Back in March we let you know that the 100-year old building that is home to the Olney Ale House was sold to Two Sibs LLC, led by Selim Kantar, for $1.45 million. Olney Ale House, located at 2000 Olney Sandy Spring Rd (Rt. 108 and Doctor Bird Rd.), operated in the space until a kitchen fire caused the restaurant to shut down in 2019. We spoke with new owner Selim Kantar today, who told us that they are still chipping away and anticipate a spring 2024 opening.

The restaurant will keep the Olney Ale House name and operate with an updated menu and new cocktails. Kantar tells us that work is just getting started and that there is a lot of it that has to be done before the restaurant is ready to open, so a 2024 opening is the most likely scenario. We will have updates for you as the restaurant continues with renovations and moves closer toward opening.  Below we share with you the restaurant’s rich history, courtesy of the previous Olney Ale House website:


MICHELIN Guide Inspectors spend all year on the road uncovering the best restaurants to recommend. In a sneak peek of the 2023 MICHELIN Guide Washington D.C.— the inspectors have added 10 new restaurants to the guide, spread across the nation’s capital. The previous 24 DC/DC Area Michelin Star restaurants can be seen here.

Per the MICHELIN Guide: “From Three Star and Green Star The Inn at Little Washington (one of only 14 American eateries with Three MICHELIN stars) to One MICHELIN Star Bresca and Two MICHELIN Star Jônt (home to one of Washington’s buzziest hospitality directors), Washington, D.C is home to some of the most fabulous MICHELIN Guide restaurants. But with our Inspectors, fabulous isn’t enough. That’s why in spite of the delicious flavors within the nation’s capital, check out these 10 tasty additions.” The 10 additions can be seen below:


Dunkin’ will be moving in will be moving in to 8455 Fenton St, taking over an empty retail space on the ground level of the Central Silver Spring apartment complex. An opening timeframe is not yet available for the store, but construction has not yet started.

Yesterday we let you know that Dunkin’ will also be taking over the space that was previously home to $2.49 Cleaners, at 12196 Georgia Ave. in Wheaton-Glenmont, on the same block as Trippy’s Tacos and Seafood in the Buff and near Popeyes. Dunkin’ has been making a big push lately in Montgomery County, with new locations at the Layhill Center (14328 Layhill Rd) in Silver Spring and in the Goshen Crossing Shopping Center in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village, where it has taken over the former Capital One Bank building at 20000 Goshen Rd.  Last December, we let you know that Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and within MoCo, and there are currently an additional four locations in the works with more likely to come.


Milk & Honey, a southern inspired brunch and soul food restaurant which has locations across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, has opened in the space that was recently home to Willie T’s Seafood Shack at 9326 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. The news of its opening was first reported by Source of the Spring.

Both Milk & Honey and Willie T’s concepts are owned by Thompson Hospitality, the group behind Matchbox (Bethesda, Rockville, and Silver Spring locations in MoCo), Austin Grill and American Tap Room (both previously in MoCo), and Wiseguy Pizza (now open at Wheaton Mall.) Menu items at Milk & Honey include “Chef Sammy’s Award Winning” Shrimp & Grits, Deep Fried Salmon Hash, Chicken & Waffles, and Crab Benedict. According to the restaurant’s website, this Milk & Honey location will be a a uick service restaurant with limited seating available. Food will be served in carry-out containers. Restaurant hours:


Akira Ramen & Izakaya, located at 1800 Rockville Pike h1 at the Galvan in Rockville, has reopened. The restaurant briefly closed several weeks back as they were undergoing a change in management. “At Akira Ramen, we specialize in taking the authentic ramen experience to the next level. First, we offer unique in-house broth that would suit everyones’ taste: Tonkatsu salt, Miso, Shoyu and Vegetable broth. With extra toppings as an option, you can customize your ramen anytime. Second, our thin and curly noodles are made in-house daily.”

