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Most versatile CSA subscription
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs—in which members invest in farm shares upfront and then receive fresh produce weekly throughout the growing season—are not new, but family-owned Norman’s Farm Market’s 28-week CSA subscription stands out thanks to its flexibility. Some programs offer prefilled boxes, sometimes with home delivery. Norman’s customers pick out their own goodies at one of four pickup locations—Bethesda, Potomac and two in Chevy Chase. Each pickup is held on a different day, so if you can’t make your usual stop, head to another one to scoop up your produce. Choose from among three sizes of shares; at $38.50 per week, the smallest share option includes nine produce items (the large share is $58.95 per week and the jumbo share is $87.50 per week, for larger quantities of produce). There’s also a new eight-week option for those who don’t want to commit to the full 28 weeks (prices are slightly higher), plus members can opt in to honey and egg share add-ons. If you’re going out of town, rather than just forgoing your prepaid produce, members can double up another week (or have a friend make the pickup). Norman’s sources its produce from its farm in Woodbine, Maryland, and from other local farms.
Best Korean food hiding in a cheesesteak joint
Walking up to this unassuming corner carryout, it would be easy to get the wrong idea. Though Cheesesteak Mike’s does sell a beloved Philly cheesesteak, the best dishes are in the Korean section of the menu dubbed Mike’s Touch of Seoul. Get your meal to go or sit down to savor it at their sister spot round the back, Mike’s Pub, a tiny no-frills roadhouse. At the takeout joint, start with fried chicken wings glossy with a sweet and spicy glaze that crackles when you take a bite, the crunchy coating giving way to tender, juicy meat. Then move on to heartier mains, such as galbi (short ribs) dappled with sesame seeds and scallion ringlets, and griddled bulgogi, thin slices of steak nicely caramelized at the edges that are laid over rice and topped with a sunny-side up egg that creates an umami-rich sauce.
10222 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, cheesesteakmikes.com
Best secret milk bread spot
A few blocks from the heart of downtown Silver Spring is a micro-bakery boasting big flavors. Morning My Day specializes in milk bread, an enriched white bread that serves as the foundation for Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches and fruit sandwiches. The shop is powered by the husband-and-wife team of Allen Yu and Wendy Xue, who started dating in middle school in China’s Shaanxi province, where they grew up. Both are now 35. He handles the baking, she’s the decorator, and all the work is done in the nano-size open kitchen of their 700-square-foot shop, charmingly decorated by a museum’s worth of colorful sketches by their 6-year-old son, Michael. The self-taught couple opened Morning My Day in late 2023 and they’re now turning out an impressive lineup of Insta-ready polychromatic pastries—featherweight three-tier chiffon cakes with whipped cream-mascarpone frosting, braided purple yam rolls, green matcha buns, burnt Basque cheesecakes, hypnotically curvaceous Swiss rolls, a rainbow of macarons. The pilgrimage-worthy Japanese milk bread comes in dainty cubes and perfectly rectangular loaves, with the fruit milk bread sandwiches packaged to show their insides plumped up with attractively arranged grapes, strawberries or mangoes. Bites can be complemented with a broad range of espresso drinks, boba teas, slushies, sparkling teas and more.
1305 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring, instagram.com/morning_my_day
Best allergy-friendly brunch
Navigating restaurants can be difficult for people with food allergies. Burtons Grill & Bar in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands Market Square is part of a national chain that serves plenty of dishes made without common allergens, and others that can be altered upon request. When the Gaithersburg location, which opened in 2022, added brunch to its offerings in December 2023, it included gluten-free and allergy-friendly choices. “Gluten-free brunch items are challenging to find because [brunch] is so heavy with floured items,” says Denise Herrera, Burtons’ co-founder and vice president of food and beverage. She and her team “put the brunch menu together being mindful to have something for everybody, but also [being] mindful of the allergy-friendly needs.” Almost all of the brunch items either have a gluten-free counterpart—such as the eggs Benedict with a gluten-free English muffin, or the brunch burger with a gluten-free bun—or are naturally gluten-free, such as the bag of doughnuts or the short rib hash. Other substitutions can often be made to accommodate food allergies. Brunch is on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
109 Commerce Square Place, Gaithersburg, burtonsgrill.com
Best new way to dine on the water
Perched atop the 9-acre lake at Gaithersburg’s Rio shopping center, The Lake House at Copper Canyon debuted in October. The covered, weather-dependent dining barge is an extension of Copper Canyon Grill. At the alfresco area, which is outfitted with festive strings of lights, guests can savor picturesque views of the lake and the lively boardwalk while sipping craft cocktails and dining on upscale cuisine. The 58-seat Lake House offers a streamlined version of Copper Canyon Grill’s menu; you’ll find hearty salads and entrees such as signature wood-fired rotisserie chicken, rainbow trout and crabcake sandwiches. Landlubbers take note: The seasonally open Lake House sits on a tethered barge, so it’s stationary.
