How2Chow has a new name.........

Thanks to everyone who gave us name suggestions.

And there were some really famous bloggers who gave us good ideas such as David Hobby of "Strobist", Eli of "Adventures of a Koodie" and Jessie of "HoCoBlogs" . 

But at the end of the day we are simply just...  2 Dudes Who Love Food.  So, that is our new blog name. 

We hope you like our new name and will continue to read about our food adventures.

Please follow us at 2 Dudes Who Love Food.  

Rehoboth Beach - Sole restaurant

Continuing our food adventures at the beach......

Sole is located in the heart of downtown Rehoboth Beach. It's a cool place that serves seafood and American food with a Caribbean and Cuban finish. Sitting at one of their big cozy circular booths made us feel very comfortable. 

Thomas ordered the "Just Steak and Potatoes"- 6 oz center cut fillet grilled w/ mashed potatoes, grilled zucchini, side of A-1 sauce. The steak was not as tender as I had hoped but it was seasoned nicely.  The mashed potatoes were loaded with herbs and the zucchini was grilled to perfection. 

  Charles's Cuban Pork meal - pork with crispy yucca, mojo onions, and plantains with a side of mash potatoes. The presentation of the meal was just fantastic and made me want to dig right in. The yucca was deliciously crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside. The best yucca I've ever tasted.  It was similar to a french fry but even better. The flavoring of the meat and mojo onions were tasty - heavier on the citrus than the garlic. The fried plantains were made just like my favorite El Salvadorian restaurant Los Chorros in Wheaton ...fork tender and sweet.  The dish would have been perfect if the meat was more tender. My mom ordered the dish too, and she agrees.

My grandmother ordered the vegetable pasta-  penne in a Caribbean saute of tomato, basil, roasted garlic, onion, cream sauce. We all had a taste, and loved it.

My Dad ordered the Seafood Curry- A bed of black beans and rice surrounded by scallops, shrimps, and fish in a creamy curry sauce cleverly topped with a plantain chip. The presentation exceeded our expectations. We didn't taste it but my dad loved it. 


Pros:  Off the hook dish presentations, cozy seating, clever and tasty seafood, and pasta plates

Cons: Meat dishes could have been more tender but were tasty

Recommendations:  Would go back again

Bethany Beach - Mickeys Family Crab House

Every summer we go to the beach. This year was no different. There were many good eats and below is just one of the many we will post ......

My grandparent's favorite crab restaurant (and now ours too) is Mickey's Family Crab House in Bethany Beach. We usually order Jumbo size crabs but they only had Large.We were a bit disappointed because we purposely arrived at the beginning of the dinner hour to have the best chance of getting the larger crabs.   


So, we asked our waitress why they were out of the big size so early.  She told us that the big sizes are generally gone by the end of lunch time.  But....in the future she said we could call the day before and place an order for the larger crabs.  That was a good tip....and she got a big one too (or so my Dad said)!

The crabs were some of the best we have ever tasted. The crab meat was very tender and sweet. We're not exactly a big fan of Old Bay seasoning but it definitely goes well with crabs. The spice on the crabs gave our mouths a run for our drinks - in a good way. 

We ordered side dishes of fries and onion rings. Although the over-sized onion rings were somewhat more crunchy on the outside then we are used to, one of us liked them and one didn't. The fries were a medium size cut and salted to perfection.

Check out this TOUT video  from the restaurant. It's a bit embarrassing but there is a funny moment at the very end of the video.  So watch Charles closely.

Pros: Consistently tasty crabs, attentive waitress who gave fabulous tips and had a good sense of humor, very casual atmosphere, picnic table seats with disposable paper rolls for tablecloths

Cons: Charles wouldn't get the onion rings again; Thomas disagrees

Recommendation: Great place for crabs at the beach

Name change Update

We're almost near the end. That's right folks, we are close to unveiling a new us.

Thanks to our family, friends and readers we have gathered quite a number of name suggestions.  Some are clever. A few funny.  A couple really stupid. And a handful we can't repeat in print.

So keep the blog name ideas coming.

We will choose a new name by the end of the week. So stay tuned...and don't touch your remote.

How2chow needs your help!

We chose the name How2Chow because it is part of the title of the documentary film we made at school last year called "How2Chow: Bee Natural".  We thought it was a clever name because it described what we want to do with our blog: review restaurants locally and in our travels and post videos on "how to" make healthy food.


But after we started blogging we realized that our name looks too much like "HowChow" - the veteran food blogger. Therefore, we are changing our name.  We tossed around a few names last night but couldn't agree on one.  So, we need your help.  We are taking suggestions from readers. Be creative and maybe your name idea will be our new blog title.

