MET BETHESDA OPENING NEXT WEEK AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL (PHOTOS)

MET Bethesda, Westfield Montgomery's first true venture into upscale, fine dining, plans to open sometime next week across from the mall's new cineplex, ArcLight Cinemas.

The 120-seat space will feature a prominent 40-seat full bar at center stage, with the area's first on-tap Martini Bar. Flavors served up by the latter will include Lychee Ginger, White Peach, Coconut, Caramelized Pineapple and Prickly Pear. In keeping with the fine dining theme, it's fitting that the restaurant's General Manager will be Patrick Desotelle, a veteran of Le Diplomate in the District.

Signature menu items will include Spaghettini Carbonara with blue crab, chilies, lemon and fried egg; the Pounded Veal Chop on the Bone with watercress, escarole, endive, Taleggio, red onion, dates, walnuts and parmesan vinaigrette; and the Green Guru salad with kale, baby spinach, avocado, broccoli, shaved carrot, spiced pumpkin seeds, haricot verts, cilantro, mint and green goddess dressing.

A wood-fired grill will produce Whole Branzino with lemon grass, garlic-kale and sambal asum, Baby Back Ribs with grilled pineapple and jalapeño French fry salad, and Prime Bone-in Ribeye for Two. And the Char Bar will serve up American Yakitori: marinated, skewered and grilled beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables cooked over an open fire, designed for sharing.

MET Bethesda will be open Monday-Thursday from 11:30AM to 10:00PM (bar until 11:00PM), Friday & Saturday from 11:30AM to 11:00PM (bar until 12:00AM), and Sunday from 11:30AM to 9:00PM.

DUNKIN' DONUTS READY TO GO TODAY ON ELM STREET IN BETHESDA!

Stop by Dunkin' Donuts on Elm Street, celebrating its grand opening today. This makes 3 Bethesda locations for Dunkin' Donuts.

ARCLIGHT CINEMAS BETHESDA OPENS TODAY (VIDEO)

Today is the official grand opening of the new 16-screen Arclight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. You may have attended already during the cineplex's "soft opening" over the last couple of weeks. If so, please post a comment on your experience below.

If you haven't gone, it's not too late to order tickets. Curious about what ArcLight has to offer compared to other theaters within driving distance? Watch my video review for a preview of the ArcLight experience, and hear about the concept and dining options directly from ArcLight employees themselves. See the largest-screen auditorium, learn some technical specs, and hear about the brand's selling points - like no advertising before the movie!

Interstellar is the big movie there this weekend, as well as Big Hero 6 - which is not a sequel, despite the title.

FRANCESCA'S OPENS AT PIKE & ROSE (PHOTOS)

The first retail has opened at Federal Realty's Pike & Rose development in White Flint. Women's apparel boutique Francesca's debuted Saturday on Grand Park Avenue, off of Old Georgetown Road. This is the third Francesca's location in Bethesda, with existing stores at Bethesda Row and Westfield Montgomery Mall.

TAKO GRILL TARGETING DECEMBER OPENING IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Coming Soon signage is up in the window at the new location of Tako Grill in Bethesda, in the former Hinode space at the Shoppes of Bethesda, on Hampden Lane. The restaurant says it plans to open in December at the new space, after development forced it out of its original location at 7756 Wisconsin Avenue. That building is one of several to be replaced by a project that will include an office building and a Westin Bethesda hotel.

Tako Grill's menu will remain the same at the new location, they confirmed last evening.

WEBSITE LIVE, TICKETS ON-SALE FOR FUTURE ARCLIGHT CINEMAS IN BETHESDA

Get ready for an "interstellar" opening of the future ArcLight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The 16-screen cineplex's website has gone live, and tickets for actual movies are available for purchase. According to the ticket page, the first screening open to the public will be a showing of Christopher Nolan's eagerly-awaited space opera, Interstellar. The film will be shown in 35mm at 8:00 and 11:00 PM on Tuesday, November 4, based on the ticket purchase screen.

If accurate, this is interesting. Interstellar opens November 7. But Paramount Pictures announced last week that the film would screen early at select theaters, beginning November 5. However, I've read reports online of some theaters getting it Tuesday, November 4, as the ArcLight website is showing. November 4 also happens to be Election Day, by the way. In any case, it sounds like Interstellar's premiere weekend will be the theater's, as well.

