Chop't Salads is open in Bethesda

Chop't salads just opened in the Wildwood Shopping Center on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, MD.  They specialize in salads, after you choose which one you want off the menu (or build your own) they assemble it right in front of you, then spread it out and chop it up.  This well-mixed salad is what goes into your bowl.

I went their on Wednesday, the opening day, and tried the Cobb salad [670 calories, $9.49] (and the person I went with got the Palm Beach Shrimp salad [240 calories, $9.99] so I got to try that too).  Both were quite good, the bacon on the cobb was cut into very small pieces, but was thick and crisp.

There were some things that stood out in comparison to other salad chains.  The first thing that I noticed was that the salads on the menu didn't all have sweet stuff in them.  I don't really like sweet salad toppings, so this is appreciated.  They also have a large selection of salad dressings, with calorie counts. They also ask you if you want the dressing put on light, regular, or heavy so you don't end up with a salad swimming in dressing if you don't want it. They have some unusual seasonal salads that are only on the menu for a short time, right now there is some sort of thanksgiving dinner salad and several others.

Too bad they have a stupid flash website instead of a real one.

Taylor Gourmet coming to Bethesda

Taylor Gourmet is a sandwich shop that currently has two locations, both in DC. By mid-July they should have a new location open at 7820 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, MD. This is right on the corner of Woodmont Ave and Elm St in the new Equinox Fitness building. I have never been to Taylor Gourmet but judging by the comments I have read it seems like a good place and I am looking forward to trying it.

(via Prince of Petworth)

You can see the full coverage about this construction project.

Review: Cornucopia Tuscan Rosemary Ham sandwich

For lunch today I made a trek to the ver edge of downtown Bethesda, MD. 8102 Norfolk Ave to be exact. Cornucopia specialty foods has imported Italian food, cheeses and lots of cookies. The purpose of today's visit was to get a sandwich for lunch so I skipped the plates with cookies piled high on them (this time).

I tried the Tuscan Rosmary Ham sandwich. The ham had a light coating of rosemary on the edge which was very flavorful. It went wonderfully with the balsamic vinegar that they put on the baguette. There was also cheese and tender lettuces on the sandwich. This is a really nice sandwich, fairly simple but with a distinctive flavor that sets it apart from other ham sandwiches I have had. The only downside was that the cheese couldn't compete with the rosmary and balsamic vinegar, I really couldn't taste the cheese at all.

There is limited seating there making this more of a place to pickup lunch and take it with you. It is also closed on Mondays.

Today: Free burgers at South Street Steaks, Bethesda, MD

I was walking by South Street Steaks (4856 Cordell Ave. Bethesda, MD) this weekend and they had a sign in their window advertising that Today, Monday, August 3rd, 2009 they will be giving out Free Burgers just for stopping by, no purchase necessary. The promotion runs from 11am to 4pm and it is only at the Bethesda location (the Gaithersburg on is doing it tomorrow). It would, of course, be nice to buy something from them, but you don't have to. I'll probably be heading over there for lunch and since they have the best french fries in town and have Diet Dr. Pepper in the soda fountain, I'll get those too.

You can also keep track of what they are up to on twitter.

Update 2pm: I went there for lunch. The line wasn't obnoxious but it took some time to get through. I got a burger with cheese whiz (cheese was free today too). The overall burger is 1/3rd pound but it is two patties which I wasn't expecting. I got pickles on it and they were really good, a thick slice of tasty pickle, not the limp greenish thing you get at many places. The burger was a bit overdone but I am willing to blame that on it being free burger day. Although I liked it, I'll probably stick to getting cheese steaks there.

Delicas Carryout: Super Beef Burrito

Delicas is a stand-alone carry out at 4708 Highland Ave, half a block off Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, MD. It is smaller than it looks from the outside, I was the third person there and it was cramped. There is no seating inside, but two rustic picnic tables on the outside.

I got the Super beef burrito, seasoned ground beef with lettuce and tomatoes. It was tasty and exactly what I expected. The only negative was that by the time I got to the end, some grease was dripping out of the burrito. They have a selection of sodas in cans and bottles too.

