Rose’s Luxury has a great lychee salad with pork sausage, habanero, and peanuts that has a bit of everything: creaminess from coconut, sweetness from the lychee, and savory notes from the sausage and peanuts. The menu’s put together straight off the chalkboards at the weekend farmers market—it’s very seasonal, incorporating whatever’s being harvested at the moment, with loads of flair and creative pairings. I look out for early spring when all the fresh, garlicky greens start popping up in everything on the menu. Bethesda Crab House is an old-school kind of place: brown paper–covered picnic tables on the patio; pitchers of beer; sports on TV; large, tasty crabs to eat, and dozens of crabs in brown bags heading out the door for crab feasts at area homes. The place and its vibe haven’t changed in years, so to any new customers: make sure the host doesn’t seat you on the patio by the dumpster!
