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Business & Tech

Bites Nearby: Tapas and Small Bites

We suggest places where you can share plates.

 

This time of year is great for catching up with old friends and family members, out-of-town guests and visitors.

Many gatherings naturally center around food. That’s why tapas, or meals made up of several small plates to share, are a perfect plan for reuniting with an old gang.

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“Tapas” comes from traditional Spanish snacks and appetizers, but many types of restaurants offer their own version of “small plates.”

Choosing items to share off a menu is a group activity and discussing and experiencing new tastes can be a gustatory adventure. Patch compiled a list of local restaurants where you can go to experience the small plate trend with your own loved ones.

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Bowie
Golden Pavilion Asian Bistro is the new and improved version, so we think, of one of Bowie’s oldest restaurants. The classic shrimp toast and barbecued spare ribs are as good as we remember them, but there are a slew of new “small plate” items that have been added to the menu. These include Oshinko (Japanese pickled yellow radish, mountain carrot, cucumber), Tuna Tataki (black pepper seaweed tuna with ponzu sauce), Edamame (steamed young soybean) and perhaps most interesting of all, Ikamaru-Yaki (B-B-Q squid).

Crofton
is also an eat-in restaurant serving food in small and large portions. Lunch or dinner options include roasted rack of lamb, broccoli and rice stuffed chicken breasts, sundried tomato crusted rack of lamb, or coq au vin.

Edgewater
Bill Bateman's Bistro in Edgewater is still the newcomer in town, but they're finding a way to win the hearts (and stomachs) of locals with a small plates menu that includes the crab pretzel, Jamaican jerk chicken wings, Southwestern Chipotle eggrolls, shakin’ bacon fries, sweet potato stix and more. The bar in the center of the restaurant has games going and a half dozen beers on tap. If you're not looking for the sports scene, grab one of the roomy booths and chat over a couple items on the starters menu. 

Greater Annapolis
in the Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole features specialties like rum-smoked mahi mahi tiny tacos and a variety of ceviche (mixture of fish or shellfish in a tasty marinade), and their guacamole is made fresh to order. Oh, and they have all kinds of awesome rum drinks.

Severna Park
features entrees such as pizza, steaks, seafood and even desserts from the wood-fired grill. Small plates are available on a select part of the menu.

Odenton area
The closest thing to tapas we can think of locally is the Four Seasons Grille at the Village at Waugh Chapel, which has a variety of Mediterranean options, including appetizers that could serve as small plates themselves. There are options like beef Wellington bruschetta, scallops Napoleon and imperial mushroom caps, plus a Mediterranean plate of hummus, vegetables and an array of olives and pita bread. There’s also a goat cheese brulee and some rosemary mango beef skewers. 

Pasadena
has a late-night tapas menu, along with pretty much everything else you might want. Give it a shot!

Severn area
Red Parrot Asian Bistro, located in Hanover near Arundel Mills, is one of the most unique Asian-styled restaurants in the greater Severn area. Tucked away in the shopping centers with Maiwand Kebob and Starbucks, Red Parrot has everything from traditional cuisines like sushi to more unique meals like Maguro Tartare, spicy tuna topped with a quail egg. The restaurant also serves small plates featuring sashimi and other various sushi dishes. 

 

Broadneck

is one of the best restaurants around Arnold for a small, quick bite. There's a huge variety on their appetizers menu, ranging from Bubba's fried shrimp to several Mexican samplers. They've also got a late night menu for those before-bedtime cravings.

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