Popeyes Red Stick Chicken arrives in Rockville

Popeyes launched a new menu item Monday, called Red Stick Chicken. The name comes from the ingredient the fried chicken tenders are marinated in - Tabasco sauce. The McIlhenny family has been  producing that sauce on Avery Island, Louisiana since 1868, and growing the cayenne peppers for it there, as well. It is from the growing process of those crops that the Red Stick name comes from.

In monitoring and harvesting the peppers, employees use a wooden stick painted the exact shade of red that the fruit must be to meet McIlhenny standards for ripeness. The baton rouge is known in English as "the Red Stick."

Tabasco flavor and heat is met by an equally-spicy Smok'n Pepper Ranch sauce, also new this week at Popeyes. The meal is completed with a serving of Popeyes' famous fries and Southern-style biscuit.

How hot is the Red Stick Chicken, and how does it taste? Watch my review to find out!

Summer House review at Pike & Rose (Photos)

You've been invited to a dinner party at a millionaire's oceanfront summer home - although you'll be paying for your meal at the end of the evening. That's perhaps the best way to sum up dining at the hotspot Summer House Santa Monica. Located in Federal Realty's rapidly-expanding Pike & Rose development in Montgomery County's newly-dubbed Pike District, the restaurant is jam-packed. Is it North Bethesda? Is it Rockville? It doesn't matter, because once inside the revolving front door, you are in Santa Monica or the Hamptons.

View of the bar from the
dining room

Catch all the action in
the open kitchen

But as the tenacious winter gives way to spring, Summer House is planning to get more summery. Work is scheduled to begin today on the two outdoor dining areas, one on Grand Park Avenue, and one alongside the restaurant. The sidewalk cafe section will be similar to that of Lettuce Entertain You's sister restaurant, Mon Ami Gabi at Bethesda Row, while the second patio will be larger. Parts of the side walls, and garage doors on the front, will open during warmer temperatures, bringing more of the summer weather into Summer House, and the restaurant's hip atmosphere out to the streetscape.

I stopped by to check out Summer House for myself yesterday. The first thing you will notice when entering is the bakery, chock full of fresh-baked bread, cookies and brownies - and Mint Oreo Rice Krispies treats. Man cannot live on bread alone. You'll most likely be stopping there again before you leave.

Right now you need a refreshing beverage. There are quite a few summer-appropriate cocktails, and a good selection of wines - including one of my favorites, a Malbec by Alto las Hormigas. But I decided to go to the beer list, noticing that - alongside my standby Pabst Blue Ribbon - they had another classic American brew less often found on beer lists around here: Anchor Steam. I liked this California Common-style beer, which dates back to 1896 San Francisco. I'm giving it 4 stars out of 5 under my beer rating system.

Anchor Steam pours
with a massive head of foam

Next, I tried the Guacamole and Corn Tortilla Chips platter, which also includes some charred tomato salsa. The chips were fresh with good corn flavor, and well-paired with the two above-average dips. You'll be satisfied, as they deliver exactly what you expect.

Tortilla chips with
guacamole and charred
tomato salsa

My favorite appetizer was the Baked-to-Order Biscuits, which are just that - baked when you order them. Slightly sweeter than the Southern-style baking powder biscuit, they are heavenly with the included roasted poblano honey and soft herb butter. I recommend putting extra of both on as I did, as the melting butter on the fresh, hot biscuit made this a 5-star winner.

Baked-to-Order Biscuits
are a must-try

Then it was on to the main event.

Decisions, decisions

The Roasted Half Chicken provided a large portion of white meat chicken, some carved, and some still on the bone - including a drumstick. I found it not overly salted, with a crisp snap to the outer skin. The salsa verde gave it more of a summer flavor. A massive heap of french fries that provide what everyone loves in McDonald's-style fries (crisp outside, soft and warm inside, but with some skin on in this case) was next to the chicken. A side dish of Country Stuffing boasted massive, soft croutons and cherry tomatoes, the latter keeping the theme from sliding from summer to Thanksgiving. This is a classic dish, basic and perfectly-executed.

Roasted Half Chicken with
french fries, salsa verde and
ketchup

Country Stuffing

Some other highlights - a well-cooked burger with more of those great fries, a Georges Bank swordfish, and a grass-fed Prime Skirt Steak with Point Reyes blue cheese were also winners.

Georges Bank Swordfish

Prime Skirt Steak

Classic Wood-grilled
Hamburger

Now when it comes to dessert, you have a selection of menu items - or, you can head out and pick your dessert from the bakery case (I told you you'd be back!).

