Happy hour: Drink and snack deals aren’t just
for office refugees at Food Wine & Co. (7272
Wisconsin Ave.; 301-652-8008), which in addition to its regular happy hour
(4 to 6 daily) serves the same specials all day Tuesday and Thursday and
from 9 to 11:30 Friday and Saturday. Draft beers are $4, cocktails are $6
to $7, and some of the menu’s best shares—Gruyère tater tots, fried
calamari with pickled peppers—are discounted, too.
Place to down a dozen oysters: Jeff and
Barbara Black, the restaurateurs behind the sleek, warmly lit
Black’s Bar & Kitchen (7750 Woodmont Ave.;
301-652-5525), are passionate about their oysters—so much so that they
teamed up with Virginia’s Rappahannock Oyster Co. to create their own
varieties: Black Pearls and our favorite, the briny, mineraly Old Black
Salts. Round those out with a selection from a rotating roster of
carefully shucked Chesapeake Bay and Pacific Northwest
bivalves.
Barbecue fix: Okay, it might be the
only place in Bethesda for a barbecue fix. Still, the tiny new
Smoke BBQ (4858 Cordell Ave.; 301-656-2011) is a good
spot for thick-cut baby back ribs (get them slathered in the tomatoey
“regular” barbecue sauce) or North Carolina-style pulled-pork sandwiches,
which are best doused in vinegar. Both are better bets than the
smoked-brisket sandwich, which was dry when we tried it.
Bar for wine-sipping: More than 80 reds,
whites, sparklers, and rosés are available by the glass or 2½-ounce taste
at the eclectic bistro Grapeseed (4865 Cordell Ave.;
301-986-9592). Settle in at the bar and enlist the bartenders’ guidance in
navigating the list. Tuesdays are an especially good night—bottles $100
and less are half price.
Sandwich stop: The baguette sandwiches at the
gourmet shop/cafe Cornucopia (8102 Norfolk Ave.;
301-652-1625) are more dressed down and delicate than most Italian
subs—they’re accessorized with only a slick of balsamic vinegar and some
green-leaf lettuce. That’s fine with us, though. The bread and main
ingredients—provolone and shavings of hot soppresatta or
prosciutto are our favorites—are high-quality enough to shine on their
own.
Quick slice: The Italian deli institution
Vace (4705 Miller Ave.; 301-654-6367) has been making
takeout pies and slices its own way—with mozzarella baked onto the crust
and zesty sauce swirled on top—for nearly 35 years. We’re hooked on the
plain and pepperoni, but the white pizza with sweet onions is also
worthy.
Boutique pizza: You can’t have a New
Haven-style pizzeria without a white-clam pie, and Haven Pizzeria
Napoletana (7137 Wisconsin Ave.; 301-664-9412) doesn’t
disappoint. The coal ovens produce an enviable version, with a strong
garlic kick and loads of freshly shucked littlenecks. In the mood for
something more mellow? The ultra-simple pecorino-sprinkled tomato pie is
nice, too.
Vegetarian pleasures: The elegantly gilded
Passage to India (4931 Cordell Ave.; 301-656-3373) serves
plenty of meat, but vegetarians have ample run of the menu in this quiet
dining room. The kitchen turns out veggie-friendly samosas, fritters,
curries, and salads—we often turn to the tamarind-streaked puffed-rice
salad known as sev-murmura chaat, the excellent bainghan
bartha (roasted eggplant in a rich gravy), and the vibrant pickle
platter.
Carnivorous cravings: The high-gloss interior
at Bethesda Row’s Redwood (7121 Bethesda La.;
301-656-5515)—sleek slate, gleaming wood, and Carrera marble—might conjure
dainty beet salads more than hunks of beef, but no matter. You’re here to
indulge in the meatier side of the menu: goat-cheese-stuffed lamb burgers,
the classic cheeseburger, a wood-grilled hanger steak, or a sharable tray
of charcuterie.
Special-occasion dinner: Yannick Cam is the
chef behind some of the starriest restaurants of Washington’s past, from
Le Pavillon to Provence. Here, at his three-year-old Bistro
Provence (4933 Fairmont Ave.; 301-656-7373), Cam’s cooking is
more casual but no less carefully thought through, from a round of
walnut-and-spinach-stuffed clams to a lovely bouillabaisse to a decadent
molten chocolate cake with milk-chocolate jam. All befit a celebration,
and the cozy, Parisian-style front dining room is as nice a place to clink
glasses as the enclosed back patio.
Taste of New England: The tiny Bethesda Row
outpost of the New York chain Luke’s Lobster (7129
Bethesda La.; 301-718-1005) arrived late to Washington’s
lobster-roll-crazy scene. But its top-split hot-dog buns filled with claw
meat slicked with both mayo and butter have quickly risen to the top.
Happily, Luke’s gets creamy clam chowder right, too. The place is mostly
carryout, but in the summer it sets up a few picnic tables
outside.
High-end comfort food: The latest effort from
chef/restaurateur Robert Wiedmaier—also behind downtown Bethesda’s Mussel
Bar—Wildwood Kitchen (10223 Old Georgetown Rd.;
301-571-1700) excels at straightforward cooking without relying on massive
amounts of butter and cream. With such robustly flavored creations as lamb
meatballs with harissa or osso buco with orange-chili glaze and polenta,
you’re unlikely to miss those culinary crutches.
Comfort food on the cheap: When it comes to
Salvadoran cooking, few dishes are as simple—or satisfying—as pupusas,
the thick, warm masa cakes oozy with mozzarella, pork, or both, then
done up with slaw. They’re among our favorite reasons to visit
Guardado’s (4918 Del Ray Ave.; 301-986-4920), a welcoming
dining room that marries Spanish tapas (melted Manchego with chorizo) with
pan-Latin entrées such as fajitas and lomo saltado. Best of all?
They ring in at $2.25 apiece.
Quiet catch-ups: Looking to avoid Bethesda’s
scene-seeking droves and have an evening of relaxed, no-need-to-shout
conversation? Head for the low-key Newton’s Table (4917
Elm St.; 301-718-0550), where you can explore a jet-setting array of
snacks, from wonderful Gruyère gougères to nori-wrapped tuna, and
linger over such smartly conceived cocktails as Bees in a Storm—a Dark and
Stormy enhanced with honey liqueur.
Elegant bakeshop: Step away from the cupcakes
that are all over downtown Bethesda and check out Tout de
Sweet (7831 Woodmont Ave.; 301-951-0474), a jewel box of a bakery
that turns out flaky croissants and pains aux raisins with as
much skill as it does its fancier charlottes and opera cakes, which look
like miniature works of art. And if you just can’t quit those cupcakes,
you’ll find nice ones here, too.
Cheap lunch: Hot dogs both traditional (a
Chicago dog with all the trimmings in a steamed poppyseed bun) and offbeat
(the Bold, crunchy with onions, cabbage, and potato sticks and swiped with
ketchup, mustard, and mayo) share space on the menu at Bold
Bite (4901-B Fairmont Ave.; 301-951-2653). Whatever you decide,
don’t miss the Belgian-style fries and spring for a few
sauces—cilantro-lime, Cajun ketchup, aïoli—for dipping.
Bar snacks: Twenty draft beers and looming big-screen
TVs are what attract many folks to the bar at American Tap Room (7278
Woodmont Ave.; 301-656-1366). We head there for oversize pretzels with
cheddar-ale spread; a terrific burger with caramelized onions, shredded
lettuce, and thick-cut pickles; and a tasty riff on wings—here, hot sauce,
blue cheese, and chicken are turned into a creamy dip and served with
sliced baguette.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
