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CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: DOMINIC BRACCO II FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; 2004 URBAN
BAR-B-QUE CO. PHOTO BY JAMES M. THRESHER/ THE WASHINGTON POST; EVY MAGES FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
particular occasion, their power- ful flavor.
10. Spice Xing 100-B Gibbs St., Rockville.
Clockwise from right: Patrons relax at the Rockville Rooftop, where weekly parties keep things hopping; have your pick of sauces at Urban Bar-B-Que Co.; Hair Expressions student Analy Herrera practices on a mannequin.
301-610-0303.
www.spicexing.com.
It’s easy to think in extremes when considering Indian dining options in the Washington area. Affordable Indian food too often means butter chicken in plastic foam containers or chafing dish- es of curry under heat lamps; quality Indian food results in white tablecloths and long waits for a reservation. Spice Xing, the newest restaurant by Passage to India’s Sudhir Seth, offers a fine solution for diners seeking qual- ity, affordable Indian food. With a casual, kid-friendly at- mosphere, it’s the type of place you can dine in shorts and san- dals after a Rockville Town Cen- ter shopping spree; Friday’s Cur- ry-Oke happy hour, where pa- trons sing to Top 40, hip-hop and Bollywood, should give you an idea of what to expect. There’s plenty to like about
6. Second Story
Books 12160 Parklawn Dr., Rockville. 301-770-0477.
www.secondstorybooks.com.
It is surprisingly easy to over- look more than a half-million books. Nearly invisible but for a
weathered gray-and-yellow sign behind a more prominent “For Lease” sign, the entrance to Sec- ond Story Books looks as though it might lead to a large, shuttered body shop. Instead, step inside the low-slung warehouse and find yourself completely im- mersed in row-upon-row of lit- erature. It might be wise to hire a sher- pa as you venture deeper into the craggy rows of shelves, which seemingly jut out from other shelves. At the very least, pack water or a snack. (This is consid- ered the warehouse half of the Second Story retail shop off Du- pont Circle.) With only about 20 percent of the inventory cata- logued, it might take a while to find what you’re looking for, whether a 26-volume Mark Twain collection ($200) or a 1968 aero- space yearbook ($2). Music lovers could spend days poring over the store’s LP bins as suspended fluorescent lights hum overhead. At $1 each or $50 for a bankers box filled to capac- ity, why wouldn’t you buy that Learn to Speak Yiddish LP, En-
gelbert Humperdinck’s greatest hits or Fleetwood Mac’s “Ru- mours”? If you’re in a hurry or looking for a specific, relatively new item, Barnes & Noble might be your best bet. But if you’re looking to spend some time exploring the human intellect as it exists on the page, you’ll be glad you stumbled upon Second Story Books.
ROCKVILLE
7.VisArts at Rockville/The
Rockville Rooftop 155 Gibbs St., Rockville. 301-315-8200.
www.visartscenter.org.
www.rockvillerooftop.com.
By day, the Arts and Innova- tion Center in downtown Rock- ville is a mild-mannered art gal- lery; by night, it’s a lively rooftop destination that attracts neigh- bors and office workers to mingle at a series of alfresco happy hours. That duality makes the Rockville Town Center building one of the most visually and so- cially stimulating locations in the city.
VisArts at Rockville occupies the building’s bottom three lev- els, housing nearly 2,000-square- feet of gallery space, a retail store and studios for artists working in ceramics, glass, wood, photogra- phy and other media.
Three levels up, the Rockville
Rooftop hosts recurring weekly parties to create Rockville’s most elevated outdoor bar. Dance to salsa, bachata and reggaeton at Beso El Cielo, a Latin-themed dance party on Tuesdays, while both SkyAtFive (Thursdays) and Breeze (Fridays) strive for a lounge vibe, with white couches and velvet ropes.
8. Cloud 9
Clothing 130-B Gibbs St., Rockville. 301-340-1061.
Since the Anthropologie on
Rockville Pike closed, the story of fashion in Rockville has centered on Marshalls, (T.J.) Maxx, Ross and Syms, a cluster of mid-Pike discount stores that, together, sound more like a law firm than a stylish destination. Head farther up the Pike, how-
ever, and you’ll find Cloud 9 Clothing, the Rockville Town Center outpost of a Baltimore- based chain of boutiques that happily keeps a low-profile — it doesn’t even have a Web site. What it does have is a selection of casual, hip dresses, designer denim and accessories that have the type of mass-market-bohemi- an appeal that draws in the fash- ion- and budget-conscious alike. Indeed, the selection recalls that of Anthropologie (minus the housewares) or Urban Outfitters (minus the forced irony).
The store’s selection in Rock- ville is almost exclusively geared toward women’s clothing, but, gentlemen, take note: Based on the number of 20- and 30-some- thing men in the store dutifully waiting as their female compan- ions try on multiple outfits, it’s a great place to pick up something for your significant other.
9. Bobby’s
Crabcakes 101 Gibbs St., Rockville. 301-217-0858.
www.bobbyscrabcakes.com.
The power had been off for two
days thanks to a late-July black- out; Patricia Byrne had even con- sidered staying closed for a third day because of depleted invento- ry. “We have a very limited menu tonight because of the blackout,” Byrne said, somewhat sheepishly, as she dutifully informed a cus- tomer of what wasn’t on the menu: no burgers, no chicken, not even any french fries. “But we do have crab cakes.” When the crab cakes turn out as well as they do at Bobby’s, there’s nothing to be sheepish about. Bursting with flavor, it’s a taste that’s as close to the Chesa- peake Bay as a diner can get with- out leaving the confines of Rock- ville Town Center. You’re paying for all lump meat in the crab cake sandwiches here, which explains their relatively small size and, perhaps most important on this
Chef Sudhir’s food, too. The Mal- bari chicken ($12.95) boasts suc- culent, golf-ball sized chunks of chicken in a sauce that zings with coconut and coriander, while the chicken tikka masala ($13.95) is as good a representation of the Indian staple as you’ll find. Paired with an appetizer of papa- dums and mango chutney ($4.50) or samosas ($5.50) and naan ($2.50), either entree can be com- fortably shared.
11. The Waygoose 33 Maryland Ave., Rockville.
301-279-7525.
www.thewaygoose.com.
“Take time every day to do
something silly,” reads the in- scription on a small wall-mount- ed clock inside the Waygoose. It’s as much a suggestion as it is a guiding principle for the hand- made crafts boutique that stocks tastefully whimsical odds and ends, including kitchen tools, paintings, conversation pieces and children’s toys, in Rockville Town Center. The store’s second location is in Bethesda. Indoor wind chimes twinkle as peruse shelves lined with pottery, ceramics and knickknacks: blown-glass vases, a spoon rest, a chopstick holder. But it’s an unconventional piece of Follette Pottery kitchen- ware, from Louisiana, that best il- lustrates the Waygoose ethos: a grey-and-red earthenware beer can chicken baker that comes with a recipe for the booze-in- fused barbecue favorite. It’s the type of item that you never knew existed, but now that you’ve seen it on the Waygoose’s shelves, you’ll find a reason to impress your dinner guests with it.
baldingera@washpost.com
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THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2010
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