Construction is in the home stretch at Hampden House, the new apartment tower at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. An official website for the property is now live. Hampden House will provide 366 residential units, and 10,110-square-feet of restaurant and retail space. The latter currently includes designer lighting retailer Visual Comfort & Co., and restaurant The Food Market. One retail space remains available for lease. Developer Saul Centers anticipates a late-2025 delivery.
Bethesda news, restaurants, nightlife, events and openings, real estate, crime reports and more - the way only a lifelong Bethesda resident like Robert Dyer can bring it to you. Everything you want and need to know about Bethesda, plus special investigative reports you won't find anywhere else. The must-read blog for breaking Bethesda news, when you want to be the first to know.
Monday, June 09, 2025
Bethesda construction update: Hampden House apartment tower (Photos)
Construction is in the home stretch at Hampden House, the new apartment tower at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. An official website for the property is now live. Hampden House will provide 366 residential units, and 10,110-square-feet of restaurant and retail space. The latter currently includes designer lighting retailer Visual Comfort & Co., and restaurant The Food Market. One retail space remains available for lease. Developer Saul Centers anticipates a late-2025 delivery.
Assault at downtown Bethesda auto dealership
Montgomery County police were called to an auto dealership in downtown Bethesda yesterday afternoon, Sunday, June 9, 2025. A 2nd-degree assault was reported at the dealership, in the 4800 block of Bethesda Avenue, at 2:04 PM. Ourisman Honda is located on that block.
Sunday, June 08, 2025
Pure Green close to opening in Bethesda (Photos)
Pure Green appears very close to opening at 7906 Wisconsin Avenue in the 8001 Woodmont apartment building's ground floor in downtown Bethesda. The smoothie and juice bar's interior fit-out is complete. Furnishing and seating is being loaded in and set up. This will be Pure Green's fourth Maryland location, and it looks like it could open any day now.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana celebrates 100 years at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda
This year marks the 100th year of business for Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. The chain's pizza parlor at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda has only been open for a small fraction of that time, but it will be celebrating the milestone as much as the original New Haven, Connecticut restaurant. Through the end of this month, June 2025, dine-in guests can get a large, 18-inch pizza (16 slices) for $19.25. The offer is available exclusively for dine-in guests from Monday through Friday until June 30. It is limited to one redemption per table, and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. Look for Frank Pepe on Level 1, in the Old Navy/Cheesecake Factory wing of the mall.
Photo by Foodies of 617
Saturday, June 07, 2025
Signage installed at New Balance at Bethesda Row (Photos)
The permanent sign has been installed above the storefront of New Balance, opening soon at 7029 Arlington Road at Bethesda Row. A barricade of construction fencing prevents a better look at the progress of the interior fit-out. But from what is visible, there's still a lot of work to do. New Balance will compete with Nike on the next block, but thanks to the blatantly-corrupt NBA's totally-rigged draft lottery, won't have the advantage of a hometown crowd looking for the Cooper Flagg New Balance shoe.
Club Studio opening in White Flint
Club Studio is coming soon to 11416-A Rockville Pike. The gym will take over the vacant second floor space that previously belonged to L.A. Fitness in the NoBe Market apartment tower. Like L.A. Fitness, Club Studio is a national chain of fitness centers. It offers Reformer Pilates, CS4 cardio and strength workouts, spin classes, a boxing studio, traditional and hot yoga, and low-impact 45-minute cardio trampoline classes. A wait list for the Rockville location is now accepting online registration.
Friday, June 06, 2025
Sephora at Bethesda Row construction update (Photos)
It has been about three months since I broke the news that Sephora would replace Spanish Diner at 7271 Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row. Here's a look at where the interior fit-out of the cosmetics boutique stands as of now. Remember that they had to first demolish the restaurant interior, and remove all of that kitchen equipment. But as you can see, construction is still in the very early stages.
