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Relic Restaurant and Lounge opened about 3 weeks ago on Fairmont Avenue, next to Positanos and it’s only getting better every time I go!

The decor is very unique with a fusion of Hip & sassy South Beach, Sex & the City, “glam western” (check out the authentic saddles for bar stools at the back bar!), Middle Eastern & Henry the VIII!! Interesting to say the least but somehow it works. I really like the open atmosphere, open kitchen & small areas for intimate conversations. The glass “walls” to the street also open to let in the fresh air! Great on these beautiful Spring days we’re having!

The menu is a nice selection of tapas very reasonably priced. I loved the Potato Chickpea Cakes with mushrooms and a light plum sauce & the Beet Salad is not to be missed with spring greens & goat cheese with a balsamic reduction. The woman next to me at the bar last week adored her crab cakes. Certainly enough for Vegetarians (me) but diverse enough for those palates who like Lamb Kabobs, Moroccan steak, Duck Congee, Merquez & frog legs. (Really I heard the waitress tell the chef her table loved the frog legs.) Could never do those myself, but to each their own & celebrate the fact the guests love them!. Bar menu is fab as well and you must try the Pomegranate Martini!

Nice touch was not only the owners coming around to the tables to see how everyone was doing and how they liked the food and how they could improve but the chefs came out as well. If that is the way Relic Lounge is starting, I have high hopes the owners will understand the community they serve and really take off.

Entertainment includes international DJ’s (yes, you can dance the night away!) & Belly dancing. Last Friday & Saturday night they had wonderful parties celebrating the Persian New Year, Norooz. Everyone had a blast!

Something was missing in Bethesda but not anymore. Need a great new place for Happy Hour? Dinner or late night with dancing, then head to Relic!

To the owners: Keep up the good work and I wish The Relic Lounge the best! I know I’ll be back often.

What a find! A wonderful family friendly Persian restaurant located in the Kentlands between the Red Door Salon and Bone Fish Grill.

My company and I had planned on going to another place then decided as we walked by, it looked very welcoming and decided to give it a try instead and are we glad we did! Were greeted by a gracious host and even though it was quite busy on the Saturday night we stopped in we were seated immediately.

Every item we ordered was great. The bread was fresh out of the oven made to order as guests arrive. The eggplant appetizer was heavenly and the salmon kabobs plus the New Zealand lamb kabobs melted in our mouths. When was the last tine you knew the lamb kabobs you had were from New Zealand? Boy it makes all the difference in the world.

To top the evening off, soon we heard upbeat strains of Middle Eastern music and out came the belly dancer! Beautiful and in a lovely purple costume, she danced with grace and elegance. The entire audience really got into it with several guests getting up to dance with her as did some children. Very classy indeed & what fun!
Between the food and dancing (which we were told is on Friday & Saturday nights) this is one restaurant not to miss. They are also building a bar in the corner so patrons will be able to sit at the bar or order from the tables. Nice addition. I know we’ll be back not only for the dancing but I must have another desert!

I was just at Mrs. K’s this past Sunday for their Brunch which is not to be missed! An amazing selection of delicacies that make you go back for more and more! I stuffed myself while enjoying a refreshing mimosa.
I saw the new Wine Cellar/Bar which just opened and it’s absolutely stunning! You are transported into old Europe with the sounds of a babbling fountain with candles (very much like a grotto) and thousands of bottles of wine.
Being a native Washingtonian and growing up at Mrs K’s, it’s so refreshing to see owners with such a passion & who have kept with traditions but reinvented new portions of the restaurant to elevate Mrs. K’s to a new & elegant vision for the future.
I can’t wait to attend one of their Wine tasting dinners. Sign up for their e-newsletter as well for promotions and event listings.
Mrs K’s is definitely one place worth the visit no matter where you are in the area and a lovely place to bring out of town guests or for wedding receptions & parties. The gardens in Spring/Summer/Fall are gorgeous as well.
Give yourself a treat and explore this historic Toll House to learn more about the history of Montgomery County & the original owners of Mrs. K’s.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve dined at Pasha Lounge since they opened last July.
It’s been one of my favorite places and just a few days ago I had the Seafood Bastilla, Moroccan house salad and for desert, the homemade Baklava.

I loved the Bastilla and asked for more lemon as I loved the combination of citrus and seafood. This bastilla doesn’t have the powered sugar dusting the vegetarian & chicken bastilla’s do and it works beautifully on each of them.

The spicing on the house salad started the meal off right and was great for a warm day. I also had another bottle of the Moroccan wine. Believe it or not Moroccan wine in Maryland and it’s good too!

