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The Red Bandana Bakery Owner: Bethesda resident Jaimie Mertz, 25
Silver Spring’s Katerina Georgallas, who’s been selling Greek pastries at area farmers markets, was scheduled to open a retail location of Baklava Couture in June at 10560 Metropolitan Ave., Kensington. Georgallas will be sharing the shop with her brother-in-law, Chris Panagiotopoulos, a former partner in Bethesda’s Mamma Lucia restaurant who now runs a catering company called Talia’s Cuzina, offering Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. Baklava Couture will sell pastries, Greek breads, coffee and pantry goods, and Talia’s Cuzina will offer sandwiches, salads and dinner carryout. Update on Bethesda’s Lot 31 development at Bethesda and Woodmont avenues: Silver, the Silver Diner’s upscale-diner concept, is shooting for a late August opening; while PassionFish, Passion Food Hospitality’s signature seafood restaurant, anticipates docking in early September. Also making debuts in late summer-early fall are Miso Café, an Asian fusion eatery; Samovar, a Russian eatery that will be run by a fatherdaughter team who have been caterers for Washington, D.C.’s Tajikistan Embassy; and Finnegan’s Wake Irish Pub, offering traditional Irish fare. All will be in Rockville Town Square. In downtown Bethesda, Soup Up DC plans to open in September in the former Bang & Olufsen space. Fall will also bring an addition to Westfield Montgomery mall: Shanghai 66 Innovative Kitchen, from the owner of Rockville’s Bob’s Shanghai 66 and Bob’s Noodle 66. Meanwhile, June saw the closing of 100 Montaditos in downtown Bethesda. The restaurant is moving to a new location in Washington, D.C.
Bio bits: Grew up in Gaithersburg, attended L’Academie de Cuisine’s professional pastry program after graduating from the University of Maryland in 2011. The goods: All cakes, cupcakes, brownies, granola, muffins and savory snacks are gluten free (instead of regular flour, Mertz uses a mix of white and brown rice flours plus potato and tapioca starches). Many are also vegan, but not nut-free. Taste test: Best bet is the dark chocolate gluten-free Bonfire Brownie. Where to buy: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sundays, Bethesda Central Farm Market, 7600 Arlington Road, Bethesda. Items can also be purchased online, plus Mertz will prepare custom orders. theredbandanabakery.com
red bandana photos courtesy
Michael Harr, former executive chef at Bethesda’s Food Wine & Co., has resurfaced in Gaithersburg at Largent’s Restaurant & Bar, at 654 Center Point Way. The plan is to rebrand the sports bar into a dining destination; at press time, the downstairs had just been remodeled, and Harr’s preliminary menu was in place. By summer’s end, the restaurant will also have a new name: Kentlands Kitchen.
264 July/August 2015 | BethesdaMagazine.com
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6/10/15 12:50 PM