Bethesda construction update: Barrel & Crow restaurant (Photos)

Work continues at Barrel & Crow at 4869 Cordell Avenue. In addition to the menu preview I gave you recently, the future restaurant gave a sneak peek of two menu items on its Facebook page recently - beer braised short ribs, and pork belly with warm asparagus salad.

Construction is going on inside, and outside on the front patio.

Barrel & Crow has been planning for a April opening - stay tuned...

Jaleo closed for renovations at Bethesda Row (Photos)

Jaleo Bethesda closed for renovations yesterday, and says it is scheduled to reopen April 21. It will be interesting to see what changes Chef José Andrés and his Think Food Group have in store for the restaurant. You may recall that it was renovated only about 18 months ago, closing for only a week that time. Those needing their tapas can head to other Jaleo locations in the District or Crystal City - or try other recommended nearby Spanish restaurants in downtown Bethesda: Guardado's or 100 Montaditos.

Westbard Sector Plan public meeting April 22 in Bethesda

Montgomery County planners will unveil the latest draft of the future Westbard Sector Plan revision at a public meeting on Wednesday, April 22, at 6:30 PM at Walt Whitman High School.  The meeting will be in the cafeteria of the school at 7100 Whittier Boulevard.

This will be an important meeting, to get a sense of exactly where the housing unit and density numbers to be allowed by the plan will be, when it is presented to the Montgomery County Planning Board at its April 30 meeting.

250 community members unanimously rejected the urban density of the initial draft plan presented at a meeting last fall. Planners then appeared to slightly scale back the height and density of the plan, only to be scolded by several members of the Planning Board, who appeared to place the interests of developers above those of the residents. 

Partial closure of Little Falls Parkway trail for Hillandale Rd. repair (Photos)

If you use the Little Falls Stream Valley Trail, a portion will be temporarily closed near Hillandale Road. A detour will be posted, according to the Montgomery County Division of Highway Services. No reopening date for that trail section has been given, but the Hillandale Road culvert project is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

Photos: Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row
Map: Montgomery County Division of Highway Services

New Bethesda restaurant Villain & Saint sets opening night lineup

Markham's Bar and Grill has closed for renovations, and will reopen as Villain & Saint on Thursday, April 16, according to the new restaurant's Facebook page. The latest Bethesda venture from Chef Robert Wiedmaier's RW Restaurant Group, its website is counting down the days and hours.

The Lloyd Dobler Effect, and guests Elizabeth and Katrina, will perform on opening night, the 16th. The Kelly Bell Band will follow the next evening.

On an interesting side note, the Montgomery Women's Cooperative Farm Market has been reaching out to Villain & Saint, hoping to cooperate on some joint events with their new next door neighbor.

Villain & Saint

7141 Wisconsin Avenue

Sunglass Hut moving at Westfield Montgomery Mall (Photos)

Sunglass Hut will soon be moving from its current open air location in the Macy's wing at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Its new spot will be next to The Art of Shaving on Level 1.

Rape reported at Suburban Hospital, burglary on Fernwood Rd. + more - Bethesda crime update

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on April 2, according to crime data:

Rape. Suburban Hospital at 1:42 PM.

Burglary. 4500 block N. Park Avenue (apparently in an apartment).

Theft. 5300 block Western Avenue.

Burglary. 3300 block Leland Street.

Drug arrest. 10400 block Old Georgetown Road.

Burglary. 10200 block Fernwood Road.

Theft from vehicle. 11800 block Old Georgetown Road at 12:00 AM (Pike District).

New Bethesda Urban Partnership kiosks light up at night (Photos)

You can't miss the new Bethesda Urban Partnership carts around downtown Bethesda - they light up at night. If you're new in town, or just visiting, stop by one to get free information about downtown Bethesda.

Car stolen in Bethesda, assault in Pike District + more - Bethesda crime update

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on April 1, according to crime data:

Stolen car. 7700 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Theft. 7100 block Woodmont Avenue.

Theft. 4300 block East-West Highway.

Theft. 10200 block Old Georgetown Road.

Vehicle burglary. 6600 block Lone Oak Drive.

