10 MoCo restaurants make Washingtonian’s Top 100 list
Washingtonian’s food critics found a number of Montgomery restaurants to like for the magazine’s 2016 ranking of the best 100 restaurants in the D.C. area, which was released in the February issue. Five restaurants from the county, including the new Peter Chang Rockville and Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana made the list for the first time this year. Here are the rankings for the local restaurants on the list—none cracked the top 25—and a snippet from what the magazine had to say about them:
No. 26: Jaleo (Bethesda, D.C., Arlington) – “The small bites craze that you’ve maybe grown tired of but can’t possibly ignore? Jaleo birthed it.”
No. 44: Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana (Gaithersburg) – “Tony Conte may have abandoned his post at the Oval Room, but he hasn’t ditched his commitment to top-quality ingredients, nor has he tossed aside his essential approach, which is to create intricate dishes of varying textures and popping flavors”
No. 74: Peter Chang (Rockville, Arlington) – “Stick to the greatest hits—the bamboo fish, cumin-scented and tucked into a woven basket; the mapo tofu—and you can improve your odds of getting a Szechuan meal of unparalleled lightness, depth, and punch.”
No. 80: Wildwood Kitchen (Bethesda) – “Robert Wiedmaier has gone Mediterranean at this upscale-strip-mall bistro, the coziest dining room of the 11 in his empire.”
No. 83: Urban Butcher (Silver Spring) – “The surest route to a good time is to order a selection of meats to start, linger over them with a glass of wine, then return to the menu to accessorize your meal.”
No. 86: PassionFish (Bethesda, Reston) – “In Bethesda, a dedicated sushi chef turns out terrific rolls.”
No. 87: La Limena (Rockville) – “The best reason to come here is to sup on ceviches and tiraditos—bright, clean treatments of fish and shellfish cooked only with lime juice so as to emphasize the freshness and texture of the product.”
No. 95: Republic (Takoma Park) – “Few restaurants, including the other five places in [Jeff] Black’s portfolio, have even half as much character as this one, with its boudoir-like red booths, antique brass lamps, and a box radio by the host stand.”
No. 97: Black Market Bistro (Garrett Park) – “Cake lovers will find their happy place—especially if the blackout cake is on the menu.”
No. 99: Passage to India (Bethesda) – “A curry here isn’t merely an excuse to bring the heat but to treat you to the full range of effects that come from proper, layered spicing.”
Nourish Now partners with Spotluck to bring 1,000 meals to needy families
Nourish Now—a Rockville-based nonprofit that partners with restaurants to deliver unused food to needy individuals—is working with Bethesda-based Spotluck from Feb. 1 to 7 to donate 1,000 meals to families in need. Spotluck is helping the organization collect a full-sized catering pan entrée and a dessert or side dish from each restaurant participating in MoCo Restaurant Week. It will then deliver that food to Nourish Now’s clients. The program was created as a way to bring Restaurant Week to families who may not be able to afford to participate, according to Nourish Now.
Tea Do opens in Rockville
An Asian tea shop—Tea Do—opened Tuesday on Rockville Pike. The restaurant offers bubble tea, matcha, lattes, mixed drinks such as the Tropical Twister (mango, pineapple and passion fruit juice with lychee jelly) and a variety of teas. For food, the tea shop sells onigiri—Japanese rice balls served with a choice of shrimp tempura, seaweed, baked salmon or avocado—as well as salads and appetizers including edamame and fried fish balls. The restaurant is located at 838 Rockville Pike, just north of Woodmont Country Club.
