Tag: Maryland

Big Belly Deli – Sykesville, MD. 9.10.19

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

I am going to start with a disclaimer. I really enjoy Big Belly Deli. I will sometimes go there multiple times a week. Sometimes I will get food. Other times I will just go in to see if there are any special desserts that look good. This is a local place in Sykesville, MD and it is not visible from a major road, but gets quite a few visitors, including regulars. The staff is really nice and friendly. There aren’t long wait times. And you get a lot of food for the price you pay.

I check in the mornings and lunch time to see if there are any specials for breakfast or lunch. I’ve gone through most of the sandwich items on the menu and will most likely go through them again, so there will be multiple posts from Big Belly Deli on my site.

Tuesday morning, they posted that the special was going to be Sloppy Joe’s. My taste buds let me know that I had to go and get it for lunch. It also turned out to be dinner, since the portions were so huge. The bread was a homemade bread. It was very light and fluffy, and had a slight sweetness to it. The sweetness was a good balance for the meat mixture. This was not a canned mixture or a pre-packaged mixture. There were some good sized peppers and onions in there with the meat, and the sauce had a nice flavor as well. Not too spicy, but the seasoning worked well and made this a very good sandwich. To be fair, I was not able to eat this with my hands, but it was worth every bite.

I didn’t just stop with lunch. I also checked out the sweets they had, and there was a chocolate peanut butter cake that was calling my name. The cake itself was very moist. There was a nice layer of frosting in between the layers. The glaze that was surrounding the cake on top and two of the sides added an additional sweetness and the Reese’s pieces toppings completed the assemblage of a culinary piece of art. I apologize that my picture won’t do it justice, but it was a two dessert slice of cake that was worth every bite.

Big Belly Deli really does homemade food well. Their sandwiches are exceptional, and having daily specials and special desserts and treats really take it to another level. This is a place I’ve gone to again and again and will continue to do so. I still haven’t had a bad experience there, so this is definitely one of those happy places for me.

Columbia, Maryland Visit

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

Well, I decided to have a nice morning down in Columbia. My main goal was to be back in time to watch my Maryland Terrapins play football, and I met my goal.

I started off by going to Roggenart for some breakfast. I decided to try the Frosted Schnecke this morning, and I was glad that I did. The buttery goodness in the pastry and the moistness of the filling made for a pleasant experience that I will repeat.

I then made my way over to Wegman’s to get a coffee drink. I know what you might be thinking – another coffee drink. Or maybe you’re thinking: Wegman’s? Isn’t that a grocery store? Well, the answer is yes. Wegman’s is a huge grocery store, but they have their own coffee shop. This is not a Starbuck’s license location like a lot of grocery stores around here tend to have. They do their own coffee drinks, and they do them quite well. I went with the pumpkin frappe (big surprise there). Good consistency, nice pumpkin spice flavor as well. There wasn’t a heavy pumpkin flavor, but they did add the pumpkin spice syrup around the inside of the cup, so there were some extra bursts of sweetness and spice. I really enjoy going to Wegman’s for their coffee drinks, especially when they do some special flavors.

After finishing at Wegman’s, I decided to go over to The Mall In Columbia. That tends to be my go-to mall. I was only making a short trip, so I started off by getting a massage at Natural Relaxation. This is one of those chairs you sit in where they focus on your neck and back. They always do a good job and get to the real sore spots, and today was no exception. I then took a quick gander in Box Lunch and the Disney Store without purchasing anything. I finished my trip with a quick stop in Wockenfuss Candies. I got myself a bite size Dark Amaretto truffle, and it was very good. I’ll be making my own truffles once the weather cools down and the humidity lowers. I enjoy Wockenfuss, though. They have some really good stuff, especially around the big holidays.

I was able to take a nice, scenic drive to get back home and was fortunate to see a couple of horses hanging out close to the road (enclosed areas). And getting back in time for some football has made this a nice start to the weekend.

8.28.19 Seasonality

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

Although we aren’t hitting Autumn for another month and we definitely aren’t feeling the joy of cool weather quite yet, it is pumpkin flavor time at the main coffee places. I enjoy getting the drinks during this season. Some flavors are better than others. I don’t mind that it’s still August and I’m getting pumpkin drinks, in the same way that I won’t mind getting peppermint drinks in months other than December.

I went to French Twist Cafe this morning and got myself their Pumpkin frappe. I go to French Twist Cafe quite often. It’s local to me and it is very good. I’ve had a couple of their crepes and some of their pastries as well. I didn’t get either of those today, but the next time I order any of them, I will be writing about them.

The frappe was made perfectly. I am not saying that out of duty. I’m saying it because it’s true. There are some places that have frappes that are a bit icy or a bit liquidy or a bit too thick. That was not the case today. The pumpkin flavor was solid and steady from start to finish. The texture and consistency of the drink remained from start to finish as well. These are qualities that aren’t just because of where it was purchased, but they are due to the good job done by the person making the drink.

Having good conversation and a good coffee drink are great ways to start the day. Today was no exception. I look forward to the many more times I’ll be heading back.