Here's another minor, but important, detail you might want to keep in mind when purchasing tickets at ArcLight: I noticed the company has a policy kind of like one of my professors in college, who used to lock the classroom door at the start of class. If you are late for the movie, "no one will be seated after the feature film begins," the ticket purchase page warns.

As part of the build-up to the Grand Opening, ArcLight is collaborating with YouTube beauty guru Kandee Johnson to recreate iconic characters and moments from celebrated films. Johnson started with Natalie Portman's Nina Sayers from 2010's Black Swan. You can watch her transformation on her YouTube channel.

Expect to see this, and other images, around Bethesda in the coming weeks.

PEET'S COFFEE & TEA PLANS NOVEMBER OPENING AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL

 The second Bethesda location of Peet's Coffee & Tea is now scheduled for a November opening, a company spokesperson reports. They are currently hiring staff for the Westfield Montgomery Mall store. Peet's opened its first location in Bethesda earlier this year, on Old Georgetown Road.

You can apply online for the positions of Retail Associate and Shift Lead at the Montgomery Mall store.

SPECS NEW YORK TO OPEN AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Specs New York, a high-end sunglasses retailer, is coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The new store will be one of the company's first 3 outside of New York City. Brands carried by the store include Luxottica, Ray Ban, Persol, Oliver Peoples and Independent. Celebrities such as David Beckham, Victor Cruz and members of the Black Eyed Peas have been spotted shopping at Specs in New York. Will DC-area celebrities do the same in Bethesda?

DEL FRISCO'S GRILLE AT PIKE & ROSE - VIP PREVIEW PARTY (PHOTOS)

Del Frisco's Grille gave a crowd of VIPs a preview of the first restaurant opening at Pike & Rose last night. Signage had been attached to the facade of the restaurant, which is scheduled to open next Thursday, September 25.

General Manager Rahsaan Stone (L)
greets VIP guests at the tented
entryway erected outside the
restaurant's entrance

Attendees made a red carpet entrance, greeted by General Manager Rahsaan Stone and a free cocktail. Each party posed for photos before a Del Frisco's Grille logo red carpet backdrop. Inside, the spacious restaurant was packed, even with the standalone tables removed from the floor. An open bar finished what the martini glass at the door started, and uniformed servers made the rounds with a selection of appetizers and small plates from Executive Chef Cody Lynch's forthcoming menu.

A mixologist sends another
Apt. 5-D martini
down the ice luge

In many ways, the event had the feel of one held in the District more than in staid Montgomery County. Strawberry martinis with Tito's Vodka, lemon sour, simple syrup, a dash of balsamic, and cracked black pepper - called the Apt. 5-D, and quite good, I must add - gushed down a large cocktail luge, before arriving in their appointed glasses. The spectacle easily commanded the most cellphone photos of the evening, with shots of the frozen sculpture popping up on Instagram. Millennials hammed it up at an electronic photo machine throughout the night, and made up a large portion of the crowd in general. A raw bar with another ice sculpture served up oysters and shrimp just in front of the restaurant's open kitchen.

Striking a pose at
the electronic
photo "booth"

The finished product,
ready to print

The restaurant's main,
wraparound bar was
abuzz with activity all night

So was another kind of
bar - the raw bar

Raw oysters were the
main attraction here

The circulating appetizers got favorable reviews from everyone I spoke to. Dominated in sheer numbers by the restaurant's signature Ahi Tuna Tacos, it featured inventive twists on some popular small plates. My favorite was the crab fritters. Not to be confused with the crab cake sliders, which were pretty good themselves, the fritters have a far-lighter texture than you would expect from a fried dish. Inside the crispy exterior were bits of sweet peppers, tender corn, and - of course - crab. A drizzle of sriracha mayonnaise added a spicy finish to the top.

Cheesesteak Eggrolls

Crabcake on toast

Tomato and mozzarella skewers

Pork and cabbage taco

A fantastic crab fritter

Del Frisco's signature
Ahi Tuna Tacos

Grille Prime Cheeseburger
Sliders

After pursuing another Del Frisco's signature item, the Cheesesteak Eggrolls, without success, I spotted Chef Cody Lynch, who brought out a plate of 4 fresh from the kitchen for me. These were another winner, with the flavors of a fresh Philly Cheesesteak sandwich somehow jammed into an eggroll-like shell. Other good choices were the Grille Prime Cheeseburger, Pork Tacos with cabbage, and a veggie burger. Later in the evening, some selections from the dessert menu began to appear, including Coconut Cream Pie. Beers currently on tap are Stella Artois, Allagash White, Samuel Adams seasonal Oktoberfest, Yuengling and Blue Moon. I'm looking forward to trying some of the full entrees after the opening, because there are quite a few on the menu that sound great.

