Bold Bite, the designer hot dog eatery that opened yesterday in Bethesda, is no ordinary wiener joint. Behold The Bold—a beef frank with diced onions, shredded cabbage, crunchy potato sticks, ketchup, mayo and mustard on a steamed bun.
That’s the dog owners and brothers Alonso and Alvaro Roche remember buying from street carts after nights out on the town in their native Venezuela. “We’d go out and then eat hot dogs at midnight,” says Alonso Roche, a L’Academie de Cuisine graduate who previously worked at Persimmon in Bethesda, Willow in Arlington and most recently as a cooking teacher and restaurateur in Spain.
For bolder tastes, there’s the Truffled Butifarra, a pork sausage with butter-braised cabbage, crunchy potato sticks and truffle whip on a baguette. Or the Spicy Chorizo, with chorizo, diced tomatoes, guacamole, Monterey jack cheese, crispy shredded tortilla strips and cilantro lime sauce. Fries are hand cut and served with a choice of assertive sauces such as arugula pesto, Cajun ketchup or whipped blue cheese, or sprinkles such as smoked salt or Old Bay.
Frequenters of the former Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop won’t recognize the compact space, redone as it is with reclaimed wood tables (from a burnt-down building on Florida Avenue in the District), 30 stools, grills, fryers and golden walls. The set-up is similar to Cava Grill (which is similar to Chipotle)—you can select combos from the restaurant’s menu, or “build your own bite” by choosing your dog or sausage type, bread, toppings and sauce.
Bold Bite, 4901-B Fairmont Ave., 301-951-2653
As for other news in Woodmont Triangle, there’s a lot going on in one small stretch of Cordell Avenue:
Bubby’s, at 4866 Cordell Ave., has a “closed” sign on its front window. There are also documents pasted to the door from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. “Provide to have a 3rd party inspection on elevator inside…” one of them says. The phone for the short-lived deli has been disconnected.
Correction: Bubby’s owner says he’s renovating.
The Asian Café, a few doors down at 4858 Cordell Ave., appears to be closing soon, too. There’s a big “space for lease” sign on the front of the building. The owner wasn’t available when I stopped in, but one of the staff said they will be closing in a few months.
Meanwhile, South Street Steaks at 4856 Cordell Ave. is temporarily closed. “Someone drove into the side of the restaurant,” says a sign on the front door. “The county condemned building unsafe. We will reopen in no longer than two weeks.”
As far as I know, everything went smoothly for The Parva, the Latin fusion restaurant owned by Juan Carlos Balcazar, that opened on Saturday, July 9 at 7904 Woodmont Ave.
Co-owner of JC Special Events LLC, a Washington, D.C. catering and event planning company, Balcazar said the new restaurant will offer mid-priced dishes from Argentina, Peru, Columbia and Venezuela, such as ceviche, bandejas paisa, lomo saltado, carne en salsa, risotto quinoa and lots of fish.
