Modern Market now set for mid-August opening at Bethesda Row

I have an update from Modern Market on their Bethesda Row location, which will be their first of several in the D.C. region. You may have seen my report on the sign having been installed, and the furious pace of construction inside. A spokesperson says that they expect to open in mid-August, which I think they are definitely on-target for, given the progress on the interior build-out.

While you may recall that Modern Market has a focus on healthy dining and farm-sourced ingredients, I now have more specific information on which farms they are sourcing from.

Farms will include Satur Farms (located on one of my favorite places, Long Island, NY), which specializes in salad greens; Greater Tater (in Wayland, NY, down I-390 from another favorite, Rochester), which is all about potatoes if you couldn't tell; Phillips Mushroom Farms (in Kennett Square, PA) which has a gourmet division for restaurants; Harvest Queen Farms (Warwick, NY), which produces onions and spring mix lettuce; Bergamo Brothers Farms (Vineland, NJ) produces lettuce and leaf vegetables; and Sheppard Farms (a family farm boasting 233 years of operation[!] in Cedarville, NJ), which sells asparagus, cucumber, lettuce and bell peppers.

Other product sources will include Freebird Chicken in Pennsylvania, where the birds are raised on vegetarian, antibiotic-free diets and allowed to roam in barns; Compass Coffee on 7th Street NW in the District; Capital Kombucha, also in the District; and, rounding out the D.C. trifecta, Atlas Brew Works. Toasted sandwiches will be on bread from the Nation's Capital, as well - Union Market's Lyon Bakery.

Modern Market has two things in common with the former tenant of their space at 4930 Elm Street, Boloco: it is a fast-casual restaurant, and it pays it workers a living wage. The emphasis on providing a living wage extends to at least some of their producers, as well. Satur Farms states that its workers receive "living wages."

You could probably dine there if you are on a living wage, also, as entrees are in the reasonable $10 range. Modern Market will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

While the restaurant will address possibly the largest list of specialty diets I have heard of in Bethesda, they also emphasize that healthy eating isn't just about dieting. It is about avoiding artificial ingredients, hormones, etc. By way of example, Modern Market conducted a two-year search just to find pickles that didn't contain sodium benzoate.

“What we love about DC is that it’s filled with our customer – active health minded folks who care what they eat,” the chain's co-founder, Anthony Pigliacampo said in a statement Wednesday. “Expanding Modern Market gives us an opportunity to bring awareness to sustainability, both in food and in employees.”

Want to test out Modern Market before the masses? Be sure to sign up on their website for a soft-opening invite, and you will get in before the doors open to the public (and the food and drinks will be free)!