NoMa’s Adult Playground Is Expanding to Silver Spring

Silver Spring gets spaghetti sandwiches with a side of Skee-Ball

NoMa’s year-old bar The Eleanor recently announced plans to open a much-larger 7,700-square-foot location in Silver Spring later this year, complete with six mini bowling lanes, more than a dozen arcade games, multiple outdoor patios, and 20 beers on tap. Founder Adam Stein plans to import hit D.C. dishes like elote-style hush puppies, General Tso’s chicken wings, and its quirky spaghetti sandwich to Silver Spring.

The “eatertainment” complex (931 Ellsworth Drive) will function as the flagship of Peterson Companies’ $10 million overhaul of the downtown corridor that recently lost Discovery Communications’ headquarters. Expect brunch, lunch, and dinner, along with two happy hours per weekday.

Open flame opening news

Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão just set a summer opening date for its new Pike & Rose location in North Bethesda, Maryland: Monday, June 24. The 300-seat modern restaurant, which includes a sprawling bar, patio seating, and continuous skewered meat service, marks the brand’s third area location and No. 54 worldwide.

Go-gurt

Sweetgreen’s inaugural salad stand in Georgetown tacked on a walk-up window dedicated to serving its Sweetflow fro-yo. The cult concoction disappeared from menus in 2014 but made a comeback last year in partnership with Dolcezza Gelato. Area purveyors providing toppings include Little Sesame’s sesame crumble and Paisley Fig’s cookie crumbles. The tiny 500-square-foot store and grocery stop, dubbed The Tavern, reopened last fall after a full renovation. Its new yogurt window opens daily at 11 a.m. (3333 M Street NW).

This bartender just made a $5,000 cocktail

Service Bar co-owner Chad Spangler won the National Restaurant Association’s “Star of the Bar” mixology competition at its 100th anniversary road show in Chicago this week.

His winning elixir, the “al pastor” margarita, is inspired by the taco traditionally made on a vertical spit. Spangler rubs pineapple with annatto seed and marinates the fruit in a vinegar and water mixture spiked with guajillo and ancho chiles. Then he grills it over charcoal and mesquite wood before blending it back together with the marinade before mixing it with raicilla and blanco tequila.

Summer-friendly ramen

Jinya Ramen Bar will roll out a cold, broth-less ramen on Saturday, June 1, through the end of August across its three area locations. The Hiyashi Ramen bowl comes with pork chashu, seasoned egg, cucumber, bean sprouts, spinach, pickled ginger and ramen noodles, with either a sesame or sweet soy sauce.