order the muscles in a garlic butter wine sauce and it was delicious. Good quantity and value with 2 large pieces of Texas garlic toast. The sauce was the best part and I always dip the bread into the sauce.  The next dish I ordered was a seafood dish and I choose Shrimp Naples which consisted of fresh Mozzarella, grape tomatoes, Angel hair pasta and nice size shrimp. Although I was hungry, I didn't taste any flavor that should have impacted the dish. No garlic, salt or even wine flavor. Thank godness the pasta was Al Dente. The shrimp was perfect, not overcooked and the tomatoes were cooked and sauted and the Mozzarella was perfectly melted.
 I had a class of the Chianti and it was superb. Of course the restaurant included garlic buttered bread  and a nice Italian salad.
I like the place and except for a little flavor lacking in my dish, I felt that for the price, this establishment provided good value  and good food. 
Service was good for a prime time Friday night and so on a scale of 1 to 10, I give Olive Tree at 9.5. 
You gotta go there if you live in Harford County, MD.

www.chefwoocan.com 
YouTube: Chef Woo Can
Amazon Books: The You Can Do It Asian Cookbook an Ramen Warriors, The Doggie Rescuers (Teenage book 12-15 years)
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Dim Sum Palace
6600 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville, MD

For whatever reason, eating out has been very disappointing with the prices that are being charged these days. I am so fed up going to a quote on quote nice restaurant, I can expect to pay through the nose. Chinese food is no different but compared to Western style food its a bargain if you go to a traditional Chinese restaurant. Such is the case of Dim Sum Palace located in Catonsville, MD. My family loves Dim Sum and in Maryland, the only places that have a good Dim Sum places from where we live is about an hour away. 
In my contant quest looking for Dim Sum, this place came up and we decided to try it out. For a Sunday at around 12 pm, the wait time was about 15 minutes. I will mention that the prices for Dim Sum were a little higher than the average price. One look at the establishment was that it was contemporary in design and very clean. They had enough staff to take care of the little things that matter to the customers. Constantly offering napkins, free refill with drinks and hot tea and multiple carts of food strolling by. We ordered our favorite Dim Sum with Har Gow as my favorite and I noticed that they were slightly bigger than the average size Har Gow. Then we order Siu Mei which is a combination of ground pork and shrimp stuffed into a mini wonton wrapper, steamed spareribs with black bean, steamed roast pork bun, stuffed shrimp in pepper, sticky rice,  fried stuffed taro, sesame ball with red bean inside and dried tofu wrapped around seasoned pork steamed. To top it off we had Beef Chow Fun but to me it was obvious that when this dish was made it was without stir frying the beef because it had no flavor at all, just precooked and tossed in the stir fry noodles.
It was a very pleasurable, filling lunch, time to take a nap but for all that we ordered, it was worth it. What was missing was the small orders of vegetables, roast pork, roast duck, or fried squid but I understand the price for those items are very expensive.
On a scale of   1 to 5 with 5 being excellent, I give Dim Sum Palace a 100. It was that good, well organized, fresh food that was perfect and service was very professional. You gotta try it.
Chef Woo can
www.chefwoocan.com
YouTube: Chef Woo Can
#chefwoocan, #dimsumpalance, #dimsumincatonsvillemd, # Chinesebrunch, #hargow, # siumei, #roastporkbun, #spareibwithblackbean, #beefchowfun
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Island Spice Grill
2120 Emmorton Park Rd
Edgewood, MD 21040

