A Classic Chophouse Opens Today in Downtown Silver Spring

Michael Collins for J.Hollinger’s

Much-anticipated and long-delayed J. Hollinger’s Waterman’s Chophouse opens its doors on Tuesday, May 10, in Silver Spring. The modern American restaurant (8606 Colesville Road) is from restaurateur Jerry Hollinger of The Daily Dish and The Dish & Dram. The menu evokes a classic chophouse with a few modern twists: kimchi accents the chilled seafood platter at the raw bar and beef tartare is topped with local quail egg yolk. There’s a pasta section with dishes like linguine and clams, and a lengthy section devoted to steak with add-ons like butter-poached crab or jumbo shrimp and sauces like chimichurri or creamy horseradish. J. Hollinger’s fills the hole left by neighborhood chophouse the Classics, which closed in 2018, and originally opened in 1998 as Ray’s the Classics under founder Michael Landrum. Originally intended for a fall 2021 opening and then for a March opening, chef and Charlie Palmer alum Mike Ellis made headlines in March for his good deed of making meals for neighboring residents displaced by an apartment building explosion.

No Kid Hungry’s Taste of the Nation event returns this weekend

This Sunday, May 15, marks the return of No Kid Hungry’s Taste of the Nation event after a two-year hiatus. The nonprofit devoted to ending childhood hunger in the U.S. will bring 40 local food industry pros — and chefs from across the country — to downtown’s newly-updated Franklin Park (1332 I St NW).

The list of local restaurants involved includes All-Purpose, Bourbon Steak DC, Buffalo and Bergen, Captain Cookie, Cranes, Destino, Hiraya, Ice Cream Jubilee, Jackie, La Famosa, Metzger Bar & Butchery, Moon Rabbit, Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar, Preservation Biscuit Company, Queen Mother’s, Queen’s English, RASA, Ruthie’s All Day, Shilling Canning Company, Silver & Sons BBQ, and Taco Bamba. Take a break from trying dishes with games for kids and adults. The charitable event runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $95 for adults and $25 for kids.

Chopt plans to open an “eco-friendly” location in Ballston

A new Chopt is headed to Ballston, and this outpost of the fast-casual salad chain is going to be the first of its kind. This eco-minded Chopt location will be located at Ballston Exchange (4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 0185) and is set to open in June. The focus is on lowering emissions for the store, thanks to an energy efficient HVAC system and a smaller footprint (there’s only 16 seats in the shop). This will also be the first Chopt with completely contactless ordering, thanks to self-service kiosks and new QR code-enabled tables.