Extreme milkshakes topped with banana bread and banana marshmallows, boozy shakes made with chocolate ice cream blended with mezcal and marshmallow vodka and sundaes with extravagant toppings are among the desserts that will be available at the upcoming Max’s Best Ice Cream in downtown Bethesda.
Bethesda Today received an exclusive preview Monday of the ice cream creations that will be available at the shop at 7770 Woodmont Ave. when it opens in June. Construction is still finalizing, and an opening has not yet been set.
Menu items include the “Over the Rainbow” milkshake — a birthday cake milkshake topped with rainbow cake, a spiral lollipop, sprinkles, colorful marshmallows and whipped cream — and the Island Turtle boozy shake made with salty caramel ice cream blended with coconut rum and chocolate liqueur and topped with crushed pecans, toasted coconut flakes, caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top.
The menu also offers frozen hot chocolate that can be made boozy with liquor additions and ice cream floats, including an Arnold Palmer with lemon soda, sweet tea and vanilla and lemon chiffon ice cream.
The shop, which has partnered with Best Buddies International to employ individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is co-owned by Bethesda resident Cory Alexander and named after his son. Alexander said Monday in a statement emailed to Bethesda Today that the shop is “all about showcasing ice cream in the most creative and delicious way possible.”
The ice cream creations come from the mind of Chicago-based ice cream maker Dana Cree, according to a press release. During her 25-year career creating frozen desserts, Cree was named best pastry chef by The Jean Banchet Awards, which honor culinary excellence in Chicago, and has earned multiple James Beard Award nominations.
Cree collaborated with the shop to create a “menu that was restrained while being over the top,” she said Monday in a statement emailed to Bethesda Today.
“It’s been an honor to bring my experience and culinary viewpoint to the menu, creating extreme milkshakes and decadent sundaes for this elevated take on a scoop shop,” Cree said.
Chevy Chase’s Elena James All Day to host Oyster Festival Saturday
Elena James All Day restaurant in Chevy Chase will host its first Oyster Festival on Saturday afternoon to celebrate “the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” according to a press release. The event aims to support the Oyster Recovery Partnership, an Annapolis-based nonprofit with a mission to restore the Chesapeake Bay’s native oyster population.
The festival will be held at Chevy Chase Lake Town Square at 8525 Chevy Chase Lake Terrace.
Chef Colin McClimans said in the release that the event is an opportunity to “highlight some of the incredible ingredients that define our region.”
“We’re celebrating not just the oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, but also the produce, grains, and traditions from the farms and kitchens that surround it,” McClimans said.
At the festival, attendees can listen to live music and eat raw and roasted oysters as well as side dishes including grilled squash and zucchini salad, smoked corn elote, buttermilk fried chicken and mac and cheese, according to the event webpage.
All-you-can-eat tickets costing $55 are available for two sessions: from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., the release said. A $50 bottomless alcohol add-on is also available for purchase online or at the door.
Jinlan Dumplings opens restaurant in North Bethesda
A new Chinese dumpling restaurant is now open in North Bethesda. Jinlan Dumplings, the first brick-and-mortar restaurant for Potomac resident Lan Jin, opened in late April at 11620-A Rockville Pike in the White Flint Station shopping center.
Jin started making dumplings for friends and colleagues, Bethesda Magazine reported, and later sold them as Jinlan Wenhua Dumplings at farmers markets in the area, including the downtown Silver Spring farmers market on Saturdays and the Bethesda farmers market on Sundays.
The 30-seat restaurant is just the beginning for Jinlan Dumplings. Jin also plans to open another location in Georgetown, she told Bethesda Magazine for its May/June 2024 issue.