Island Spice Grill is a Jamaican restaurant specializing in all things Jamaican, from the meat patties to their delicious ox tail. The last time I was there was about seven years ago. A lot has changed since I last went. My buddy wanted to try something different and he mentioned this place, now when I was there last I had a very favorable impression of the restaurant. No reservations about service or the food. 
Well, can I take those statements back? I started with Jerk wings and when they came out it was pretty apparent that the jerk sauce was poured over the wings. The lighting wasn't so good so it looked like the jerk sauce was black. I took a bite of the wings, and the wings may have been deep fried hours ago. The wing meat was stringy and not even crunchy. I could get better wings with jerk sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings, or CR Wings in Bel Air. 
I ordered the Pineapple Ginger Chicken which was grilled chicken sauteed in pineapple ginger sauce. The sauce was tasty but the chicken was probably deep fried earlier in the day because the chicken breast was also stringy and tough.
Now, I know during the weekends alot of restaurants have to prep for a busy weekend, but if your going to prep your food, you need to understand the mechanics of the ingredients your prepping. Chicken breast is naturally tough when cooked and if your frying it with a batter it will dry even more and be tougher so you need to marinate chicken breast correctly which they didn't do. As for the wings, that should be made fresh per order. Wings cannot be deep fried and set aside in the warmer try. I invite them to go to CR Wings of Bel Air to try their wings versus theirs. 
Plantains that came with the chicken should have been diagonally sliced. At least that's the  way it's served at other Caribbean restaurants and the cabbage came with the order thinly shredded. It was noticeable that the cabbage was shredded by machine which is mostly hand sliced for authenticity and more flavorful.
I know the Island Spice Grill opened a restaurant by the Avenue in White Marsh and I think they opened another one some place else but it seems to me their focus is controlling expenses and allowing it to interfere with the quality of their product.
One of their signature dishes is Oxtail, now I had their oxtail a long time ago and it ranks up there as one of the best tasting but for $ 29.00, you gotta be kidding? I was shopping at Lotte Supermarket in Catonsville, MD and saw a package of 1 lb oxtail for $ 12.00. If they cut each piece of oxtail in half, that entire package would probably be 1 1/2 orders. Go figure, you can blame inflation for higher prices but $ 29.00 is a little high.
On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being excellent I give Island Spice Grill a negative 100. It's very disappointing. Sometimes when you successful as one restaurant, maybe expansion may ruin the reputation but cutting back.
Chef Woo Can
www.chefwoocan.com
YouTube: Chef Woo Can
#jamaicanfood, #islandspicegrill, #oxtail, # Caribbeanfoodinharfordmd, #caribbeanfoodinmd,               

Mi Sabor Peruana
525 Pulaski Highway
Joppatown, MC 21085

I formed a guys supper club where once a month on the first Friday of the month, my friends and I choose a restaurant that seems interesting. Some of our choices were disappointing but there were a few that offered good value and fantastic taste.
Mi Sabor Peruana is a Peruvian restaurant located in Joppatown. The mere mention that their food is Peruvian got my interest. The usual time we get together is around 530 pm and its right near Pulaski Highway. On Friday night  it seemed kind of empty but maybe there is a lot of take out but the only way to find out was to go in. There is a bar and  was told that they are awaiting their liquor license, the waitress was very friendly and provided the menus. The menu was interesting as there were so many Peruvian dishes, we had no idea where to start. We asked the waitress for assistance and she directed us to order a couple of dishes as appetizers.
She asked if we were interested in drinks and she mentioned a cola by the name of Inca Kola that had a slight banana flavor, very sweet but quenched my thirst. She  mentioned another beverage called Chicha Morada which was made from purple corn, to me it tasted like a spiced grape juice. Both beverages were very tasty.
If your interested in challenging your palate, this is the place to try.
We started with Jalea Mixtra which is breaded seafood served with fried Yucca and Peruvian corn. It  was excellent.  Papa Rellena: Boiled potatoes filled with steak, then Chicharron De Puerco: fried chicken and fried pork served with yucca and a special sauce. The final dish was a well season chicken with a skewer of shrimp and 3 slices of the most seasoned beef, it was tasty and delicious.
The overall experience was great. Being exposed to foods we would never ever encounter was quite an experience. The only drawback is how the dishes are presented on the menu. The category of appetizers wasn't shown and you had to skip over the menu a couple of times for the categories. If you don't mind jumping around then go for it. I never had Peruvian food but I'll definitely go back again. The total bill each for 5 guys was $ 28/per person. We were full, food was great, taste delicious and very fresh. 
They could use a little advertising and once they get their liquor license I'm sure customer traffic will increase. This is a little gem in Joppatown.
On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being excellent, I give Mi Sabor Peruana at 100. It was that good.
 Chef Woo Can
www.chefwoocan.com
YouTube: Chef Woo Can
#peruvianfoodinmaryland, peruvianfoodinharfordcountymd, #latinfood, #authenticperuvianfood, #chefwoocanperuvianfood, #    
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Why are so many restaurants closing?
That is the million dollar questions. Most of the restaurants opened during the Baby Boom generation and frankly, being a Boomer I loved them. But with anything, time is not always favorable in the eyes of these restaurants. They got complacent with their regular baby boom customers coming back over and over again. But eventually, the Boomers are getting older and retiring or finding it better to cook at home or not go out to eat as frequently. We were used to microwave heated foods and never gave it a second thought. The Fast food companies and family style restaurants view is this. If it ain't broken why fix it! That philosophy has hurt the company. Laid back and keeping things the same.
Meanwhile, small companies are working their asses off to tap into markets that aren't keep up with the trends relating to different flavors that taint customers curiosity. 
Management is responsible for creating a business model that casters to the wants and desires of the customer. Whether that is offering a new product or revising an existing product, management must be in tune with the environment is which they are operating their stores in. 
So, customers visit the competition and like it, then sales volume goes down at the established restaurants and despite discounts, incentives, they lost their steady clientele.
Then revenues sink and cut backs are done with staff and supplies are streamlined for cheaper products and poorer quality resulting in cheaper prices and overall quality is poor.
Revenues are not enough to upgrade the stores and many places are out of style. Staff is not the best as good staff goes to the newer establishments so filling in staff is, offer the lowest pay to get anyone that can talk and walk.  Less effort to properly screen and train employees correctly.
Cleanliness is often the key sacrifice to a poor  store. It's simply disgusting.
Always check the bathroom, it gives you a first hand of what to expect in the dining room or kitchen.