Assault at 7-Eleven in White Flint
Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating the suspect in the May 7, 2025 aggravated assault at the 7-Eleven store at 11530-G Rockville Pike. Shortly before 7:30 PM that evening, police say, the suspect entered the store and dispensed a soft drink for himself at the soda fountain. When he allegedly began to drink the soda without paying for it, an employee confronted him to state that the beverages are not free. The suspect responded by striking the employee, police allege, and then began throwing merchandise at store employees. He proceeded to flee the store.
However, police say he then attempted to reenter the convenience store. Employees held the doors shut so that he could not. The suspect then pulled out a firearm and threatened to shoot them. But he instead ran toward the White Flint Metro station.
Police describe the suspect as a Black male, approximately 6'3" in height, with black hair and a beard. He was wearing black pants, a green shirt, a gray jacket, and a black Washington Commanders sweatshirt. The suspect was also carrying a pink shoulder bag and a black backpack.
Anyone with information regarding this suspect or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org (http://www.crimesolversmcmd.org/) and click on the “www.p3tips.com (http://www.p3tips.com/)” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. A reward of up to $10,000 is offered for information leading to the suspects’ arrest. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
Thursday, June 05, 2025
WorldPride D.C. special at Sala Thai in Bethesda, June 5-8, 2025
Sala Thai at 4828 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda is offering a WorldPride D.C. special today, Thursday, June 5, through Sunday, June 8, 2025. From 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM each of those days, if you order at least $15-worth of food per person, you will qualify for the Bottomless Blast promotion. $24 per person will get you 2 hours of unlimited beer, wine, and sangria. Make reservations online, or by calling 301-654-4676.
Signage installed at Trustar Bank in Bethesda
Trustar Bank's newest Montgomery County branch in downtown Bethesda has been open for a while, but just got its permanent lighted signage installed. Previously, there was just a banner attached over the storefront. Located at 7901 Norfolk Avenue, the branch filled the space formerly home to The Corner Slice pizzeria. Trustar has an existing Montgomery County location at 7811 Montrose Road, near Park Potomac and I-270.
Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Crystal Energy closes in Bethesda
Crystal Energy has closed at 7030 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. A sign in the window is advertising the space as available for lease. The "Psychic of Chevy Chase" had a solid five year run at this storefront, especially when you consider it opened just as the pandemic was slamming the area in the spring of 2020. These psychics tend to pop up again in new locations around the downtown, so this may not be the end for Crystal Energy. Only Kenny Kingston knows for sure!
Montgomery County Council "caught off guard" by incinerator they oversee
The Montgomery County Council was "caught off guard" by a trash incinerator in Dickerson it has total oversight authority over, The Washington Post reported on Monday. Councilmembers attempted to pin the blame for the facility's continued operation on the Montgomery County cartel's bête noire, County Executive Marc Elrich, feigning surprise that the immolator is still operating and would require funding to maintain safety and the physical plant at the complex. The tab for that in Elrich's FY-2026 budget was $57 million. Elrich had sought to shut the plant down permanently when he first ran for County Executive eight years ago, but once taking office in December 2018, he found that his predecessor had extended the incinerator contract for an additional five years. He told reporter Dana Munro that once the pandemic hit, a project to replace the facility "wasn't financially viable anymore."
There's a separate argument to be had about whether the incinerator should be, or should have already been, shut down. Surprisingly, the article did not mention that the incineration facility turns the trash into energy. Enough energy to power 27,000 houses, in fact, while getting rid of 600 tons of Montgomery County garbage each day. That's a valuable asset.
The converse argument is that the facility releases some degree of pollution into the air. Not discussed is whether or not there are further measures that could be taken to filter or capture this air before it escapes the facility. The article cites rates of respiratory illness, and colon, rectal, and prostate cancer in the Dickerson area that exceeded the overall countywide rate between 2014 and 2022.
But the point I want to focus on is the County Council again trying to pass the buck to Marc Elrich. Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, who represents Dickerson on the Council, told the Post that she and her colleagues were "caught off guard" by the fact that Elrich had not shut the incinerator down, and by the "hefty maintenance expenses." Why weren't Balcombe and the Council following this issue over the last seven years? Apparently, banning gas stoves, gas leaf blowers, plastic straws, plastic bags, and gender-reveal balloon releases(!!) took up all their time.
