It’s been a long haul for Ellen Reklitis, the Canadian woman who took over the former Angelico La Pizzeria space on Bethesda Avenue.
I first wrote about Reklitis in my August 28 posting, and finally after numerous construction delays, she unveiled her barbecue restaurant early last month. It was a soft opening, but she closed the place after a week.
“Barbecue was just not in my heart,” says Reklitis, who has a Greek background. “It takes a passion to get it right…and I felt I was not getting it.”
So last Friday, March 2, the restaurant re-opened with a new name, new paint on the walls, and a different concept and cuisine.
Queen Bee Café & Grill is serving Greek and Mediterranean dishes, and Reklitis is much happier.
“This is the food that came from my grandmother and mother, the food I entertained with, the food I enjoy,” she said.
To carry out her vision, Reklitis hired two chefs—one who previously owned a French restaurant in Atlanta, another who worked at Yamas Mediterranean Grill in Bethesda.
The menu mixes familiar standards with more unusual offerings. Appetizers include grilled smoked sausage with lavash bread; sides range from bulgur and chickpeas with raisins, spices and herbs to lima beans simmered with leeks and onion. Main courses go from pastitsio and moussaka to orange spicy pork and shrimp with preserved lemon.
And on the weekends, with advance reservations, you can order spit-roasted lamb or suckling pig.
4925 Bethesda Ave. Bethesda. 301-654-1102
