Restaurant Discovery
What if you could combine an upscale corner store with a coffee shop for your all-day caffeine and quick grocery needs? Foxtrot cafe on Bethesda Row answers that question, packing not only a cafe but a friendly little market featuring organic-forward and plant-based goods, including wine, to-go meals, drinks, pantry items and frozen meals into its 4,000 square feet of space. The Chicago-based chain, with outlets in a handful of cities, calls itself “A Better Corner Store, for Food People.”
The cafe’s menu includes smoothies, lattes, tea, coffee, pastries and salads. You’ll also find three varieties of avocado toast: original, bacon tomato and smoked salmon. Two breakfast sandwich options include the Veggie Brekkie, a fresh-baked roll holding a frittata-style egg patty with roasted mushrooms and scallions, pimento cheese spread and arugula; and the Sausage, Egg and Cheese, made with locally sourced meat, smoky aged Grafton cheddar, and a drizzle of spicy maple syrup. (That last sammie, Foxtrot notes, is a tested and approved hangover remedy. Not that we would know.)
7262 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, foxtrotco.com —Akira Kyles
New in Town
Ever drive by a business that clearly once served as a Pizza Hut? You won’t be getting those vibes at Isaac’s Poultry Market in Gaithersburg, where native son Rob Gresham demolished an old Hut to make room for his new scratch-made roasted chicken concept. The sleek, even urbane new spot opened in February, offering options from sandwiches to tenders, including many gluten-free choices.
Sides include french fries, roasted vegetables, mac and cheese, rice and black beans, broccoli slaw and roasted street corn salad. And since no meal is complete without dessert, Isaac’s serves up such sweet finishes as banana chocolate chip bread, s’mores fudge and housemade custard.
The menu also features brews and wine, which can be purchased to enjoy at the restaurant or to take home. When the weather is nice, you can dine and sip on the 150-square-foot patio.
12163 Darnestown Road, Gaithersburg, isaacs.market —A.K.
Pinch of Wisdom
“If you’re using store-bought tortillas, warm them up in a pan with a bit of oil and crisp them a little for some added texture. It makes a big difference.” Victor Albisu, chef/owner of Taco Bamba
Temperature Check
Students from Montgomery County Public Schools got to play food critic in February at a taste test for school menus. All 20 of the entrees—even the flops—sound way more interesting and evolved than the lukewarm pizza and wan fruit salad we grew up cramming down between classes. Still, everyone’s a critic.
Do you want to see this dish at your school?
- 95% Yes: Korean BBQ chicken. “One of the best meals I ever had.”
- 81% Yes: Chicken and waffle sandwich. “This is perfection.”
- 75% Yes: Buffalo chicken dip. “I don’t mind it at my school because I don’t eat cafeteria food.”
- 74% Yes: Mandarin orange chicken banh mi. “Carrots are kind of weird.”
- 69% Yes: Street corn casserole. “It tasted too much like corn.”
- 50% Yes: Plant-based “chicken” primavera. “Looked old, didn’t like texture, chicken tasted weird.”
- 38% Yes: Beef & queso flatbread. “Slimy.”
This story appears in the May/June issue of Bethesda Magazine.