The Trifecta Fudge Cake seems to be a popular choice, and with good reason. A dense fudge cake topped with a massive dollop of fancy whipped cream, its fudge filling and fudge sauce are rich enough to be a match for the cube of peanut butter fudge that joins it on the plate. Peanut butter sealed the deal for me, and again works with the summer theme, as the fudge reminds one of that sold on the boardwalk at Ocean City.

Trifecta Fudge Cake

Then again, you could go for the bacon-topped chocolate chip cookie. It is a real thing, and it's scrumptious.

Bacon-topped Chocolate
Chip Cookie

Overall, the service was outstanding. I'm looking forward to going back during the summer to check out the patio, and see what the summer menu and beer list will have to offer.

Summer House Santa Monica

11825 Grand Park Avenue

301-881-2381

Samovar to bring Russian cuisine to Rockville; update on Miso Café

The latest dining addition to Rockville Town Square will be Samovar, a 3,353 SF restaurant featuring the cuisine of Russia with Eastern European and Central Asian accents. Father-daughter owners Solijon Nasimov and Ika Nasimova have over 25 years of experience in the industry, with restaurants in New York, Colorado, and their home country of Tajikistan. This is their first DC-area venture. they are also the caterer for the Russian Trade and Cultural Missions and Tajikistan Embassy in the District.

Samovar will feature live music on weekends, and is expected to open this July at 201 N. Washington Street.

Meanwhile, an update on my previous report this week on Miso Café. It turns out Miso will be a Korean fusion restaurant, not Japanese as I assumed from the name. The owners, who have an existing outpost in Annandale, hope to open this summer at Rockville Town Square.

All you can eat wings today at Hooters of Rockville

Enjoy all-you-can-eat wings today at Hooters of Rockville. The offer is good all day, and is limited to dine-in customers only.

Hooters of Rockville

1584 Rockville Pike

Rockville business flees building slated for demolition, finds new home in city (Photo)

InfoStructures, a Rockville technology consulting firm that has government and private sector clients, had a problem. The city recently gave the JBG Companies the green light to demolish the building InfoStructures is headquartered in, the historic 5 Choke Cherry Road.

Fortunately the city has been able to hold on to those jobs, as InfoStructures just leased 4850 SF at 1390 Piccard Drive. That building is owned by Washington Property Company. The deal was facilitated by real estate firm Transwestern.

Transwestern also helped WPC land another tenant at that address, ABSG Consulting. They leased 2200 SF recently, as well.

Photo courtesy Washington Property Company

Rockville's budget, minimum wage get bigger; property tax rate stays the same in FY2016 proposal

Rockville's operating and general fund budgets would increase (by 3.6% and 4.3%, respectively) in size under City Manager Barbara Matthews' proposed FY2016 fiscal plan. The budget book was formally introduced to the Mayor and Council at last night's council meeting.

The city government's minimum wage would increase to $9.55 on July 1, 2015, but the property tax rate paid by residents and businesses would remain the same as this year's. That won't prevent some from paying more property taxes, however, as assessments have been trending upward.

Watch your wallet, though: utility bills and refuse/recycling fees would increase under the proposed budget.

About $64 million would go to capital improvement projects, including the following:

• Funding for bridge repairs, including a $1.3 million taxpayer-supported debt issue in FY16 to address repairs to the First Street bridge and $1.8 million in FY 2019 for repairs to the Hurley Avenue bridge
• $1.7 million in FY 2017 to begin improvements to the Swim and Fitness Center locker rooms and for improvements to the Civic Center in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act
• $3 million in FY 2018 to continue Swim and Fitness Center improvements
• Pedestrian safety initiatives and sidewalks
• Water, sewer and stormwater management system improvements, including debt issues to support the water, sewer and stormwater management funds
• Stabilization and rehabilitation of the King Farm Farmstead dairy barns
• Road and sidewalk repair and replacement
• A new utility billing system

You can read the full budget here. The budget will change based on feedback from the Mayor and Council and the public.

To comment on the proposed budget before it is adopted at the May 18 Mayor and Council meeting, you can speak at public hearings scheduled for March 30, April 13, and April 20.

Historic District Commission to meet with Twinbrook residents April 28

Twinbrook residents concerned about the future of their historic neighborhood may want to attend a meeting next month. Members of the Rockville Historic District Commission will attend a Twinbrook Citizens Association meeting Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 PM to discuss options the neighborhood can consider going forward. Commissioner Jessica Reynolds says "many of those homes are now within the 50 year" eligibility period, and that homeowners may wish to explore historic designation or other preservation efforts.