Our first Blog Party

Last night,  we attended our very first Howard County bloggers party at Stanford Grill in Columbia.  It was pretty cool to be in the same room with a lot of very famous bloggers.  We met people from the Howard County Library, the Baltimore Sun, Sanford Grill, HoCoBlogs and more....... 

The party was located on the restaurant's outdoor deck where they served us mini desserts.  After trying many different types, we decided our favorite was the Banana Pudding. Although we didn't have dinner we saw many good-looking dishes coming out of the kitchen. We met the restaurant's COO Juancarlo Parkhurst. He told us that Stanford Grill is locally owned and operated.  We are big supporters of local Hoco places so we are definitely going to try this restaurant sometime soon.

 At the end of the night,  HoCoBlog’s Jessie Newburn gave a terrific speech saying how the blogging community has grown over the years. Next, she played a game with us.  She asked attendees to raise their hands if they wrote about the party using  social media. Then, BAM! ! she tossed prizes - Stanford Grill gift cards -  to random people who raised their hands at the party.  Well, the last gift card  - a $100 Macy’s gift card donated by the Baltimore Sun - went to us!  She introduced us to everybody and told them we were new junior food bloggers.  It was an exciting night. 

How to Make a Healthy Fruit Shake

My family makes this healthy fruit shake.  It's great for breakfast, an after school snack or a quick snack before a sports game. We used bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries but you can use any combination of fruit.  Just make sure some of the fruit is frozen otherwise it won't be thick and creamy.

Watch the video...and tell us if you liked it.

If you try our recipe and use different fruit combos let us know.  Oh, this is my first EVER food video....so I was a little nervous.

Charles will make the next food video - homemade hummus.   Enjoy!

OMG....HowChow wrote about us!!!

HowChow: There Is Room In This Town For Both Of Us (Especia...: "The Howard County blog scene just got a taste younger when two brothers started their own look at local food.

The How2Chow blog kicked ..."

Pazani Trattoria Italiana Restaurant Elkridge

Pazani  is a small restaurant located in the Lynwood Square shopping center near a Giant foods. Someone recommended we try this restaurant so we did. 

Of course we had to try the pizza.  We tried the thick sliced Sicilian pizza. While it doesn't compare to the pizza we've eaten in New York - it was pretty good. The crust was crunchy and thick on the outside but moist and tender on the inside.  The sauce had a sweet blend of Italian herbs while the mozzarella cheese was plentiful.

We usually order a salad with our pizza to make sure we have some vegetables with our meal.  We ordered the spinach salad below.  It had spinach leaves, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, tomato, red onions and bacon. Although it was a good portion to spilt, it came smothered with a balsamic vinaigrette that was so heavy on the balsamic vinegar and light on the oil that we couldn't even eat it.  We asked if we could have another one made with the dressing on the side.  The manager was happy to do it.  But it came after we ate our meal and even though the dressing was on the side it tasted the same.

This salad came with my mom's pasta dish. Although it was much better than the spinach salad we ordered, the lettuce came undressed but the leaves were kinda of wet - as if they washed the leaves and didn't dry them. 

My mom ordered the Capellini Pesto with diced chicken, sun-dried tomato, roasted red peppers and mushrooms. She really liked it.  We eat a lot of homemade pesto at home so I wasn't surprised she ordered this dish. 

Our dad ordered the Fettucini chicken alfredo - mainly because Charles couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted pasta or pizza.  So, my dad ordered the pasta so he could have some of both. Our mom makes this dish for Charles at home because it's one of his favorite pastas.  It wasn't on the menu but we asked if they could make it for us and they said yes.  Well, maybe there is a reason it's not on the menu.  It tasted bland and gooey. We asked them to include peas in the dish and they forgot.

We recently went to NYC and had delish garlic knots. When we saw Pazani's garlic knots we knew we had to try them.  Although the garlic knots looked delectable ..... looks are deceiving. The dough was dry and tough to chew. Plus the garlic flavor was flat - their was no hint of oils or herbs, just garlic. 

Pros: Causal atmosphere good for kids, creative menu items, great Sicilian pizza

Cons: Outside of the pizza, the salads and one of the pasta dishes didn't sustain our attention, 

Recommendations: We think this restaurant is worth trying - worthy of a second visit.

Trattoria Pizza & Pasta in Dorsey's Search Village Center

The trattoria is our neighborhood pizzeria.  The owner Carlo is actually from Naples, Italy. All the food made at the restaurant is from his family's reciepes. From pasta, meat dishes, and pizza, to calzones, subs, and salads.  We're an Italian American family, so we know good Italian food...and this the real deal.

