Back in August of 2020 we let you know that HalfSmoke would be opening a Rockville location in Rockville Town Square. Though it hasn’t opened yet, it’s still in the plans for the DC-based restaurant.
Now we know of a new location, HalfSmoke Bethesda, which will be opening in the Montgomery Mall food court, as first reported by The MoCo Source on Instagram. It will be located in the former home of Coldstone Creamery and more recently Gelato Galaxy.
Hunan Manor, located at 11237 New Hampshire Avenue, will close permanently.
The restaurant has been in the White Oak shopping center for the last twenty years (by current ownership) and will close at the end of business tomorrow (Sunday, February 21st).
There will be a liquor license hearing on Thursday, March 3rd at 1pm for the premises known as Barriles Restaurant and Sports Bar.
The upcoming restaurant, located at 7637 New Hampshire Ave in the Takoma/Langley Crossroads shopping center in Takoma Park, will be taking over the spot formerly occupied by Mogotillo- a Salvadoran and Mexican restaurant that occupied the space for nearly a decade.
Back in September we let you know the popular DC restaurant The Salt Line would be making its way over to Bethesda Row, taking over the location at 4900 Hampden Lane that was going to be home to The Riggsby.
The Riggsby is no longer coming and local restaurant owner Wesley Yao has let us know that construction has began at the upcoming Bethesda location of The Salt Line and could be open later this year. The space was formerly home to Kapnos, a Greek restaurant that announced it was closing its doors in December of 2018.
Summer House Santa Monica, a restaurant with a beach-house inspired decor and West Coast cuisine meant to “offer a laid-back vibe reminiscent of California,” opened at 11825 Grand Park Avenue sharing the location with artisanal pizza spot Stella Barra Pizzeria back in early 2015.
Now, the restaurants have officially “joined forces” as guests are able to book reservations and order online through the Summer House website. Per the announcement, seen below, big changes in regards to renovations are also coming soon.
Shari’s Sweet Homes, a “virtual” Jamaican/soul food restaurant, will soon be available in Bethesda.
The food is designed to, “bring back memories of grandma’s Sunday dinner,” and the menu features items like curry chicken, jerk wings, Rasta pasta, oxtails, collard greens, candied yams, and banana pudding.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will meet tomorrow, February 17 at 9:30am to review Bill 1-22, which require children’s meals offered by food service facilities to include certain healthy food and beverage options.
The members of the HHS Committee include Council President Gabe Albornoz, Council Vice President Evan Glass, and Councilmember Craig Rice.
Qdoba at 16260 Frederick Road (Shady Grove intersection) in Gaithersburg will have its grand opening on February 28. The restaurant is located in the space that was formerly home to Jerry’s Subs and Pizza in the recently renovated and renamed Rock Grove Center.
The Chipotle style restaurant features burritos, bowls, salads, nachos and tacos. Qdoba also features a breakfast menu that is served until 10:30am daily.
Last summer we let you know that the folks who brought you Kenaki Sushi to the Kentlands neighborhood of Gaithersburg and Aki to The Roost food hall at Capitol Hill would be bringing Kema by Kenaki to Cabin Village in Potomac. Initially the hope was for a late winter/early spring 2022 opening, but we spoke with sibling founders Ken and Aki Ballogdajan, who told us that some additional work was needed on the space and that it won’t be delivered until later this spring. The hope is now for the restaurant to open in October or November of this year.
The almost 2,000 square foot restaurant will be very similar to what Kenaki in Kentlands offers, but will be more “fast paced,” in what will be a hybrid between Kenaki and Aki. Kenaki is a full-service restaurant while Aki is a sushi counter at a food hall. Kema will offer signature rolls from Kenaki/Aki such as the Black Magic roll- made with “forbidden rice”, spicy tuna, pickled jalapenos, and truffle oil, the Donkey Kong roll- made with eel, fried plantain, cream cheese, cucumber, tempura flakes, togarashi spice mayo, and sweet shoyu, among others.
SOKO, a neighborhood butchery, has officially opened at 7306 Carroll Ave in Takoma Park.
Owned and operated by partners Brad Feickert & Chris Brown, SOKO focuses on local & sustainable farms that raise animals ethically and humanly. The neighborhood butchery offers a menu that consists of breakfast and lunch. Breakfast offerings include sandwiches, breakfast burritos, bagels, bacon, and sausage. Lunch offerings include a variety of deli sandwiches with sides of fries or chips. They are open every day from 7:30am-8pm and both menus are available all day.
Last month we let you know that Buffalo Wings and Beer had closed in the Cloverly Village Center (15412 New Hamphire Ave). According to employees, the restaurant closed on January 4th.
This morning we confirmed that the restaurant will once again open, as it will be taken over by the owners of Dominic’s Italian Grille in Colesville. The BWB name will remain, but the acronym will have a slightly different meaning as the restaurant will now be named Bourbon, Wings, and Beer.