Alan Poho, owner of Tommy Joe’s on Montgomery Lane, says he’s “found a gem of a chef” in Jed Fox, who will be the top toque at an enormous new Bethesda restaurant—housed in what promises to be a fabulously-renovated building.
Located in the old Scopin Brothers upholstery and furniture repair store at the corner of Norfolk and Cordell Avenues, the restaurant will encompass 6200-square feet, including the entire second floor, a second floor patio, and a third floor roof top. Both floors will accommodate up to 600 people, according to Poho (350 on the second, 250 on the roof).
Fox, 32, a L’Academie de Cuisine graduate who trained at the renowned Inn at Little Washington, and has held sous chef positions at Washington’s well-respected Bistro Bis and Ris restaurants, will be devising a menu with upscale bar food, small plates, lots of fish and entrees in the $20 range.
The goal is “a very good restaurant with an amazing bar scene,” says Poho. He hopes to attract patrons in their 30’s to 50’s for dinner, and a late 20’s-early 30’s bar crowd later in the evening.
Fox said he’ll be combining French technique with local ingredients, focusing on Mid-Atlantic and Southern cuisine.
“I know what’s going on [restaurant-wise] in Bethesda, and I don’t want to step on any toes,” said Fox, adding that he hopes to present food that is “refined, but not over the top,” and to “stay a little bit relaxed and keep prices in a comfortable range.”
Items such as Tommy Joe’s famous chicken wings will remain on the menu, Fox added.
There’s no name yet for the new place, which Poho estimates should open by the summer of 2013.
