Bethesda Area Restaurants On Best DC Area Dishes List

WHEATON, MD — Restaurants in Wheaton and Kensington were among those from Montgomery County that made The Washington Post's new "40 Most Essential DC Restaurant Dishes of 2017."

The trio mentioned are Kensington's Frankly...Pizza! for its Hot Mess pie, Mi La Cay in Wheaton for its Bun Bo Hu soup and the shawarma at Max’s Kosher Cafe in Wheaton. No Bethesda restaurants earned a shout-out, while eateries in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Rockville also made the list.

The Post determined the top dishes by polling readers, industry insiders and its own staff. It received over 400 submissions and narrowed it down through a taste test. Staff explain, "We curated a selection that could cater to meat-eaters and vegetarians, sweets lovers and fried-food fans, suburban dwellers and urbanites without cars."

The Hot Mess at Frankly…Pizza! is chef and founder Frank Linn's yummy white pie. “I think they’re sleepers,” he told The Post. The newspaper writes: "The sauceless, gooey, wood-fired pie is topped with three kinds of cheese, candylike caramelized onions — Linn tells his team to 'think kettle corn' when they’re making them — roasted and pickled jalapeño peppers and thick-cut bacon made in-house. The unlikely combination translates into a harmonious blend of salty, sweet and smoky."

The pizza costs $16.75 and the restaurant is located at 10417 Armory Ave., Kensington. Questions? Call 301-832-1065.

As for Mi La Cay's soup, it's described as a rich pork and beef broth infused with lemongrass and chock full of fermented shrimp paste, rice noodles, slices of brisket and Vietnamese ham, a ham hock and congealed pig’s blood. The Post writes: "(Just try it. It’s like a savory, firm tofu.) Fresh garnishes tame all that meatiness. You’ll get bean sprouts, lime, Vietnamese coriander, sliced jalapeño, onion, scallion and shredded lettuce and red cabbage, plus the particularly intriguing shaved banana blossom, whose strands add a welcome crunch."

A dish of the hearty soup costs $8.95 and the eatery can be found at 2409 University Blvd. W., Wheaton. For more information call 301-929-2822.

The shawarma at Max’s Kosher Cafe is better than what you'd find in Israel, says the owner. "Momi Houmran crafts the meat cone, sizzling on a vertical spit, from turkey thighs and a hint of lamb. The condiments are made in-house, too: pickled cabbage, cauliflower, turnips and eggplant; fried eggplant; and hot and sweet peppers," The Post writes.

The dish costs $7.95 and you can find the restaurant at 2319 University Blvd. W., Wheaton.

See the full list of the DC area's best dishes here.

Also on the Post's list is the prawn vindaloo at Jewel of India in Silver Spring. Prawns are spiced in a sauce of white vinegar, chile, garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander, along with potato chunks .

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