There鈥檚 a lot of buzz surrounding a small restaurant in a Montgomery County, Maryland, strip mall.
It鈥檚 the result of in Rockville being named one of Bon App茅tit’s 50 Best New Restaurants.
鈥淲e were shocked,鈥� said co-owner Danny Dubbaneh.
Since Bon App茅tit’s list came out Sept. 8, he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 been crazy … last weekend, I don鈥檛 think I slept, I was just making more and more dough the whole time.鈥�
The dough is part of the manoushe, or traditional Middle Eastern flatbread, that the restaurant serves.
鈥淭raditionally, it comes with an herb and olive oil spread called za鈥檃tar,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 savory, a little tangy.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that hard to understand 鈥� it鈥檚 bread with toppings on top,鈥� he joked.
Making this even sweeter for him and the family members who work alongside him: The bakery is located in the same spot off Rockville’s Nelson Street where his grandfather opened a chicken and sub shop after coming to the U.S. from Jordan in the 1980s.
鈥淩eceiving that (Bon App茅tit) recognition kind of made it all click,鈥� Dubbaneh said. 鈥淲e were going to make something special in this neighborhood, because we love this area. We spent so much time in it growing up.鈥�
Northeast D.C.鈥檚 Daru also made Bon App茅tit’s list of best new restaurants.
