Public meeting scheduled for Montgomery Women's Farm Market development

A required public meeting has been scheduled for the planned redevelopment of two Wisconsin Avenue properties around the Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative Market, a historic property. Sketch plans proposed for 7126 and 7140 Wisconsin Avenue and 4705 Miller Avenue will be discussed at the meeting, which will be held on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 7:30 PM in the Cafeteria at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School at 4301 East-West Highway.

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The meeting will also include a plan to redevelop the public parking lots behind the east side of Wisconsin as mostly a seven-story apartment building and townhomes, with thin green parkland strips in back facing the Town of Chevy Chase. Not what the County Council and Planning Board vowed would be large, green parks - told you so! Turns out they lied again. Betrayed by the County Council!

Taylor Gourmet to close all locations after Sunday

Taylor Gourmet, the D.C.-area hoagie chain whose locations include Bethesda Row, downtown Silver Spring, and Pike & Rose, will close all of its restaurants at the close of business on Sunday, according to Washingtonian magazine. Among the reasons cited for the closure were financial troubles with landlords at some of their locations, expanding too rapidly, and a brief downturn in sales after owner Casey Patten participated in a 2017 business roundtable with President Donald Trump, who is unpopular in all of the cities where Taylor Gourmet operates.

The chain has not publicly commented on the closure report on its social media accounts as of press time. Taylor Gourmet had recently experimented with new menu items such as burgers, tacos and fried chicken sandwiches.

Moses African Cemetery presentation tonight in D.C.

Journalist Sam Collins will host a presentation on the Moses African Cemetery and history of the African-American community that once thrived on River Road near Little Falls Parkway tonight, September 21, 2018 at 8:00 PM at Sankofa Video Books & Cafe at 2714 Georgia Avenue NW in the District. The later actions of developers to force the black residents out and desecrate the cemetery in the 1950s and 1960s will also be discussed, as well as the efforts to establish a museum on the site to preserve this history and honor those buried there - a majority of whom now lie under asphalt and as much as 60 feet of fill dirt.

Dinner can be ordered from Sankofa's menu, which includes vegetarian and vegan options. It's recommended you arrive around 7:00 PM to ensure enough time to locate a parking space. The presentation is part of Sankofa's weekly series, "All Eyes on D.C.: The Movement Continues."

Gas pipe under Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Bethesda to be replaced in October

Earplugs may soon sell out at Bethesda stores, as yet another noisy project is poised to add to the nighttime cacophony next month. A Washington Gas natural gas pipe under Wisconsin Avenue will be replaced. The segment in question runs underneath Wisconsin between Fairmont Avenue and Commerce Lane.

Work will be performed at night between the hours of 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM, beginning in October. The contractor has requested a Temporary Noise Waiver from Montgomery County, so that the work may be done at night. Expect some additional traffic issues where the pipe passes through the demolition/construction zone for the Marriott HQ south of Norfolk Avenue.

UNTUCKit coming to Westfield Montgomery Mall

Shirts made to be worn untucked will finally be available in Bethesda when UNTUCKit opens at Westfield Montgomery Mall this winter. The shirts, in a variety of styles for men and women, trim about an inch off the bottom of a typical shirttail. UNTUCKit will be on Level 2 by Sephora, in the Macy's wing.

In other mall news, Champs is undergoing a renovation at its current location on Level 2, also in the Macy's wing. They've opened a temporary location next to the AT&T store on Level 2.

Sweetgreen to open at Pike & Rose

Federal Realty has signed another big name to its roster of restaurants at Pike & Rose. Fast casual salad concept Sweetgreen will open between Burger Fi and Sunday Morning Bakehouse on Grand Park Avenue.

The restaurant will be in the ground floor of the Canopy by Hilton hotel/930 Rose condo building. Speaking of which, the Canopy hotel is really going full steam now. When I was at Pike & Rose this past weekend, cars unloading luggage at the front of the hotel were backing up down Rose Avenue toward Grand Park Avenue. 

Canopy by Hilton reviewer on TripAdvisor says the
Pike & Rose hotel "exceeded all expectations!"

License plates included New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. And not necessarily the hip crowd the hotel is targeted toward, but families with kids, and the general tourist types. So it seems the hotel has become really popular since its opening in March. Canopy scores 4.5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor, 4.4 on Google Reviews, and I can't find a Yelp listing for it on Google.

Triangle Art Studios signage appears at the Cheval Bethesda condo tower

The vacant artist spaces in the neon alley behind the new Cheval Bethesda ultra-luxury condo tower at 4960 Fairmont Avenue are finally showing some activity. Triangle Art Studios logos have been stenciled on the doors of the units. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District had advertised the spaces to local artists with a July 27 deadline earlier this year. Rents start at $855 a month.

