It’s been a busy time for restaurateur Robert Wiedmaier. The chef recently debuted two new concepts in Bethesda, the live music venue Villain & Saint, and Asian eatery Urban Heights. Now the RW Restaurant Group announced more plans for Maryland: the official acquisition of Potomac’s Tavern at River Falls, and plans to transform Brasserie Beck Kentlands into a sister American concept, Boulevard Tavern.
River Falls Tavern, as its now known under Wiedmaier, has already experienced a menu overhaul from chef Brian McBride. The kitchen riffs on traditional pub food—a three beef-blend burger, habanero-barbecue wings—as well as creations such as grilled calamari with chorizo and citrus yoghurt, and crab-stuffed oysters. No significant design changes have been made.
McBride and chef Matt Newland, formerly of Wildwood Kitchen, are in the process of creating the Boulevard Tavern menu; the restaurant will remain open as Brasserie Beck during the transition, which is expected to last about a month. The Belgian eatery opened just over a year ago in Montgomery County as a spinoff of the downtown original. Instead of pricier Belgian beers and a raw bar, Boulevard will offer more wallet-friendly options. Though specific lunch and dinner items will be different than River Falls, both menus will share staples like a tavern burger and pot of steamed mussels in hopes of drawing more neighborhood customers. Though aesthetic changes may be made, there’s no interior overhaul planned as of now.
Stay tuned for more details on Boulevard as they become available.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
