Out with the old, and in with the fashion. The new protected crosswalk across Woodmont Avenue at Fairmont Avenue is nearly finished. Yesterday, the actual crosswalk paint was applied. The old crosswalk on the northern side of the intersection was scrubbed away.
Well, sort of.
They're going to have to finish that job, or people will still try to use it to cross.
Popeyes new Chicken Waffle Tenders arrived in restaurants Monday. Last night, I stopped by the Popeyes at Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road to try them. Here's my review, including close-ups of the tenders and special sauce.
Chicken Waffle Tenders are only available for a limited time.
The doors were locked, and nobody's home for the second day at Kraze Burgers at Bethesda Row.
Signs taped to the windows say it is temporarily closed, and will remain so for "a while."
The reason for this is unknown. Kraze Burgers hasn't updated its Facebook or Twitter accounts for months. You would think that if there was a mechanical, plumbing or electrical problem, that - given the massive financial losses being incurred each day it is closed - you'd see repair people working overtime inside. No such activity was happening last evening.
Stay tuned!
Calling all chocoholics: After many unexpected delays, Max Brenner is finally opening today at Bethesda Row. The company promises it will have been worth the wait.
Last night, newly-hired employees were working hard to prepare for today's opening. Click on the photos below to enlarge them for "Max" detail.
As you will notice, many chocolate specialties are already on display atop the counter.
What toppings are you getting on your chocolate pizza?
The massive debris piles along Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues are gone. And so is the former green shopping center that once occupied that corner in the Woodmont Triangle of Bethesda.
The sidewalk on that side of Fairmont Avenue has now reopened.
A 16-story apartment building will soon be built on the site.
Signs touting &pizza went up in the windows of its future location on Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda yesterday.
Unknown so far is how their first non-letter street name location will work: U &pizza, H &pizza, Old Georgetown &pizza. Hmm.
A minor detail for pizza lovers.
Future Korean restaurant House of Milae installed its storefront signage yesterday. Bethesda has long been known for not having any Korean restaurants. House of Milae will be the only traditional Korean restaurant in town.
Kraze Burger at Bethesda Row is a Korean chain, and has served a few Korean-influenced burgers. But, perhaps the days of having to drive to Rockville or Annandale for real Korean food are finally over. Will soju be on the beverage list? Let's hope so.
House of Milae is taking over the former Plaza del Sol restaurant space on St. Elmo Avenue.
Encore! Encore!
The Princess Bride was such a hit at the Bethesda Outdoor Movies last week, that it's coming back again.
Inconceivable!
This Sunday, August 4, at 8:00 PM, you are invited to a 25th Anniversary screening of the movie at the corner of Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues at Bethesda Row.
Admission is free for this outdoor screening, and you're invited to bring your own picnic.
The screening is sponsored by Beasley Real Estate.
The game of musical chairs continues inside the expanding Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.
Synergy Wellness has temporarily closed, but will reopen in a nearby new location in the mall's Old Navy wing, on August 1.
UA Salon and Day Spa has successfully reopened in its new home on the second level.
Sidewalk closures effect both sides of Battery Lane at Wisconsin Avenue. It appears to be for replacement of brick pavers and repairs.
Peter's Carry Out, located on Wisconsin Avenue at Cordell Avenue in Bethesda, will close temporarily on Saturday, August 3, 2013, and reopen on Saturday, August 10.
Here are the latest photos of the nearly-ready interior of the Max Brenner chocolate bar at Bethesda Row.
Max Brenner is expected to open this week.
Searching for a spicy, hot potato chip?
Utz has joined with the biggest name in hot sauce - Tabasco - and created a new potato chip. Watch my review to find out if it lives up to the Tabasco name.
Taco Bell has a new Smothered Burrito. It came out Thursday, and I stopped by the Rockville Taco Bell Friday night to pick one up.
Now let's test it out together in this review on The Robert Dyer Channel.
What is it smothered in, what's inside, and how does it all taste? We're about to find out!
Be aware that the sidewalk is temporarily closed at the corner of Woodmont and Fairmont Avenues, in front of EagleBank.
This is due to the construction of a protected crosswalk that is currently underway.
The Gallery Bethesda, a 17-story luxury apartment building currently under construction along Del Ray and Auburn Avenues, is giving away a $100 gift card you can redeem at your favorite Bethesda restaurant.
All you have to do to win is:
1. Go to the Gallery Bethesda Facebook page on or before 6PM, July 31, 2013, and post the name of your favorite Bethesda lunch spot.
2. At the end of the month, one participant will be randomly selected to win a $100 gift card to their favorite place.
3. You may post as many lunch spots as you want. You can also post a photo of yourself in front of your favorite place (although a photo is not necessary to enter).
Some street parking has been restored along Fairmont Avenue, following the demolition of a shopping center.
Spaces are still blocked off in front of the karate dojo, for example, but at least some parking is better than none for shops along Fairmont.
Yesterday, I told you about a hazardous pedestrian situation on Woodmont Avenue at Fairmont Avenue.
Today, I know the rest of the story.
Apparently, the dangerous temporary situation today is part of creating a safer long-term situation.
Workers are now constructing a protected crosswalk across Woodmont at Fairmont. It is on the southern side of the intersection, parallel to the existing crosswalk near BGR.
This crossing is something many residents of the Fairmont Plaza condominiums have been asking the county to provide for a while. The existing crosswalk is considered dangerous by many, and is heavily used by Fairmont residents.
As you can see in the photos below, the new protected crosswalk will include a concrete island refuge for pedestrians. This will provide some element of safety for those who currently have difficulty crossing it at one time, such as the elderly or disabled.
I use this crosswalk quite often, and have never had a major problem, but it certainly is one that requires extra attention on the part of the pedestrian. And if a car suddenly speeds around the corner as you're crossing, you're stuck out in the road with only your wits and reflexes vs. oncoming multi-ton vehicles. Not a good situation.
