Rockville’s Spice Xing

The January 2010 issue of Washingtonian magazine lists a couple restaurants in Rockville among the “100 Very Best” in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.  They are part of an exclusive club that includes Komi (#1), the Inn at Little Washington (#11), and 2 Amys (#28).  We’re delighted that the restaurants in Rockville are being recognized and that a few of them are meeting an extraordinarily high standard for quality.  Here are the gems in our fair city:

45.  Cava, 9713 Traville Gateway Drive (west of Fallsgrove).  “If all you know about Greek food comes by way of family-style diners trading on heaping portions of mousaka, this cozy mezzeteria—the creation of three Rockville natives and longtime friends—will be revelatory.  It straddles the lines between authenticity and modernity, between lightness and heartiness.”

52.  Spice Xing, 100-B Gibbs Street (Rockville Town Square).  “The sibling restaurant to chef Sudhir Seth’s Passage to India [Bethesda] trades the elegance and formality of its big sister for a more casual and vibrant experience.  It’s a looser operation but the profusion of flavors emanating from the kitchen—complex, vivid curries, lovingly rendered street snacks, well-blistered breads—is testament to the commitment to authenticity.  A tantalizing roster of cocktails complements—and balances—the heat in the dishes.”

77.  Addie’s, 11120 Rockville Pike (across from the White Flint Mall).  “What has come out of the kitchen at Jeff and Barbara Black’s folksy first restaurant can best be described as uneven.  But now it’s a different story with Nate Waugaman behind the stove.  Gone are the scattered attempts at fusion fare and in its place are house-made charcuterie (plus a whole lot of excellent Benton’s ham from Kentucky) and rootedly American roasts and fish dishes.  Finally, the food has one personality, not 15.”

Rockville has very porous boundaries and only Spice Xing is actually inside the official city limits, but these three restaurants call Rockville as their home, so we’ll welcome them.  Do check them all out since they’re so close (Addie’s is one of my favorites for a special occasion, Spice Xing for an inexpensive lunch downtown, and although I’ve never been to Cava, I’ve heard lots of good things).