1 Meat, 3 Sides: Berries, Brews and Burmese Food

Get caught up with the food scene in Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods with "1 Meat, 3 Sides." This week, summer berries take center plate:

One Meat:

The Washingtonian Magazine's berry-picking guide is out. Thanks to the hot spring and summer, the blueberry and blackberry seasons are already underway, "so act now or spend the next year as a fruit philistine, munching on lowly store-bought berries," Travis M. Andrews advised.

Andrews' picks for berry-picking in Maryland include: 

• Frog Eye Farm (19600 Frog Eye Rd., Knoxville): "Blueberries can be found in abundance, and some haven’t even ripened yet," Andrews reported.
• Homestead Farm (15604 Sugarland Rd., Poolesville): "Thornless blackberries ... should be there until at least mid-August."
• Milburn Orchards (1495 Appleton Rd., Elkton): "...Blackberries are ripe for the picking until mid-August."
• Rock Hill Orchard (28600 Ridge Rd., Mount Airy): "In addition to berries, you can cut your own herbs, including basil, thyme, rosemary, dill, and tarragon."
• Larriland Farm (2415 Woodbine Rd., Woodbine): "Blackberries are making a strong showing, but raspberries are still a little scattered."
• Butler’s Orchard (22200 David Mill Rd., Germantown): "It’d almost be a wasted trip if you didn’t stop by the bakery to pick up one of the fresh pies, such as peach crumble, strawberry-mango, or the most appropriate one for this list, very berry," Andrews advised.

Three Sides:

The area's newest brewery—3 Stars Brewing in the Takoma, Washington, DC, neighborhood—is about a month away from having its beers on-tap in area bars, The Washington Post reported.

"The opening lineup includes the Belgian-style Urban Farmhouse Saison (6.5 percent alcohol by volume), the Southern Belle imperial brown ale (8.7 percent ABV) and Pandemic Porter (9.6 percent ABV), which is brewed with small-batch coffee," Post reporter Fritz Hahn wrote.

***

New restaurant in Rockville—whose brings "the urban experience to the suburbs," owner Michael Holstein told Washingtonian Magazine—is already undergoing changes.

"Just two months out of the gate, and the strip mall spot has already parted ways with two of its 'leaders.' Bar manager Steve Oshana was let go just a week after the May opening, and last week the restaurant bid adieu to executive chef Prentis Richard Gunter," Washingtonian Magazine reported.

New items are on the menu—including a burger and a selection of salads and vegetable sides, which were requested by diners—and sous chef Evan Griffin (formerly of Black’s Bar and Kitchen and Buck’s Fishing & Camping) has been promoted to the position of executive chef, Washingtonian Magazine reported.

"No slight to Rich, but Evan’s vision was much more in line with what our customers want," Holstein told Washingtonian Magazine.

***

, a Burmese restaurant in Silver Spring that "is repeatedly ranked among the best cheap eats in the region," will open a second location at 9th and P streets NW, Washington, DC, in late October, Washington City Paper reported.

"The menu will be less than half the size of the Silver Spring menu and rotate every week or two to include new dishes plus customer favorites. ... Expect prices to be slightly higher, given the higher cost of rent" in DC, the City Paper added.