Love the new blog! When I don't feel like cooking, I usually hit the Kabob Hut on Allegheny for chicken skewers or the Thai Restaurant on Greenmount for a curry dish or pad thai (park in back and you can zip in and out in 5 mins). Both are inexpensive and always good. For Chinese, I like Joey Chui's in Greenspring and Panda Gourmet in the back of Lake Falls Village (although it can be hit-or-miss). Italian, French, and American takeout never seems to survive the car trip. My favorite takeout, by far, is a half dozen cookies from Vaccaro's.

You, above all, should know that most restaurants are not geared for great takeout, and I am even starting to question if restaurants in this city are striving to put out quality food on their regular menus. A takeout customer cannot do much if their meal is incorrect. It would be too much work to go back so you are forced to eat whatever they put in the container. One of the only things to do is look in the container before you leave the place. It may seem insulting, but it beats the feeling of disappointment when you get home only to realize you have the wrong food.

To answer one of your other questions, you never get what you pay for, not here at least.

Bill

Elizabeth,

Looking for great take out you must try Stone Mill Bakery. They've recently started doing gourmet dinners to go. They are attractively displayed and are in containers that you take home and microwave. The convenience and products are wonderful. When looking for food to take home I definately stop there. The chipolte chicken with sweet corn risotto is to die for! By far the best risotto in Baltimore.

Try it!

Thai Arroy in Fed Hill is always great for take-out. I've never been disappointed, and I feel that they treat it (almost) the same as if you eat in! Besides, one take-out dish easily feeds two!

When I need to get carryout I can always count on Pei Wei. It's located in Columbia at Dobbin Square. Very reasonable and their Mongolian Beef is to die for. You can even sit and watch them make it.

The most dependable takeout we get is from Eddie's of Roland Park (and North Charles Street). Choices range from the mundane to rather sophisticated. One advantage over restaurants: you see what you get before you order it and control the quantity. Sure, the food needs to be warmed, but a microwave does it and the quality does not suffer. For convenience sake my wife and I differ on which Eddie's to patronize, and we have noted small but significant quality differences in the same dish between the two.

A warning about Thai Arroy in Federal Hill. We used to dine and get takeout there regularly. Last year the restaurant changed ownership and we have since been disappointed.

For takeout, I love the chinese-food bar at Wegmans. The food looks and tastes good. I choose lots of different items so it seems as if have a buffet when I get home and open everything up on the dinner table.