Now that the incinerator chickens are coming home to roost and the Council has been caught asleep at the switch yet again, they turn to the cartel's old punching bag Marc Elrich. Why haven't Balcombe and other councilmembers introduced legislation with their superior solutions to the problem? If they were closely monitoring the incinerator, they would have already known about the maintenance coming due, which likely was deferred to fund other capital projects closer to the Council's actual voter base inside the Beltway. Instead, the Council was careless, ignored the incinerator problem for seven years, and failed to exercise their oversight duties in relation to the facility. Heckuva job, Brownie!
Tuesday, June 03, 2025
Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria hosting hiring events this week in Bethesda
Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria, opening soon at 5306 Zenith Overlook at Westbard Square in Bethesda, will be hosting two open house hiring events this week. The first will be tomorrow, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Another will be held this coming Saturday, June 7, again from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria will specialize in Neapolitan-style pizza, as well as other Italian dishes, baked in their customized volcanic brick oven, which was installed in April.
The Velvet Room speakeasy "coming soon" in Bethesda
The Velvet Room missed a February 2025 target opening date, but is promising it is still "coming soon" to 8020 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda. It will be a little different than originally planned when it does. Sometime over the winter, the concept changed from a bar with karaoke to a "speakeasy lounge." That would make it the second speakeasy lounge in the Bethesda area, with Turncoat having opened first in Friendship Heights last year. The Velvet Room may have one up on Turncoat, though, with the added intrigue of a door below street level, behind an iron gate. Can you keep a secret?
Monday, June 02, 2025
Hinata Sushi Carry Out temporarily closed in Bethesda
Hinata Sushi Carry Out, the small Japanese grocery store at 4947 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda is temporarily closed. It will reopen on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. This is an annual occurance at Hinata in the late spring or early summer. A number of small mom-and-pop businesses in downtown Bethesda have to close when the owners travel for business, or take a vacation, because there are not enough extra employees who can run them in the meantime.
Wes Moore embraces abundance agenda in South Carolina, as poll shows it's a loser
Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) emphatically aligned himself with the so-called "abundance" agenda during a speech in South Carolina last Friday night. Expected to run for the White House in 2028, Moore spoke in code to some of the Democratic Party's wealthiest donors, who have already put millions behind the abundance message, spearheaded by a recent book written by pundits Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. But Klein and Thompson have found their warmest reception on podcasts hosted by neoliberal Democrats and conservatives. Many progressives, in contrast, have seen through the abundance campaign for what it is: a repackaging of earlier pushes for the juicing of corporate profits, at the expense of local control over zoning and growth issues. That perceptive reaction from the Bernie Sanders wing of the party is backed up by a new poll that shows Moore's embrace of the "abundance bros" movement puts him out of step with the progressive Democrats and independents he will need to prevail in Democratic and open primaries in 2028.
The abundance campaign is another good example of the "now more than ever" phenomenon. No matter what the crisis of the hour might be, the same old agenda is pushed as the solution. At the moment, the crisis is the Democratic Party's identity crisis. Real estate developers who have tried several tactics to gain the right to build luxury multifamily housing in the most desirable and successful residential areas - starting with the environment, and most-recently and disgustingly glomming onto the George Floyd Revolution and Black Lives Matter movement with a racial argument for blowing up zoning codes - with relatively little success, have now put a new brand on the same old YIMBY agenda. Also on board are other corporate interests, forever seeking a reduction in regulations, and an increase in profit margins.
Klein, Thompson, and others pushing the abundance agenda have offered it as a liberal response to President Donald Trump's MAGA agenda, and a blueprint for 2028 Democratic presidential candidates. But not only is it just another case of "more cowbell," it fundamentally misfires as a quick fix for what ails the Democratic Party. Where Trump's success among Black and Latino men in 2024 was in large part the idea that he would provide them with prosperity, the abundance agenda openly and unabashedly reserves the financial benefits for wealthy developers, power companies, and Chinese solar panel manufacturers. Things will "get done," and faster alright. But none of the profits will accrue to you, and you'll give up local control over decisions that directly impact your neighborhood. Good deal, right?
