Tasty Tidbits: Chevy Chase’s Elena James restaurant now serves breakfast and lunch

Plus: Pop the question at Medium Rare for free meals for life; County holds lottery for rare whiskeys; Windridge Vineyards limits guests to age 21 and older

January 24, 2025 11:40 a.m.
Banana bread from Elena James All Day Cafe in Chevy Chase. Photo credit: Courtesy of Elena James

Elena James, an all-day service American restaurant that opened in late November in Chevy Chase Lake, officially launched its “All Day Café” in early January, according to the eatery. The café portion of the restaurant at 8551 Connecticut Ave. now offers breakfast and lunch options from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

For breakfast, the menu includes seasonal pastries, egg sandwiches, omelets and pancakes as well as coffee, specialty lattes and juices, the restaurant said in a release. And for lunch, the café serves soups, salads, sandwiches and pizza by the slice. Sandwiches include the “Bear,” an Italian sub with roasted beef, beef jus, the Italian vegetable relish giardiniera and horseradish mayonnaise – inspired by the TV series The Bear – and the Chilly Dilly Chicken Salad sandwich.

The restaurant is housed in the Ritz Carlton Residences in the Chevy Chase Lake residential and retail development.

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Pop the question at Medium Rare for free meals for life

Medium Rare, the restaurant known for its three-course steak frites meals, is again offering a special incentive for couples who propose at the eatery on Valentine’s Day: a lifetime of free anniversary meals.

The offer is good at all of the restaurant’s locations, including its Bethesda location at 4904 Fairmont Ave.

The restaurant offers a fixed price of $31.95 for three courses that include rustic bread, a mixed green salad and a steak frites entrée served with the restaurant’s “secret sauce.” Medium Rare also offers the fixed price for a three-course vegetarian meal that includes a grilled portobello mushroom with a fire-roasted red pepper sauce, according to the restaurant’s website.

County lottery offers chance to purchase rare whiskeys

Registration to enter a county-run lottery that provides state residents with the opportunity to purchase a variety of rare whiskeys ends Feb. 1, according to a county press release. Registration for the lotteries began Sunday and is open for those age 21 and older.

Each year the county’s Alcohol Beverage Services opens registration for county and Maryland residents to enter its annual limited-availability whiskey lottery. According to the county, the lottery is an opportunity for residents to purchase “highly sought-after spirits” from brands such as Pappy Van Winkle, Old Forester Birthday Bottle and WhistlePig.

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According to the registration website, bottles range in cost from $89.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle of Weller Full Proof, or nearly $4,000 for a 750-milliliter bottle of Double Eagle Very Rare whiskey.

After the lottery closes, a random drawing will be conducted and the winning numbers will be posted on the Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) website at noon Feb. 10, according to the release.

Winners can purchase their allocated bottle at a designated county-operated liquor store from Feb. 17 to March 16.

“We are excited to, once again, be offering residents the chance to acquire these highly allocated and rare offerings,” ABS Retail Chief Sean Peters said in the release. “ABS is proud to continue our partnerships with manufacturers and suppliers to make these products available to residents using the lottery program, providing equitable access and transparent pricing to our customers.”

Windridge Vineyards limits guests age 21 and older

Beginning March 1, Windridge Vineyards in Darnestown is taking a new approach to its business: only adult guests older than 21 will be allowed. The MoCo Show first reported the upcoming change to the vineyard’s service model.

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The decision came after “thoughtful consideration,” the vineyard said in a statement emailed to Bethesda Today. The statement clarified that access to the vineyard’s public areas will be limited to those who can legally drink.

“This decision is based solely on our desire to refine our focus and serve our customers with attention and excellence,” the statement said. The representatives of Windridge Vineyard did not immediately respond to Bethesda Today’s request for clarification on what constitutes the vineyard’s public area.

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