One by one, we’re running through the 50 restaurants that made the cut on this year’s Young & Hungry Dining Guide. If you have visited the day’s featured restaurant, let us know what you think. If you’re planning to visit for the first time, tell us about your meal when you return.

Gillian Clark and partner Robin Smith had to wage battles on several fronts to finally launch their folksy eatery, the General Store, in the former Forest Glen post office in Silver Spring. Montgomery County, historic preservationists, even the landlord—everyone, it seems, wanted to tell Clark and Smith how to build out the 19th-century structure, down to the exact number of parking spaces they needed. It was enough to make Clark and Smith want to walk away from their project, which they seriously considered doing. I’m glad they stuck with it. The joint exudes a sort of sterile country vibe, part old-timey kitsch and part burn-unit clean, but Clark’s food remains as down-home and comfy as ever. Well, when she still has some to sell. The General Store has already developed a reputation for running out of its famed fried chicken before closing time; fortunately, there are tasty backup options. I’m thinking specifically about Clark’s chunky tarragon chicken-salad sandwich, which employs the namesake herb without allowing its anise flavors to dominate, as they so often do. The fish tacos are an excellent handheld bite, too, stuffed to capacity with fried whitefish, avocado, and melted cheese. At this point, the only unresolved issue for Clark and Smith is the opening of the downstairs Post Office Tavern. But even that hurdle will be cleared by next week, when the pub officially opens to the public, serving up pizzas, brats, and other beery foods.

The General Store, 6 Post Office Road, Silver Spring (301) 562-8787

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Prince of Petworth broke a juicy piece of news yesterday when he announced that former Colorado Kitchen chef/owner Gillian Clark had signed a letter of intent to open a nearly 4,000-square foot restaurant at Park Place, a mixed-use development at the corner of Georgia and New Hampshire avenues. Just one small correction, my liege: Clark tells me that the name of her restaurant will be the Georgia Avenue Meeting House, not the Meeting House.

She also says that the GA Meeting House will be, by 2011 or so, the third of hopefully five or more restaurants in her budding empire, co-owned by Clark and business partner, Robin Smith. “We’re going to be the next new restaurant group of D.C.,” Clark says. The partners plan to open restaurants in “spots where nobody wants to open” places, including the Benning neighborhood and other areas east of the Anacostia.

The two partners will likely be working with investors and/or developers to realize their plans, Clark says. “It’ll be harder to do with just the two of us,” she deadpans.

In the meantime, the opening of their General Store and Post Office Tavern in the Forest Glen neighborhood of Silver Spring has run into another bureaucratic snag: Montgomery County, Clark says, requires at least 30 parking spaces for the twin-concept operation.

Read More “More on Gillian Clark’s New Restaurant Ventures” »