Chef Woo Can
www.chefwoocan.com
YouTube: Chef Woo Can 
 

Bamboo Gardens Restaurant
Bel Air, MD

Sometimes when are extremely busy, although your stomach is growling, you don't have the opportunity to go for a nice dinner. Fast food will give you indigestion and a sit down restaurant can do the same but there is always a restaurant that can provide a sense of peace and relaxation. 
Bamboo Gardens is a Chinese restaurant that typically closes at 9 pm, but during the week I was so busy, I didn't feel like cooking. I was tired, hungry and just wanted to chill. I called a buddy to see if he wanted to join me and agreed to meet me there. It was around I guess between 830 and 845 om during a weekday.
First, the staff greeted me and never mentioned that they were closing soon, nor told had the attitude of impatience. Our waiter brought the menus and when we were ready, he took our orders. My buddy had the Crab Rangoon and I started off with a Chicken Corn soup, then I ordered a pan fried dumplings and the main course I ordered Tangerine Beef.  I was expecting a rushed job but to my amazement I was pleasantly surprised on each of the dishes when it came to our table. The Crab Rangoon was ok from my buddies perspective , Chicken Corn soup was hot and delicious, good bits of corn and chicken. My pan fried dumplings were exceptionally hot and arranged very nice on the plater. The texture of the dough was chewy and delicious and the inside, the pork was fresh and steamed to perfection. and finally the Tangerine Beef was impressive. Chunks of beef with a crunchy texture coating and so tender was the meat with a tangerine sauce that I could die for. The sauce had no resemblance of General Tso's sauce, nor sweet and sour  or orange sauce. It was delicious.
I figured  going to the restaurant so late that everything would be haphazardly put together. I was so wrong, I was impressed and I had the belief that management knows how to take care of their customers no matter what time it is.  So on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being excellent, I give Bamboo Garden Restaurant a 100. They were that good. I'll go back again. and I encourage you all to try this place. It might have been a little pricey but the atmosphere was perfect, it was clean and the service was professional and the food was the best.
www.chefwoocan.com
YouTube: Chef Woo Can
         

