This weekend I took a trip down to the University Of Maryland to visit my son. I love going there, yes because it’s always good to visit your kid but also they have an amazing array of restaurants to chose from. Unlike a lot of college towns that have pub food and fast food as mainstays, College Park, has a diverse culture and with that comes cuisine from all over the world. We counted over 20 Asian themed restaurants within walking distance just to give you an idea.
On the first night we went to one of my favorites, Phó Thom, a Vietnamese-Thai place that has one of my most loved noodle soups, Phó (pronounced Fa). It’s a light soup which can be made with or without meat and spiced to your liking. I like having control over my spice level and with a side of hot peppers you can be assured you’re getting it just right. We also had Thai spiced chicken wings, which is a take on buffalo style wings but in a spicy Thai chili sauce. There’s something about the crunch coupled with the sweet and hot flavor of the Thai chili that keeps you wanting more. A couple other amazing dishes were the Thai chicken with chili and basil and the Pad Kee Mao. Both dishes use the combo of basil and chili to create an memorable surprise for your palate. I remember the first time I ordered a dish with those two ingredients and thinking who would ever put basil and chili together? I’m so glad I was raised to give new things a try! I recommend you seek out and find a Thai place in your area just to try this perfect combo.
Phó 
The next night I had to visit one of my favorite restaurants in College Park. Even though it’s a chain, its been around since 1987 and I have never had a bad meal there. Nando’s Peri-peri chicken is a chain from South Africa. Their spice is centered around the African bird’s eye chili that is then made into a sauce called Peri-peri. There are different variations throughout Africa but it usually includes a few herbs and spices. This mix was found by the Portuguese explorers who added lemon and garlic to make the form of Peri-peri sauce that is used by Nando’s today. The sauce comes in various flavors and spice levels from mild to XXX hot. The chicken is grilled and then the sauce is basted on before serving, I’m sure it’s also marinated in a diluted form of the Peri-peri , so I’m working on finding out that secret! There’s food there for vegetarians as well, so don’t worry, everyone in your party can find a dish at Nando’s. Pictured below are the chicken thighs with mashed peas and peri-peri chips and the Peri-peri chicken bowl, both excellent choices!
If you’re at that stage in life where it’s time to look into colleges for your kid, I think a visit to the The University of Maryland would be well worth the trip. Any visit to UMD wouldn’t be complete without a visit to their dairy, where they make some of the best ice cream around, (sorry Penn State). They have some great flavors like the chocolate overload of “Midnight Madness” or their mascot Testudo’s favorite “Fear The Turtle”. Stop into the Stamp student union and discover a flavor for you.
Thanks for stopping by and as always please add your comments or questions below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Until next time Boone Appétit!
