Bethesda Restaurant Week EXTENDED!

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week Has Been Extended!

January 31 - February 6

Many area restaurants are extending their restaurant week promotions with two and three-course lunch for $12 or $15 and dinner for $25 - $30.
Please see restaurant Web sites for complete menus and reservations.

Alfio's La Trattoria 4515 Willard Ave, Chevy Chase (301) 657-9133
American Tap Room 7278 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda (301) 656-1366
Bistro Lazeez 8009 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda (301) 652-8222
Brasserie Monte Carlo 7929 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda (301) 656-9225
Cesco Trattoria 4871 Cordell Ave., Bethesda (301) 654-8333
Divino Lounge 7345-B Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda (240) 497-0300
Food, Wine & Co. 7272 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda (301) 652-8008
Geppetto 10257 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda (301) 493-9230
Grapeseed 4865 Cordell Ave., Bethesda (301) 986-9592
Guardado's Restaurant 4918 Del Ray Ave., Bethesda (301) 986-4920
La Ferme 7101 Brookville Rd., Chevy Chase (301) 986-5255
Lebanese Taverna 7141 Arlington Rd., Bethesda (301) 951-8681
Le Vieux Logis 7925 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda (301) 652-6816
Louisiana Kitchen 4907 Cordell Ave., Bethesda (301) 652-6945
Oakville Grill 10257 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda (301) 897-9100
Old Angler's Inn 10801 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac (301) 365-2425
Passage to India 4931Cordell Ave., Bethesda (301) 656-3373
Persimmon Restaurant 7003 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda (301) 654-9860
Redwood Restaurant 7121 Bethesda Ln., Bethesda (301) 656-5515
Tragara Ristorante 4935 Cordell Ave., Bethesda (301) 951-4935

Construction Update - Lot 31 - Upscale Condos!

For the past few years we have all been wondering what would be built on the county parking lot - known as lot 31 - adjacent to Bethesda Row. The Washington Post gave us an answer to this question in an article yesterday.

Monty Hoffman, owner of PN Hoffman and Doug Firstenberg owner of StonebridgeCarras spoke with Johnathan O'Connell of the Post to give them an overview of what is to come.

Latest word is that there will be 60 luxury condominiums above retail at street level. Prices of the condo units will range from $750,000 to $3,000,000. They are hoping that construction can begin next spring or summer. Much depends upon their ability to convince financial backers that the project is viable.

In addition - there would be over 40,000 square feet of ground level retail space and close to 1,300 underground parking spots. This will considerably increase the amount of parking that is there currently - and hopefully be enough to support the additional commercial and residential development.

The names of the projects will be "The Loft's" for StonebridgeCarras and "The Darcy" for PN Hoffman. "The Darcy" is named in honor of 19th century Bethesda store owner William E. Darcy.

Any concern about construction of this new project wreaking havoc in the resale market should now be allayed. The high end construction would be more likely to raise prices in our marketplace then depress them. For all condo owners in the area - congratulations! Your values will be going up.

I will continue to report on status of this project. Feel free to e-mail me at any time with questions. Click here for The Washington Post Article regarding construction!

Taste of Bethesda - October 2nd!

It is hard to believe a full year has gone by since the last Taste of Bethesda. What started as a smaller street festival has morphed into one of the best food festivals in the MD/VA/DC area.

Bring your appetite, your camera and your family to join the fun. One of the best places in Bethesda to people watch, you can eat drink and be merry at this years festivities.

Here is a list of the Taste of Bethesdsa Restaurants: SEE YOU THERE!

Angeethi
Bangkok Garden Restaurant
Bangkok One Thai Restaurant
Ben & Jerry's
BGR The Burger Joint
Bistro Provence
Blackfinn
Brasserie Monte Carlo
Bundles of Cookies
California Tortilla
Caribou
Chef Tony's
Cookies by Design
Daily Grill
Dehli Dhaba
Divino Lounge
Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle
Flaxella Café
Fresh Grill
Georgetown Cupcake
Giffords Ice Cream and Candy Co.
Haagen Dazs
Haandi Indian Cuisine
Hanaro Sushi
Hard Times Cafe
Honest Tea
Jaleo
Just Cakes
Lebanese Taverna
Louisiana Kitchen & Bayou Bar
M & N's Pizza
Mamma Lucia of Bethesda
Matuba Japanese Restaurant
Mia's Pizza
Morton's
Nest Café
Olazzo
Original Pancake House
OZ Restaurant & Wine Bar
Passage to India
Penang Malaysian Cuisine
Quartermaine
Ri Ra Irish Pub
Rock Bottom Brewery
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Saveur India
Shangrila
Smoothie King
Spring Mill Bread Company
The Barking Dog
Tommy Joe's Restaurant
Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe
Union Jack's Bethesda
Yamas Mediterranean Grill
Zen Tara Tea

