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Local restaurateur Adam Greenberg has acquired Hunter's Bar and Grill in Potomac, with plans to add his own twist to the restaurant's menu.

Mark Hand, Patch Staff

|Updated Wed, Aug 9, 2023 at 1:11 pm ET

POTOMAC, MD — Local restaurateur Adam Greenberg has acquired Hunter’s Bar and Grill in Potomac, with plans to add his own twist to the restaurant’s menu.

Located at 10123 River Road in Potomac, Hunter’s Bar and Grill first opened as Hunter’s Inn in 1978. It then changed its name to Hunter’s Bar and Grill in 2014 under longtime owners Fred and Murray Berman’s leadership.

Over the course of their 20-plus years of ownership, the Berman brothers transformed Hunter’s into a Potomac staple, creating a welcoming atmosphere and leaving behind a rich legacy that Greenberg said he will seek to preserve.

The acquisition of Hunter’s adds a ninth currently operating restaurant to Greenberg’s company, Restaurant Zone Inc. Greenberg opened his first restaurant, the Cone Zone of Bethesda, in 1992. He then purchased Potomac Pizza in 1995, transforming the family pizza restaurant into a community hub.

Executive Chef Tennille “Chef Tee” Middleton, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University Culinary College and a contestant in the sixth season of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” will head kitchen operations.

Middleton, who has 15 years of executive chef experience, started as the executive chef of Greenberg’s College Park Grill in August 2022 and now oversees kitchen operations across all eight of Greenberg’s restaurants.

Dan Seaman will take over all day-to-day operations as general manager and contributing partner of Hunter’s Bar and Grill. Seaman has more than 20 years of restaurant experience and is currently the general manager of College Park Grill.

Greenberg’s team will maintain a majority of the restaurant’s current menu offerings, though they plan to work on improving current recipes and experimenting with new items based on customer feedback.

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Alexandria-based Common Plate Hospitality (Mason Social, Urbano, Augie’s Mussel House, Junction Bistro) steps out of its casual comfort zone in July with the opening of an ambitious Potomac restaurant with gastronomic appeal.

Nestled in the Cabin John Village shopping center, the Grove’s Mediterranean-hopping menu will showcase flavors and techniques synonymous with regions of coastal Spain, Italy, and Greece (7747 Tuckerman Lane, Potomac, Maryland). Newly named executive chef Jose Lopez-Picazo is a huge fine-dining hire for Common Plate. Lopez-Picazo’s stateside cooking career kicked off in the late 1990s under José Andrés in D.C. and flourished across the U.S. in large Las Vegas roles at Aria’s Julian Serrano Tapas and the Bellagio’s French-Spanish showpiece Picasso, which earned two Michelin stars and the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant during his time there.

Opening dishes under Lopez-Picazo’s watch include everything from grilled octopus with zesty lemon vinaigrette to succulent lamb shank slow-cooked in aromatic spices.

The Spanish-born graduate of the Madrid Cooking Institute worked under renowned chefs Maestro Manuel Tabares and Maestro Javier Otaaduy, mastering the art of seafood preparation, paellas, and sous-vide. More recently, he helped spearhead the opening of Fabio Trabocchi’s Spanish stunner Del Mar on the Southwest Waterfront.

“Bringing him in was a huge feather in our cap. He has the potential to win a Michelin star here,” Common Plate’s founder Chad Sparrow tells Eater. “We have the pedigree we need to get it done.” The Grove’s sous chef worked under chef Robert Wiedmaier, he adds.

Look for la carte dinner to start, followed by brunch and lunch. Sparrow doesn’t anticipate getting into the prix fixe game.

Common Plate’s original plan was to put another Augie’s in the 195-seat location that includes a 55-seat patio. But turns out a Belgian beer garden vibe wasn’t what Potomac customers were asking for. “We realized there’s nothing there to cater to a higher-end, fine-dining experience,” says Sparrow. “People don’t have to go to D.C. — we can offer that at the Grove.”

The Edens-owned shopping center is undergoing an extensive facelift that calls for new townhomes, office space, and a fresh wave of retail tenants (Georgetown’s French bakery Boulangerie Christophe expanded here last year). The Grove slides into a corner space that formerly housed Irish bar Lahinch Tavern and Grill. A full-scale renovation includes the addition of herringbone floors and a ceiling slathered in pinks, purples, and florals, joined by a massive wine rack stocked with Mediterranean varietals fit for the food. Lopez-Picazo plans to lean into local and seasonal ingredients all year.

Common Plate’s first-ever Maryland project is slated to arrive ahead of The Grove. Its anticipated Heights Food Hall near the Friendship Heights Metro, scheduled to open in late June, will feature a full-service restaurant (Urbano), full-service bar (The Heights Bar), speakeasy (The Turncoat), and eight local food stalls. That includes sushi and ramen from Vietnamese chef Kevin Tien, whose acclaimed Moon Rabbit suddenly closed at the Wharf this month. Newly named Lebanese tenant Yasmīne, born in Union Market last fall, comes from alums of Michelin-rated Maydan (5310Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland).

The algae mats were detected in the Potomac River in the area from Edwards Ferry to Great Falls, officials said. Here's how to keep pets safe.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants pet owners to be aware of dangerous algae mats spotted in the Potomac River. The algae mats were in the area from Edwards Ferry to Great Falls, and could be harmful to your pets, officials said.

Pet owners are urged to keep their animals out of the water in the affected area until further notice. The algae has the appearance of mats of fine, green cotton and can be found along the shoreline, attached to rocks or plants, on the bottom, or floating downstream.

While there is not a threat to human health, experts advise avoiding contact with these mats. Anyone who was in contact with the water recently and has any kind of illness or symptoms should seek medical attention, DNR officials warn.

"I definitely won’t have him in the water anymore, that’s for sure,” said Nathan Proctor, whose pit bull Tank was cooling off in the Potomac at Riley's Lock in Montgomery County.

"It’s just gotten really bad," said Frank Bailey of Germantown, who left his two St. Bernards, Rosie and Emma, at home in Germantown while he walked with his wife and friends along the river. Donna Bailey says the warnings have been out at Seneca Creek for weeks. "They say very clearly, don’t take your pets down there. Don’t go near the water,” she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green alga, are microscopic organisms that can be found naturally in all types of water. Sometimes cyanobacteria rapidly grow out of control, or bloom. The blooms can make toxins that are deadly to animals. The toxins can cause pets and livestock to become very sick and die within days or even hours after swallowing them.

“Neurological signs are the ones we are looking for. Tremors, drooling, twitching, just general malaise,” said Dr. Audrey Weaver, a veterinarian with Heart and Paw in Glen Mills, Pa.

“Vomiting is never normal. If they’re refusing dinner, then I would seek veterinary attention,” said Dr. Sage de Rosa, a University of Pennsylvania veterinarian.

The CDC says pets should not do any of the following in the area of a bloom:

Call a veterinarian if your animal shows any of these signs:

Contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 if you have questions about cyanobacterial toxin poisoning.

Call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 with questions about your pet.

Maryland DNR says monitoring will continue, and the public will be updated once conditions improve in the area.

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A Montgomery County, Md., man drowned in the Potomac River on the Fourth of July after trying to cross from the Maryland bank to a rock island, according to a Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesman.

The drowning victim was identified as Daniel Aldazabal Cucho, 44, of Germantown, Md., according to natural resources spokesman Gregg Bortz.

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Aldazabal Cucho and two companions were fishing on the Maryland bank when they tried to cross through the water to a rock island, Bortz wrote in an email. Aldazabal Cucho started yelling for help shortly after entering the river and slipped under the water. His two companions tried to reach him, but couldn't.

Potomac Valley Fire Co. and numerous other units were alerted to a water rescue call around 4:48 p.m. Tuesday at "The Point," which is where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers merge, according to Fire Chief Roger Otzelberger Jr. and a post on the fire company's Facebook page.

Firefighters were told there were numerous calls about the incident and at least four people were involved, according to the Facebook post. Two people made it to shore with the help of bystanders, and firefighters were told two more people were still in the water.

Potomac Valley responded with at least two boats, with one crew helping another man get out of the river. Otzelberger said he believed that man tried to assist Aldazabal Cucho and got swept downstream. Rescuers picked him up by a retaining wall along the shore, where he couldn't get out of the water on his own.

The body of the drowning victim was recovered after emergency service officials searched for more than two hours, according to Potomac Valley's Facebook post.

Firefighters attempted life-saving measures and took Aldazabal Cucho to a medic waiting on the Jefferson County, W.Va., shore, according to Bortz's email. The man was pronounced dead on the shore.

The West Virginia medical examiner's office is investigating, according to Bortz.

'Treacherous' and 'deceiving' part of the Potomac River

Otzelberger said the group was not wearing personal floatation devices.

Otzelberger said the area where the two rivers converge is "very treacherous." But the water often looks calmer than everything around it, deceiving people into thinking it would be an easy swim.

The currents there go "every which way" and the depth of the water varies, he said.

Numerous rescue units respond to Potomac River incident

Also responding to the incident were a dive team from the New Market (Md.) Volunteer Fire Co., the Frederick County Division of Fire & Rescue Services with a drone, and a boat crew from First Hose Co. of Boonsboro's substation in Rohrersville, Otzelberger said.

Other units from Washington County, Frederick County and Jefferson County also responded, according to the Facebook post.

Cathy Brennan glided through town this week attracting little attention. A heron or two glanced her way, and ospreys circled overhead. But as Washington whizzed around her in an impossible hurry, Brennan calmly paddled her bright yellow kayak down the Potomac and under Memorial Bridge, continuing the journey she began May 29 in Keyser, W.Va., near the source of the Potomac.

She hopes to complete the trip in a week or so when she reaches Chesapeake Bay.

It’s a slog. But it’s also beautiful. And it lets Brennan let go of everything else, empty her brain of the everyday and focus on the now.

“I’m in the moment. I’m looking at the chop, looking at the waves. I’m noticing that stuff,” says Brennan, whose voyage down the Potomac is just the latest of her epic solo trips on major waterways. She has kayaked the length of the Susquehanna, James, Hudson, Allegheny and Connecticut rivers and completed a two-month, 700-mile trip through New York, Canada and Maine on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

The Mississippi is on her wish list, says Brennan, who turns 63 next month and is awaiting the arrival of her third grandchild.

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On Thursday morning she sat on a sofa at the Washington Sailing Marina in Alexandria preparing to launch her nine-and-a-half-foot kayak on day 25 of the journey. They’re adventures, says Brennan, not vacations.

No glamping for her. It’s a minimalist approach: sleeping bag, small tent, rain jacket, change of clothes, first aid kit. Apples, granola bars, cheese sticks, ramen.

When she’s thirsty she scoops water from the rivers and pumps it through a filter. “I always drink the river,” she says.

Every few days Brennan will find a hotel for the night where she can get a shower and eat a cheeseburger. She’ll check in with her husband John, who has helped her select the river and research the trips at their New Jersey home. “He’s my virtual sherpa with benefits,” Brennan says, laughing. But most of her time is paddling on the river or camping on its banks.

She has a phone with her but rarely calls or texts anyone. She doesn’t listen to the news or podcasts or music. Occasionally Joni Mitchell lyrics will pop into her head. On some trips she’ll bring a slim book of poetry — Mary Oliver is a favorite — but she forgot to this time.

Her husband and her grown children can keep track of her via the transponder that pings them her location every 10 minutes or so, but she’s not sure how often they do. “I think they get bored of that now,” she said.

Brennan, an artist and photographer, is alone on these journeys but she isn’t lonely. If she has a message, it’s that we all need this disconnect from the wired world to find the wider world around us. And inside us.

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When she made her first long trip at age 50 it was because she “decided to just go into the woods and think for a while.” That was the 700-mile excursion on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. What she discovered was what she didn’t discover.

“I didn’t think any deep thoughts. I didn’t figure it all out. I didn’t come out like, woohoo, a Zen master,” Brennan said. “But it cleansed my palate. When I came out, I felt better. I felt confident. I felt clearer. I felt I had accomplished something.”

Staying the course, it turned out, was its own reward. She keeps a diary and blogs about her trips, but only after she’s completed them. Friends have told her to write a book but she isn’t sure what she’d say. Preaching isn’t really her thing.

But Brennan does say she wants women and girls to take more chances and to not be afraid. She knows that solo kayaking is not for everyone, and that many believe it is unsafe. But she’s not reckless. Brennan grew up on a lake and was a strong swimmer and boater from an early age. She portages around rough rapids and watches the weather carefully. Thunderstorms are her biggest concern.

There are other precautions. Brennan is careful about where she camps and who is around her. Bears don’t worry her, but she keeps a wary eye out for creepy men. She has packed up her gear and headed back out on the river when she has felt unsafe.

Nevertheless, she persists because she loves being on the rivers, seeing the bald eagles above, deer on the banks and a fascinating array of bugs and insects that never find their way into homes and offices. She wants others to see that, too. Especially women.

“Women, I think, are unreasonably afraid about being alone,” she said. “Sometimes people think [kayaking alone] is so dangerous. And I tell them I drive on the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike. In my estimation, that is far more dangerous than what I do.”

In the late morning Thursday, Brennan dragged her sturdy, 17-year-old Perception kayak down a paved path toward the marina landing. Nearby, kids in a sailing camp practiced deft turns in their colorful crafts on a damp, windy day. The waves slapped hard at the dock.

It took just a few minutes for Brennan to cram her gear into the kayak, put on a life preserver, roll up her pant legs, slide the boat into the water and clamber in. Then a quick wave goodbye. In moments she was gliding away, following the current, seeking solitude, attracting little attention.