HoCo Loco Weekend

Mama Wordbones and I had a very HoCo loco weekend. Friday night we kicked things off with drinks and appetizers at Pure Wine Café in downtown EC and finished out the evening at the Rumor Mill a short walk down Main Street. Saturday we went for lunch and a hike along the banks out the Patapsco River and finished out the evening at the Stanford Grill in Columbia. Today we crossed just over the border to the McKeldin area of Patapsco State Park and finished off the afternoon at The Snowball Stand in Woodstock.

A few observations:

I like the Pure Wine Café but the tables are real tiny. Mama Wordbones and I rubbed legs the whole time we sat there…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I don’t think the Rumor Mill is on board with the whole salt thing. Granted, I did order one of the “market menu” special small plates that consisted of salty sausage and salty cheese on salty black olive bread. I’m still drinking water like a camel two days later.

The pros that the Blue Ridge Restaurant Group bought in from their other restaurants to help open the Stanford Grill have all gone home now and the home team has taken the field. It’s noticeable but it’s also still early in the season.

We sat outside and I happened to hear a guy at the table next to us gushing about the deserts. It was Al Leandre, the CEO of Vyalex Management Solutions in Columbia. In true Columbia fashion two total strangers stuck up a short and friendly conversation about food. I told him to try the pineapple upside cake.

Whenever you see a sign that says “No Swimming” you are often likely to find young people swimming.

There is a place on the Rapids Trail in the McKeldin Area of the park where the North Branch of the Patapsco joins the Southern branch. It’s sort of unremarkable except for the fact that you are standing in Carroll County while across the river to your left is Baltimore County and across the river to your right is HoCo.

The Snowball Stand in Woodstock now serves soft ice cream in addition to snowballs. For some reason it didn’t taste as good to me as the soft serve from Rita’s.