A Bethesda restaurant is earning regional recognition, as Aventino Cucina has been named a semifinalist for the RAMMY Awards’ “Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year.”

Located at 4747 Bethesda Ave., Aventino opened in January 2024 and quickly built a strong following for its vibrant take on traditional Roman cuisine. The restaurant has generated buzz locally, with its cappelletti even being named our very own Mr. MoCo’s “favorite dish in MoCo” in May 2024.

Led by chef Mike Friedman, an Olney resident, Aventino’s menu features a range of antipasti, fresh pastas, and classic Italian dishes, alongside a cocktail program that includes spritzes and negronis. The restaurant offers a warm, inviting atmosphere and can accommodate more than 100 guests.

Aventino is one of several standout restaurants across the region recognized as semifinalists for the award. Others include Anju, Casa Teresa, Cucina MORINI, Joon, Moon Rabbit, NUE: Elegantly Vietnamese, Osteria Mozza, Pascual, and Perry’s.

The RAMMY Awards, presented annually by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, celebrate excellence and achievement in the region’s restaurant and foodservice industry.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is urging residents across the D.C. region to take Monday’s severe weather threat seriously after the Storm Prediction Center upgraded the area to a Moderate Risk, which is level 4 out of 5.

NWS forecasters say damaging winds, including gusts of 65-75 mph, and a few tornadoes, some of them potentially strong, are possible as a powerful system moves through the region. The Baltimore/Washington forecast office also says severe thunderstorms capable of producing significant damaging winds and tornadoes are expected with a strong cold front on Monday. 

The latest outlook graphic from NWS Baltimore/Washington shows the region in the moderate risk zone, with the greatest concern centered on widespread damaging winds, along with a tornado threat, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours.

Timing posted by the NWS shows the highest threat for areas east of the Blue Ridge, including the D.C. metro area, between 4pm and 9pm Monday. The National Weather Service forecast for Washington also says thunderstorms are possible after 11am Monday and warns that some of the storms could be severe. 

FOX5 meteorologist Mike Thomas said the setup is especially unusual for this region, noting that Washington has not been included in a Day 2 moderate risk for severe weather in more than a decade, dating back to June 12, 2013.

He also said Monday’s setup includes a 15% significant tornado risk and a 60% significant wind damage risk, underscoring how serious forecasters believe the threat could become. As he put it, this is not the kind of outlook the Storm Prediction Center issues lightly.

Matchbox will be closing its location at Bethesda Row on Sunday, March 22, ending a run that began when the restaurant opened there in October 2019.

The restaurant officially opened on Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 7278 Woodmont Avenue, taking over a 5,750SF space previously occupied by American Tap Room. The opening was part of a broader regional expansion by Thompson Hospitality, which had taken over management of the brand the year prior.

The Bethesda Row restaurant features a large wood-fired pizza oven as a central focal point of the dining room. The space was designed to accommodate significant capacity, with seating for 180 guests indoors and an additional 32 seats on an outdoor patio.

While the Bethesda location has closed, Matchbox continues to operate two other restaurants in Montgomery County. Those locations remain open at 1699 Rockville Pike in Rockville’s Congressional Plaza and at 919 Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring.