Gilly's Craft Beer & Fine Wine in Rockville, Maryland - Review

Gilly's Craft Beer & Fine Wine, located in Rockville, Maryland is a gourmet deli, beer store and wine store wrapped into one. As the name implies, they specialize in their beer selection, offering up a huge array of microbrews and hard-to-find beers.

You're encouraged to create your own six-pack or to purchase any combination of beer that they have on hand. Gilly's also features a large wine selection, and cheap prices and staff recommendations are both easily found.

The Jewish incarnation of Joey from Friends, the quickest and surest way to my good side is through a delicious sandwich in which two hands aren't recommended, they are required. As it turns out, Gilly's happens to specialize in just such offerings. In fact they have a selection of fun and unique sandwiches which will leave you coming back for more, eager to try the entire menu.

There are classics such as an Italian sub or a BLT, but the real fun lies elsewhere. The Wild Wally features sliced turkey, buffalo sauce and bleu cheese, while the Katie Brie features toasted wheat bread with ham, sliced brie and maple syrup. Timmy G's Ham Cruncher shoves some Cheetos onto a sandwich with ham, cheddar and mustard and the PB & Johnna can be loaded with M&M's at your discretion.

In addition to the sandwiches there are also several small appetizers and snacks that you can grab. There is also a collection of cheeses and assorted treats that you can purchase to take home.

Gilly's has a few small tables where you can sit down to have a bite or you can take your food to go. There is a changing selection of beer on tap, and if you are curious about any of them just speak up and you'll get a sample.

Speaking of samples, they are a close second to sandwiches on the path to winning me over. Gilly's has weekly free events featuring various wines, cheeses and beers for you to try. Even if you head into the store on a day without an event, you may just end up sampling a collection of whatever is being offered up on that day. After a few visits to the store you'll quickly get to know the staff, all of whom seem to share in the passion of hanging out with a tasty sandwich and a cool glass of a beer or tall glass of wine.

My only remaining question is how I can earn a sandwich named in my honor and my only regret is that I've lived just down the street for over a year before I discovered the beck and call of the sandwich-cheese-beer-wine paradise known as Gilly's.

Gilly's is located at 2009 Chapman Avenue in Rockville, Maryland, across the street from The Guitar Center. The official website is located at www.gillyscbfw.com, where you can see a listing of their upcoming events and sign up for their mailing list to receive other notifications and discounts.