Restaurants Archives - Page 242 of 340

MoCo’s Money Muscle BBQ Tops Eater DC’s “Where to Find Outstanding Barbecue Around D.C.” List

Published May 12, 2022 at 7:29AM

Eater DC released its “Where to Find Outstanding Barbecue Around D.C.” list earlier this week and MoCo’s Money Muscle BBQ topped the list, coming in at number 1. Money Muscle BBQ is a food truck that is located adjacent from sister restaurant All Set at 8630 Fenton St Plaza 5. Outdoor seating is also available at the Money Muscle BBQ truck and menu items are also offered at All Set.

Federalist Pig also made the list, coming in at number 6. Federalist Pig is available in MoCo for pick up and delivery via Bethesda’s Ensemble at 4856 Cordell Ave. Chef Rob Sonderman recently made an appearance on Good Morning America as he heads to the finals of the Ultimate Pitmaster Competition.

Bassett’s in Poolesville Reopens Today

By Patrick Herron

Published May 11, 2022 at 8:33PM | Updated May 12, 2022 at 8:13AM

Bassett’s Fine Food & Spirits at 19950 Fisher Avenue in Poolesville, which is under new ownership, will hold a “soft opening” beginning Thursday, May 12 at 11am. The restaurant, which opened in 1993, closed its doors on December 31 of last year. The restaurant is now owned by Erica Myers, who worked at Bassett’s for over 15 years before leaving to open Rio Grande Grille in Germantown in 2020. Bassett’s previous owners, who owned the restaurant the past three years, cited the pandemic and the closing of White’s Ferry as the reason it went out of business.

Starbucks Employees in Olney to Vote on Unionization

By Patrick Herron

Published May 11, 2022 at 2:26PM | Updated May 11, 2022 at 2:42PM

On April 6, Starbucks Workers United, on behalf of employees at the Starbucks location at 16806 Georgia Ave in Olney, sent a letter to Starbucks President Howard Schultz announcing their intention to unionize. In the letter, workers at the Olney Starbucks say they have attempted on numerous occasions to communicate with management regarding their grievances but believe their concerns fell on deaf ears.

“Much like our neighboring stores, we have grown increasingly exhausted and stressed, not to mention faced with constant, inconsistently enforced changes. While as a team, we’ve been grateful for the opportunities given and the benefits provided with our employment. But these provisions, which should be bare minimum at any job, come at the cost of our physical and mental wellbeing, and money from our own paychecks. With labor cuts, COVID-19 restrictions and isolations, improper staffing, production shortage and outages, and facing the backlash from our customers- we are tired. Meanwhile Starbucks’ profits have been skyrocketing more than the pre-pandemic era.”

Popeyes is Coming to Clarksburg

By MCS Staff

Published May 11, 2022 at 10:31AM | Updated May 11, 2022 at 1:33PM

Construction is ongoing on the 7.24 acres located approximately 0.30 miles southwest of I-270, 1.5 miles from Little Bennett Regional Park and Clarksburg Town Center; and directly north of West Old Baltimore. The Subject Property is directly across the realigned Clarksburg Road (MD121) from the Clarksburg Premium Outlets and a new and very familiar tenant has signed on- Popeyes.

Popeyes has made plenty of recent moves within Montgomery County, recently opening new locations in Briggs Chaney, Downtown Silver Spring, and Gaithersburg. The fried chicken chain announced last month that it is set to open more than 200 new locations in the United States and Canada this year with additional locations in several other places around the world. Over half of the new Popeyes locations that are scheduled to open in 2022 will feature double drive-thrus, but it’s still unclear whether or not this location will have a drive-thru.

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

By Patrick Herron

Published May 11, 2022 at 10:12AM

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.

Saffron Indian Cuisine in Rockville has Closed Permanently

By MCS Staff

Published May 11, 2022 at 7:28AM

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.

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

By MCS Staff

Published May 11, 2022 at 6:04AM

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.

Beyond MoCo: Sweet Rolled Tacos Opens NoVa Location

By MCS Staff

Published May 10, 2022 at 8:18PM

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.”

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

By Patrick Herron

Published May 10, 2022 at 1:20PM | Updated May 10, 2022 at 3:05PM

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.

Mezeh to Open New Kensington Location

By MCS Staff

Published May 10, 2022 at 7:39AM | Updated June 15, 2023 at 11:32AM

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.

New Buffalo Wild Wings Concept to Open First MoCo Location

By MCS Staff

Published May 10, 2022 at 7:32AM

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.