Charley Prime Food to Open This Saturday in Rio

Charley Prime Foods, the new restaurant from Jackie Greenbaum & Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) that is replacing Tara Thai on the Rio Lakefront boardwalk at 9811 Washington Blvd in Gaithersburg, will now open on Saturday, May 13 at 4pm (the restaurant had previously announced an opening date of Friday, May 12.) Charley Prime will feature an extensive steak menu that includes filet mignon, New York strip, and a 36oz Tomahawk ribeye, as well as house made pastas and sandwiches like the Roasted Lamb French Dip. Additional details below:

Acclaimed DC restaurateurs Jackie Greenbaum & Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) will open Charley Prime Foods, a modern American restaurant, on May 12 at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg.   Chef/Partner Adam Harvey, long time Executive Chef with Greenbaum & Banks, will helm the kitchen, along with Russell Pike, currently the Chef de Cuisine at Little Coco’s.  Located in the former Tara Thai space (9811 Washingtonian Blvd, Gaithersburg, MD), the restaurant will be centrally positioned on the boardwalk. The space will seat roughly 90 inside, with another 100 on an expansive patio, complete with lake views.  Editlab@Streetsense designed the space.  

The team envisions the restaurant as a mature version of their popular DC restaurant Bar Charley, with an expanded menu, but keeping its lively cocktail forward energy.  The broader menu will remain steak focused and will also feature house made pastas (a la Little Coco’s) as well as other items unique to just this location. Starters include Five Spice Pork Shoulder & Crispy Rice with Korean BBQ and peanuts and Rustic Cheesy Bread with homemade rustic bread, garlic and three kinds of cheese.  Guests will find mains like Roasted Lamb French Dip with harissa aioli, onions, Swiss cheese, au jus and fries and house made pastas include dishes like Spicy Rigatoni with marinara, Grana Padano, and Calabrian chiles and Squid Ink Tagliatelle with Kauai shrimp, shrimp butter and nduja crumble.  An extensive steak menu includes the staples, as well as a Wagyu menu (both American and Japanese A5) and a section devoted to Linz Heritage Angus Prime beef. 

The expansive cocktail menu is a collaboration between co-owner Gordon Banks and Beverage Director Paul Hofford.  The robust, yet accessible list includes nearly 50 cocktails and pulls some of the finest drinks from their collective experience.  Highlights include the Quack-quack-erac with duck fat washed St Germain, rye, aged rum, bourbon, burlesque & Peychauds bitters, as well as various versions of Old Fashioneds and Mules.  Classics include the Charley Manhattan with high rye bourbon, carpona antica and aromatic bitters and a Rum and Cola, an elevated take on the classic with Paul’s rum blend, cola syrup, amaro and bubbles.  On tap cocktails include the Always Passionably Late, a margarita remix, with passion fruit, black lime salt and silver tequila and the Nitro Negroni with Ford’s gin, Campari, Italian Vermouth and nitrogen. 

“We are thrilled for our first suburban project and think the timing is perfect.  We’ve always done restaurants that are near and dear to our hearts and that we feel are right for the particular neighborhood.  My partners both have young families and Rio has been a frequent destination for them for years, as it is for so many people in north Montgomery County.  This is especially true for Adam Harvey, our chef and partner in this project, who lives nearby.  We’re really delighted to bring something unique to the mix out there.” 

-Jackie Greenbaum, Co-Owner