BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE RESTAURANT WEEK JULY 29-AUGUST 4, 2013 (VIDEO)

Bethesda Restaurant Week is here again! Bethesda-Chevy Chase Summer Restaurant Week is Monday, July 29 to Sunday, August 4, 2013. The official website has the full list of participating restaurants.

Yesterday, Lebanese Taverna hosted a restaurant week kickoff event at Bethesda Row. I always say that the patio outside of Lebanese Taverna is the best-smelling corner in downtown Bethesda. The wonderful aromas drifting out of the restaurant certainly entice you to go in, even if you are a tourist not familiar with the local Lebanese Taverna chain.

As you will see (or just saw) in the video, Chef Jeff Heineman of Grapeseed on Cordell Avenue is the chair of this year's BCC Restaurant Week Committee. And that's been a Herculean task, as the entity behind previous years' events has stepped down.

Fortunately, the Restaurant Association of Maryland has stepped in to produce this year's restaurant week. And reliable local sponsors like EagleBank, Grapeseed and Bethesda Magazine have joined Friends of Restaurant Week BCC Chamber of Commerce, Bethesda Urban Partnership, the NIH and NOAA Recreation and Welfare Association, Metromedia Energy and Congressional Seafood Company to ensure a successful event.

2-course lunches will be $12 or $16, and 3-course dinners $33.

Best of all, a portion of the proceeds will go to wounded service members and their families, through the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Speaking of ribbons, there was a ribbon cutting yesterday to mark the one-week countdown to BCC Restaurant Week. Delegate Bill Frick (D-District 16), a 2014 candidate for Maryland Attorney General, was on hand to assist, as was Ginanne Italiano, president of the BCC Chamber of Commerce.

Participants around Bethesda Row include Assaggi, Jaleo, Lebanese Taverna, Mon Ami Gabi, Nest Cafe (on the EuroMotorcars block of Bethesda Avenue), Newton's Table, Raku, and Redwood.

Further afield additions include the new-and-already-award-winning Quench in the Traville Gateway area of Rockville, and the fabulous Brio Tuscan Grille in White Flint.

Start planning now, as this is a chance to try many top Bethesda restaurants for far less than the usual prices. Stay tuned here and on Twitter at @BethesdaRow as additional restaurants join the Restaurant Week list.

SUMMER FASHION EVENT TONIGHT AT FREE PEOPLE IN BETHESDA

This summer weather will have Bethesda fashionistas in the right mindset for a special event from 5-8 PM tonight at Free People, which just opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

The boho chic boutique will be serving refreshments, and giving away a free summer gift bag with any $50 purchase.

One lucky attendee will go home tonight with a grand prize Summer Essentials tote bag, jammed with stuff Free People thinks are must haves this summer.

But everyone will have a chance to check out the latest summer line of fashions at this special event.

AROMA ESPRESSO BAR UNVEILS DESIGN FOR FUTURE OUTDOOR PATIO AREA AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL

Aroma Espresso Bar is having a soft opening tonight in Bethesda, but the new coffee hotspot is already planning an expansion of its space at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Located near the mall's Entrance 4 (Old Navy wing), Aroma will claim space outside its walls this summer - literally.  The new expansion will be an outdoor patio, where customers will able to enjoy food, coffee, beer and wine on summer and fall days with good weather.

Seating will be at high tables with stools, or on stylish outdoor chairs complete with low coffee tables.

Aroma expects construction on the outdoor space to be completed by this summer. Click to enlarge the photo below for a preview of the new patio:

THEFT SPREE CLOSES OUT BETHESDA NEIGHBORHOOD'S "SUMMER OF SNATCH"

Seven thefts in 72 hours was not how some residents of west Bethesda wanted to end their summer.   And once again, the beleaguered Green Acres neighborhood had the majority of the thievery.

It's been a long summer of discontent for Green Acres, which started the season with a burglary spree in May, rode out a midsummer theft wave, and now tops it off with 5 additional thefts, just as autumn leaves begin to fall.

What is it about Green Acres that attracted criminals like magnets this summer, in a year in which the 20816 zip code overall experienced unusual crime activity?  Certainly, unlocked vehicles may have played a role in some thefts from autos.  But one teenage burglar who went wild there in May was breaking into the basement windows of homes, according to police following his arrest.

There have been sporadic thefts in west Bethesda over the last few weeks.  Two thefts in Green Acres on Tuesday initially appeared to be part of that typical activity.

But Thursday's 5 additional thefts strongly suggest one or more thieves are actively working that area now.

So make sure to secure your vehicles and home, and don't leave any money, GPS systems or other valuables in your car.

Here is the complete list of thefts:

Tuesday, August 28

Theft.  5300 block of Western Avenue.

Theft.  4900 block of Crescent Street.

Thursday, August 30

Theft from vehicle.  4600 block of Bayard Boulevard.

5300 block of Baltimore Avenue.

4800 block of Jamestown Road.

5100 block of Wissioming Road.

7800 block of Maryknoll Avenue.