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Business & Tech

"Bold Bite" Targets Mid-June Opening in Former Ben & Jerry's Space

New hot dog eatery also plans to sell beer, plus "naked dogs" for kids.

Bethesda residents awaiting a new family-friendly neighborhood spot may not have to wait much longer:  owner Alonso Roche plans to open "Bold Bite," his new build-your-own-hotdog restaurant in mid-June, replacing the former Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlor on Fairmont Avenue.

“We’re definitely hoping for a June opening,” Roche said in an interview outside the new gourmet hot dog eatery at 4901 Fairmont, in the Bethesda Triangle area. Although final work is still being completed, a mid-June opening now looks like a good bet, he disclosed.

He discussed his plans with Patch Tuesday afternoon as he waited for builders to arrive to finish up some inside renovations

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According to a notice posted on the store window, Bold Bite has also applied for a liquor license to serve beer and light wine.  A hearing on the application is scheduled May 19 before the Montgomery County Board of License Commissioners at the Council Office building in Rockville.

Roche said he has “no idea” if there will be any opposition to the liquor license, although it appears unlikely as there is already a bar next door to his location and several other similar establishments nearby.

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“It’s not going to be a big deal for us one way or the other,” Roche said.  “We should have it because (many) others around here do serve beer and wine in their places.”

Although he and his brother Alvero are originally from Venezuela, the new restaurant won’t be offering Venezuelan-style food.  Instead, they're thinking locally.

“It’s all going to be all locally-made sausages and very traditional hot dogs,” Roche said.

“The concept is building your own hot dog,” where customers put together their custom-made their own hot dogs, a popular trend these days, he noted. Customers will walk through the line and select toppings to build their own sandwich.

They’ll also offer a kids' menu, which will include the "naked dog”-- just a dog on a roll with nothing else.  

Alonso knows his way around the local restaurant scene. He’s a graduate of, and now an instructor, at L’Academie de Cuisine, and has cooked at both Persimmon and Willow restaurants.  He has started a Facebook page for the new eatery.

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