Local Food Finds

Your weekly dose of some cool food and dining finds around town

New York Style Bagels, Happy Hour Thai, and Thanksgiving Corner

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• Nico’s Bagels & Brunch opened up last month in Gambrills and serves up more than its name suggests! It also serves hope and resilience to the community, where every bite is a celebration of life, love, and the flavors that bring us together. Nico’s is dedicated to Nico Osuna, the co-owner’s son, who lost his battle with mental health and died from suicide. Jerry Osuna, along with his neighbors, Dan and Joy Shields, fulfilled Nico’s idea of a bagel food truck by opening Nico’s Bagels & Brunch. The shop sells a mix of everything from traditional New York-style bagels to brunch favs. Standout items include their Hope Bagel, a purple and teal bagel representing suicide prevention, Nico’s Bagel Dunks (mini bagel bites served with cream cheese), Sausage Egg ‘N Cheese Bagelwich (choice of authentic New York-style bagel with two grilled eggs, sausage, American, and cheddar cheese), and Open-Faced Ultimate Lox (smoked salmon, topped with sliced avocado, red onions, sprouts, cucumbers, tomato, and a schmear of scallion cream cheese on an open-faced authentic New York-style everything bagel). Nico’s plans to host quarterly conversations for anyone in the area who might be struggling or just want to talk. At its core, Nico’s Bagels & Brunch is designed to be a safe space for everyone, encouraging open conversations about mental health and fostering a supportive environment.
  • P.S. There are high chairs and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating on their patio!
  • P.S.S. Proceeds from the sale of certain specialty bagels, like the Hope bagel, go toward Nico’s Hope for Life Foundation, a nonprofit Jerry started after his son passed. 

• HHH (Happy Hour Highlight)! Happy Hour Thai is back at Lemongrass, at all their locations. Their happy hour menu is available for dine-in only from Sunday to Thursday and includes $6 appetizers, $6 signature cocktails, $3 beers, and $6 wines. Appetizer highlights include the Chicken Satay (slow-grilled skewered marinated chicken, served with homemade peanut sauce and cucumber relish sauce), Lettuce Wraps (Thai-style minced chicken, crispy tilapia, or steamed tofu, tossed in a lime, chili, and ginger sauce), and South River Crab Ragoons (deep fried Maryland fusion wontons filled with seasoned cream cheese and crab meat).
  • Happy Hours:
    • Lemongrass West : 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 
    • Lemongrass Too (Housley Road) : 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
    • Lemongrass Arnold : 4:30 pm – 6 pm (Sunday from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm)

• It’s Yellowfin’s 23rd Anniversary! To show their appreciation for the community’s support, they have created an amazing, celebration-worthy prix fixe menu for $65, which features your choice of starter (Tropical Shrimp or Fish Ceviche, Beef Carpaccio with Truffle Tuna Tartare, Cream of Crab Soup, or House Salad), entrée (Surf and Turf, Seafood Paella, Mixed Grilled Platter, Double Crab Cake Melt, or Sea Bass and Scallops), and dessert (Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Mousse, Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Torte, or Pumpkin Cheesecake). Their prix fixe menu is available until November 10. Cheers, Yellowfin!
• November is here! The weather is getting colder, the leaves are falling, and it’s the start of the winter holiday season. Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) is around the corner and the Local Food Finds column every week in November will highlight several restaurants featuring Thanksgiving events, menus, or take-out options. So stop “stuffing” around and check out these places for your Thanksgiving favs in our Talk Turkey to Me Corner:
  • The Vineyards at Doden is hosting a Gather & Grow event on November 21 from 5 pm to 8 pm. This event is a unique Friendsgiving experience celebrating community and collaboration, featuring wine (of course), live music, small bites and dessert from nine local caterers, and a holiday market. Participating businesses include Meandering Pour, Graze by the Bay, The Bell House Catering, Caliente Grill, Bread and Butter Kitchen, Takes the Cake Catering, Dear Ann Desserts, McCormick Chocolates, Tasty Toucan, The Coastery, Guava Jelly, Dandelions Flower Stand, and Fairytale Farmette. Tickets are $20.
  • Crave Catering Co is offering a Thanksgiving Menu for $495, which feeds up to 12. Their menu features a three-course meal, which includes a Fall Chopped Salad with roasted butternut squash, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and apple cider vinaigrette; Cherry Wood Smoked Turkey with pan gravy; several side dishes like Candied Yams with bourbon and blood orange, Creamed Spinach with French fried onions, Green Beans with brown butter bread crumbs, and Cornbread Stuffing with kale; homemade French rolls and butter; and White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. Order online by noon on November 21.
  • April’s Table launched their Thanksgiving Menu and it features so many choices to choose from! Their menu has everything from snacks, boxes, soups, salads, and entrees to sides, casseroles, sauces, bread, pies, and sweet treats. They also have a Thanksgiving for Two for $86, which includes Herb Rubbed Turkey Breast, Garlic Roasted Green Beans, Herb Stuffing, Classic Mashed Potatoes, Citrus Cranberry Sauce, Classic Turkey Gravy, and Chef’s Choice of Pie. An option for sweet treats is Moondance Cookies’ Turkey TV Dinners for $25, which includes 4 sugar cookie turkey legs, icing mashed potatoes, caramel sauce gravy, starburst butter pat, chocolate candy peas and carrots, all served in a to-go container. Place your order by noon on November 24.