Willow Tree is Targeting the Village's Finer Tastes

Photos by Andrew Jones; article by Sebastian Montes

Add a more elegant option to Montgomery Village’s options for dining out: the Willow Tree Inn is reviving its weekend dinner service, gourmet grub served with a side of music and dancing.

The restaurant at the was a dining mainstay for decades, but a slow attrition of diners pushed Jack and Linda Doser to shut the dining room down two years ago and rely on their schedule of weddings, bar mitzvahs and holiday office parties.

Now, they’re looking tap into a hunger for fine fare borne out earlier this year during the Montgomery Village Foundation's months-long effort to craft a vision for the Village's future. Linda Doser has brought on a chef who will cater to an “American casual fine dining” palate—think steaks, crab cakes and customer favorites like their cherry-braised short ribs. Doser has also lined up live entertainment and is pushing to get the word out that those with finer tastes don’t have to search far and wide for a more elegant night out.

“We figured so many people in the Village work in D.C. and have long commutes, so why should they have to get back in the car and go to Rio or the Kentlands or whatever?” Doser said. “There seems to be a real need for a nice place to eat that’s close by. … When they come, we want them to have an enjoyable evening and a memorable meal. We just want to share our views and our great food and have a lot of fun.”

Village residents have for years bemoaned the lack of sit-down dining amidst an abundance of fast-food franchises and strip-mall take-outs—a gulf that widened with the closing of the Sir Walter Raleigh Inn in 2005 followed by the Willow Tree’s gradual decline.

Those grumbles are giving way to buzz: the Willow Tree’s re-opening comes on the heels of the owner of to anchor the Montgomery Village Marketplace.

Stonefish could open within the next few months. Willow Tree launched its revival in style with a on Nov. 4.

DJ’s will play every other Friday—this Friday is —and singer/multi-instrumentalist is booked for the next few weekends.

If the crowds can consistently top 100 per night, Doser wants to expand to four or five nights a week.

“We have a relaxed atmosphere, plus we have a view that’s second to none,” she said. “We’re trying it again, and we’re hoping people will support us.”