Modern Market Bethesda Row review (Photos)

Modern Market is one of several new entries in the Bethesda dining scene promising healthier fare, but the chain smartly sidesteps the risky "diet restaurant" branding that has done in more than one eatery. Instead, Culinary Director Nate Weir and co-founder Anthony Pigliacampo seem to understand that while the Bethesda consumer is health-conscious, they aren't likely to stick to green leaves and ice water when they actually go out to eat. The menu items here may be more beneficial to your health, but flavor and healthier fats are not left out of the recipes.

I wasn't going to Modern Market for the coffee, but they serve Compass Coffee, brewed right here in the Shaw neighborhood in the District. This may be the best cup of coffee you can get in downtown Bethesda.

The menu and hours at Modern Market cover all 3 meals of the day. Breakfast options include delicious cage-free eggs with herb seasoning, roasted breakfast potatoes that lack the tough and rubbery potato skins often found on these elsewhere, tofu and even green chicken chili.

The bacon is something special here, also. Modern Market uses Tender Belly Bacon, which is nitrate and H&A-free. It's made in Colorado with a special dry rub that includes juniper berries and late-season Vermont pure maple syrup. The result is a crispy edge with a sweet and smoky ham/Boston Butt character to the flavor and texture. To get a sense of the texture, it is not super-easy to cut with the side of your fork. Having said all that, I thought the sausage here might be even better than the bacon.

On the (slightly) sweeter side of the breakfast menu are whole-grain Belgian waffles. I tried the cinnamon variety, which also comes with pecans, cinnamon sugar, and a side of pure maple syrup. Replacing butter on top is a dollop of tangy Greek yogurt. It certainly passes the waffle texture and maple syrup test. I would still prefer butter on top, but the yogurt does work well to provide a flavor contrast with the sweetness of the other ingredients. The cinnamon flavor was very strong, as well.

Toscano salad

Moving on to lunch, the high quality of the produce (each of which can be traced back to the specific farm it came from) really comes through in the salads and sandwiches. A very Italian choice is the Toscano, which comes with prosciutto, roasted grape tomatoes, cucumber, marinated cannellini beans, pickled onions, romaine lettuce and a roasted garlic rosemary vinaigrette. The paper-thin cold cuts and beans give the very light salad a meaty boost, while the crisp cucumber and lettuce are able to stand on their own without a heavier salad dressing. You also get a slice of herb flatbread with this salad.

Herb flatbread side

If I can steer you toward one item on the menu at Modern Market, it would be the Tender Belly BLT+A. As the name implies, it features the bacon discussed earlier, basil aioli, tomato, arugula, and the "A" ingredient - avocado, on Izzio's multigrain bread. Absolutely fantastic. The bread was toasted without being tough and chewy, and has a bit of a buttery flavor like you would get from a less-healthy, high-quality white bread. All of the flavors and textures combine together so well, you can't really pick out one and say that was the secret to the success of the sandwich. Don't worry about the details, just order one.

Tender Belly BLT+A
sandwich. Order now

Izzio's ciabatta is a strong platform for the seasonal Blueberry Pesto sandwich. The name and the blueberry jam have you expecting a dessert sandwich, but you'll be surprised by a zing of spice which doesn't seem to be accounted for in the list of ingredients on the menu. While not equal to the BLT+A, it's a great choice for the vegetarian.

The seasonal
Blueberry Pesto
sandwich

Farmer salad

For a salad more suited to dinner, try the Farmer, with mixed greens, seasonal fruit (strawberry at the moment), feta, roasted corn, almonds, and a champagne vinaigrette, topped with sliced, roasted Red Bird chicken. This does skew toward the sweet side of the flavor spectrum. The natural flavor of the chicken is good; I feel like it could benefit from a pinch of additional seasoning.

Crimini Kale pizza

Pizzas are not only made in the restaurant's brick oven, but their thin crust is house made in a 48-hour process. While - except when it comes to Ledo's - I am more of a regular-to-deep-dish person, I liked the unique texture of the crust. It doesn't have that chewy cardboard texture many thin crusts possess. I tried the Crimini Kale and seasonal Bacon Corn pizzas. The mushrooms on the former have a dark and hearty flavor, and the kale and almost-bitter tomato sauce give it a contrasting bright flavor. I could eat the kale on this as a snack.

The Bacon Corn, despite the meat dominating the name, actually is a winner for the rich combination of the corn and crème fraîche/3 cheese blend. This one seemed to match the flavor of the crust better, as well.

Seasonal Bacon Corn
pizza

Rather have pizza for dessert? Unless you order cookies, the dessert pizza is for you. While the picture may suggest sugar overkill, that is the Greek yogurt from the waffle providing the frosting-like garnish. That gives a parfait element, when joined by the strawberries and blueberries on board. It's really left to the brown sugar streusel underneath to remind you that, hey, this was supposed to be dessert.

Dessert pizza

Try a cold-brewed Compass Coffee before you hit the road. The brewing process produces a less-bitter flavor than hot coffee, and when it is served, it has a foamy, beer-like head on top.

In summary, Modern Market is aspiring to provide tablecloth restaurant quality in a fast-casual setting, and succeeds for the most part. It's a great new breakfast option downtown, and there are enough flavorful dishes on the menu that you don't even need to know that it has options for half-a-dozen specialty diets. Virtually everything on the menu is a light meal that won't leave you feeling bloated or in a "food coma." If you want to support responsible and environmentally-sensitive food production, and have something healthy for you without it feeling like a sacrifice, Modern Market is one to try soon. Four stars.

Modern Market

4930 Elm Street

240-800-4733