Presenting Pescadeli: In 2007, Santiago Zabaleta, a Culinary Institute of America graduate and former chef at downtown’s Taberna del Alabardero, bought Bethesda’s A&H Gourmet and Seafood Market from the Martinez brothers, who had been running the wholesale and retail operation since 1983. Over the past few months, the Spanish-born Zabaleta, 36, spiffed up the place with a paint job and new tile work, and expanded its retail seafood space and European delicatessen offerings. In September, he plans to change the shop’s name to Pescadeli; the wholesale business—with its 100-plus restaurant customers—will remain A&H.
Aside from fresh fish and shellfish sold at reasonable prices and imported items such as olive oils, cheeses and ham, Zabaleta now offers a catering menu of Spanish tapas and a line of terrific prepared foods. Don’t miss the gazpacho, tortilla espanola and homemade gravlax.
4960 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, 301-841-8151, www.anhmarket.com
On Tap: Downtown Crown Wine and Beer is much more than your average beer and wine shop. Opened this spring by the Tafakor family (which also owns Georgetown Square Wine and Beer), the 3,500-square-foot store sports a bar serving 12 beers on tap, 16 wines by the glass and simple charcuterie plates with locally made meats and cheeses. Along with a vast selection of craft beer and boutique wines, Downtown Crown Wine and Beer sells 12 draft options for filling growlers. The attractive shop (the family hired a designer) hosts complimentary beer tastings every Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and wine tastings on Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. Happy Hour is held daily from 4 to 7 p.m.
303 Copley Place, Gaithersburg, 301-330-7010, downtowncrownwine.com
Pick Your Pasta: Vignola Gourmet, a longtime family-run deli, market and caterer in Rockville, is following in the footsteps of fast-casuals such as Chipotle and sweetgreen. At press time, the carryout was due to start offering design-your-own pasta dishes. Patrons can choose a type of pasta; a sauce such as Bolognese, pesto or Alfredo; a protein such as chicken, salmon, shellfish or sausage; and veggies.
And this fall, the operation is adding three new clients to its list of Montgomery County parochial schools where it provides fresh lunches made from scratch. Vignola Gourmet now contracts with about a dozen schools. But you don’t have to be a student to enjoy the other offerings at the deli, which include a small grocery section stocked with imported goods; homemade Italian frozen dinners, all made from original Vignola family recipes; and must-try takeout items such as arancini and a porchetta sub.
11612 Boiling Brook Place, Rockville, 301-770-4523, www.vignolagourmet.com
Market Crawl Tours: If you want to shop, eat and drink till you drop and not worry about driving, check out industree’s new artisan food market tours. Created in 2013 by Gaithersburg resident Alisia Kleinmann, the Bethesda-based industree is a hospitality trade organization that hosts events for the restaurant and beverage industries. The tours, offered monthly to the public, feature five District markets, including the Little Red Fox in Upper Northwest. Participants can munch on cheese, bread, charcuterie and salads as well as sample small-batch wines and hand-crafted beer; they get 10 percent off purchases at each market. The cost of the tour, including samples, transportation and the discount, is $70 plus a $4.84 processing fee. The next tour is Sept. 14. For more information, go to www.dcindustree.com
Food FIND
Get 'em while they're HOT: Bethesda may be a latecomer to the Cronut craze, but Breads Unlimited makes a dynamite version of the croissant-doughnut hybrid that took New York City by storm in 2013. Created by the Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo, the Cronut is made with a layered dough that gives it a less dense texture than a regular doughnut. Since the name has now been officially trademarked, Breads Unlimited owner Steve Raab has a new moniker for the decadent pastry: “non-Cronut.”
Non-Cronuts, available in cinnamon sugar, glazed and chocolate drizzle, are $2.50 each and sold only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings at around 8. They usually sell out by 10 or 11 a.m.
6914 Arlington Road, Bethesda, 301-656-2340, www.breadsunlimited.com
COMINGS & GOINGS
Hinode, the Japanese eatery in the Shoppes of Bethesda, closed in July, and Tako Grill, another sushi spot, is moving in, probably by November. Tako Grill needed a new space since its current location at 7756 Wisconsin Ave. is being razed for redevelopment…Speaking of sushi, Crave, a chain that features both raw fish and American standbys (burgers, pizza), is taking a spot in Westfield Montgomery mall’s new dining terrace this fall. Also coming to the mall is the modern American MET Bethesda, the Boston-based MET Restaurant Group’s first foray out of Massachusetts…In September, the casually chic Potomac eatery, Mix Bar and Grille, is opening a second location in Silver Spring on the corner of Georgia and Thayer avenues…Amsterdam Falafelshop, the rapidly expanding fast-casual franchise that features—you guessed it—falafel, is expected to open locations (as yet unknown) in Silver Spring and Bethesda…And finally, Indique Heights, the Indian restaurant in Friendship Heights, closed in July and will reopen by the end of the year as a smaller, more contemporary restaurant.
Nutrition 101
For students heading off to college this fall, fear not the “freshman 15.” Bethesda dietitian Faye Berger Mitchell hopes to nix the nervousness over potential weight gain with her new website, Foodie on Campus (www.foodieoncampus.com).
“There’s so much fanaticism around food and fitness,” says Berger Mitchell, who’s been counseling teenagers for 25 years. “I wanted to provide something calming.”
So this spring, she gave up her private practice and started the website, which focuses on eating at college. All the columns are written by students studying nutrition and Berger Mitchell serves as editor in chief. Articles include features on vegan and gluten-free eating on campus, dining services at specific universities, apartment cooking, food for fitness, recipes and more.
As for those freshman 15, here are Berger Mitchell’s top tips for avoiding the weight gain:
- Eat three meals a day, including breakfast, no matter what time you wake up.
- Stock your dorm refrigerator with carrots and hummus, nonfat Greek yogurt, fruit, cheese sticks and crackers so you have healthy snacks when late-night munchies hit.
- Schedule exercise the same way you schedule classes and homework.
- And make sure to get enough sleep (about eight hours), so you don’t confuse being hungry with being tired and then overeat.
Carole Sugarman is the magazine’s food editor. Send ideas to carole.sugarman@moco360.media. Follow her on Twitter: @CaroleSugarman