100 Boardwalk Place (Rio), Gaithersburg, ccgrill.com/gaithersburg
Most delicious deviations on a croissant
The croissant-cross craze continues. A host of trendy hybrids are being configured with the versatile buttery dough.
Croissant + doughnut
When the original Cronut debuted in 2013 by pastry chef Dominique Ansel at his eponymous bakery in New York City, it became a viral sensation. Other bakeries continue to put their spin on Ansel’s invention, which he’s still selling (via mail order, too). Locally, we like the rendition at Breads Unlimited, made with equal parts croissant dough and doughnut dough that turns out a fried product both flaky and cakey. Glazed, or glazed and drizzled with chocolate icing, they’re super popular—especially on weekends, when the bakery often sells out.
6914 Arlington Road, Bethesda, breadsunlimited.com
Croissant + cookie
Another croissant coupling to go viral is the crookie—a croissant that is sliced, filled with chocolate chip cookie dough, and topped with more cookie dough before baking. Jerome Colin, owner of Tout de Sweet Pastry Shop in Bethesda, came up with a less heavy and more complicated version by rolling thin sheets of chocolate chip cookie and croissant doughs together into a cylinder, slicing it into rounds, then adding a disk of cookie dough atop each halfway through baking. The result is a buttery muffin-shaped treat swirled with chocolate chips and capped with a cookie hat.
7831 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, toutdesweetshop.com
Croissant + bagel
Compared to a sandwich on a croissant, a sandwich on a cro’gel—Fresh Baguette’s croissant dough baked into a bagel shape and sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning—provides a flatter, more even foundation for layering meats, cheeses and other ingredients. It’s also easier to eat and less bready. Others apparently agree, as the cro’gel is a hit not only at the bakery’s stores, but among Fresh Baguette’s wholesale accounts, such as area coffeehouses, that make sandwiches with it as well.
4919 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda; 804 Hungerford Drive, Rockville; freshbaguette.net
Croissant + muffin
Towering and elegant, the cruffin at Junction Bistro, Bar & Bakery is a not-too-sweet take on croissant-meets-muffin. Here, croissant dough is twisted into deep muffin tins, baked, and then piped inside with jam or fruit and pastry cream and rolled in castor sugar. The flavors change seasonally; this winter, the two offerings from the restaurant, a mini-chain operated by the local Rex Management Lifestyle & Restaurant Group, are strawberry cream and Nutella. Creamy, fruity, buttery and flaky, the cruffin has it all.
5471 (206B) Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, junctionbakery.com
Croissant + waffle
This colossal combo of a croissant pressed into a waffle iron and then crowned with flavored cream, nuts, fruit, syrups and more is dubbed a croffle and was first made fashionable in South Korea. In our area, the Donutchew chain offers a variety of options; we especially like the Banana Nutella, spread with a layer of Nutella, then topped with piped banana cream and sliced bananas. The whole shebang is a decadent dessert, but you can also order it plain. Waffles made with croissant dough should have been born that way.
7101 Democracy Blvd. (Westfield Montgomery mall), Bethesda; 213 Boardwalk Place (Rio), Gaithersburg; donutchew.com
Best new spot for worry-free ordering
For vegans, food lovers with dietary restrictions or anyone looking to get their superfoods fix, Rooted3 is practically heaven on earth—right in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle. The fast-casual eatery was opened by mother-daughter duo Melissa Peppe and Molly Gibson, who live in Chevy Chase, in January 2024. The menu is free of common food allergens—milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, crustacean shellfish, wheat, soybeans and sesame—and everything is organic, plant-based and anti-inflammatory. You’ll find bowls and salads along with barbecue cauliflower bites and smoothies packed with superfoods (raw cocoa nibs, kale, blueberries, sunflower butter, turmeric). On Saturday and Sunday, brunch includes rare gluten-free bagels (pick from onion, plain, everything, tomato-basil and French toast) and wheatless waffles crowned with housemade whipped cream, fruit and maple syrup. On a sunny day, relax on Rooted3’s serene alleyway patio and sip an organic cocktail.
4916 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, rooted3.com
Best new indulgences
We’re always on the lookout for ways to satisfy our sugar cravings, and these three new spots are full of opportunities to indulge.
