May Is National Hamburger Month

May is National Hamburger Month and May 28 is National Hamburger Day. Although it has become a culinary icon in the U.S., there is controversy over its origin. It most likely appeared in the 19th or early 20th centuries. To celebrate, many restaurants in the DMV are offering their take on burgers.

The Ambar Burger is made with beef and pork. (Photo: Ambar)

Ambar, 523 Eight St. SE, serves its $11 Ambar Burger, which is made from a combination of beef and pork, with urnebes (Serbian cheese and hot chili pepper spread), lettuce and tomato.

Ardeo+Bardeo, 3311 Connecticut Ave. NW, offers a grilled burger. Priced at $14, it is topped with cheddar cheese, ginger fry sauce and onion-basin jam and served on sesame seed bun.

Clyde’s of Columbia, 10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, has a gyro lamb burger with ground seasoned lamb, pickled cucumber, yogurt sauce, feta cheese, red onion and arugula served in a house-made pita for $13.50.

Clyde’s of Georgetown, 3236 M St. NW, offers an all American cheeseburger on their menu for $13.50, which is made with 6.75-ounces of freshly ground, locally raised grass-fed beef, lettuce, tomato and a pickle served with French fries.

Clyde’s of Reston, 11905 Market St., Reston, has a Greek lamb burger on their menu with feta cheese, arugula, red onion and tzatziki sauce served on a brioche roll for $13.50.

Clyde’s of Tysons Corner, 8332 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, serves the Tysons Central Burger with Devil’s Backbone BBQ sauce, bleu cheese, pork belly, onion strings and Fresno chilies served on a toasted Challah bun for $13.50.

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, 801 Ninth St. NW, offers a churrasco steak burger. Priced at $14.25, the burger is made with all natural black Angus skirt steak and served with pickle frita sauce, chipotle-onion marmalade, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato on a brioche roll along with boniato chips and Cuba Libre steak sauce.

Et Viola! in the Palisades neighborhood serves a lobster burger. (Photo: Et Voila!)

Et Voila!, 5120 MacArthur Blvd. NW, has a lobster burger on its menu, which is served with Belgian fries and a aioli sauce, priced at $19.95.

Macon Bistro and Larder, 5520 Connecticut Ave. NW, serves the Macon Burger, which is topped with pimento, collards, pork belly and served with sweet potato fries for $21.

Off The Record at the Hay-Adams hotel, 800 16th St. NW, offers its OTR Burger with caramelized onion, wild mushrooms, sugar cured bacon, gruyere cheese and OTR sauce served with fries for $18.

Takoda, 715 Florida Ave, NW, has a triple bacon burger with two bacon-infused patties, Applewood smoked bacon, bacon and blue cheese fondue, and a sunny side up egg on on a pretzel bun for $19.

The Tombs in Georgetown serves the Filibuster Burger. (Photo: Clyde’s Restaurnts)

The Tombs, 1226 36th St. NW, offers the Filibuster Burger with American cheese, thousand island dressing, grilled onions and pickles for $12.50.

Toro Toro, 1300 I St. NW, serves its Toro Toro Burger with miso mustard and a choice of cabrales bleu or manchego cheese with hand cut fries for $18.

Station 4, 1101 Fourth St. SW, serves a smoked Kobe-style burger with Snake River Farm Wagyu beef, gorgonzola cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato and mayo, served on a brioche bun with fries for $20.

Grillfish launches new weekend brunch

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Grillfish, 1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, is now serving weekend brunch from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Grillfish is serving a new weekend brunch including a lump crab cake benedict. (Photo: Grillfish/Facebook)

The new brunch menu focuses on high-end seafood and shellfish options, all which are sustainable in partnership with the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch program. New dishes include items such as lobster croquettes, fried oysters with poached eggs and chilled seafood platters.

A prix fixe, three course option is available for $35 and includes a starter, entrée and dessert along with a basket of warm bread and pastries and a glass of Champagne, mimosa or bloody Mary.

There are also new a la carte selections, such as sustainable, American hackleback and white caviar, as well as new twists on omelets and benedicts. Grillfish is also serving smoked salmon and whitefish on Bullfrog Bagels.

New desserts include lemon meringue tarts, toffee pot de crème and seasonal sorbets. In addition, there is a new selection of original bloody Marys and bubbly options such as fresh squeezed tomatillo juice, a mimosa sorbet float and bubbly flights.

Suma Restaurant + Bar opens in Bethesda on Tuesday

Suma Restaurant + Bar, 4921 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda is set to open on the end of Bethesda Row on Tuesday, May 17.

Suma opens in Bethesda on Tuesday with a new American menu that includes pizza. (Photo: Suma)

Suma, which means “born during the summer” in Old English, is meant to reflect the restaurant’s open and airy dining room and patio. The restaurant is owned by Jennifer Day.

Chef Gene Shon, most recently from Mussel Bar, will serve a seasonal modern American menu for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

The seasonal menu items include chicken liver parfait, chargrilled octopus, sherry mussels, roasted lamb ragout and challah fried chicken. A fresh pizza menu offers toppings that include duck, alfredo, spicy soppressata, margherita, pork belly and roasted veggies. Dinner starters are priced from $8-$14, pizza from $15-$17, entrees from $16-$28 and sides from $5-$8.

Lunch includes soups and salads priced from $7-$9. Appetizers priced from $9-$25, pizzas from $15-$17 and sandwiches including a reuben wit house-made corned beef, caprese, turkey club, burger and grilled chicken and avocado served with fries or a salad for $11-$14. Three lunch entrees include fish and chips, wood-fired salmon filet and linguine and mussels for $13-$16.

The brunch menu includes starters and pizzas from the other menus along with fried chicken and pancake, frittata, truffled egg toast, pain perdu and eggs benedict priced from $12-$18.

Suma’s bar program includes cocktails such as orange crushed, strawberry rooster margarita, honey-basil caipirinha and oyster shooter flights. There are also beer flights and three whiskey flights.

Suma Restaurant + Bar will open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

Macon Bistro hosts 7 Locks Brewing tap takeover

Macon Bistro and Larder, 5520 Connecticut Ave. NW, is hosting a tap takeover featuring Rockville’s 7 Locks Brewing during May, dedicating six taps with five beers available.

Macon Bistro and Larder is hosting a 7 Locks Brewing tap takeover during May. (Photo: Scott Suchman)

University of Maryland alums Jim Beeman and Keith Beutel opened 7 Locks Brewing in November. Drafts are priced at $7 per pint or a flight of three 5-ounce pours is $15. Featured beers include Snakeden Saison, Surrender Dorothy RYE Pale Ale. Farmhouse Strong Ale, Sligo Creek Lager, and a house IPA, a rotating East Coast-style India pale ale.