Bethesdan

I went into The Queen Bee, a new Greek restaurant in Bethesda Row, for a quick lunch this afternoon.  Even though Pastitsio (the menu item that originally led me to The Queen Bee) was removed from the menu, the lamb entree was a deliciously succulent replacement.  The lamb, grilled and marinated to near-perfection, was served with a rice and orzo pilaf, a side of lemon and herb oven-baked potatoes, and house-made tzaziki.  

This is definitely a restaurant to add to your list if you enjoy homestyle Greek cooking.  The recipes have been passed down through generations, and all menu items (down to the dips and sauces) are made in-house.

My lunch was fabulous, and I’ll definitely be back to The Queen Bee for other Greek specialties.  See Yelp Reviews here.

I’m loving the menu at @QuenchNation, Rockville’s newest restaurant, opening today at 4 PM.  

The brunch menu looks incredibly unique (not your typical omelet and pancake menu), and packs a powerful punch.  Some of the brunch standouts:

• Good Morning Burger (8 oz burger fried in butter and topped with bacon, sausage, cheese, and a fried egg.. as if that’s not enough.. it’s on a DONUT!)
• Funnel Cakes (Carnival style, with whipped cream, hazelnut-chocolate sauce,  and fresh jam)
• Scotch Eggs (Two sausage-wrapped hard cooked eggs breaded and fried and served with green tomato chow chow) —-> I had to read that one a couple times.  Wow.

Some of the dinner standouts are:

• Latkes (Potatoes, local apples, and turnips, served with lavender honey crème fraîche)
• Corn Beignets (Hush Puppies 2.0, dusted with sea salt & pulverized smoked honey)
• Super Grilled Cheese (Bacon, melted onions, pickled spring garlic and gruyere cheese on house-made white bread)
• Potato & Goat Cheese Pierogies (Potato and goat cheese dumplings, tossed with butter and chive blossoms)

NOTE TO QUENCH:  If you can take the green tomatoes in your kitchen, beer batter them, fry them, and serve them with a goat cheese or remoulade (or any other spin you’d like), you will be the ONLY restaurant in this area to serve fried green tomatoes.  Trust me, I’ve looked.  I think fried green tomatoes would suit your menu well.  I need them in my life, and right now, you’re my only hope.

Even though places are starting to book up, there are still some good options available for Father’s Day brunch.  Some of them include…

• Redwood (Bethesda)
• Persimmon (Bethesda)
• La Ferme (Bethesda/Chevy Chase)
• Black’s Bar & Kitchen (Bethesda)
• Matchbox (Rockville)
• Tower Oaks Lodge (Rockville)
• Old Angler’s Inn (Potomac)
• Normandie Farm (Potomac)
• The Wine Kitchen on the Creek (Frederick)

(image via)

Let me go ahead and put one thing out there.. even though I live in Bethesda, I have deep Texas roots (perhaps not politically.)  I take lengthy trips to Texas to visit my family each year, I scratch my head in confusion when it starts getting cold here in September, and I won’t hesitate to drive several dozen miles out of the way to find good, authentic Mexican food.  

While I was driving down Wisconsin Avenue towards the District last week, I nearly lost it when I looked over and saw a Rosa Mexicano right there at Friendship Heights.  I honestly had no idea there was one so close to Bethesda, and had I known, I probably wouldn’t have spent so much time complaining to my husband about the lack of good Mexican options in the area. While Rosa Mexicano may not be considered ‘street food,’ it is some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in DC - and this is coming from a girl who grew up going to the Yucatan Peninsula almost every year. 

The restaurant, located at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Jenifer Street, is spacious both indoors and out.  In addition to patio seating, they have a “sunroom” type of dining room, a main dining room, and bar seating.  They offer lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch menus.  

What initially caused my husband and I to become Rosa Mexicano addicts was the table-side guacamole.  While some people may disregard table-side guacamole as an overpriced and needless production, it’s an art at Rosa Mexicano, and it’s worth every $14 penny.  I truly believe that the best guacamole can only be ranked the best if it’s so fresh that you are watching the avocados being sliced in front of your very eyes.  I don’t know where Rosa Mexicano gets its avocados from, but they are truly the best I’ve tasted north of Mexico.  They’re never under or over-ripened.  Always just right.  Perfect flavor, color, and texture.  

If you’re anything like me, you’ll also ask for a side of housemade corn tortillas to enjoy alongside the guacamole.  This is one of those instances in blogging where I wish more than anything that my photographs also captured the smell and flavor of the food I was photographing.  If you could get a whiff of these tortillas, you would run - not walk - to Rosa.  

While we waited for our main entree, the waiter graciously brought out samples of some of the popular appetizers.  The first was their crispy rolled chicken tacos (‘taquitos’ as many refer to them), and also a sample of their crab turnovers.  The crispy rolled tacos were so good, but I have to be honest - the salsa was a little too spicy for my taste.  I would probably ask for a milder topping.  The crab turnovers - WOW.  Melt in your mouth wow.  I’ll definitely be ordering them again.     

Onto our main meal!  My husband and I cannot seem to veer away from this entree every.single.time we come to Rosa Mexicano.  We share the Carne Asada steak tacos.  I remember the first time the waiter set the plate on the table, we looked down and thought, “this is too small for two people to share.”  Low and behold, after we had eaten and were full, we had leftovers, and it’s been the same ever since.  The steak sits on a sizzling bed of melted chihuahua cheese and grilled onions.  The garnishes include a dreamy, creamy corn concoction, flavorful pinto beans, and salsa.  These might not look like your typical “Tex-Mex” tacos or fajitas, but trust me - they’re better.  