I enjoy going to out-of-the-way places that really give you a flavor for the town. This is certainly one of those spots I can't believe I have never found it before and plan on going back to try the pupusas soon.

I read that this restaurant was robbed last December, too bad.

Local Restaurant Coupons: GoOut2Eat.com

I found an interesting site the other day, GoOut2Eat which has discounts for DC area restaurants. They just started posting ones for Bethesda, MD. They have some quick, lunch type places (such as Crossfire, Philadelphia Mike's, and St. Elmo Deli) as well as sit down nice restaurants (such as Jaleo, Gaffneys, and Thimian Thai). I tried out a coupon for Philadelphia Mike's yesterday, a dollar off a combo.

They also have discounts for a lot of resturants in Rockville.

[where: Bethesda, MD]
[where: Rockville, MD]

Crepes at the farmer's market

Today was such a nice day that I decided to walk around until I found a good place for lunch. This turned out to be good, because keep forgetting to go to the farmers market. They have a little stand that makes crepes, but I never walk by there on a Tuesday (until today).

The place that makes them is Crepes at the Market. It is a casual but well run cart. No need for a cashier, there are four wine glasses, for $1, $5, $10 and $20's, you make your own change. They were busy the whole time I was watching, the line was short but there were always at least a couple of people in it.


I had the Asiago, Turkey, Peppers, and Tomato crepe. The peppers were a colorful mix of red, yellow, and green peppers. The crepe was good, I ate it all pretty quickly. The turkey could have been spread out a bit more and I didn't get much from the Asiago cheese, next time I will try a cheese with a stronger flavor. If I remember, and if there is a nice day before the end of October, I will head back there again.


The farmers market is at Veteran's Park on the corner of Woodmont Ave and Norfolk Ave in Bethesda on Tuesdays and Saturdays from May through October. The park is supposed to have free wifi, but I was unable to connect to it, I'm not sure if it was their problem or if my phone was having trouble, I'll have to try again later.

[where: Woodmont Ave, Bethesda, MD]

Another good lunch at Quiznos

I have been going to Quiznos pretty frequently recently. It's a combination of convenience and the $5 large subs. The one I have been going to, is the one on Montgomery Lane, part of the Bethesda Place plaza complex. Twice now I have had really good customer service there. Today, I wanted lettuce and onions on my sub, but I somehow said tomato and onions. The guy making the sub asked to confirm that I didn't want lettuce (but of course, I did want lettuce, so he added it). A couple of weeks ago, I was looking through the glass to make sure I got what I wanted on my sub and the person at the cash register noticed and before taking my money asked if I had gotten what I wanted. It is fairly rare that people working at fast food restaurants pay much attention to the customer, and having it happen twice at the same place is worth mentioning.

Original Pancake House: Smothered Chicken Sandwich

I didn't plan on going here, since I wasn't in the mood for pancakes or eggs, and hey, what else do they serve? Fortunately, they have a lunch menu with sandwiches and salads and such. I chose the Smothered Chicken Sandwich. Grilled chicken breast topped with bell pepper, sauteed onion, Bacon and Cheddar Cheese and served on a Kaiser roll. The benefit of it being a breakfast place is that I could get hash browns instead of french fries with it.

The sandwich was very good. there were three thick slices of bacon on it, hanging a little bit off the side, as well as the bell peppers and onions. The cheddar cheese was melted over the vegetables. Also a plus, the sandwich wasn't greasy. The hashbrowns were also excellent. Lots of shredded potatoes fried to a golden brown crisp on the top and bottom. They even brought me hot sauce with the catsup. As a bonus, this was one of the cheapest sandwiches on the menu.

The wrap up? I will no longer avoid this place. The do have good options if you don't want pancakes. There are many locations across the country, but only two Original pancake houses in my area, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD and 12224 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD. I went to the bethesda one which is at Bethesda Place Plaza.