Hit the mother lode at A Lil’ Sumthin’ Sweet Dessert Cafe: enticing cakes, pies, cookies, brownies and ice cream (with endless toppings) await you under one downtown Silver Spring roof. Sample 14 milkshake flavors, ice cream nachos (your choice of ice cream and three toppings accompanied by crunchy waffle cone chips), frozen yogurts, parfaits, soft serve, waffle bowls and hand-scooped ice cream.
8563 Fenton St., Silver Spring, alilsumthinsweet.com
All cookies are not created equal, thanks to Potomac couple Esther and Damola St. Daniels. They opened Potomac Cookie Co. in May and sell 12 kinds of cookies daily that are full of locally sourced ingredients. At around $5.75 each, the massive mounds of gooey goodness come in flavors including chocolate chip, decadent Biscoff, s’mores and black bear (chocolate cookie stuffed with white and milk chocolate). Consider cupcakes or a brookie too at this Kentlands Market Square destination in Gaithersburg.
109A Market St., Gaithersburg, potomaccookie.com
Splurge on Swiss chocolate at Läderach Chocolatier Suisse, an upscale sweet shop in Bethesda’s Westfield Montgomery mall. We’re crazy about the eye-popping FrischSchoggi, priced-per-pound slabs of handcrafted chocolate heaven in more than 20 flavors; the blackberry, coconut, caramel and cornflakes versions top our list. The Switzerland-based company also offers more than 30 varieties of pralines and truffles, as well as seasonal creations to blow your diet and blow your mind.
7101 Democracy Blvd., Suite 2212 (Westfield Montgomery mall), Bethesda, laderach.com
Best elevated burritos
Tex-Mex cuisine used to be the star of the D.C. area’s Mexican food scene, and though fajitas are undeniably delicious, they are hardly the whole enchilada. These days, elevated taquerias in growing numbers are showcasing burritos beyond Chipotle—think flavorful meats, pinto beans, Mexican rice and freshly diced pico de gallo, all expertly wrapped in a thick flour tortilla.
San Franciscans needing a taste of home finally got their fix in July, when the owners of Cielo Rojo turned the restaurant’s Takoma Park location into San Pancho, a taqueria straight out of the California city’s Mission District (Cielo Rojo moved to a new space nearby). According to co-owner Carolina McCandless, who grew up in Cabin John, a patron-favorite filling at San Pancho is the barbacoa, beef slow-cooked with chilies and spices. You can order it in a regular burrito—an imported Sonoran tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, pico de gallo, and heaps of cilantro and onions—but we recommend that you upgrade to a super, which adds guacamole, sour cream and a melted Oaxacan cheese blend.
7056 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, sanpanchoburritos.com
Ixtapalapa Taqueria has been treating Gaithersburg residents to authentic Mexican burritos bursting with slow-roasted meats and housemade mole since 2017. You can opt for the Burrito Clasico or ditch the tortilla for a bowl. Regardless of presentation, the burrito comes with beans, rice, crema and a classic protein such as carne asada steak or something more adventurous: lengua (beef tongue) or tripa (small intestine). Our favorite filling is the al pastor, pineapple-marinated pork that is so flavorful it will transport you to the streets of Mexico City.
411 N. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, ixtataqueria.com
In July, local chain Little Miner Taco moved its Montgomery County eatery from Pike & Rose to Rockville Town Square, and though the cherry red-and-white space offers a bold new look, the restaurant’s famed birria de res—beef slow-braised with spices and peppers shipped from Mexico—hasn’t changed a bit. Owner Kathy Voss credits Little Miner Taco for helping to introduce the area to a Southern California delicacy: the Loaded Fries Burrito, which features your protein of choice along with crispy potatoes, queso, chipotle aioli and salsa verde. Order it with the birria for the full experience.
39 Maryland Ave. Suite A, Rockville, littleminertaco.com
Best new spot for bespoke noodles
The latest from Gaithersburg-based Ivea Restaurant Group is a new franchise of Kajiken, a Japanese-born aburasoba noodle chain. Edward Wong, the founder of Ivea, introduced the concept to the United States in Baltimore in 2022, adding locations in New York, California, Illinois and, as of July, Rockville.
Ramen faithful, take note: Aburasoba is a relative of the noodle-filled soup bowls, but without the broth. The wheat-based pasta is thicker and more al dente than ramen. In place of long-stewed soup, the noodles are coated in chili oil, soy sauce and other “secret” ingredients, says Rockville manager Jasper Li.
For customers, the fun is in constructing bowls. Diners can add chicken curry or Old Bay-seasoned shrimp to their base of noodles, then customize the dish with more toppings that range from cheddar cheese to pickled plums. Most bowls cost $14.50.
