Restaurant industry professionals and their fans gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center earlier this week for the 40th Annual RAMMY Awards as Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) announced winners and a range of special distinctions in a number of categories celebrating excellence in long-standing and pandemic-era categories that range from individual professional honors to accolades celebrating culinary concepts and service. Three Montgomery County restaurants were presented with awards.
For 2022, the RAMMYS returned with a program of familiar categories honoring RAMW members, representing a year during which the industry rebuilt, recovered, and grew with new establishments. A selection of categories also spoke to pandemic-era aspects that both restaurants and diners have continued to enjoy and employ – all of which were decided via public vote earlier this year. Another carryover from last year, publicly voted categories were open to any foodservice operation in the region.
The Montgomery County restaurants to win awards can be seen below:
- Favorite Fast Bites, Little Miner Taco (Brentwood, North Bethesda, Woodbridge): Little Miner started as a food truck that popped up across the DMV before opening in Brentwood. In July 2020, the restaurant made its way to MoCo, opening a stall in The Block food hall in Pike & Rose.
- Best Brunch of The Year, A&J Restaurant (Annandale & Rockville): A&J has served Northern Chinese fare on Rockville Pike for over 25 years. The restaurant is part of a family-owned chain that started when Alex Chang opened the first location in Taipei in the 1970s. A version it was brought to Los Angeles, and in 1996 Elaine Tang, who is Chang’s niece, and her family opened the Rockville location. The family opened the Annandale location in 2000.
- Beer Program of the Year, Quarry House Tavern (Silver Spring): Quarry House is back in a big way. The popular Silver Spring bar and restaurant reopened last summer after an extended closure due to a fire. Want to try a beer? Chances are they’ll have it. The bar is the owner of liquor license #2, the second one to ever be given out in Montgomery County. It has been open since 1934.
The full list of winners can be seen here.
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