 


Dunkin’ will be taking over the space that was previously home to $2.49 Cleaners, at 12196 Georgia Ave. in Wheaton-Glenmont, on the same block as Trippy’s Tacos and Seafood in the Buff and near Popeyes. An opening timeframe is not yet available for the store, but it appears the store will have a drive-thru (or at least a walk-up window) based on the renderings in the featured photo.

Dunkin’ has been making a big push lately in Montgomery County, with new locations at the Layhill Center (14328 Layhill Rd) in Silver Spring and in the Goshen Crossing Shopping Center in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village, where it has taken over the former Capital One Bank building at 20000 Goshen Rd.  Last December, we let you know that Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and within MoCo, and there are currently an additional four locations in the works with more likely to come.


Buffalo Wild Wings, a sports bar and restaurant franchise with two Montgomery County locations, will temporarily close its Gaithersburg store (668 Clopper Road) in Quince Orchard Plaza for renovations. Multiple worried customers sent messages to The MoCoShow about signage being removed, but an employee of the restaurant let us know that it remains open and will only temporarily close from Monday, October 16th until Thursday, October 19th for renovations.

The Gaithersburg location opened in early 2013, replacing Chevy’s, which abruptly closed in February 2012. Buffalo Wild Wings has an additional location in Rockville Town Square and will be opening its first MoCo ‘Buffalo Wild Wings GO’ location– a scaled-down version of the restaurant that focuses on the to-go and delivery format in the upcoming Kensington Crossing– a new retail development that will be located at 10619 Connecticut Avenue (at Plyers Mill Road) in Kensington.


Verny Varela is an arranger, composer, singer and flutist who born in Cali, Colombia, and raised in the “Barrio Obrero,” Verny started singing and playing with his father’s band, El Nuevo Son. In 1996, he sang with Ismael Miranda, Adalberto Santiago, Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez and the Fania All Stars, in Cali and in Tulua. In 1997, Verny became the lead singer in the Gabino Pampini Band, and later toured Europe and the U.S. with Tito Gomez.”

The special display of Lotus is expected to have at least 20 vehicles with the ACBC founder’s initials. Models expected will include a Seven and a Type Nine. There also will be displays of Elite, Elan, Europa, Eclat, Esprit, Elise, Exige and Evora. The cars will represent Lotus models from the 1950s to the 2020s. The special display will be located at the front of the show field, near the stage. In addition to the vehicles on display, with owners nearby to provide details and histories, the show will have a flea market and a car sales area. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Visitors can bring their own food to the show area. Music will be provided by Blue Sky Five.


Yelp’s “Yelp MD Burbs” released its list of “Top 25 Places to Eat in MD Burbs”  and 18 of the 25 restaurants on the list are in Montgomery County, including four of the top five. Yelp is a popular company that publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses with a major focus on restaurants. According to Yelp, “The MD Burbs knows how to eat, and these locally-loved spots are proof of that! We’re excited to announce the MD Burbs’ Top 25 Places to Eat (2023), backed by Yelp data and approved by taste buds everywhere!”

https://www.facebook.com/tastemoco/posts/pfbid0GEXYRbUvfamiJfACVenm1maeQ87vw5UkPVRPWQxurXvabFqqQVYfnRwKNoaSn4pFl


Last year, we let you know that Pines of Rome, a Bethesda staple for over 50 years, tabbed WashUrban to spearhead their first ever search for a second location. In June, we reported that Pines of Rome has found a home for its newest venture, Pines of Rome Express. It will be located at 121B Congressional Lane– the former home of Congressional Deli, a representative from the restaurant confirmed. The new restaurant is located beside/behind Mykonos Grill and near Bed Bath& Beyond. A representative from Pines of Rome in Bethesda let us know today that the restaurant will open in “maybe 10 days.”

The original restaurant, which will remain open, is located at 4918 Cordell Ave. in Bethesda. Pines of Rome moved to the location in 2017 and was previously located at 4709 Hampden Lane, opening in 1972.  The restaurant is known for its extremely popular white pizza, spaghetti & meatballs, and other traditional Italian dishes. The express version will focus on carry-out and delivery.


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