Dickey's Barbecue Pit - Gambrills, MD

After a few hours of shopping, we decided to stop by Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Gambrills, MD for a retail therapy recharge. I know most people shy away from chain-BBQ restaurants but, there are a few that buck this trend (namely Rudy's and Dickey's).  I used to frequent this place when I was working in Bowie. Dickey's serves Texas-style BBQ that my wife and I both enjoy. We've tried many of the menu items and haven't found a bad one in the bunch.

On this shopping day, we ordered the 2 Meat Plate and chose the Sliced Beef Brisket and Polish Sausage. The 2 Meat Plate is served with two sides, pickles, onions and a roll. For the sides, we ordered the Fried Okra and Mac & Cheese. To top off our meal, we ordered a quarter pound of Polish Sausage.  Dickey's has two award winning BBQ sauces offered in warm kettles as not to cool down the meat.  We love Dickey's Spicy Barbecue Sauce but, for those who do not like it hot, the Original Barbecue Sauce is enjoyed by all. Large Dill pickles are free to those who would like a few on the side. We originally wanted to order the Spicy Cheddar Sausage but they were out of this Dickey's favorite.

The Beef Brisket was moist and had a nice smokey flavor. The Polish Sausage was a delight to eat as well.  While Dickey's serves smoked meat, the smoky flavor is a little more subdued than traditional Texas BBQ fare.  The Mac & Cheese was cooked perfectly and coated with a thick coat of cheddar. The Fried Okra was fresh out of the fryer and was nice and crispy.

To cleanse our palates, we enjoyed on-the-house vanilla soft serve ice cream in a cup. In addition, we created a root beer float in our reusable and recyclable Big Yellow Cup. Dickey's also offers ice cream cake cones.

To learn more about Dickey's Barbecue Pit, check out their website: http://www.dickeys.com/.

Honey Pig Gooldaegee Korean B-B-Q Restaurant - Ellicott City, MD

On a last evening out with our father, as a Thank You for spending and taking care of us for three weeks, we took him out to Honey Pig based on a recommendation from our friend Carrie. Honey Pig is a Korean BBQ restaurant located in Ellicott City, MD. Upon arrival we noticed that there was a crowd of patrons outside of the restaurant. We were surprised by how many people were there at 8pm on a Monday night.  While waiting, I was reading a carryout menu and noticed that it is a 24 hour restaurant except between 2 - 11 AM on Mondays.

The restaurant was lively with Korean techno music and loud conversations amongst the sounds of sizzling meat cooking on the table-top burners. Honey Pig is really a great place for people watching. We had never been to a Korean BBQ restaurant before but found it to be a tasty experience.

We were served a salad upon arrival and adorned with various accoutrements that included kimchi, Korean pickles, pickled onions, and sesame oil salt dipping sauce.

We then ordered Bulgogi (marinated beef), Seafood Pancake, and attempted to order a Turbot special but were served a Buckwheat Noodle dish due to a language barrier:

While the Bulgogi was sizzling on the table-top stove with sliced onions, we tasted the Seafood Pancake and the Buckwheat Noodle. The Seafood Pancake had a dense, soft, rice flour consistency. We noticed there were various bits of different types of seafood in the pancake. The Buckwheat Noodle had a unique flavor.

The servers would periodically come to our table to stir and trim the meat with poultry shears. Once the meat was ready to eat, we were served with rice and lettuce to wrap-up the Bulgogi. On top of our order, Honey Pig treated us with a delicious soup and a steamed egg dish:

As we were leaving, we had noticed other patrons hanging up their aprons. If you plan on eating here, these aprons are available for wear to protect your clothes from splatter.

There are two other locations in the area: Annandale and Centreville, VA. For more information on Honey Pig, go to: http://www.eathoneypig.com/.