WTF happened to the WTF

About a month ago my wife and I were slipped into one of our go-to watering holes, The Waterfront Hotel to grab a drink and a bite to eat. I was craving the buffalo chicken wrap; she was craving their homemade potato chips. To our surprise, we weren’t able to order either.

Apparently, WTF had changed owners recently, and the new proprietor(s) wished to shake things up a bit, by bringing in an almost entirely new staff, significantly modifying the interior, and rolling out a totally new menu. The old Waterfront Hotel that my friends and I had discovered within weeks of our 21st birthdays, and been in love with ever since, was no more.

After a month or so of grieving, Team Bob Ganoosh decided pay a visit to the new WTF with an open mind and a healthy appetite.

The menu required us to study it in great detail, as none of the traditional items – including those kettle chips or the buffalo chicken wrap – were offered. The new menu has a Tex-Mex meets Low Country theme, and included items such as Frogmore stew, an assortment of tacos, the Cuban sandwich. Pork belly also held a significant presence on the menu.

As an appetizer we ordered the crab queso fundito, which essentially was a traditional Mexican queso dip with crab meat inside. As far as queso dips are concerned, this was one of the better ones we have had. Of course, adding crab meat to a dish never hurts. However, the price point of $14 makes it a bit more expensive than the average nacho dip, and pricier than I prefer for an appetizer.

For our entrees, we ordered the WTF burger, a beef burger topped with mango barbeque pork belly and jalapeño flavored bacon; the pork belly Cuban, a traditional Cuban sandwich; and the black bean burger.

The WTF burger included a healthy portion of beef cooked to perfect doneness – we ordered it rare, and got exactly what we ordered. I have never really seen a burger from a restaurant cooked rare or medium rare – they are usually over-done for safety reasons – but these guys got it right. The pork belly was extremely flavorful and very tender.

The pork belly Cuban is dish in which the pork belly really shines, though. The well-stuffed sandwich is filled with ham, pork belly, and variety of fixins, and was proclaimed by our waiter to be the “best thing on the menu, hands down”. And frankly I must agree, which really speaks to the quality of this sandwich, as I am generally not a fan of pork, at all.

The black bean burger was obviously made in house from freshly-ground black beans and hand formed. The quality of the burger patty was excellent, though we found the spices to be a little bit overwhelming, and the guacamole to be a little bit too plentiful. For someone who likes a bite to their bean burger, this would be perfect; but for us, it was a little bit overpowering.

All in all, we really did enjoy the food we had; however, we are still having a hard time thinking of WTF as a Tex-Mex joint. We also didn’t care for the new look on the first floor, which much more industrial in nature. They also installed high-end sound equipment for live entertainment, which may make the place more marketable as a music venue, but also takes away the “small dark bar where the bartender knows your name and there’s a guy playing the guitar in the corner” quality that we have loved for so long.

And while the service was good, we miss the handful of folks who have worked there for a few years now.

In the end, the only things that have remained the same about this place are the name and the shell of the building (and I guess, the upper floors). And while we definitely do not dislike the new WTF or discourage anyone from going there, it will never be the same as the bar we stumbled into six years ago. RIP, WTF.

La Palapa Grill - Best Mexican Food in Howard County

Wait – am I reading this right? Bog Ganoosh’s Baltimore Restaurant Reviews is giving props to Howard County establishment? What gives!? Well, we here at Bob Ganoosh like to give credit where credit is due, and this time the credit is due far beyond the city limits.

From downtown, one can take the scenic Frederick Road – once the only road from Baltimore to the West –on a narrow winding path through Baltimore County and into the quaint village of downtown Ellicott City. Ellicott City’s downtown is a hilly historical mill town, with a level of charm and character that is pleasantly uncharacteristic of Howard County, known mostly for its strip malls and cul-de-sacs. And Main Street has everything you would expect of an old mill village – antique shops, boutiques, and an awesome Mexican joint.

Ok, so maybe the Mexican restaurant doesn’t exactly fit into the theme of the town, but it is said restaurant that we at Bob Ganoosh are so excited about! And that restaurant is La Palapa Grill.