Domaine Charbonniere - Perdrix - Chateauneuf du Pape – 1998

France / Chateauneuf du Pape $35 / Rhone

Ahh, the joys of having a cellar. With the economy ailing, and me being in an industry that has been severely affected, I am happy to have a cellar to drink during the downturn. I have been drinking 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape on and off for almost 10 years. It was a great vintage, and most of the wines have held up very well.

I was curious how this Domaine held up. A reasonably priced wine, it cost about $25 when I purchased this in 2001. It was a bit tight when I tasted it back then, and has had time to mellow over the years. The tannins have softened, and the wine has morphed into a wonderful treat.

The cork held up beautifully on this wine when I opened it. It poured ruby red, and did not look like a 10+ year wine. The scents from the glass were balsam, black fruit, cherry and a bit of earth. The wine was layered and long. There was still a bit of glycerin which was surprising after all these years. There were still sufficient tannins - though softer then in early life - that leads me to believe this one has 5-7 years left to drink.

Overall, this was a wonderful bottle of wine.

This producer always has a consistently good bottle from year to year. In the great years, this bottle is one that you should stock up on. With 2007 being compared to 1998 as a vintage, I may have to pick up some for the cellar.

What are some of your favorite CDP producers? Not the obvious - like Beaucastle and Pegau - but some of your favorite values in the region? Let me know....

Free Wine Tasting - Saturday's - 3pm to 7pm

Cork and Fork
Specialty Food and Wine
7110 Bethesda Lane
(301)841-7204

So, what is not to like about free wine? Especially on a Saturday afternoon before the big night out on the town. The best part of this free tasting is you don't have to travel an hour west to the Virginia wine country - it is as close as downtown Bethesda!

Bethesda Lane is one of the newer parts of the vibrant Bethesda "Downtown". Built on the land once occupied by Giant Foods, it is a lovely pedestrian street with restaurants, shops and retail. Cork and Fork is a lovely store selling wine and specialty food.

Every Saturday they have wines open to taste from 3pm to 7pm. With knowledgeable owners and representatives from local wine wholesalers, this is a great spot to taste different wines and learn a bit about wines of the world.

Most important, we have to support our local small business. Especially the independent wine shops in Montgomery County. Visit the Cork and Fork website for more information!

FREE Burger today at all BGR Locations! 4827 Fairmont Avenue 11am to Noon!

FREE BURGERS TOMORROW! For anyone that has a sharpie and skin. I quote you the press release: “On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 11:00 a.m. to noon customers who arrive at any of BGR’s three DC area locations with ‘BGR’ written on any body part will receive a delicious gourmet burger on the house. Customers can select either The Burger or Veggie Burger, and the promotion is limited to one complimentary burger per customer. ” The locations are: Dupont Circle: 1514 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 2003 Alexandria: 106 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 and Bethesda: 4827 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814 This information was taken verbatim from WeLoveDC.com - A site dedicated to things to do and eat in D.C. Follow the link, and check it out! Thank you Katie! For up-to-the-minute news and reviews (among other musings), follow Katie on Twitter! Have any foodie-related news Katie might like to know about? Email her at Katie (at) WeLoveDC.com!

Five Guys Now Open on Bethesda Avenue!

For those fellow burger afficionados in Bethesda, this is what you have all been waiting for. Five Guys - Famous Burger and Fries - has opened its doors in Bethesda.

Located at 4829 Bethesda Avenue, this local chain has been pleasing burger lovers for over 23 years since they opened thier initial location in Arlington, VA. There are now over 450 locations in 30 states.

You can also follow Five Guys on Twitter - @five_guys for updates on new locations!