Thursday, February 9, 2006; GZ18

Say, have you been to that new . . . ?

Clubs, restaurants, stores -- Montgomery County abounds with new places to eat, buy and hang out.

Here we sample a few of the arrivals, including places to feed your birds, your desire for luxury goods and your taste for a variety of foods.

Bethesda residents are talking about a new chef-owned restaurant, David Craig Bethesda, that has been accumulating patrons and good word-of-mouth since it opened in early December.

Craig has been a chef at several area restaurants and prepares a menu ranging from modern American to classic interpretations of European dishes. "It's like music -- it's hard to put a real good stamp on the style," said Craig's business partner, John Fielding. Entrees are $20 to $29.

The restaurant serves dinner only, Tuesdays through Sundays, but Fielding said they will consider adding lunch service when warm weather makes the restaurant patio available for seating.

David Craig Bethesda is at 4924 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda.

The jeweler Tiffany & Co. opened in its new Friendship Heights location a week ago -- across the street from its old Friendship Heights location -- bringing "The Collection" a step closer to completion. This assemblage of luxury retailers is the Washington area's answer to Rodeo Drive.

In addition to Tiffany & Co., these boutiques have opened recently: Ralph Lauren, Barneys New York Co-Op, Cartier, Christian Dior, Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton. Clyde's of Chevy Chase is also open.

Coming later this year: Max Mara, Bulgari, Gucci and Georgette Klinger.

The Collection is on Wisconsin Avenue, just north of the Friendship Heights Metro station.

After worshipping for 14 years in a renovated house that accommodated fewer than 100 people, Montgomery County's Guru Gobind Singh Foundation in October opened a $2.2 million temple in North Potomac that can hold four times as many people.

Sikhs adhere to a nearly 500-year-old monotheistic religion founded in India that emphasizes equality. Bhai Gurdarshan Singh said "anyone and everyone is welcome" to attend services at the foundation. Members of the community are eager to dispel misperceptions that people might have about Sikhs and their faith, he said. "Our purpose is to share and recognize each other and be at harmony."

Services are held Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 7:30 and 11:30 a.m. The Guru Gobind Singh Foundation is at 13814 Travilah Rd. in North Potomac.

Wheaton has been dubbed a "little Adams Morgan," and it recently got a new nightclub to bolster that reputation. Ocean Drive, a dance club and lounge with a Miami motif, opened in December, and its restaurant next door, Pearl Seafood, is scheduled to open on Valentine's Day, said Alex Reyes, the club's chief operating officer.

The club has a large wooden dance floor and a 13-by-10-foot projection screen, he said. The club will offer salsa lessons from 9 to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays, followed by a salsa dance party. And when you get thirsty, try the Ocean Drive martini, a potent, citrusy concoction that costs $9.

The club is at 11230 Grandview Ave. in Wheaton.

Bird watchers should know that the Wild Bird Center has moved from Silver Spring to Wheaton. The specialty store, which sells seeds, birdhouses and binoculars, relocated in October from the Woodmoor Shopping Center.

You can buy birdhouses big enough for 12 families of purple martins for $120. The smaller and more popular wren houses go for a more affordable $26 to $29. As for seeds, there's everything you need to attract woodpeckers, chickadees and sparrows to your yard. The store also specializes in binoculars and spotting scopes for greater distances.

The Wild Bird Center is now at 11145-B Viers Mill Road, Wheaton.

Nine new stores and two eateries have opened in the past three months at the Westfield Wheaton, and the shopping mall is nearing completion of the 80-store expansion that began in May 2005.

Some of the new stores are Cingular Wireless, Eterna Spa, the Luggage Place and an Ashley Stewart women's clothing store. Bagel City and Beyond, which also has a bar, restaurant and lounge, and Baja Bistro have also recently opened. Several other stores, including Old Navy and a Borders Express, are to come by the end of the year.

With Thai, Tex-Mex and Vietnamese restaurants in its revitalized downtown, Silver Spring has taken on ethnic flair. Recently, it added another flavor to its restaurant row: Taste of Morocco, at 8661 Colesville Rd. in the City Place Mall.

Many evenings at around 7:30 the restaurant features belly dancers. If you go, try the chicken bastilla appetizer, a pie of phyllo dough stuffed with chicken, onion, parsley, almonds and topped with confectioner sugar and cinnamon. A dinner portion for two is $15.95.