Lean Cuisine: Grilled chicken caesar

One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine cafe classics bowl. Grilled white meat chicken with broccoli and garlic flavored radiatore pasta in a parmesan-ceasar sauce. Different than most because it comes in a bowl, not a tray, but it cooks like any other tv dinner. The chicken is good, tender and very chickeny. The sauce complements but doesn't overpower it. The pasta was right to the edge of overcooked, but wasn't. Again, the light sauce goes well with it. Broccoli came out crisp, not overdone or soggy. All the part came together well. Overall, a nice microwave meal. (240 calories; 7g fat; 25g carbs; 18g protein 29% sodium)

California Tortilla: Tacos

California Tortilla is a small chain of restaurants in Maryland specializing in burritos. They have many non-traditional burritos as well as salads and tacos. One selling point is that they have at least 30 different hot sauces you can put on your food. I tried the tacos, I ordered one chicken and one beef taco. A warm flour tortilla filled with Monterey jack cheese, lettuce and fresh salsa, and of course, the meat of your choice. The beef taco was ground beef with taco seasonings. It was reasonable but not outstanding. The same can be said for the chicken. Overall they are decent tacos, but they were lacking the spark that would make them unique.

The Brown Bag: Voo Doo Chicken Wrap

The Brown Bag "Cuisine on the fly" lets you build your own sandwiches, salads, and pastas. They are take-out only, there is no place to sit down in or outside the restaurant. Even though you can build your own, you don't have to, they have a menu board with several sandwich options so you don't have to think if you don't want to.

I went for the Voo Doo chicken wrap. Slices of blackened chicken with shredded lettuce, tomato, corn and black bean relish, a mix of Jack and cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing all wrapped up in a Chili Tortillia. The relish is pretty much just a mix of corn and black beans, it doesn't have a heavy or oily sauce. They also didn't put enough of it on, but when I asked for more were happy to oblige. The wrap had a light, summery feel to it, probably do to the finely shredded lettuce and the lack of heavy sauces. The didn't over-do the ranch dressing either, it added just a touch of flavor. The chicken was good, a bit spicy like blackened chicken should be and by the end I wish I had brought some water (I ate it in a nearby park) Overall, a nice, freshly-prepared sandwich.

GatorAlley: Gator Chicken and Cheese

GatorAlley Cocktail Bar & Grill is a new restaurant at 7525 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD. I had the Gator Chicken and Cheese sandwich. It is thinly sliced grilled chicken with american cheese, sauteed mushrooms, onions, and green peppers, lettuce, tomato, and mayonase all on a sub roll. It was served with french fries. This was really good, much like a chicken cheese steak, but better than most. The chicken was tender and tasty, I think they grilled it before they sliced it, which is a good idea. The cheese melted in with it and made all the topping stick. I wish they had other choices besides american cheese, but that is a small complaint. The toppings were great, everything went well together. The french fries were just your standard steak cut fries, nothing special about them.

Michelina's Lean Gourmet: Penne Primavera

Whole wheat pasta with vegetables in a light alfredo sauce. This is a basic dish, mostly pasta, with some veggies (mostly brocoli and squash) with cream sauce. It is fairly plain and uninspired with lots of carbs. It does have redemming qualities, first, like it says, it is fairly lean, 240 calories, with only 7g fat. I don't think it has enough protein though. Second, it is pretty cheap. I think I got it on sale for a dollar, making this Penne Primavera less then half the price of most lean cuisine or healthy choice microwave meals. Although it is plain, it is pretty decent, so factoring cost, this turns out to be a pretty good meal. Since I often end up eating two microwave entrees for lunch if they don't have many calories, this makes a great second dish, cheap and reasonably tasty. (240 calories; 7g fat; 35g carbs; 9g protein; 22% sodium; 5 weight watchers points) (Michelina's web site listed different nutrition information from what was on my package)

Old Georgetown Grille: Hot Open-Faced turkey sandwich with gravy fries

Old Georgetown Grill serves you stereotypical american/diner food, along with some Greek fare. I went for true diner food, an open faced turkey sandwich and steak-cut french fries, both covered with gravy. I shudder to think about the amount of calories and fat I consumed, but I will say I was very full after eating and could barely get through it all. The gravy was good, if a bit salty, and tasted wonderful on the fries. The fries didn't get very soggy (I ate them first) even with the gravy. The turkey sandwich had a slice or two of white bread, piled high with turkey, and of course, more gravy. The sandwich was good, the only negative being that the turkey wasn't fresh-carved, it was sliced turkey breast, the kind you'd get in most deli's. Meat, carbs, and fat, just the ticket for lunch, no need to waste time on vegetables. If you like diner food, this is just the ticket. I usually go for something a bit healthier, but every once in a while I enjoy this type of food and I was not disappointed. Located on the corner of Old Georgetown Rd and St Elmo Ave in Bethesda, MD.

