Restaurants

Chef Rob Sonderman from Ensemble in Bethesda Appears on Good Morning America, Headed to Finals of Ultimate Pitmaster Competition

By Patrick Herron

Good Morning America is currently running a nationwide competition to look for the best barbecue in the U.S. On Tuesday,  Rob Sonderman from DC’s Federalist Pig won a “Golden Tong” from the program after defeating Brendan Woody of Fat Pete’s (3407 Connecticut Ave NW) when “GMA” was in DC to determine the area’s best BBQ spot.  Rob will now move on to the finals of the competition, which take place on Monday in New York City. You can view Rob’s appearance on GMA here.

While Federalist Pig’s original standalone location is at 1654 Columbia Rd in DC, their Michelin award winning BBQ is also available at Ensemble in Bethesda.   Ensemble is a digital food hall from Salis Holdings (Ted’s Bulletin, Sidekick Bakery, Federalist Pig), located 4856 Cordell Ave. Food from Ensemble is only available for pickup or delivery and you must order through their mobile app.  The menu features items from four the different Salis Holdings restaurants that can be mixed and matched. You can get a brisket sandwich from Federalist Pig, side of French toast from Ted’s Bulletin, fried chicken from Honeymoon Chicken, and dessert from Sidekick Bakery all at the same spot.

Go to Chef Rob Sonderman from Ensemble in Bethesda Appears on Good Morning America, Headed to Finals of Ultimate Pitmaster Competition Read more

Saffron Indian Cuisine in Rockville has Closed Permanently

By MCS Staff

Saffron Indian Cuisine has closed permanently. The restaurant’s Google and Facebook page list the restaurant as “Permanently Closed.” Saffron was located at 1321 C, Rockville Pike, in Rockville’s Woodmont Station (the shopping center that is also home to Ledo Pizza). According to LoopNet, the 3,210 SF that was home to Saffron until last week is now available to lease with restaurant equipment in place.

The restaurant opened in 2014 and gained popularity in Rockville, often participating in local events like Taste of Rockville/Hometown Holidays and other food festivals.

Go to Saffron Indian Cuisine in Rockville has Closed Permanently Read more

Eerkin’s Uygher Cuisine Temporarily Closes After Kitchen Fire on Mother’s Day

By MCS Staff

Eerkin’s Uygher Cuisine has announced a temporary closure due to a kitchen fire that occurred at the restaurant on Mother’s Day morning. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to the fire at Eerkin’s Uyghur Cuisine at 1701 Rockville Pike # B1 in Rockville on Sunday morning around around 10am.  First responders arrived to the sprinkler/warer flow alarm going off and smoke coming from building.  According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS, the fire was located in the kitchen and has been put out. There were no injures reported and the building inspector and health department have been requested.

According to its website, “EERKIN’S has been serving quality Uyghur foods to its customers. Our Uyghur ethnic chefs with ancestors from Uyghur’s who are well-informed about the ancient recipes allowing us to offer the centuries old Uyghur foods. The usage of fresh vegetables, meat, beef, chicken and fish makes our Uyghur cuisine the most-tasty and mouthwateringly delicious food.” The restaurant features a tea bar and menu items include Cold Lamb Salad, Baba Ghanoush, Kebab, Chow Mei Fun (Uyghur Spicy Noodles), and Roasted Quails. The restaurant also has locations in Fairfax, VA and DC.

Go to Eerkin’s Uygher Cuisine Temporarily Closes After Kitchen Fire on Mother’s Day Read more

Beyond MoCo: Sweet Rolled Tacos Opens NoVa Location

By MCS Staff

Sweet Rolled Tacos was founded in California in May 2017 by two brothers, Donovan and Kenny. Since then the dessert shop has expanded to over a dozen locations across the country, including one at 5967 Centreville Crest Ln in Centreville, VA that opened just last week.

The concept is a melting pot of taste, texture, and aesthetic into ice cream and drinks. Per the dessert shop’s website, “Sweet Rolled Tacos is all about the experience and catering to what customers want. We want you to enjoy every bite and every sip.  Every ice cream taco is made with premium cream, handcrafted on a cold plate that is rolled into ice cream is fitted into a waffle taco cone.”

Go to Beyond MoCo: Sweet Rolled Tacos Opens NoVa Location Read more

Update on HalfSmoke, The First Bar to Open in Montgomery Mall’s Food Court

By Patrick Herron

The upcoming HalfSmoke location in Montgomery Mall is scheduled to open in “about four weeks”, according to a representative from the restaurant. HalfSmoke will be located in a kiosk in the food terrace that was the former home of Coldstone Creamery and more recently Gelato Galaxy. This will be the first restaurant/bar in the food court to serve alcohol. The menu will consist of the best selling sausages and sides from their DC location, as well as boozy milkshakes and a funnel cake bar. HalfSmokes sister restaurant Butter Me Up opened its Montgomery Mall location last week. Butter Me Up is located in the old Aroma Espresso Bar location, which is downstairs near the Old Navy entrance and features “instagrammable” decor, will offer a menu that consists of a variety of breakfast sandwiches, toasts, sides, bowls, smoothies, and juices.

