Chef Michel Richard says he may open his new restaurant, Michel, as early as this Friday, reports Tom Sietsema. If everything goes accordingly, Michel, located in the Ritz-Carlton in Tyson’s Corner, will be open to hotel guests on Friday and will accept reservations from the general public beginning on Oct. 26. The new restaurant occupies the former Maestro location and will feature a bistro menu that pulls elements from the menus of his other two restaurants, Michel Richard Citronelle and Central Michel Richard.

Chef Dennis Friedman, owner of the French-Asian restaurant Bezu in Potomac and former employee at Citronelle, made headlines last month when he took top honors at the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament in Baltimore. He beat out 32 chefs in the 16-week competition. Now, Friedman has joined the mobile food truck trend and recently launched Fired Up Pizza, a mobile wood-burning kitchen that serves all-natural pizza. Friedman’s mobile pizza truck currently serves at Bethesda Central Farm Market on Sundays. His pies are made with fresh, local ingredients from the market.
• VIDEO: Potomac chef’s pizza a hit in Bethesda (Potomac Patch)

Fired Up Pizza isn’t the only mobile vendor hitting the streets of Maryland. There’s also Chez Dikel, a “mobile cart vendor” that’s usually parked in downtown Silver Spring. Owners Ali and Dikel serve French and Malian cuisine to the area’s lunch crowd during the week and travel to events during the weekend, reports TBD’s Elahe Izadi. Could this be the beginning of Maryland’s food truck boom? It’s possible. Izadi says Montgomery County officials are open to gourmet food trucks, and with Fired Up Pizza and Chef Dikel already gaining regulars, it wouldn't be a surprise if more gourmet food vendors started popping up around the Free State.

Coming soon: Chidogo, Pound on the Hill, Ma Ma’s Southern Cuisine

Chidogo’s sign is up. The restaurant, located at 1934 14th St. NW, will serve Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. According to their Facebook page, the new hot dog joint will be opening very soon.

Karl Johnson, the owner of Pound Coffee, is launching a second location at 621 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, reports the Hill is Home. The new shop, called Pound on the Hill, will feature sidewalk seating and a back patio. The menu will likely be similar to the original location, serving premium coffee and international cuisine.

Ma Ma’s Southern Cuisine will be opening at the end of the month at 3118 Georgia Ave. NW, in the former Hadiyah Cafe location, reports Park View, D.C. The small restaurant will serve healthy soul food, offering dishes made from organic vegetables.

Construction underway: Italian Shirt Laundry

Construction for Italian Shirt Laundry is underway, reports 14th & You. The Italian restaurant will be located at 1601 14th St. NW. and will feature a menu of pizzas and baked goods. The developers are also working on a second Italian restaurant called Italian Cinema, which will be located nearby at 1404 14th St. NW. The Italian Cinema will serve pastas and charcuterie and will feature films screened against the restaurant’s wall.

In other food and restaurant news...

• Why did CityZen go from 4 stars to no-show on Sietsema’s dining guide? (Y&H)
• Food truck alert: @SangOnWheels... serving Asian fusion and Lao cuisine (Food Truck Fiesta)
• Muncheez Mania opens Thursday with free crepes (Dining in DC)
• Starbucks adds beer and wine to the menu (The Street via @monkeyrotica)

Write-ups and reviews from TBD’s Community Network

• French Twist DC: White House Garden Tour
• Plight of the Pumpernickel: Tour of White House Kitchen Garden
• Dining in DC: Dinner in the Old Havana...Cuba Libre
• Capital Cooking: Meet Alex Hecht, the Gibson’s bartender
• DC-Wrapped Dates: Fry Captain Food Truck
• Clarendon Culture: Minh’s Vietnamese Restaurant
• What’s up Wheaton: 1894 Cafe

Plan Ahead - This week’s food and drink events

• Oct. 18-24 -- Bethesda Row Restaurant Week
• Oct. 19 -- Paolo Ristorante’s Wine Pairing Dinner
• Oct. 23 -- Tallula's First Ever Big Pig Pickin’ and Oysterfest

Sweet Deals

• $5 off at Boston Market (through 11/9)
• 25 percent off at T.G.I. Friday’s (through 10/23)

Find a food truck for lunch...