What's currently on tap;
GM Rahsaan Stone says
the selections will alternate

All in all, the evening was a brief taste of what nights at Pike & Rose could be like in the future. Federal Realty Development Associate Jay Corbalis said that the company is positioning Pike & Rose as an entertainment-centered development, with the AMP by Strathmore live music venue and iPic cineplex both on-site. With similar movie theaters canceled at JBG's North Bethesda Market II, and possibly at Lerner's White Flint Mall site redevelopment, Pike & Rose is primed to become the nightlife activity hub of the "new" White Flint. You need to get dinner with that movie, or a bar to meet up with friends before the show, and Del Frisco's seems poised to fit the bill.

Stay tuned for video from the event! Here are more photos; click to enlarge for greater detail:

This artwork hangs behind the wall
that separates the host stand from
bar area

Warmer installed on the
outdoor patio

The patio was packed
last night

Looking toward Executive Blvd.

A successful evening for
Executive Chef Cody Lynch
and
GM Rahsaan Stone

Oenophiles weren't left out
at the bar

"Do right and feed every man" is
the motto over the kitchen - and
on the back of staff uniforms

Valets line up the VIP vehicles
after the party

DEL FRISCO'S GRILLE PIKE & ROSE CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Del Frisco's Grille Rockville is the first business expected to open at Federal Realty's new Pike & Rose development. Yesterday, the nearly-finished restaurant was still very much a construction zone, as many final touches were being added by a sizable crew of workers. All of the upscale finishes and furnishings are in place, and chefs were hard at work in the expansive kitchen as they gear up to execute the recipes of Executive Chef Cody Lynch.

Lynch, a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, has previously served as both a sous chef and executive chef at McCormick & Schmick's here in the DC area. That should serve him well, as seafood is one of the things Del Frisco's is known for. He and General Manager Rahsaan Stone were both on-hand and busy yesterday.

Rich wood paneling and
distinctive lighting fixtures

Construction workers add
the finishing touches to
the interior

Wraparound bar

You'll be able to see the chefs at work yourself from most vantage points in the restaurant, as it features an open kitchen design. The sizable bar area - with wraparound bar - should be a great happy hour destination at Pike & Rose, but there is also a more secluded, glassed-in wine room with a table for 10. Speaking of tables, there is a mix of conventional tables, as well as a some larger, communal ones. These can also be used to accommodate parties of 10+, but Stone said the restaurant wants to give top priority to the larger number of small parties, so that walk-ins won't have to wait for a table. He said the flexibility will help make the restaurant a destination for suburban families.

The future patio at Del Frisco's,
alongside Old Georgetown Road

It seems that most hot, new restaurants need an inviting outdoor seating area. Dining al fresco at Del Frisco will be made easier through a variety of seasons with misting and warming equipment to keep temperatures comfortable for patio patrons. Stone pointed out that zinc panels on the exterior facade are designed to develop a patina over time, to fit with other throwback architecture details around the Pike & Rose development.

A mister already installed
on the patio

These zinc paneling strips will
acquire a patina over time

Indoors, you'll find the space dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows, wood beams, red and gold furniture and a variety of lighting fixtures, including rose chandeliers.

The American comfort cuisine menu will feature dishes such as prime New York Strip, and sole francese with lump crab and chive-lemon butter. Small plates fans can enjoy jumbo lump crabcake sliders, cheesesteak egg rolls, and ahi tacos stuffed with tuna tartare and avocado, to name a few.

When it opens (the opening date has not yet been made official, although a blurb on the restaurant website says September 25 - stay tuned for official word), Del Frisco's Grille Rockville's hours will be Monday through Saturday for lunch, from 11:30 AM until 4:00 PM. Dinner will be served Sunday through Thursday from 4 PM until 10 PM, and Friday through Saturday from 4 PM until 11 PM.  Will there be Sunday brunch? Yes! Brunch will be served from 11 AM until 4 PM Sundays. It just occurred to me that I need to find out if there will be extended hours for the bar after the kitchen closes at night, as is the case at some restaurants around Bethesda Row.

Signage and awnings
are not yet installed

A worker hoses down
Grand Park Avenue
on Tuesday afternoon

11800 Grand Park Avenue
Class A office building

Del Frisco's Grille Rockville

11800 Grand Park Avenue

(301) 881-0308