Celebrity chef Alex Garcia is coming to Downtown Silver Spring, filling the huge vacancy left last year by the departure of Romano's Macaroni Grill with his 180-seat Latin American fusion restaurant AG Kitchen.
Garcia, a native of Cuba, will open his first eatery outside of New York City next year, according to The Peterson Cos., the Fairfax-based firm that owns the mall fronting Georgia Avenue between Colesville Road and Ellsworth Drive."This is definitely long-awaited news and we're thrilled," said Laurie Yankowski, Peterson's regional marketing director.
The 7,700-square-foot restaurant's entrance will face the mall's interactive fountain and will feature outdoor seating. But Garcia's arrival will also reanimate the iconic Art Deco front of the mall, where a closed sign now steers Macaroni grill customers to its Gaithersburg and Alexandria locations. The mall, along with the AFI Silver Theatre next door, faced the wrecking ball before preservation activists compelled Montgomery County to save the complex in 1984.
Set to open next Spring, the restaurant will also bring foodie buzz to an area that critics have long complained has offered mostly cookie-cutter food. Along with Macaroni Grill, which closed last November, other major spaces are filled by national franchises Red Lobster and Panera, and locally based Austin Grill and Lebanese Taverna.
AG Kitchen will specialize in American and Latin "comfort classics" and will be similar to Garcia's New York restaurant, according to a Peterson press release. It will his serve signature dishes, including seafood paella and "NYC’s Best Cubano" sandwich.
"The introduction of Alex Garcia’s award-winning Latin cuisine is a win for Washington area foodies," said Kelly Price, Peterson's vice president for retail asset management. "We are particularly delighted to deliver on Silver Spring’s desire for a lively, independent restaurant that reflects the community’s vibe."
Garcia, former host of “The Melting Pot,” on the Food Network, is considered a leader of the Nuevo Latino cooking movement, and AG Kitchen's menu reflects the influence of Cuban, Caribbean, Brazilian and American palates. He has run numerous menus in New York, including Calle Ocho, Havana Café and the revived Copacabana Supper Club.
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