Gaithersburg

Rumali roti is a thin flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent, popular in India and in Punjab, Pakistan. It is eaten with tandoori dishes. The word rumal means handkerchief in many north Indian languages. Kebab is a cooked meat dish, with its origins in Middle Eastern cuisines, but commonly used in many other cultures as well. Many variants are popular around the world. In most English-speaking countries, a kebab may be the classic shish kebab or souvlaki – small cubes of meat cooked on a skewer– or, outside of North America where it is better known as the more recent and now-ubiquitous fast-food doner kebab. By contrast, in Indian English, Bangladeshi English, Pakistani English and in the languages of the Middle East, other parts of Asia, and many Muslim communities, a kebab is any of a wide variety of grilled meat dishes.

 


Bethesda

Back in February we let you know that Bethesda favorite Raku will open Rakugaki at the Shops at Wildwood in the Fall of 2022. The 2,188-square-foot restaurant that will offer sushi will be located at 10223 Georgetown Road near Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream. Raku’s Bethesda and Cathedral Heights locations as well as Rakuya at Dupont Circle remain open. The restaurant has a hearing with Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) on Thursday, May 19th at 9:30am for a “Class B Beer, Wine, and Liquor License, On Sale Only.” The restaurant is still aiming for a Fall 2022 opening.

When deciding on a new location, co-owner Marcel The said, “We love the Bethesda community which we have served for the past 25 years. We feel that Wildwood is the perfect choice for our newest restaurant where we will feature favorite menu items as well as introduce new offerings.”


Poolesville

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.

 


Bethesda

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.


Germantown

Representatives from Naz’s Halal (13025 Wisteria Drive) in Germantown have told us that the restaurant will be opening on May 14. Naz’s offers rice platters, sandwiches, gyros, wings, salads, and more, and is located in the former site of the Water Factory, near Planet Fitness. In December we told you Naz’s would expanding to Germantown, Rockville (1040 Rockville Pike), Takoma Park (7653 New Hampshire Ave) and White Oak (11209 New Hampshire Ave). We will post opening information for those locations as soon as it becomes available.

The first location outside of New York was also in MoCo, at the Burtonsville Town Center, next to Tropical Smoothie Cafe. That location opened in August 2020 and has become a local favorite with late night hours, remaining open until 2am Sunday through Thursday and 4am on Friday and Saturday. Since the Burtonsville opening, Naz’s Halal has expanded to California and Rhode Island.   Five additional Maryland restaurants will be opening in the upcoming year. Those will be located in Baltimore, Bowie, Denton, Ellicott City, and Waldorf.


Gaithersburg

Permanent signage is up at Burtons (109 Commerce Square Pl) at the Kentlands in Gaithersburg.  The restaurant is scheduled to open in “late May” according to its website. Management at the location tell us that they are currently in the process of hiring and training staff, and the interior of the restaurant is almost finished.

Menu items will include braised short ribs, filet mignon, chicken risotto, and market fresh seafood.  You can view the Riverdale Park location’s menu here.


Gaithersburg

Corner Pizza & Subs at 18503 N Frederick Ave. plan to open by the end of this month. The restaurant has a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for May 26 but is hoping to have its doors open before then.  The restaurant is located in the former Jasmine Bakery Café location (that was previously home to Classic Bakery) in the Gaithersburg shopping center that is also home to Brewster’s Ice Cream.  We spoke with owners Nishade and Prabath who told us that the restaurant will specialize in what’s sometimes referred to as “Maryland Style Pizza“, the rectangular pizza you find at local restaurants like Stained Glass Pub, Continental, Gentleman Jim’s,  and 4 Corners Pub.  Nishade has worked in pizza restaurants since he came to America from Sri Lanka over twenty years ago.

The restaurant will make its dough fresh daily and menu items in addition to pizza will include subs, meatballs, and wings, as well as a breakfast menu.  The restaurant will be open from 6am-11pm daily and has an indoor dining room as well as a room that can be reserved for hosting parties/events. We will post an opening date once it is announced.


Bethesda

Back in December we let you know that DC’s Butter Me Up will be opening a Montgomery County location in Westfield’s Montgomery Mall. The wait is over, as the location opened yesterday according to mall security. Butter Me Up has taken over the old Aroma Espresso Bar location, which is downstairs near the Old Navy entrance.

The breakfast spot, which features “instagrammable” decor, will offer a menu that consists of a variety of breakfast sandwiches, toasts, sides, bowls, smoothies, and juices. A Yelp article named Butter Me Up DC’s best breakfast sandwich, as the restaurant’s first location can be found within HalfSmoke in Florida Ave NW.


Restaurants

In December we let you know that the founder of Sweet Frog, Derek Cha, will be bringing his take on the Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich to MoCo with Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken. The Wheaton location is now open at 2533 Ennals Ave in Wheaton, in the spot that was formerly home to El Pollo Kiki Riki. Construction is ongoing at the Rockville restaurant, located in the 1,600 sf location that was home to El Mexicano at 10050 Darnestown Road, between Pholuscious and Tropical Smoothie Cafe in the Travilah Square shopping center.

Per our previous report: In collaboration with partner, Mike Kim, the pair visited many successful Nashville-style chicken restaurants in LA, Nashville, and San Francisco, that inspired them develop their “secret chicken recipe to have the most juicy and crispy sandwich.”


Bethesda

Cubasi Bistro, a Cuban restaurant with an existing location in Sterling, VA, is coming to 4710 Bethesda Ave. The restaurant will be located on the ground level of The Seasons Apartments in the location that was formerly home to Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s closed that location in late 2018. We spoke with a representative from Cubasi Bistro today who told us that the restaurant hopes to open in two weeks.

The menu consists of starters like ham croquettes, empanadas, bacalitos, and more. A variety of sandwiches and sides are on the menu, as well as pork. beef, chicken, and seafood entrees. Diners can also create their own bowls that consist of chicken/beef and salad, rice, beans, plantains, and more. The full menu and photos of a few dishes can be seen below.


Gaithersburg

Ela Mesa Taste of Greece held their grand opening this past Monday, May 2nd. The new Greek restaurant is located at 109 Paramount Park Drive in the Spectrum Town Center in Gaithersburg, which is currently home to restaurants like Barking Made Cafe, California Tortilla, Hot Pot Hero, and Firebirds.  The restaurant offers traditional Greek fare and also has a full bar that seats 10 people. Menu items include Pastitsio, Thalassina (seafood pasta), Kanelonia (veggie cannelloni), Kebabs, Lamb Chops, and Seafood Risotto.


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