Theft. Harris Teeter (Pike District).

Theft. 7300 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Assault. 11400 block Woodglen Drive at 11:12 PM (Pike District).

Aveda closes at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Aveda has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The space has been cleared out, and the signage removed already. Aveda is directing clients to the Aveda counter in Nordstrom at the mall, or to its Tysons Corner and Pentagon City locations.

RadioShack closing at Westwood Shopping Center in Bethesda (Photos)

Well, it turns out RadioShack - or its Mitt Romney/Bain Capital-esque corporate master - wasn't quite upfront with us in its plans for the chain of struggling electronics stores. After a mass closure of stores nationwide earlier this year, Hilco Merchant Resources, Gordon Brothers Group and Tiger Capital Group have now announced a new round of closures.

The longtime RadioShack at 5456 Westbard Avenue, alas, is on the list. By closing the Westwood Shopping Center store, and 360 others, the corporate partners say they will be able to keep "as many as" 1740 remaining stores open nationwide. I'd put the emphasis on the qualifier "as many as" at this point.

10-50% off can hardly
be described as a
liquidation sale

This will be a big test for Westwood Shopping Center landlord Equity One. They're said to be retail experts, and this will be the first major vacancy on this property since they took over. GNC was converted into a nail salon a couple of years ago, but this center has been otherwise stable for almost 30 years. After the initial purging of the national chain tenants and hardware store prior to that, in the mid-to-late 80s, there hasn't been much turnover among tenants. [That purge came after the original owner apparently was swayed by politicians' promises that Montgomery County would allow shopping centers to be redeveloped as urban mixed-use centers. Dr. Tauber did not live to see that promise come to pass, but the politicians' 1980s games led to the decline of MoCo retail centers such as Wheaton and Glenmont, as well as Westwood I and II. Landlords did not want to be stuck with long term tenants, if they would be getting the green light for demolition soon. Or so they thought. It was only in 2014 that the Wild West zoning changes were finally passed by a County Council with 8 of 9 members beholden to developers.]

In contrast, Equity One has so far been unable to fill the two most prominent vacant spaces at Westwood Center II across the street, nor the lower level space that's been vacant for several years after West River Deli closed. They've also lost Springhouse Manor Care at the nursing home property across Ridgefield Road this past winter, leaving a virtually-unheard-of vacant building in the 20816 zip code.

No major tenant is going to find moving into a building that may be demolished in a couple of years appealing, adding to the challenge of filling the RadioShack space.

I've bought many an item at this particular RadioShack store since childhood, and am still using many of them, including a portable AM/FM transistor radio that has worked without fail for decades. My shopping there declined exactly in relation to the chain's elimination of the interesting, innovative, and - most importantly - exclusive products RadioShack used to carry.

I used all kinds of audio accessories they had in my guitar and recording setups over the years, and was a big fan of their Tandy computers. They had handheld computers, early laptop prototypes, and the famous Color Computer. Again in the exclusive category, they had several prominent game licenses you couldn't get anywhere else, such as a Poltergeist game based on the classic film.

Apparently, the company took some of that "good advice" from misguided consultants to drop its cool and exclusive products, and sell the same mainstream phones and overpriced earphones, etc., you can buy anywhere.

The much-discussed retro ad RadioShack ran as it reached rock bottom really summed up their basic problem. Yes, the 80s wanted its store back - but Dee Snider, et al, took all the good stuff with them. Want to buy a phone like everyone else has at RadioShack? You're in luck.

Giant skateboard hovering over Bethesda again (Video+photos)

The giant skateboard is suspended over the storefront again at Bethesda Scooters and Boards at 4825 Fairmont Avenue. Montgomery County previously forced the store to take it down, terming the object a "sign". That joined the County's crackdown on "premature" Christmas tree lots, and a child's lemonade stand being shut down, in the annals of MoCo Nanny State history. Mysteriously, illegally-closed sidewalks and other infractions by heavy donors to Montgomery County politicians go "unnoticed."

This time the shop is playing by the rules, and has a Montgomery County sign permit on display.

