Haandi and Sweet Basil will close at the end of August, the latest casualties of redevelopment on Bethesda’s Fairmont Avenue.
As was reported in June 30 Table Talk, Foong Lin, the venerable Chinese restaurant at the corner of Fairmont and Norfolk, is scheduled to close on July 31.
A new apartment building with underground parking and street level retail space will replace that stretch of the street. Construction is slated to begin in late 2012, according to a representative from JBG, the developer of the project.
Haandi, voted “Best Indian Restaurant” by Bethesda Magazine readers in 2012, is aiming to relocate somewhere in Bethesda, although nothing has been finalized, according to assistant manager Harry Singh.
Manager Paul Tonakarn of Sweet Basil said the owner of the restaurant plans to take a break for awhile before looking for a new location.
In other news:
Quench, the new Rockville restaurant and cocktail lounge, is hosting its first “Food Truck Friday” today, July 6, in its rear parking lot. From 4 to 6 p.m.
Valerie Cook, owner of Cravin Cookies and Sweets, will be selling cupcakes, cookies and more from her pink-and-white van.
Owner Michael Holstein hopes the concept will generate interest in the restaurant as well as “get the food truck frenzy started in Montgomery County.” Next week: Pino’s Auto Grill.
The restaurant will be posting its full Food Truck Friday schedule in a couple of days.
9712 Traville Gateway, Rockville, www.quenchnation.com.
Not Your Average Joe’s, a Massachusetts-based chain, opened this week at 245 Kentlands Boulevard in Gaithersburg.
Don’t know if the restaurant’s cooking is true to its name, but the menu looks like a conglomeration of trends and ethnic cuisines, with a few basics, including the Joe Schmo, a simple tomato and cheese pizza.