5 Montgomery County Restaurants Make The Post's Fall Dining Guide

BETHESDA, MD — Five Montgomery County restaurants are getting some recognition from The Washington Post's resident food critic.

On Thursday, Tom Sietsema published his coveted Fall Dining Guide, which features 77 restaurants in the D.C. metro area. All the dining destinations have been visited in the past year and were chosen to represent a range of choice, Sietsema said.

Here are the five Montgomery County restaurants that made the cut:

El Sapo Restaurant Cuban Social Club
The cuban eatery, which opened last October, is located at 8455 Fenton St. El Sapo owner and chef Raynold Mendizábal also owns Urban Butcher, a meat-centric restaurant on Georgia Avenue.

"It's been a long dream of mine to represent and promote my culture through my craft. El Sapo is unmistakably Cuban; about half of the dishes are what I ate growing up at home or on the streets of La Habana, the other half tell the story of my journey as a cook. Silver Spring has given me so much — now it's time to give back," said owner and chef Raynold Mendizábal.

Sietsema gave El Sapo two-and-a-half stars.

"Salt cod fritters are marvels, crisp and greaseless; roast pork is cooked to collapse and delicious with bitter orange and crisp panes of skin. The chef's go-to main is mine, too: oxtails marinated in rum, hot peppers and soy sauce and finished with oregano and orange," Sietsema wrote. "The filling food doesn't leave much space for dessert, but trust me: Sugar-dusted churros with lemon-lightened whipped cream are worth your while."

Tavira
Sietsema awarded Tavira, a mainstay in Chevy Chase, two-and-a-half stars. The restaurant, which specializes in Portuguese and Mediterranean cuisine, is known for its Old World flavors and good service.

Here's what Sietsema wrote: "A good game plan features potato-thickened, kale-green, chorizo-strewn caldo verde; grilled Cornish hen ignited with piri piri sauce and flanked with tiny potato chips; and flan sauced with caramel. Did I mention conversation is easy, parking is free, and my most recent server told me he has been with 20-year-old Tavira for 15 years?"

Il Pizzico
Enzo Livia opened Rockville's Il Pizzico 29 years ago as an Italian deli. But after a year in business, the Sicilian native turned the deli into a sit-down restaurant.

"Il Pizzico is a checklist of what diners want from a neighborhood restaurant. Bread, served with black olive tapenade, is warm. The dining rooms are softly lit and soundproofed. The cooking — sweet corvina kissed with lemon butter, bucatini tossed with pancetta and a kicky tomato sauce — is devoted to good ingredients, simply handled. The icing on the torta is suave service," Sietsema said.

His rating: two stars.

Woodmont Grill
Woodmont Grill of Bethesda earned two stars for its lively atmosphere, large portions, and good service.

Sietsema wrote: "Lit as if it were a casino and furnished with cozy booths the color of rare steak, Woodmont Grill aims to please. Omelets for dinner? Service with a smile? Double check. Every dish seems big enough for two. Hungry as you might be and delicious as they are, parts of them are likely to go home with you. Trust me, you'll be glad to open your refrigerator the next day and find a high-rise fried chicken sandwich or a pork chop as thick as Ron Chernow's "Grant."

La Limeña
The family-run restaurant in Rockville offers the cooking of Peru and Cuba. Sietsema wasn't a big fan of the black beans or the tilapia, but still gave La Limeña two stars for its other drool-worthy dishes.

"You'll crave chicken before you've even been seated, having been teased by the flock on display near the glass-fronted entrance. Rubbed with cumin and garlic and charcoal grilled, the chicken is a mash note to Lima, even more so in the company of yucca fried so the outside is crisp and the center fluffy. Havana is nicely represented by winy, tomato-sweetened shredded beef, a classic ropa vieja served in an edible basket of plantain slices."

Click here to view the full 2019 Fall Dining Guide.