Punk's Backyard Grill

We've been watching with some anticipation for the opening of Punk's at the newly expanded Annapolis Mall, as we are always happy to have another lunch spot at our disposal. This past Wednedsay, Punk's opened quietly.

I had anticipated a simple burger/ sandwich shop with the usual line up of BBQ "this and that". To my surprise and delight, Punk's is so much more.

We were greeted by one of the owners, Jeffrey who helped us to navigate the menu. He explained that the concept of Punk's is to provide fresh, health-minded, and tasty cuisine where everything is made from scratch in their own kitchen or locally sourced by quality food artisans.

The rolls are homemade. The meat is delivered fresh daily from Vande Rose Farms (the same purveyor which supplies to Redwood and Mendocino). They grind their own burger meat. They make their own veggie burgers. They make their own BBQ sauce. They make all the aiolis in house. They make their own pies and cookies.... and it's all good.

Steve and I split sandwiches. We had the Sliced Flat Iron Steak Sandwich with oven roasted Cremini Mushrooms, Grilled red onions and Peppercorn Aioli and the Grilled Vegetable Burger. The Flat Iron Steak was prepared medium rare and completely fork tender. The peppercorn aioli was just enough to coat the freshly baked brioche roll and added a nice bite to the sandwich.

The vegetable burger was a revelation. Meaty and dense with black beans, rice and veg. The house made BBQ sauce is perfect. Not too sweet and the perfect foil for the burger.

For sides we had the white cheddar mac n' cheese and the honey mint seasonal fruit salad. Oh mac n' cheese! A pleasant bite, rich and creamy with a nice crunchy toasted bread crumb topping. The fruit salad had just the right hint of honey, but could have used a little more mint.

For dessert... homemade pecan pie and homemade ice cream sandwich. That pecan pie was perfection. Delicate pie crust and chocked full of pecans in a rich but not too sweet gooey mess. Mmmmmmm. The homemade chocolate cookies were filled with a generous portion of mint chocolate chip ice cream and would have been a show stopper anywhere else if not for the insanely good pecan pie.

On a second visit with our good friends Mick and Carlos, we also sampled the Cheeseburger with Bacon and pepperjack cheese and the grilled chicken skewers. Equally as good as our first visit. They make an insanely good cole slaw with lots of fresh cabbage and pomeroy mustard. It's earthy and rustic and all together scintillating.

Punk's is locally owned but they have visions of grandeur. Essentially the brain child of three Cornell students, who ran the Punk's concept as the senior project and were so successful with it, that they decided to make a go of it for real. If they continue like this we will be seeing much more of them in the future, and they will be seeing much more of me.

P.S. Boylans sodas on tap. Who knew? You gotta love diet Creme soda from a fountain.

Punk's Backyard BBQ Grill
2188 Annapolis Mall
(Directly across from Bank Annapolis on Bestgate Road)
Annapolis, MD 21401
phone: 410 571-7744
fax: 410 571-7724

HOURS:
Sunday — Wednesday 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Thursday — Saturday 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Ruan Thai: The Ugly Duckling

At the end of the movie Shallow Hal, Jack Black realizes that Gwyneth Paltrow may be ugly and fat on the outside but once he sees past all of that, he finds her inner beauty. Such is Ruan Thai. From the outside, you may be tempted to keep on driving... but you would be missing a real treat if you did.

The rough edged exterior gives way to a delightful and intimate restaurant serving up some of the best Thai cuisine around. We've been "Eatin' in Wheaton" lately and Ruan Thai was on the docket for a try.

On your way in, check the specials board in the window. We heeded the chef's suggestions and were rewarded for our efforts. Yum Watercress is a delicious salad of crispy fried watercress, onions, fried squid and shrimp tossed in a spicy/ fish sauce. Yum is right! We were fighting over the last morsels on the plate.

Equally good are the curry puffs. Like a cross between a samosa and an empanada, delicate pastries are filled with a mild potato curry and served with the traditional cucumber pickle. Very nice.