1701 Rockville Pike, Suite A7, Rockville, kajikenus.com
Best new pizza parlor with creative cocktails
In April, Richard Weiner, a Bethesda mortgage broker for more than 30 years, opened No Regrets Pizza Co. in North Bethesda to sell square Roman-style pizzas (a lighter cousin to Detroit-style). At lunchtime, No Regrets trades in slices—both Roman and New York-style. But at dinnertime, the New York pies are available only for takeout. Instead, Neapolitan and Roman pizzas—with toppings such as soppressata, pears and even housemade mashed potatoes—are available, along with fresh-made pastas. “We transform into a beautiful sit-down, full-service restaurant,” Weiner says. That includes unique cocktails. The New Fashioned, for example, features bourbon that’s infused with pistachio butter, flavored with cardamom, and served smoking.
5454 Nicholson Lane, Suite 180, North Bethesda, noregretspizza.com
Best value happy hour
Remember when happy hours were easy on the wallet and didn’t end at 6 p.m.? Grab a seat at La Catrina Bar & Lounge’s vast wraparound bar and settle in for real deals, such as $4 street tacos, $5 margaritas and $5 cervezas served in chilled glasses. Happy hour runs from 3-9 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. The venue’s colorful namesake, La Catrina, is the famous skeleton lady who has become a symbol of Dia de los Muertos, an annual festival in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America that honors the deceased. At the two-story Woodmont Triangle spot, La Catrina’s iconic painted visage appears everywhere, from neon-colored skulls perched on the bar to vibrant paintings on the walls. The eclectic vibe feels like you’ve been transported to Mexico. On Fridays, a full mariachi band, complete with trumpets, plays at 7 p.m.
4935 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, Instagram @lacatrinabarandlounge
Best restaurants do-overs
Sometimes new ventures just don’t click, prompting restaurateurs to reevaluate and pivot.
When Alexandria, Virginia-based Common Plate Hospitality opened The Grove in Potomac’s Cabin John Village in November 2023, it was an upscale Mediterranean eatery with dishes that came with foamy flourishes and fancy prices, with entrees topping out at $48. The owners closed for a week in the spring and resurfaced as The Grove Bar & Grill, with an American menu that showcases a tabletop Ferris wheel of shoestring fries with five seasonings and a trio of dipping sauces. Expect chicken wings, burgers, sandwiches (including a French dip) and predictable entrees (roast chicken, steak frites) mostly in the mid-$20 range.
7747 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Village), Potomac, thegrovemd.com
Deniz and Celal Gulluoglu opened the second location of their D.C.-based Levantine eatery Ala in March 2024, taking over the space that housed Positano in Bethesda. In July, they posted on Instagram, “We’re upgrading our menu and training our staff to bring you an even better dining experience. Stay tuned for new flavors and dishes that you won’t want to miss!” Where the original menu took a more traditional approach to appetizers and entrees, the new one puts greater emphasis on hot and cold mezze, going from 17 of those small plates meant for sharing to 29 of them. Among the new dishes are fried dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), crab and pineapple fattoush salad, and duck prosciutto with crispy rice lavash.
4948 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, ala-dc.com
Best spots for karaoke and a meal
Reserve a private karaoke room for your posse at Hulu Skewer House, complete with boozy beverages and upscale dining. Opened in December 2022, Hulu offers an array of all-you-can-eat Chinese barbecue skewers and customizable hot pots, with bases such as tom yum or pork bone soup. Wash your meal down with an expertly crafted Manhattan, margarita or cosmopolitan. Hulu’s six karaoke rooms come in three sizes: Three hold up to eight people each ($50 per hour), two up to 11 each ($75 per hour) and the VIP room can fit up to 30 ($100 per hour). Reservations are a must.
1488 Rockville Pike, Rockville, huluskewer.com
You and your backup singers can dine and drink to your heart’s content while singing your heart out in the main dining area or in private rooms at Nosh Grill House. Opened in May 2023, Nosh is a contemporary all-you-can-eat Asian fusion and Chinese barbecue restaurant with four private karaoke rooms with tableside grills (you do the grilling). The private rooms are for two to 20 people and cost $60 or $80 per hour (the room fee is waived Sunday through Thursday if you spend $50 per person on food and drinks). Or choose from hundreds of thousands of songs to perform right from your table in the main section of the restaurant. Curated cocktails offer a bit of liquid courage for performing your favorite karaoke classic.
12 N. Washington St., Rockville, noshgrillhouse.com