The return of this yesterday made me think of the old Sunshine House on Cordell Avenue, another lost piece of Old Bethesda.

Caché closing at Westfield Montgomery Mall (Photos)

Caché is closing at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The women's apparel retailer filed for bankruptcy on February 4, 2015, and is now closing all 135 of its stores. A Going Out of Business sale is currently on, with savings of 40-70% off.

If you or someone you know is in the market for a prom dress, this could be perfect timing. They are giving an extra 10% off prom wear this weekend, and a bonus 20% off your total purchase through Monday, April 6 with this coupon. The company says stores will close when they have sold off inventory.

If you have a Caché gift card, you must act on it by Sunday, April 5. The company will no longer honor its gift cards after Sunday.

2nd sign installed at Urban Heights rooftop restaurant in Bethesda (Photos)

A second sign has been installed at Chef Robert Wiedmaier's future rooftop restaurant concept, Urban Heights. The sign was already lit last night on the Cordell Avenue side of the Norfolk-Cordell II building at Norfolk Avenue. Urban Heights is expected to open later this month, after replacing the initial restaurant tenant, Roof.

2 Bethesda assaults, burglary on Western Ave. - Bethesda crime update

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on March 30, according to crime data:

Assault. 4200 block East-West Highway.

Assault. 8900 block Rockville Pike.

Burglary. 4600 block Western Avenue.

Bethesda Theatre sale price drops

Real estate firm Marcus & Millichap is sweetening its asking price for the historic Bethesda Theatre - just a bit. If $8.5 million was a slight stretch for you, perhaps the new price of $7,750,000 will fit your bank account better?

Currently operating as the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, the purchaser of the 1938 Streamline Art Deco-style movie theater will become landlord for the duration of the music venue's 10-year lease. After that, the future use of the theater will be up to you, within the limits of its historic designation.

The theater is located at 7719 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda.

Community meeting scheduled for future Bethesda apartment tower

Developer Lenkin Companies has scheduled a community meeting to discuss its preliminary plan submission to the Montgomery County Planning Department for the future St. Elmo Apartments. That meeting will be held Thursday, April 16, at 7:00 PM at Bethesda Elementary School. Bethesda ES is located at 7600 Arlington Road.

Lenkin's proposal is for 210 luxury apartment units, up to 15,488 SF of retail/restaurant/office space, and - if next door property owner Bainbridge can work out an agreement - a joint 10,865 SF of shared public space between the St. Elmo and Bainbridge Bethesda buildings. Like the Bainbridge, the St. Elmo Apartments will span the mid-block between St. Elmo and Fairmont Avenues in the Woodmont Triangle.

Construction on the 16-story tower would likely begin in late 2016 or 2017.

Rendering courtesy Lenkin Companies
and DMS Architects
All rights reserved

Assault in Randolph Hills, 2 Bethesda thefts + more - Bethesda crime update

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on March 29, according to crime data:

Theft. 7300 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Drug arrest. East-West Highway at Connecticut Avenue.

Theft. 7100 block Whittier Boulevard.

Assault. 11300 block Schuylkill Road (Randolph Hills).

Friendship Heights Metro escalator modernization update (Photos) #WMATA #DC

An escalator between the bus bays and underground landing at the Friendship Heights Metro station is now scheduled to reopen on December 22 this year, according to WMATA. Isn't this the same escalator that was supposed to reopen in June of 2014 and November of 2014?

Passover dinner at Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda April 3 & 4, 2015

Mon Ami Gabi at Bethesda Row will be serving Passover dinner this Friday and Saturday evening, April 3 and 4.

The popular French restaurant says it will offer a traditional Passover menu. Featured items include a Seder plate with matzo, matzo ball soup, homemade gefilte fish, braised beef brisket, and flourless chocolate cake for dessert.

The dinner will be served family style for $39.95 per person ($17.95 for children under 12), and will be available between 5:30pm and 9:00pm both evenings.

Reservations are highly recommended. Call the restaurant at 301-654-1234 to reserve now.

Mon Ami Gabi

7239 Woodmont Avenue

(Parking now available

in the Capital Crescent Garage

across Bethesda Avenue)