Entrees were also real hits. I had the Pad Prik Khing with chicken. Tender chunks of white chicken sauteed in a fiery red chile sauce with green beans. There were some interesting notes to the sauce and I'm not certain, but I would bet it had ground dried shrimp in it. Truly addictive.

Steven ordered the Panang curry Shrimp. A luscious dish and as good a panang curry as I've ever tasted. Rich, thick, slightly sweet and quite spicy, the panang arrived in a beautiful clay crock. Once the shrimp were gone we enjoyed the remainder of sauce by either slurping up spoonfuls, or drenching the perfectly cooked jasmine rice with it. Like tastebud nirvana.

Service was very friendly and efficient. There are a number a great looking items on the menu that I've not seen at other Thai restaurants. I'm looking forward to many more visits to come.

She might not be prettiest girl at the ball, but she sure knows how to dance.

Another Visit to Grace Garden

Here are some addtional photos taken from a recent visit to Grace Garden. This is undoubtedly the best Chinese Restaurant I have ever encountered.

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Cabbage, Shrimp Balls stuffed with Scallop in spicy Black Bean Sauce

Fresh Lima Beans

Most of us only see these beautys in a bag at the back of the freezer with perma-frost on them. You know... they've been lurking there since last Thanksgiving's Succotash extravaganza. If you can find them fresh, however, it's a whole new ball game.

I sauteed mine with shiitake mushrooms and prosciutto ham. Delicious.

Farmer's Market Pooches!

It's hard to imagine a trip to the Farmer's Market without a multitude of dogs who come along for the trip. Here are some friendly faces at our most recent Farmer's Market excursion.

Summer's Bounty

Heirloom tomatoes are in and they are spectacular! Here's our "haul" from our recent visit to the Baltimore Farmer's Market. These beauties need nothing more than a couple of slices and a plate.

Chinese Perfection: Grace Garden

Ladies and Gentleman, we have hit the motherload! After reading the small blurb about Grace Garden in the Washington Post, Steven and I decided to give it a go. We did our research before going and consulted the Skillet Doux blog for information on what to order. Highly recommended.

Grace Garden has two menus, the first, their authentic Chinese menu and the second their American Chinese menu, which is really a holdover from days past, when they only considered themselves a carryout location. The carryout customers are still there, but they are completely missing the boat.

The Chinese menu is extensive with a large representation of seafood dishes and at least 10 different preparations of shrimp. We ordered the spicy wontons as an appetizer. A typical dish, but done so expertly that I don't know how to describe it. Like someone turned the volume up on a something you've heard a thousand times.

For entrees, I had the Mixed Seafood in XO sauce and Steven had the Tofu Hak-Ka. The seafood dish was expertly prepared and presented. The XO sauce having a gentle kick and tons of flavor. Shrimp, large scallpos and squid all cooked to perfection. The tofu dish was a real surprise. Large bites of silken tofu, flash fried then stuffed with a mixture of ground shrimp, pork and fish, then stir-fried with chinese sausage, mushroom and eggplant in a brown sauce. Heaven! My only regret is that we didn't bring more people here so we could try more dishes.

We carried on extensive conversations with the other diners in the restaurant and compared notes on what had been ordered. The Eggplant in plum sauce is on the list for another visit. There are also a number of dishes which require advanced ordering, such as Tea Smoked Duck (3 Days) Smoked Tea Chicken (2 Days) and Cantonese Sea Treasure (2 Days).

The place is small. Only 7 tables, two of which are large rounds with lazy susans, so this could be a challenge if Grace Garden gets too popular.

The entire family came over and introduced themselves, including the Chef/owner Chun Keung Li (adorable!). They are unbelievably hospitable and welcoming. They are very proud of what they are doing here and they should be. This ranks as one of top Chinese restaurants I've ever been to in my life, and I have been to many many Chinese restaurants in my time.

Grace Garden

1690 Annapolis Rd Odenton, MD 21113
Hours of Operation

Monday - Thursdays 11:00am - 10:00pm

Friday - Saturday 11:00am - 10:30pm

Sunday closed.

Phone 410-672-3581 Fax 410-672-3580