Heard the latest?

It's obvious that the owners of the new Rumor Mill (8069 Tiber Alley, Ellicott City, 410-461-0041), located where Sidestreets used to be, are thinking big. The menu ambitiously hops around the globe, pairing Asian-inflected raw tuna with guacamole and tortilla chips, or barbecue-coated grilled shrimp with soba noodles and miso broth. A lot of things don't quite hit their mark, but like any good rumor, at least it isn't boring. The fried rice balls, filled with a stuffing that changes nightly, are a reliable companion to the place's creative and fun cocktails. Lychee-flavored drinks, blood-orange "blossoms," green tea-tinis—it's a rainbow of booze, and most of them are ridiculously drinkable. In fact, your best bet here may be to snag some seats at the bar, order a few appetizers to share, and have the kind of night that does, indeed, produce a few new rumors by its end.