Voters polled by Demand Progress seem to have been impressively quick studies of the abundance agenda. Democrats and independents responded negatively to the abundance agenda, while Republicans had a more favorable reaction. Progressive policies (oddly termed "populist" by Demand Progress) like getting money out of politics, breaking up big banks and corporations, and prosecuting corruption were seen as more favorable by 72.5% of Democrats, and 55.4% of independents, according to Axios.
When asked to make a blunt choice between abundance and populism, only 16.8% of Democrats endorsed abundance.
It's curious that Moore is one of them. Not only does the abundance agenda get a thumbs down from a majority of the voters he needs to get past the primaries in 2028, but it also puts him in a crowded lane of Democratic candidates. Among those who have also posited themselves as abundance bros are Tim Walz, Cory Booker, Jared Polis, and Kamala Harris. And Pete Buttigieg was an abundance bro before it was even a thing.
"Gone are the days when the Democrats are the party of no and slow. we must be the party of yes and now," Moore declared, which was surely music to the ears of corporate donors who want the abundance agenda to be the Democratic Party agenda. That corporate money will be an advantage for Moore, no doubt. As was seen with Joe Biden in 2020, Moore can lose Iowa and New Hampshire, and still clinch the nomination with a Jim Clyburn endorsement in South Carolina that Clyburn himself has already hinted at. And the Democratic National Committee has slammed the door on progressive upstarts in three straight elections, most notably kneecapping Bernie Sanders twice. Can the DNC do it a fourth time in a row?
Moore is in his element among the rich and famous, having raised most of his campaign cash at fundraisers in the Hamptons and on Martha's Vineyard when he ran for governor in 2022. And just this year, he closed a budget gap largely on the backs of the poor and middle class, who now must pay hundreds of dollars to register their vehicles with the state, among other regressive tax and fee hikes. The Reaganesque, Laffer Curve, trickle-down, supply-side voodoo economics of the abundance agenda are not that surprising of a platform for Moore, given that he first entered politics in college as a Young Republican.
Moore and his backers have tried to cast him as a charismatic and inspirational figure in the mold of Barack Obama. But the 2008-era Obama presented himself as a champion for the little guy, not Wall Street and real estate moguls. Once in the White House, he quickly morphed into a neoliberal and forever-war fighter, but his pre-2009 populist persona was what won him many of the same voters who would propel Trump to victory eight years later. The abundance promise of lower costs and higher profits for mega corporations might win Moore an abundance of campaign cash, but is unlikely to draw an abundance of progressive Democrat and independent primary votes.
Wang Dynasty closes in Bethesda
Wang Dynasty has closed at 4929 Bethesda Avenue. The Chinese restaurant's last night was Saturday. It opened here in May of 2019, replacing Shanghai Village. Exiting at the end of May suggests the lease was up, but six years - and surviving the pandemic - was a strong run for a restaurant in downtown Bethesda.
Sunday, June 01, 2025
KONST Siematic Bethesda display sale
KONST Siematic is clearing out its showroom display kitchens at 7550 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Don't expect bargain basement pricing for these high-end German kitchens, however. Sample prices for entire displays are $262,734; $105,093; $170,899; and $68,359. KONST Siematic opened here in 2014, shortly after the office building was fully renovated.
Signage installed at The Kensington Bethesda (Photos)
The first permanent signage has been installed at The Kensington Bethesda, the new assisted living facility at 5485 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. It is over the future garage entrance. Developed by Kensington Park Senior Living, the facility is scheduled to open in mid-June. It features assisted living, memory care, and couples care residential options. More information and tour scheduling are available at the property website.




















































