By Jillian Diamond
A cozy log cabin might be one of the last things people visiting Rockville are expecting to find in the area. While Rockville is a diverse city with lots of things to see and do, it’s not commonly viewed as somewhere people can be in nature. But Clyde’s Tower Oaks Lodge offers a very convincing and immersive log cabin experience, with its rustic decor and naturalistic surroundings. These contrast against its menu, with a focus on local seafood, high-quality ingredients and fine dining.
And the community seems to have responded in kind, as Clyde’s Tower Oaks Lodge walked away as the winner of “Best Fine Dining” in Montgomery Magazine’s 2023 Best of Montgomery Readers’ Choice contest.
Tower Oaks Lodge is just one of the many restaurants under the ownership of the Clyde’s Group, which started with the eponymous Washington, D.C., restaurant in 1963.
“The burger pretty much created Clyde’s,” says Tower Oaks Lodge General Manager Yousef Khatib. “That and the concept of a traditional American saloon where you can sit down at the bar and enjoy a full meal. The group’s founder [Stuart Davidson] used to say that it’s better to eat at a bar than to drink at a restaurant.”
Davidson, along with his business partner John Laytham, would go on to found several other restaurants under the Clyde’s name. These include Old Ebbitt Grill, The Hamilton, The Tombs and several other Clyde’s locations throughout the DMV area.
Tower Oaks Lodge opened in 2002 with the intent of providing a more naturalistic dining experience. Laytham was deeply involved in its development and construction, even picking out the furniture himself—from the rowboats that hang from the ceiling to the hunting trophies and Native American art that flank the walls. Khatib describes the restaurant as “his baby.”
When Tower Oaks Lodge first opened its doors, it was actually the only restaurant in the area.
“This used to be a nature preserve area. We got special permission from the county to build in the radius they gave us,” Khatib explains. “The buildings and developments that are now across the street from us weren’t there. So you would have this lodge restaurant sitting in the middle of this isolated, wooded area, and it would be packed. People would ask us how anyone even found it.”
Tower Oaks Lodge’s executive chef, Caesar Montesinos, has been at the restaurant since the beginning — he started working there six months after it opened. Along with the corporate chef of Clyde’s Restaurant Group, he curates its seasonal menus, often taking inspiration from the variety of locally-sourced fruits and vegetables that the restaurant gets through its partnership with nearby farms.
“Clyde’s gives us all the tools we need to succeed in this system,” Montesinos says. “We get deliveries of fresh produce every day.”
Clyde’s restaurants don’t even put tomatoes on their burgers unless tomatoes are in-season.
“We don’t refrigerate our tomatoes, either. We keep them at room temperature so all of the flavors are there, and they feel ripe and fresh,” Montesinos adds.
Tower Oaks Lodge has a fairly diverse menu, but some of the biggest fan favorites are Clyde’s staples. Burgers and wings are popular, as is the Reuben sandwich, which uses the exact same recipe between all of the Clyde’s restaurants it features at.
And while seafood might be an unexpected choice for a restaurant themed around a woodsy log cabin, Tower Oaks Lodge also makes frequent use of it. Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, Faroe Island Salmon and Icelandic Cod are especially beloved.
“I’ve tried to change the cod dish so many times, but the customers never let me, because they like it so much,” Montesinos says.
Currently, Tower Oaks Lodge is gearing up for the slate of parties it hosts for the fall and winter holidays, including a Halloween party, Thanksgiving dinner, breakfast with Santa Claus and a New Year’s Eve party.
“Clyde’s is very respected and well-known in the [DMV] area, and Tower Oaks Lodge is a bit of a destination restaurant,” Khalib says. “People come here not just to eat, but to enjoy the atmosphere around them.”
Had reservations there for New Years several years ago. They totally botched our reservation and that of all the other patrons crowding the overflowing entry, too. We waited 45 minutes before spuing a neighbor preparing to leave their booth at the bar and laid in beside them, which allowed us to begin or belated dinner. I avoid them whenever possible now, as there are so, so many alternatives.
Do you have a coat check room