La Palapa is well known amongst the college crowd for its heavy-handed bar staff (the area does not have a particularly hopping night life, but is the only area with decent bars that is accessible from UMBC via taxi). But Shawn and I learned this past Friday that the joint serves up some respectable entrees as well. While sitting on their outdoor deck being serenaded by a guitar-yielding duo, we each debated fiercely between their unique dinner entrees and their renditions of the classics; we both chose the latter. Shawn chose the California burrito, a large burrito generously stuffed with beef, chicken, and a conglomerate of other flavorful ingredients. Not only was the burrito huge, but it was packed with flavor. For those familiar with the famous El Andariego near Olney, the best way we could describe this dish is to take the “Twins Burritos” from El Andariego and stuff them into one burrito. A power move, indeed.

I was swayed by the Texas Chimi, a beef and chicken burrito, fried and covered in a chili con queso sauce. And as long as you like cheese, I can promise you will love this dish. The con queso was plentiful, and the meat was well seasoned – the chimi had just the right amount of kick. Both dishes were adorned plentifully with refried beans and rice. I also threw in an a la carte beef taco in a soft shell, which was pretty much what I expected. But it was stuff so full that I had trouble keeping it all in one piece.

Our only disappointment was the lack of “corn cakes” in the kitchen – you know, that scoop of corn stuff that they used to give you at ChiChi’s. And I think they still give it out at Chevy’s. Shawn and I could live on that stuff. Also, the parking situation is rough – the city has a free municipal lot but even that was completely full – but that is a bit outside of the scope of their control.

Overall though, there is no way we could give this place anything less than 4 stars. Along with their excellent food and heavily-poured drinks (we confirmed this to be accurate), the service was prompt, and the drinks were unusually quick for table service. We never went thirsty.

So if you’re looking for some quality Mexican food and one hell of a margarita, just take a drive down old Frederick Road.

La Palapa Grill
8307 Main Street
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-465-0070
http://www.lapalapagrill.com

5-Star Rating
Food: ****
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***1/2
Price: $$$ ($20-35)

Loco Hombres/Alonzo's - We hombres are loco for their nachos!

Another review that is long overdue, is of the sister restaurants Loco Hombres and Alonso's. Located in old Roland Park a short walk from Loyola College, the two restaurants share an entrance, hostess stand, and bar. Loco Hombres has a tex-mex theme, while Alonso's goes for more of a sports-bar/pizza theme (although the 2 menus are overall very similar). The tex-mex ambiance is experienced before you even walk in the door, with the old Spanish-style tiles on the roof of this old corner business (which is incidental, as this is a common style found on rowhomes made in the "daylight" period, which is a whole-nother blog!). The Alonso's side also sells beer and wine for about couple hours later than most of the nearby liquor stores.

Anyway, we had visited on Wednesday night, having been there many times before, expected greatness. We have been there in both large groups and small, and tried items across the menu. One previous visit worth noting, was on the opening night of the 2008 Hampden Christmas Lights - while all the "Avenue" restaurants were on a 2 hour wait, Loco's accommodated a party of 12 in a matter of minutes. And everyone left satisfied.

This week we were in a beer and pub-grub kind of mood, and we remember being intensely impressed by the nachos they served - so we each ordered an order of nachos. I got ground beef on mine, the others got chicken. As we remembered, the portions were huge and looked delicious. Each plate of nachos was smothered with cheese, olives, peppers, guac, etc.; and you never had to worry about getting a nacho with nothing on it. The ground beef was good, the more mild of the choices, but of course was a little greasier. The chicken had a slight bite to it - which we all found to be delicious - and was generously rationed throughout the plate.

The nachos with meat were $13, and were large enough for 2 meals. If you're in a vegetarian mood or want to save money, they're available without meat for $10.

Most of the dishes offered are between $10 and $20 - some other Bob Ganoosh recommendations include the fajitas, the huge burgers (1.5lbs!), and the pizzas on the Alonso's side. They also have a nice drink menu, with a decent beer selection and some fun cocktails. I got a bottle of Newcastle, served with a frosted glass, that was very cold and refreshing on such a warm evening.

So, of course, we give our strong endorsement to these fun restaurants for almost any occasion - large group or small, dinner or just pub-grub during the game.

And, they get bonus points, since our waitress had a Natty Boh tattoo!