The owners of Bethesda’s Barrel and Crow aren’t new to the restaurant business.
Laura Houlihan and Patrick Forest together have more than 40 years of experience working in restaurants. And they know the neighborhood, too. Prior to opening Barrel and Crow the two worked as managers at Grapeseed, the restaurant next door on Cordell Avenue.
Forest was Grapeseed’s general manager for two years, while Houlihan managed the bar for 12 years. Prior to working at Grapeseed Forest ran his own restaurant in New Market, Maryland and before that worked at Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville, Virginia, and Volt in Frederick.
With their new restaurant—Barrel and Crow—the two business partners are trying to create a restaurant to celebrate Maryland cuisine with a local feel.
“We always talked about what the town could use and what [Cordell Avenue] could use,” Forest said. “The other side of town is nice, with its gleaming new restaurants, but we want to bring a neighborhood restaurant that reflects what’s great about Maryland cuisine with a humble approach to it.”
The restaurant officially opened May 8 and Forest and Houlihan said they’ve been busy. The interior has a rustic look with weathered wood accents and a large brick wall framing the bar. There’s a private dining area in the back of the restaurant and the long bar has about a dozen seats and two televisions, with additional tables in the bar area.
The outdoor patio, which remains from when the site housed Freddy’s Lobster + Clams, has a new look with a light-colored wood fence framing it. The patio seats about 30.
To establish a separate identity from Grapeseed, which is also an American concept, Forest and Houlihan say they are concentrating on bringing in a variety of beers and serving more casual fare with lower prices.
Chef Nick Palermo, who ran the kitchen at the Old Angler’s Inn in Potomac for the past four years, is helming the kitchen.
“I wanted to do something different that I could be in charge of,” Palermo said. “A new restaurant opening is a great experience to have.”
The restaurant’s menu consists of Chesapeake Bay and East Coast seafood, meats from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania and seasonal vegetables bought locally. The opening beer list features more than 75 varieties—ales, IPAs, lagers, pilsners, and porters and stouts—divided by type on the menu.
The restaurant staff totals about 25 people, but the owners are still trying to hire a few more for the wait staff.
Houlihan, who was born and raised in Bethesda, and Forest, who’s from the Eastern Shore, hope their new concept finds local fans.
“We want to establish roots and be around for a little while,” Forest said.
Chef Nick Palermo
Barrel and Crow Opening Dinner Menu by AJ Metcalf