Trattoria makes three different pizzas - thin crust NY style, White Gourmet and thick crust Sicilian.  Thomas ordered NY style sausage pizza .With so many different toppings to choose from, you can create all sorts of different pizza pies.

 Charles ordered the steak and cheese sub. Now, you might be thinking "why is he ordering a sub in an Italian place".  Well, it's simple.  Carlos makes one of the best Cheese steak subs outside of Philadelphia. You can't tell how colossal this sub is from the photo below but it could be enough for two people. Look at the sizzling hot cheese melted on top of the perfectly seasoned steak. The finely chopped lettuce, the tender sliced tomato, sweet sauteed onions, and mayo contribute ...now that's my kind of sub!

My mom ordered a lunch pasta special with broccoli in a olive oil and garlic sauce.  She loved it.  It wasn't too oily, had the right amount of garlic and the broccoli was fork tender. In fact, she asked the owner Carlo how he made the garlic oil...we can't tell you what he said but there is definitely a secret to cooking this dish. 

  The main course or lunch specials come with a house salad (below) dressed with a creamy, balsamic vinaigrette that is really good.  The salads offered as a main course are terrific.  My brother and I will eat a garden salad with grilled chicken as either a meal or share it as an appetizer before our main course. 

Although we selected pizza and a sub, over time we've eaten many of the dishes that Carlos cooks.  Some of our favorite: gnocchi napolentana, chicken and eggplant parmigiana, tortellini tricolore, spaghetti pie and spaghetti & meatballs.

Specials: Monday night is pizza night 7.00 lg to $1.60. Tuesday night is pasta dinner BOGO (buy one get one)  1/2 half off.  Wednesday night is chicken dinners BOGO 1/2 off.

Pros: Casual atmosphere (we've eaten there after sports games - still in our uniforms), friendly service, authentic Italian food, good variety of choices: subs, pasta, meat dishes, pizza, salads.

Cons: Don't know of any  ....

Recommendation: Sprint, don't run to the Trattoria!

Clyde's Dowtown Columbia

My family went to the Columbia Lakefront to see the March Forth Marching Band - part of the Columbia Festival of the Arts. They were funky, unique and very cool. Here's what I mean....

After the show we decided to eat at Clyde's because it was located next to the show stage. 

Charles ordered a pulled pork sandwich. The pork was rather tough and unpleasant. Although the BBQ sauce was finger licking sweet, it could not cover up the feeling of dry pork in my mouth. The fries were relatively adequate, but needed a little salt.

Thomas ordered a bacon cheeseburger. It was fantastic! The crisp bacon complemented the velvety consistency of the burger with plenty of melted cheddar cheese. The fries had just the right amount of salt (sorry Charles!) and were cooked just the way I like them - tender on the inside but crispy on the outside. Bravo for Clydes.

Pros: Our waiter was attentive and re-filled our drinks frequently. Great view of lakefront from table. Menu said they used local farm produce in their recipes.

Cons: Food took a long time to make.  Thomas had a great meal but Charles wasn't crazy about his.  I think burgers are Clyde's speciality, so you are best to stick with that menu item. 

Recommendation: Great for burgers. 

Our film How2Chow: Bee Natural

We created this film at school to show how 2 support local farms and your health at the same time.  Our family eats a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables from Howard County farms. Do u have a favorite Howard County farm? Tell us about it.

Howard County Food "Feastival" at Clark's Farm

This is a picture of me at the 2nd annual Howard County Film food "Feastival"farm. I was the only kid to show a film at this special event.

My brother was away at basketball camp.  So I represented both of us when our film "How2Chow:Bee Natural" premiered at the"Feastival" - the event that kicks off  the farm to restaurant weeks. Several HoCo farms (Bowling Green, Breezy Willow, Falcon Ridge, Clark's, Sharp's) and restaurants (Aida Bistro, Kelsey's, Mango Grove, Town Grill and Bistro Blanc) were there.

Falcon Ridge Farm

Breezy Willow Farm 

This is me in front of live bees - part of the Howard County Beekeepers Association.  They were a cool bunch of people.

Lisbon's  Town Grill (www.lisbontowngrill.com) was my favorite restaurant featured at the Food "Feastival".  They had a mouthwatering "BBQ Sundae".  It was so ingenious.  In a cup- Cornbread stacked piled high with pulled pork, sweet BBQ sauce, coleslaw and topped with a pickle. Did I tell you how much I LOVE BBQ?  And this was one of the best -  tender, juicy pork with a tangy but savory sauce mixed with a dense cornbread. YUM!

Oh, and here is our film again....