While many Rockville residents may consider themselves familiar with the many restaurants that line Maryland Route 355, there are even more culinary hidden treasures to find just off the beaten path. Take a turn onto an unassuming intersection and you’ll find yourself in King Farm, a quiet community full of vibrant green spaces and biking trails.
The area also has several restaurants of its own. While some locals are loyal to Fontina Grille and its Italian offerings, if you’re looking for light fare that will take you on a trip around the world without leaving Rockville, Botanero is the place to go.
The restaurant, also known as “Bota” for short, was the brainchild of owner Ken Skidmore, who opened the business with his husband in 2016.
Skidmore’s first job out of college was working as a flight attendant, a position that would take him around the world. Eventually, he decided to ground himself in Washington, D.C. There, he spent five years working his way up the ladder at La Tasca, a tapas bar that stood in Chinatown down the road from Capital One Arena until its closure in 2019.
Skidmore and his husband decided to open their own tapas bar because they enjoyed the communal experience that tapas restaurants offer. Their small plates encourage sharing and offer the opportunity to try all kinds of different dishes. A former pizzeria in King Farm was chosen as Botanero’s location due to its affordability and proximity to more prominent Rockville restaurant districts. Being located on a side street has come with certain challenges, but plenty of benefits.
“[King Farm] is kind of invisible,” Skidmore says. “There’s a challenge there in the sense that we have to work harder to make sure people know we exist. But it’s also a blessing because the people of King Farm are very supportive, and they will go the extra mile to participate in the things we’re doing and support us so we’re able to thrive.”
Tapas are Spanish in origin, but small-plate restaurants can be found all over the world. The restaurant’s name is fairly literal, as “botanero” is the Mexican term for a bar where patrons can enjoy small, easy-to-share dishes and drinks.
Skidmore did not just want to limit Botanero’s offerings to Spanish or Mexican food, though. While dishes from both cultures make an appearance, the restaurant’s menu draws from a patchwork of influences, including Italian-American food staples and chef Jaime Planas’s Peruvian upbringing.
Botanero plays into this multicultural approach with its “Destination Diner” specials, which highlight dishes from specific parts of the world. Originally conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to entice people to order food from the restaurant, these dishes are made to complement its regular menu while offering a different experience. Destination Diner themes can range from exotic locales to spots that are closer to home.
At the time of writing, Botanero was doing a Brookeville, Maryland, theme, highlighting ingredients from local partners like Bella Vita Farm and Lone Oak Brewing Company. Much of the restaurant’s existing menu is inspired by its collaboration with local farmers and food suppliers.
“It’s a combination of trying to use the ingredients that are available to us, staying true to popular dishes and keeping them on the menu and gradually rounding out the menu with other options to keep things fresh,” Skidmore explains.
Some of Botanero’s most popular staples include its beef short ribs, which are braised in red wine and served with grits; its empanadas, which come in spinach and beef varieties; and the barramundi almondine, a variety of bass with a light, buttery taste. Skidmore’s personal favorites are the grilled lamb chops and the seared scallops.
While there is little difference between how tapas and more conventional meals are prepared, there are extra considerations taken in how they are served.
“There’s a huge difference in terms of the kitchen,” Skidmore says. “With small-plate concepts, you tend to take dishes out as soon as they’re ready. Instead of waiting for all the dishes for a table to be ready, we bring them out piecemeal. Our kitchen is very small, so we had to consider our approach to that when we opened here.”
Botanero isn’t just a spot to sit down for a meal with friends and family, either. The restaurant often partners with local community organizations to hold events. One of its most frequent collaborators is MoCo Pride Center, which originally reached out to Botanero to fundraise for its annual Pride Prom. Drag brunches have become something of a tradition at the restaurant, supporting the MoCo Pride Center’s work in the local LGBTQ+ community while giving Planas an opportunity to experiment with new menu items.
Currently, Botanero is gearing up for its annual Holiday Drag Brunch in December, another MoCo Pride Center collaboration. The restaurant is also preparing for its holiday meal pick-up service, which was initially offered during the pandemic but has stuck around due to positive reception from the community.
“If you want to stay successful, you have to constantly reevaluate what you’re doing and think about new ways to keep your business going strong,” Skidmore says. “We’ve really started to explore catering and serving food, especially at unique venues, to take our business outside of these doors and grow the business that way.”
