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Restaurant Critic & Food Blogger
HotPot Jamaican Restaurant
1010 Edgewood Rd,, Ste 105 Edgewood, MD 21040 Sometimes I say to my friends, what new cuisine is happening in Harford County, MD? It's always a great conversation to always look for different foods to try. I'm getting tired of Popeye's Chicken, Chick Fil A, Pizza, Hamburgers, chicken etc.... Well my friend suggested a Caribbean Restaurant she saw in Edgewood, MD. She said its been around for awhile. I then decided to try it today. When I think of Caribbean I think of Jamaican Meat Patties, Ox Tail and curry goat. Authenticity of these foods would hit the spot. The restaurant is very clean and offers a cheery atmosphere. The inside is decorated in Caribbean decor. I had seen the menu in advance, so I knew exactly what I wanted to order. I asked for a Jamaican meat patty, oxtail, curry goat and jerk chicken wings. I had to wait about 6-7 minutes. What I got in each order was a tremendous portion of rice, shredded cabbage and a generous portion of either oxtail, curry goat and jerk chicken wings. Great value, I was impressed. I ordered the small size which could have been a large size. No kidding! I wanted to try the oxtail first, my favorite. The portion was ample enough for me and the amount of meat with the bone wasn't over cooked nor was it undercooked. It was just right from a tenderness standpoint. The flavor was perfect, a tinge of sweetness and I could taste the thyme. The curry goat was so tender with a curry flavor that wasn't overpowering. The jerk chicken wings were perfect in taste. The spiciness of the jerk was very evident. Overall, my experience was very pleasurable. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being excellent I give HotSpot Jamaican Restaurant a rating of 4. I know that this is Jamaican cuisine is sweet but if its a little spicier, I would offer a rating of 5. If your palate is looking for different flavors I highly recommend HotSpot Jamaican Restaurant. Why travel to Jamaica other than for the beautiful beaches. Chef Woo Can www.chefwoocan.com Covid-19 Vaccination
As everyone knows the Delta Variant is a according to media outlets a very dangerous strain of the Covid-19 virus. Whether you are an advocate of anti vaxing or a pro vaxer. I myself know the media provides their interpretation of the news and who is right and who is wrong is not the issue. Whenever there are differing opinions which this is the case, we have to turn to science and numbers as an accurate measurement of what's going on. Everyone believes its an individual decision to safeguard themselves and their families. But its really a decision that affects us as citizens of the United States. To agree makes us as a country strong. and right now we must stand united as a country. Whether your a Democrat , Republican, Independent, conservative or liberal, our country is in a crisis right now and needs your immediate attention. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated and wear masks! What/s the worst thing that can happen? If you catch Covid and vaccinated, maybe a little inconvenience of wearing a mask, aches and pain. BUT if you don't get vaccinated, You Can Die or suffer terribly grasping for air! I'd say this, as parents we want to see our children grow up. You do them no good by dying from a virus that could have been prevented with a little inconvenience to protect yourself. Yes, the vaccination is not perfect, no vaccine is but its all we have right now and based on the numbers, its helping to save lives! Get Vaccinated! Chef Woo Can www.chefwoocan.com CoffeeBar
5 Main Street Bel Air, MD 21014 I always love to try new businesses especially now with Covid-19 having a devastating effect of small business. I encourage to open more businesses on Main Street, Bel Air, MD. Now, a coffee shop is fairly easy to manage and operate. Coffee, some danish and bagels and condiments, seating and tables. Everyone must be prepared in terms of staff, training and ample supply of inventory. Now my daughter suggested this place as we were coming home from the Orthodontist and this was during the week at about 930 am. As always whenever a new place opens up, its usually busy and we waited a few minutes, reviewed the menu, simple to review and self explanatory. It was our turn and I ordered a simple ice coffee. I envisioned black coffee and ice. I wasn't asked if I wanted cream or sugar. What I got was a diluted coffee, not even black in color instead a milky diluted basic ice coffee! My daughter had a cheese danish and she got sick. Now, our experience may not have happen to others but it did and I feel obligated to let everyone knows. I'm sure there are those that rave about this place but that wasn't the case with us. Therefore, on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being excellent, I give this place a negative 5. Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocan.com Asian Cafe Restaurant Take Out
Fallston, MD It's rare that I can rave about any restaurant especially not being there during the process, but I had this incredible opportunity to work with Dan Gao, owner of this establishment to help him out since the availability of help is very limited right now. To bring the very best dishes to you is a long process of preparation all day long. You wonder how you get your meals so fast, well its in the preparation. So that long take out menu that you order from required extensive time to prepare all ingredients for a fast turnover. I witnessed and help prepare the food. Everything, I mean everything must be replenished each and every day. You ask why not order items that are prepared in advance? Yes, it would be convenient and avoid a lot of work but Chinese always like to do things themselves. It's our nature. Slowly are we opened to contracting out work and using automatic processing machines to reduce the prep time. Because of the pandemic, food service establishments had to layoff workers and since then getting good help is a struggle especially given the go ahead to open up. Workers are tired of the work conditions, dealing with the public is difficult and for the $/per hour, there's not much of an incentive. Asian Cafe is dealing with these issues but is making great strives to overcome. Dan is a superb head cook. His expertise is no match for the run of the mill take out restaurant. What makes his dishes perfect is his pride is what the final product is. I've seen all aspects from the daily preparation to the cooking process to the customer service. He is the epitome of a well rounded business owner.. I encourage you to visit his establishment and see for yourself. He is very personal, pleasant and willing to accommodate your special order. I give Asian Cafe a rating on a scale of 1-5 with 5 bring the best a 10. #chefwoocan.com #chefwoocancollection.etsy.com #asiancafe |
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