Urban Butcher, Smashburger Both Opening

1) Silver Spring: Silver Spring is getting a new destination for meat lovers when Urban Butcher opens on Thursday, December 12. The restaurant is the latest venture by Raynold Mendizabal (Black & Orange), and features a large selection of head-to-tail dishes with most of the animals coming from local and sustainable sources.

The menu features entrees that span the globe with Chinese barbecue country style pork ribs, lamb marinated with Moroccan spices, ceviche, beef empanadas, and suckling pig. All of these items are butchered in house. An on-premises curing room yields a wide selection of charcuterie, including hams, salami (chorizo, saucisson), and terrines and pates (smoked bluefish rilette, foie gras terrine, pate de campagne). And nibblers can pick from a large variety of cheeses.

Cheese and meat make their way into desserts as well. Try the bacon-maple gelato, grapes and brie, or chocolate souffle with goat cheese gelato. Cocktails span from the classic to the slightly unusual — think lavender margarita —with a program that is heavy on whiskey and scotch. There are 11 beers and a sparkling wine on tap, and the wine list contains approximately 100 New and Old World selections.

Customers will eventually be able to purchase cuts of meat and other products from the in-house butcher shop and coffee from the coffee bar that will open in 2014. Status: Opening tomorrow. 8226 Georgia Ave. Silver Spring, Md.; website.
—Jamie Liu

2) Bethesda: Add another Smashburger to the mix. This one opens in Bethesda, serving up burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes and more. The company recently partnered with Honest Tea for its beverage program. Status: Opening today. 4903 Cordell Ave. Bethesda, Md.; website.
—Missy Frederick

[Photo: Jamie Liu/Eater.com]