This is the region's second Taste of Morocco. Ten years ago, the owners opened one in Clarendon.

You get more than a caffeine rush when you walk into this new coffeehouse. You also get a sense of place. And that place is Brazil, one of the leading coffee producers of the world.

The decor at Aqui Brazilian Coffee in Germantown is festive: There are small waterfalls, palm trees, bamboo-tone chairs and floor tiles imported from Brazil. On Friday nights, you can listen to live Latin jazz. "We like to say we want people to know the culture behind the cup," said Roddie Simmons, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Carminha.

Open since November, the restaurant offers a variety of coffee drinks and foods with a Brazilian twist. Try the p ao de q ueijo , a Brazilian cheese bread. Or the Copacabana Coffee Cooler, a cookies-and-cream frappe named after one of the country's popular beaches. Then there's the Double Dulce Macchiato, made with vanilla and caramel flavoring to make it extra sweet, the way Brazilians like it, Simmons said. Simmons and his wife should know. He was born in Rhode Island to a Brazilian mother; she was born in Brazil.

The couple, who live in Montgomery Village, have made the coffeehouse a family-friendly place. After all, Simmons said, it is in a suburb. The tables are big enough to accommodate large parties. There's also a kids section with kiddie furniture. And every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., there's a "mother's daybreak" -- the kids listen to a story while the moms sit and sip coffee.

For the adults, there's a coffee happy hour from 6:30 to 8 p.m on Fridays during which customers can sample free shots of flavors such as vanilla, caramel and raspberry. You can also get an eight-ounce latte or cappuccino for just $1 plus tax.

Aqui Coffee is at 12615-E Wisteria Drive in Germantown.

Latino grocery stores are nothing new to places such as Gaithersburg and Wheaton, both of which have large Hispanic populations.

Damascus's small but growing Latino community didn't have anything of the sort nearby. Last month, Fidel Gomez, a Salvadoran immigrant, changed that when he opened Julian's Latin Market with his wife and uncle.

Immigrants yearning for a taste of home can find coconut juice, jalapeņos and frozen pupusas there. They can buy maseca , or the flour used to make tortillas, and corn tamales. Chicken tamales are available on weekends. Gomez also imports fruits such as jocote and nance from El Salvador.

"We have all the things that . . . a Hispanic person needs to prepare meals," the Frederick resident said.

Everything except meat, which Gomez hopes to have available soon.

Julian's Latin Market is at 26217 Ridge Rd. in Damascus.

It took a year for Terry and Chris Kirtz, a Washington Grove couple, to restore and renovate an 1892 Victorian into the Gaithersburg Inn. They've had plenty of experience with old houses. They own four historic properties in Montgomery County and eight in Loudoun.

Open since October, this bed and breakfast has two rooms, each with a queen-size bed, cable TV, Internet access and a private bathroom. Prices are $125 to $150 a night. A full breakfast is served each morning, and guests can request afternoon tea.

The house is furnished with period pieces. There's also a 14-by-20-foot gazebo in the backyard. According to the owners and the Germantown-Gaithersburg Chamber of Commerce, it's the first bed and breakfast in Gaithersburg.

Terry Kirtz, a reading specialist for the Montgomery County public school system, is a fan of afternoon teas and occasionally hosts them on weekends. The inn can also be rented for private parties.

The Gaithersburg Inn is at 104 Russell Ave. in Gaithersburg.

Located in the Kentlands, Ronaldo's of Potomac offers private and group cooking lessons for those looking to host dinner parties or to just make home-cooked meals for the family.

Owner Bryan Davis, who also runs a meal-delivery service in the county, offers instruction on a wide variety of cuisines. Some of the classes: "Wrapped and Rolled," "Seafood Sampler" and "Vegetarian Cooking." Parents can take classes with their children. Prices for group classes range from $50 to $65. Class sizes range from 8 to 12.

Those taking private lessons, which cost $75 an hour and have a three-hour minimum requirement, can have the instruction tailored to whatever type of cuisine they want.

The school is also available for private parties. It is at 251 Market St. Win Gaithersburg.

By staff writers Cameron W. Barr, Christian Davenport and Nancy Trejos.