Latitudes Seafood Restaurant
Bel Air, MD 

It's always exciting when a new restaurant comes to town especially when its about 4 miles away. I was looking forward to visiting a seafood restaurant. The days of seafood restaurants in the past was a time of relaxation and enjoyment of the fresh catch of the day from both a appetizer and dinner standpoint.
I could go to Yelp to read the reviews but keep in mind that being a food  instructor, I know exactly what's going on in the food business.
I went with my wife and another couple and once we opened the door, the volume level was overwhelming. It was happy hour and the bar was packed. I couldn't even hear myself talk. I expected a more sedate atmosphere but the layout of the restaurant was open.
The hostess brought us to the table and our waitress was friendly and  professional. I took a look at the menu and noticed that the appetizers were just ok but the prices were very expensive. I tried the Hellfire Shrimp, fried shrimp made with a spicy aioli sauce. My buddy ordered a Jumbo Bavarian Crab Stuffed Pretzel.
When I got the Hellfire Shrimp, the shrimp was literally soaked with the aioli sauce when makes me think that whoever prepared it did it way in advance just to get the dish out to the customers rather waiting for it to be fried and then adding the sauce over it or the sauce was either too watery. I don't know but the dish was sure as HELL from HELLl! It was terrible.  As for the Bavarian Crab pretzel, not from Maryland at this might be a Maryland delicacy, the pretzel was huge but cold, wasn't fresh and a gob of this Maryland crab spread was spread on top. Not very impressed.
I believe that "Appetizers" are a reflection of the entree  to come. 
My wife ordered the fish and chips and looked nothing like the traditional fish and chips. I ordered the Chilean sea bass, my buddy ordered a fish taco dish and his wife ordered a seafood pasta dish. To my surprise the Chilean sea bass was quite good with a butter lemon sauce and although it wasn't a big piece, it was the right size for the price and completely sufficient enough for my appetite.
Dessert was ok, had some vanilla ice cream over a brownie.
Here's my take on Latitudes, if you want a social gathering, the happy hour is perfect and take advantage of the price cuts with the appetizers, but if you want a quiet sit down dinner atmosphere, you might not want to go here. The place is similar to Miller's. The prices are high so in this climate of high inflation, what in the world was Latitudes thinking when they opened their restaurant. They are a chain with 2 locations in Virginia, I hope they are doing better. I don't think Latitudes fits into the Bel Air, area. I think we need a more modest restaurant that gives better value for the money.
On a scale of 1=10 with 10 being excellent, I give Latitudes  a "4" rating

www.chefwoocan.com
​YouTube: Chef Woo Can        

Menchies of Bel Air
532 Baltimore Pike
Bel Air, MD 21014

A funny thing happened on the way to eating lunch after a good workout at the college pool. I went to Pepeye's for some delicious chicken and wanted to have a little dessert. I had gone to Menchies location in Abingdon and love the place but today I saw in the shopping center Menchies. Great!, so I went inside, there was nobody upfront and this gentlemen was sitting in the back and came out. Please note I used the term "Gentlemen" lightly. I started to pull the handle on my favorite flavors. He's the thing, I managed my family's Carvel Ice Cream store a long time ago and to give the customer the best frozen custard, there is a degree on melting of ice cream by the nozzle, so it wasn't unusual that we allow a small smidget to come out to maintain the integrity of the ice cream. Knowing that most frozen desserts soft serv are that was I I didn't want to pay for melted frozen treat.
The idiot gentleman lectures to me telling me "You don't have to do that" in a very belittling and rude manner. Who the heck was he, I was a customer. If you didn't want to clean up a customers mess, maybe he shouldn't be the owner. I didn't say anything as I went to the topping area and allow the spoon to scoop my favorite topping fall off the container. Never in my life has an "OWNER" not a worker talk to me in that way. 
I'm his bread and butter and maybe because I looked like a minority and came to the conclusion that maybe I should get a lesson in how to pour a frozen dessert the correct way. The truth of the matter is on Google Maps I offer my opinion of establishments I go to as well as a restaurant critic and blogger. No One ever talks to me in that manner and surprised as the owner he took that position of talking to me in a very unprofessional manner. I will be contacting Corporate.

​www.chefwoocan.com 
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