An order of cilantro rice and black beans were also brought out with our tacos.  Every part of the meal was flawless.  Delicious.  So incredibly satisfying.  Even our picky, picky toddler manages to eat like a grown man at Rosa.  On top of the food, service was excellent, as always.  

With Bethesda’s lack of Mexican food options, I truly expect all Bethesdans to flock to Rosa.  Not only is Rosa one of the few Mexican options around, but it’s (in my humble opinion) one of the best Mexican options in the city.  Even better than many of the Mexican restaurants in TEXAS.  This is authentic, handmade Mexican food.  It’s comparable to what you’d find at the nice restaurants in Mexico.  Even though it may be priceier than your local tex-mex joint, Rosa Mexicano is an experience that you would otherwise only have south of the border. 

Check out the Washington Post’s Where We Live Blog today!  There, you’ll find a piece I wrote about why we chose Carderock Springs.  The house might have been at the top of our budget, but we bought the house for a lot more than just the house.  

My husband and I recently went on a double date with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  The restaurant: Positano.  We were hoping to check the restaurant out in consideration of a private event we’re putting on this summer.  

Just walking into Positano is such a beautiful experience on its own. There are so many lovely details that really create an authentic Italian countryside ambiance.  Exposed beams, distressed wood, beautiful artwork, stucco walls, strung lights -  it works together magically.  I can see why this restaurant is older than I am.  It’s brimming with so much life.  I know that generations before me experienced the same warm feelings when walking through.

The menu is large and filled with traditional Italian dishes.  There are several appetizers to choose from, along with pasta choices, meat, poultry, seafood, several daily specials, and traditional Italian desserts.

Fresh garlic bread was brought out along with softened butter.  We all raved about the bread.  It was soft, fresh from the oven, and had quite a delicious flavor.  A great start to the meal.  The salad was standard - nothing exceptionally unique about it.

As for our dishes, we all ordered very different items, and each of us absolutely loved our food.  Not a single complaint was heard around the table.  Portions were large and the recipes tasted like they had been passed down from a previous generation.

Roasted Veal Chop served w/roasted potatoes, fried eggplant, penne:

Veal Parmigiana:

Gnocchi al Pomodoro:

Red Snapper House Special:

In addition to the beautiful patio out front, the inside of the restaurant is designed to make you feel like you are sitting outside in a piazza in Italy.  There are strung lights, columns, windows with shutters, lots of vines and greenery,  and painted murals on the walls.  We had an excellent time, thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and before we left for the evening, we booked our event with the owner!  Can’t wait!

The luxury movie theater, Silverspot Cinema, which currently has only two other locations in the US (Miami, FL and Naples, FL) has just signed on to occupy 50,000 square feet of the Rock Spring Centre development.  The theater will include a full service restaurant, bar and lounge, and will play mostly independent and foreign films.  (Check out the lineup of “Now Showing” films for a flavor of their current lineup.)

Located near Old Georgetown and 270, the Rock Spring Centre will be a Tuscan style mixed-use “town center” which will include luxury apartments, office space, a luxury hotel, and over 300,000 square feet of destination retail and fine dining restaurants. 

Can’t wait for this project to start filling out!

(Image via; Source via)

We had a great time at the Greek festival this past weekend.  I’ve been to several Greek festivals in my day, but this was truly one of the best I’ve ever been to.  Parking was easy, the lines were organized, volunteers were so friendly, and the food.. oh, the food.  The food was unreal.  Better than the best restaurant in the area.  It was all handmade - with love.  I’m already looking forward to the next festival, and every one thereafter.  Attending the Greek festoval will definitely be a tradition in my family for years to come.

If you’re still trying to round up plans for the weekend, consider going to the Spring Greek Festival at St. George Greek Orthodox Church (7701 Bradley Blvd).  I can never seem to get enough of Greek Festivals.  I love the food, the music and dancing, the shopping, the people-watching, and the rich history of the church.  My husband and I married in a Greek Orthodox cathedral, and it was the most beautiful and spiritual experience we have ever had.  

You can read ALL about the schedule of events, the amazing menu of food and dessert items, and more on their festival website (or click on the image below).  We’ll definitely be there this weekend, and I hope you will, too!  I’ll post photos next week of our experience.

Rebuilding Together Montgomery County (RTMC) has teamed up with eight local designers and builders to create a set of beautifully unique playhouses which will go up on display at Wisconsin Place (Wisconsin and Western Ave) starting today. Among them are a lighthouse, a pagoda, a cottage, and more.  These playhouses will be on display through May 31, where they will then be auctioned off to eight very lucky families to benefit RTMC.  

If you’re around today between 1:30 and 2:00 PM, you’ll have a very unique opportunity to watch the eighth playhouse - an 8’ x 10’ replica of a firetruck - being escorted to Wisconsin Place by the Cabin John Fire Department.

You don’t have to bid in order to see the playhouses, so check them out this month!

$10 for $20 Worth of Organic Groceries at the new Rockville location of MOM’s Organic Market

$20 for $40 OR $40 for $80 worth of Indian fare and drinks at Tandoori Nights (See my Tandoori Nights Clarendon post here.)