Frisco Taphouse and Brewery in Columbia features the potent ales and lagers of Maryland microbreweries. Regulars praise the extensive beer selection here. With 50 different brews on tap, along with a “beer engine” that pumps from a cask in the eatery’s cellar, you could sample for days and not get halfway through Frisco Taphouse's offerings!

Of course, you need snacks to go with your beer, and the menu here delivers well-esteemed bar bites. The “Ken’s Chorizo-Queso Obsession” is a popular choice, featuring melted cheese and sausage ideal for dipping chips. The fire-grilled wings with ancho chile glaze is also a good bet. For larger plates, the cornmeal-dusted chicken sandwich with pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayonnaise wins raves, as does the spicy steak sandwich brushed with Thai chiles.

Frisco Taphouse and Brewery
6695 Dobbin Road
Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 312-4907
www.friscogrille.com
www.yelp.com/biz/frisco-taphouse-and-brewery-columbia

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/maya83

Caffeine can give you a great boost of energy in the morning, but it can also cause headaches and annoying jitters when you drink too much. If you already cut out coffee but still feel the side effects of caffeine, you might be getting it from a different source altogether! Here are two surprising sources of caffeine that might surprise you.

1. Decaf coffee. While you may think that switching to decaf is a solution to your caffeine problems, you still can’t go wild with your coffee intake. A cup of decaf coffee contains about five milligrams of caffeine, which is much less than a normal cup of regular, but it can still cause you to feel some side effects if you drink too much.
2. Chocolate-flavored foods. Even if you opt for a plain old cup of hot chocolate instead of the espresso flavored truffles, many chocolate flavored foods contain a great deal of caffeine. Instant breakfast drinks can have about nine milligrams of caffeine, while powdered hot chocolate mix can also contain around nine milligrams. Be sure to check the label on any chocolate products that you purchase.

12 Surprising Sources of Caffeine [Health.com]
7 Hidden Sources of Caffeine [Eating Well]

CC-BY-SA-3.0/Flickr/stirling noyes

The Mall in Columbia has been a hub for commerce in the region since it was first constructed in 1971. The exhibit buildings for the Rouse Company in Columbia were designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, but the corporation decided to give the shopping mall contract to another firm. Since opening, the shopping center has undergone several major expansions, adding floorspace and several anchor stores.

The mall's major anchor retailers are J.C. Penney, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Sears, with a large AMC movie theater occupying the sixth slot. The remainder of the mall hosts almost 200 stores and services. The place is enormous, so you might want to consult the conveniently placed maps to plot a route through the place.

The Mall in Columbia
10300 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 730-3300
www.themallincolumbia.com
www.yelp.com/biz/the-mall-in-columbia-columbia-2

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Cheryl VanStane