Foodie News: Bobby Flay in Bethesda, Mice in Rockville Restaurant, Maryland Strikes Out With Post Critic

Get caught up with the food scene in Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods with Patch’s foodie news column, 1 Meat, 3 Sides. This week, Bobby Flay's new Bethesda restaurant takes center plate.

One meat:

Tuesday, Oct. 22, is opening day for the newest Bobby's Burger Palace, at the Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd.) in Bethesda.

Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay will open the eatery—located near the movie theater at the south end of the mall—in person at noon that day, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch reported.

Three sides:

From Rockville Patch: Café Masala (705 1st St., Rockville) has reopened after the Montgomery County Health Department shut it down for health violations, which included rodent droppings in cabinets and signs that rodents had been gnawing on food, WUSA 9 reported.

The WUSA 9 crews found dead and live mice on sticky glue boards in "about every corner of Café Masala’s kitchen," WUSA 9 reported.

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From Silver Spring Patch: Chipotle is trying out a new vegan menu item in Baltimore and DC locations, The Baltimore Sun reported. Sofritas will be sold as burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads, and will include organic tofu, chipotle chili peppers, roasted poblanos and a blend of spices, according to the Chipolte web page dedicated to the new item.

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Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema recently released his top 40 restaurant picks for 2013, and only one Maryland restaurant (Woodberry Kitchen, in Baltimore) made the list. 

In a question-and-answer session with Post readers, Sietsema said that "Food, Wine & Co. in Bethesda almost made it, but I had a lackluster dinner there in late summer and opted against including it."

In an upcoming Post piece to which Sietsema refers as his "leftovers" edition, he'll include a few contenders that didn't make the list, including Jackie's Restaurant in Silver Spring, he said.

Jaleo did make the top 40 list, but only its DC location was listed. Sietsema said that he found Jaleo's DC location to be better than the Bethesda or Crystal City locations.

Celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio's Range restaurant in the Chevy Chase Pavilion in Washington, DC (right on the Maryland-DC border), also made the cut, but Sietsema reported that when he visited the restaurant while wearing a disguise, he received poor service.

Dessert:

Mix Bar and Grille—"the casual Potomac redo of Bezu Restaurant"—opened on Sept. 26 for dinner, and lunch service began on Oct. 7, Bethesda Magazine reported. Read more about the restaurant in a blog post by Bethesda Magazine's Carole Sugarman.

Give back:

For those in the Chevy Chase area, take note: A food drive for Manna Food Center will take place from Oct. 20 to 27 at the Brookville Market, (7027 Brookville Rd., Chevy Chase), Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch reported.