HalfSmoke was the first restaurant of its kind to serve gourmet sausages via an assembly line format. Its sausages and toppings can be fully customized to create over 50,000 variations. The HalfSmoke menu also features craft beer, mac and cheese balls, tater tots, milkshakes, funnel cakes, wine, cocktails, and more.  HalfSmoke is also planning to open a Rockville Town Square location sometime this year.

Go to Update on HalfSmoke, The First Bar to Open in Montgomery Mall’s Food Court Read more

Mezeh to Open New Kensington Location

By MCS Staff

Mezeh Mediterranean Grill will be opening a new location in the upcoming Kensington Crossing development at 10619 Connecticut Avenue (at Plyers Mill Road). The restaurant has signed on to take over a new 2,350SF space with plenty of outdoor seating.

Mezeh is a fast-casual eatery with a buffet-style of offerings that include rice and salad bowls, wraps and a variety of sauces and toppings. Mezeh currently has MoCo locations in Gaithersburg and Germantown. Buffalo Wild Wings GO and M&T Bank are the other two tenants that have signed on for the upcoming development. Opening dates for any of these locations are not currently available. Update: College Park staple Marathon Deli has also signed on at Kensington Crossing.

Go to Mezeh to Open New Kensington Location Read more

New Buffalo Wild Wings Concept to Open First MoCo Location

By MCS Staff

Buffalo Wild Wings opened its first ‘Buffalo Wild Wings GO’ location– a scaled-down version of the restaurant that focuses on the to-go and delivery format in Georgia back in 2020. Now, the company will open its first ‘Go’ location in the upcoming Kensington Crossing– a new retail development that will be located at 10619 Connecticut Avenue (at Plyers Mill Road) in Kensington.

Kensington Crossing previously announced that M&T Bank, which currently has a Kensington location on Howard Avenue, signed on as its first tenant to take over its largest space (2,635 SF). No word yet on if this will be a second Kensington branch, but the likely scenario would involve the current branch moving to the new space.

Go to New Buffalo Wild Wings Concept to Open First MoCo Location Read more

Signage Up at Doki Toki Dessert Shop in Downtown Crown

By MCS Staff

A couple weeks back we let you know that Doki Toki, a dessert shop that will offer Japanese desserts, including ice cream, mochi donuts, milk tea, and a “lot of other desserts”, will be opening in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown neighborhood. Signage is now up at the dessert spot, which has been aiming for a May 15th opening according to a representative we spoke with a couple weeks ago.

Doki Toki Dessert Shop is taking over the location formerly occupied by Mango Mango at 202 Ellington Blvd next to Burger IM. Mango Mango was an Asian dessert spot that opened its first restaurant in New York’s Chinatown in 2013 and served traditional Hong Kong style sweet soup dessert, modern fusion sweets, and pastries. It was in the location from October 2019 until April 2021.

Go to Signage Up at Doki Toki Dessert Shop in Downtown Crown Read more

Quickway to Open Next to Trader Joe’s in Travilah Square Shopping Center

By MCS Staff

Quickway will be opening its 7th Montgomery County location right next to Trader Joe’s in the Travilah Square Shopping Center. The regional chain recently opened its 6th location in Olney and its 5th MoCo location in Stone Mill Square (Korean Korner shopping center). Quickway, which can now be found in 10 different counties across the DMV since opening its first location in 2012, will be joining Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken– another new fast casual restaurant coming soon to the shopping center.

Per the Quickway website, “we bring the Teppanyaki (teppan, Japanese for griddle: yaki, grill, broiled) cooking technique to a quick service restaurant setting. The proteins are prepared fresh on the open grill in your full view, a true cooked to order signature dish. We offer choices of salads, sides, and sushi, all prepared from All Day Fresh ingredients and homemade sauces. Plus, we really care if you have a cool place to eat. We build our space to be clean, convenient and modern. Of course, our food is healthy, with reduced salt, no trans fat, and no MSG.

Go to Quickway to Open Next to Trader Joe’s in Travilah Square Shopping Center Read more

MCFRS Respond to Fire at Rockville Restaurant Sunday Morning

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a fire at Eerkin’s Uyghur Cuisine at 1701 Rockville Pike # B1 in Rockville on Sunday morning around around 10am.  First responders arrived to the sprinkler/warer flow alarm going off and smoke coming from building.  According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS, the fire was located in the kitchen and has been put out. There were no injures reported and the building inspector and health department have been requested.

Update – Rockville Pike, commercial restaurant, fire in kitchen of restaurant, fire knocked down, checking for extension, @mcfrs E723, AT723, PE703B, PE721, PE726, E705, AT703, RS703, A723, BC702, BC704, RS742, AT718, M723, PE720, SA700, C703G/H on scene https://t.co/QT2ZO9YkdZ

Go to MCFRS Respond to Fire at Rockville Restaurant Sunday Morning Read more
View More Stories