Signage installed at District Falafel in Bethesda (Photos)

Signage has been installed at the future location of District Falafel at 7101 Democracy Boulevard, at the Westlake Crossing shopping center. This is the latest food truck business to move into a larger, bricks-and-mortar operation. Best known for its fresh-made falafel, District Falafel's menu also features hummus, gyros, and wraps made with falafel, lamb, or chicken. District Falafel will be located in the space formerly home to The Wok Chinese Kitchen, between Apex Optical and Shuvam Beer & Wine.

The Organic Butcher of Bethesda to open in late 2022

The Organic Butcher of Bethesda, opening in late 2022 at 7925 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda, will be a new venture from the owner of The Organic Butcher of McLean, Donald Roden. Like the original shop, the Bethesda location will be an Old World-inspired, upscale enterprise with knowledgable and experienced butchers behind the counter. Along with fine meats free of antibiotics and hormones, patrons will also find a selection of seafood, fine wines and cheeses, and grocery items like eggs, bread, produce and condiments.

Featured suppliers for The Organic Butcher's current McLean shop include Autumn Olive Farms and the Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative. Hours of operation in Bethesda will be 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday - Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sundays.

The space The Organic Butcher is taking over was for many years home to Le Vieux Logis. After the French restaurant bid adieu, the building was transformed by the local architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc., with the facade now sporting large windows more appropriate for retail use. The update was clearly successful in drawing a very upscale tenant with name recognition.

Westbard Square construction update (Photos)

The new Giant building continues to take shape at the future Westbard Square, today known as the Westwood Shopping Center at 5400 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. Giant won't move out of its curren building at the property until this one is completed late next year. The structure will also feature a 3-level parking deck, office space, and numerous retail spaces.

Woonerf opens at Chevy Chase Lake

The first retail tenant at the Chevy Chase Lake development, Amazon Fresh, opened yesterday. Also making its debut is a trendy new urban design concept, a woonerf, or shared street. You'll notice the surface doesn't look like a road you should be driving on at first glance. Drivers are expected to share a woonerf with cyclists and pedestrians - thus, the 5 MPH speed limit. There are also benches along the woonerf for people to sit on.

Maryland governor candidates Dan Cox, Wes Moore to square off in TV debate October 12

After declining several invitations to debate Republican Dan Cox, Democrat Wes Moore has accepted an invite extended to both Maryland gubernatorial candidates from WBAL and Maryland Public Television. The debate is scheduled to take place on October 12, 2022 at 7:00 PM. It will be broadcast live on WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and FM 101.5, WBAL-TV 11 in Baltimore, Maryland Public Television statewide, and on NBC4 in the Washington, D.C. area.

Unless Moore agrees to further debates, this will be a high pressure forum, particularly for Cox. With far less broadcast advertising money than Moore has at his disposal, this will be a key opportunity for Cox to speak to a substantial TV and radio audience of likely voters. Cox is also in a rare scenario where the current governor of his own party affiliation - Larry Hogan - is refusing to help him in any way, due to Hogan's ongoing feud with Donald Trump. Trump endorsed Cox over Hogan's choice of Kelly Schulz in the GOP primary. 

"I look forward to the opportunity this October to contrast my vision and values with Dan Cox’s far-right agenda,” Moore said in a statement. “I am glad Wes Moore has finally accepted an invitation to debate with me," Cox said in his own statement this morning. "So far, he has refused or declined to respond to several requests, including those from Morgan State University and the Maryland Federation of NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association). I would like to thank MPT and WBAL for this opportunity. I look forward to letting the voters of Maryland see the candidates live, in person and unfiltered."

Purple Line lane closure postponed until September 14 in downtown Bethesda

A long-term closure of the right lane of southbound Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) at Elm Street in Bethesda, originally scheduled to begin in late August, has been delayed until September 14, 2022, the Maryland Transit Administration announced today. The lane will remain closed until the Bethesda Purple Line station - located under 7272 Wisconsin Avenue - is completed. That could be 2026 or later. The closed lane will be used by project vehicles accessing the construction site, the MTA said.

Amazon Fresh opens at Chevy Chase Lake (Photos)

Amazon Fresh has opened at Chevy Chase Lake early this morning. The grocery store, located at 8525 Chevy Chase Lake Terrace, is the second Amazon Fresh store in Montgomery County. It is the first to offer Just Walk Out technology, which adds up your purchases as you shop and allows a quick exit if you want to avoid standing in lines. The system will be retrofitted to the existing Amazon Fresh at the Collection at Chevy Chase; a third Amazon Fresh store will open soon at the 270 Center on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg.

This Amazon Fresh is larger than the first store, and the interior seems to have benefitted from the building being new construction, rather than an old supermarket converted into an Amazon Fresh. There is a cafe seating area, where shoppers can enjoy the many fresh and hot prepared foods sold at the store. Customers can also enjoy two hours of free parking.