California Tortilla: Blackened chicken, spinach and black beans quesadillas

California Tortilla is a small chain of restaurants in Maryland specializing in burritos. I have never gotten a quesadilla there, I always figured that they wouldn't be substantial enough. Today I wanted something a little lighter, so I got the Blackened Chicken, spinach and black beans quesadilla. It was huge, easily the size of two tacos, possibly more. It had lots of fresh baby spinach, good chicken and gooey cheese. It really filled me up and was quite tasty. Now I have something else to get besides the burritos and salads there.

Cheeburger Cheeburger: Burger and Onion Rings

Cheeburger Cheeburger sells Cheese burgers. You can also get them without cheese if you want, and they have a few other menu items. There are two things that standout about these burgers, the size (the largest is 20 ounces) and the toppings. They have a long list of toppings, over 20 that you can add. I got the second smallest burger, "The Semi-Serious", it is only a third of a pound. I topped it off with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and Banana peppers. As you might expect, it was excellent. The meat was juicy and cooked just the way I asked for it (medium well) it had tons of flavor and the toppings, were once again, exactly what I asked for. The pickle slices deserve special mention, they weren't the limp green slabs that you get most places, they were crisp slices of dill pickle. To go with it, I got a small serving of onion rings. This could easily have served two. I actually had trouble finishing the burger and onion rings, even though it was 4pm and I was just getting to lunch. I did finish them, but I skipped dinner. The onion rings were also good. They didn't have a traditional breaded coating, but some other kind of 'secret' batter. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still good.

Lilit Cafe: Old Georgetown sandwich

I had the "Old Georgetown" which is Roast Beef, Ham, and Fresh Mozzarella. To top it, I added mustard, lettuce, and tomato. The lettuce was very finely shredded iceburge lettuce. The sandwich was good, roast beef and ham go together well.

Lilit Cafe was a beer/wine/deli that has been somewhat made over. They still sell beer and wine, but they also added some tables so you can eat there. You can also get food to go, which is what I did. They have a good selection of sandwiches, wraps, and paninis as well as fresh made gelato.

Just to try something different, I got the sandwich gluten-free. Very few places advertise that they have gluten free food, and this is one of them. In addition to gluten-free bread, they have a selection of gluten-free deserts. For those of you unfamiliar, some people have celiac disease or an intolerance of gluten or wheat. It generally makes it very hard to eat out since just about everything has gluten in it. The bread was frozen (they toasted it to thaw it out) and didn't taste bad at all, they also had gluten-free mustard to put on it. I watched as they made it, and they used a different toaster, a different cutting board, and a different knife to make sure that there was no wheat product contamination. It took a bit longer to make because of that, but it is good that they were paying attention to things like this.

Cafe Gelato: Neapolitan Panini

Cafe Gelato has gelato, soups, and sandwiches. I had the Neapolitan which is Herb coated chicken breast with fontina cheese, tomatoes, greens, and a creamy alioli sauce in Ciabatta bread. I go to this place occasionally and I like their sandwiches. This one is particularly good, the cheese and the sauce really make the sandwich. Cafe Gelato is located on St. Elmo Ave in Bethesda, MD

Healthy Choice: Blackened Chicken

Blackened white meat chicken with fire roasted red pepper sauce, rice medley, and a Caramel Apple Crisp for desert. One of Healthy Choice's complete selections. The rice medley is rice with green and red pepper bits and some sort of flavoring that turns the rice brown. It came out dry and flat. The blackened chicken was very moist and you could taste the spices on it. The red pepper sauce is thick and also has corn and black beans in it. The sauce goes well with the chicken, each adding to the other. As you would expect from blackened chicken, it is a little spicy, but not all that spicy. The rice is helped, but not saved by adding the sauce to it. (310 calories; 6g fat; 46g carbs; 16g protein; 25% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)