Seasons 52 North Bethesda Review

So I did it. I went to the Seasons 52 that opened in North Bethesda this last week and it certainly was an interesting dining experience. As you should know from my previous post I was pretty excited about this place coming to Maryland because my Aunt had raved about it and the Orlando one had some really good reviews on trip adviser.

Now, please note that this restaurant promises that no one dish on their menu is over 475 calories and that everything is fresh. I am not so sure how I really feel about this rule but I do think that it should not necessarily have much of an effect on flavors if spices and proper cooking techniques are used. I think Seasons has pretty much mastered the technique of grilling their meats instead of sauteing so that you get a juicy tenderness without having to use butters/oils but not many spices were in evidence.


My family is big on appetizers so we got two different flatbreads-the plum tomato and then the chicken one. These flatbreads were pretty large but the crust was very thin and light-something I kind of like in an appetizer. The plum tomato flatbread was the clear winner with a wonderful garlicky taste and the freshness of bright basil leaves. The chicken flatbread had nice smoky grilled chicken but there was no sauce or spices to help this dish become something I would want to order again.



The chile poblano that was supposed to be stuffed with goat cheese and chicken (I saw not a speck of goat cheese) wasn't awful but all I could taste was salsa and nothing else (I usually expect food like this to have layers and different components which make it come together into a thoroughly delicious experience-but no).

My sister and her boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed their edamame beans and my parents liked their sesame chicken skewers (nothing special there).

I got the turkey tenderloin skewer for my main dish and they charred the thing to death and I had to ask for more of the sauce that it came with because-again-there were no spices or any kind of glaze. My green beans were undercooked and the pasta pearls that came with my dish were underwhelming in flavor and looks.

Justin was most disappointed with his bbq salad entree which was basically just lettuce with pieces of chicken (the sauce they called BBQ was NOT BBQ and he said it was overly salty-an unusual thing from someone who loves to add extra salt to his fast food french fries).

My fathers fish was not only dry but bland-I saw spices on the fish but I could not taste them in the least but he likes dry and bland so yay? My mother did like her scallops but they just looked like normal scallops.



The biggest disappointment of the meal was small side dish of 'fresh' sugar snaps peas that we ordered that was pretty much drenched in oil (I mean come on-the beauty of these peas is their 'snap' and crunch but these were just soggy with oil).

The best part about the meal and really the best part about Seasons 52 are their desserts served in shot glasses ($2.50 each). Sooo good. I tried the pecan pie, mango cheesecake, chocolate mocha, and peanut butter mousse and I really liked them all (the mocha one had a very strong coffee flavor so be warned). I really liked how they layered these desserts with different puddings/custards/creams and cakes/ nuts. I say bring a friend to split each shot glass you can try more flavors (that's what I did)


The atmosphere was nice in terms of the new wood paneling and the lights but the upholstery of the seats and booths were a bit 50's retro. There was living music that you could hear from the bar. The service and kitchen were kinda slow but what can you expect on their opening week. .Seasons 52 is located right by the new Whole foods in rockville, across from White Flint Mall.