I couldn’t resist the baklava, again. Homemade, not too sweet and very light as it’s made with almonds, not walnuts.

So yes, if it’s been a while, come on back. If you’re thinking about trying it, now’s the time! The food is still so good!

My friends and I had seen the signs for weeks that a new restaurant, Pasha Lounge, was opening soon in the Kentlands across from the Cinema in the space formerly occupied by Mediterranean Grill that closed in February.

We saw the doors open the other day and stopped in for our first meal. First the decor is really great. The host was gracious enough to explain the decorations were imported from Morocco and what appears to be tiles is actually detailed stenciled work done by hand by a local artist that took about 3 weeks to complete painting the entire restaurant including the windows. Soft comfy cushions make you want to stay for while too.

We decided as usual to all try something different so we could share. We started with the seafood soup & lentil (1 of us is vegetarian) and the House Moroccan salad with tomatoes & cucumbers. All really tasty, plus the bread and harissa oil & olives they serve put us off to a great start for our hungry appetites. Then the entrees from the Lamb with Prunes, the Chicken with Lemons and olives, the heavenly Chicken Bastillla, Red Snapper,& Veggie Couscous, the entrees were divine.

To top it all off we had the Moroccan mint tea poured like a pro by our server and presented in beautiful filigree & colored glasses. The final touch we couldn’t resist? Tiramisu & the house made Baklava. By the time we left, we couldn’t eat another bit as the portions are generous and we stuffed ourselves. We sat back listening to the Middle Eastern music playing then got a treat as the nightly entertainment, a belly dancer, performed a lovely show. She got several people up to dance with her and even a little girl who looked like she was having the time of her life with a big smile on her face!
For a while, we all totally forgot we were in the Kentlands and so close to home as the feeling is very warm and the staff very friendly. Definitely a place for the whole family or a business lunch, date night or before or after a movie.

Considering the place had only been open less than a week when we went, things really seemed to be running smoothly and all of us agreed we can’t wait to go back! Oh and in a couple weeks they will have their Liquor license , then we may stay for hours to finish off a bottle of wine with our meal!

I can’t believe no one has written about this restaurant nestled in Old Town Gaithersburg! I’ve been coming here for years, so shame on me for not doing a review sooner!

I had dinner tonight with a friend. We’ve been there before and I take other friends with me there for both lunch & dinner.

I have always been warmly greeted by the owners/staff. Service has been attentive & the atmosphere I like better now after the renovations a few years ago. It’s very serene with light music in the background & elegant silk Thai fabric for the table and chairs covers. (Ok, the train station is around the corner and the trains of course do pass by, but to me that’s part of the charm).

Tonight I ordered my favorites. Tom Ka Gai (Coconut milk soup with lemongrass, chicken & red chili), Green Curry with shrimp & of course the traditional Pad Thai. Old Siam really makes the food flavorful and each bite reminds me how much I love Thai food and why I need to eat here more often! I splurged for desert even though I had no room & got the Lemon Sorbet (served in a lemon shell). Perfect way to end the meal.

I’m excited I have leftovers for tomorrow! Restaurants may come & go but if you love Thai give Old Siam a try and you won’t be disappointed!

It’s hard for me to imagine after coming to Old Town Gaithersburg to eat & shop for so many years, a little corner restaurant/carry-out place has been hidden from my view & smell! (and it’s directly across from the train station!)

The first time I heard of Rainbow was last Summer during The Taste of Gaithersburg. Rainbow had a booth there and I was so happy to see an African place here! I have gone to Langley Park to get market foods and African spices but never knew I had one so close to home.

Being vegetarian, I still had options and the beans & rice, spinach with some kind of tomato hot sauce (the BEST way I have ever eaten spinach in my life & has resulted in cravings galore!) and fried plantains were the choice of the day.

All the dishes were prepared to order and the owner had cool jazz going during the lunch time. so cool was it in fact, we found out the cd he was playing and went on-line and bought it after we returned to our offices!

If you’ve never tried African/Ghanian food, then now is your time to try. The owners & staff are very helpful if you have questions and you can even rent dvd’s if you like. Overall I really like the place and have gone back a least 3 times now. It’s definitely a “carry-out” atmosphere but they do have tables for dining. Try stepping back a little in time to a far off place, listen to the music and try some hot & spicy food from half way around the world. The spices are like none other than you have had, unless you’ve had African food before. This American of Italian descent, loves it as much as I love Middle Eastern, Asian & Indian.

Hum, lunch again this week, yeah, I must have that spinach again!