Escape Quest finally moving forward on Fairmont Avenue

Escape Quest - it's not a story of Bethesda residents trying to escape 24-hour construction, but rather a new escape room attraction at 4936 Fairmont Avenue. Its opening has been long delayed since I broke the story about it in April. 

Now there are signs the Alexandria-based company is again moving forward. They have applied for a liquor license with Montgomery County. Their hearing is scheduled for October 18 at 11:00 AM.

For the uninitiated, escape rooms are a game set within a themed room where players must use their wits and puzzle-solving skills to figure how to get out within a time limit. Escape Quest's existing King Street location has rooms based on a lost Mayan temple, a pirate ship, and even a serial killer's "secret lair."

Perhaps a serial killer can bring some life to dead Fairmont Avenue. Escape Quest's Alexandria location has earned the title of "Best Date Night Ever."

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Dior celebrity makeup artist event at Nordstrom Sept. 26 in Bethesda

Dior will be hosting a special celebrity makeup artist event at Nordstrom at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with special off-the-floor Master Classes at 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Dior makeup artist Ricky Wilson will join the Diorshow Traveling Team for a luxury event with complimentary appetizers and cocktails.

Wilson will demonstrate the new makeup trends for the fall season, and how to appear "ageless." Limited one-on-one consultations will be available with Wilson, and you will receive a special token of appreciation with purchase.

Call the Dior counter at 301-365-4111 to reserve your appointment now. Westfield Montgomery Mall is located at 4111 Democracy Boulevard.

Peet's Coffee to open in Friendship Heights

Peet's Coffee is coming to Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase. They will be located in a 2093 SF space next to MAC at 5330 Western Avenue in the Shops at Wisconsin Place. Peet's will have outdoor patio seating. The Shops at Wisconsin Place is also rumored to be the next home for Tabendeh, a jewelry store currently located across the street in Mazza Gallerie.

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New sign at Bonobos at Bethesda Row?

The sign was removed on the storefront of Bonobos at 4836 Bethesda Avenue yesterday. It appears a new one is being installed, but stay tuned.

The Shade Store looks ready to open at Bethesda Row (Photos)

The Shade Store looks like it could open any day now. An upscale window shade and blind retailer, the store is located at 7116 Bethesda Lane.

La Madeleine suddenly "temporarily" closes in Bethesda

La Madeleine has been closed for the last three days at 7607 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. The owner says the closure is "temporary," and due to "an emergency maintenance issue."

While there is a redevelopment planned for the restaurant property, the plans for that have not even been approved by Montgomery County yet. It would literally be impossible to break ground on that project before later in 2019 at the earliest, so if the restaurant were to permanently close now, it would not be because they're kicked out for the development.

Western Workaround picking up steam at White Flint dealership site

The "Western Workaround" (in purple)
urban street grid proposed in the 2010
White Flint sector plan

The recent closure of the Nissan dealership at 11605 Old Georgetown Road was seen as the removal of a logjam in construction of the delayed "Western Workaround" urban street grid in White Flint. Sure enough, a major development project is now being introduced for the site.

One thousand apartments, and up to 110,169 SF of retail and restaurant space, is proposed in the new development's sketch plan. A required pre-submittal public meeting on the project will be held Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 7:00 PM at the former Capital One Bank, which is located right next to the dealership at 11575 Old Georgetown.

It's encouraging to hear that the project includes a substantial amount of ground-floor retail and restaurant space to activate the new street grid. This will substantially improve the ambiance for restaurants and apartments at Pike & Rose that face the current car dealership.

One hopes this project, unlike the majority proposed and approved after the White Flint sector plan passed in 2010, will actually be built. Pike & Rose remains an island as the only major "town center" development so far, which has led to some frustration at Federal Realty at the failure of the County to deliver the promised infrastructure the developer has contributed toward.

Bethesda Curry Kitchen reopens

Bethesda Curry Kitchen has reopened as planned, after a utility wire mishap cut off power to the restaurant for nearly a week. After a couple of days to restore fresh food supplies, the restaurant is again serving customers at 4860 Cordell Avenue.

Signs lit for Anthropologie & Co. and Terrain Cafe at Bethesda Row

More signs have been installed at the future Anthropologie & Co. at Bethesda Row, and some of them are now lit. Among the new signs are blade signs, meant to be seen by pedestrians walking along the sidewalks outside the former Barnes & Noble bookstore, and some for the restaurant that will be part of the new store, Terrain Cafe. Scroll down to see these, plus some exclusive updates on the interior construction of the store and cafe.

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Bethesda Curry Kitchen hopes to reopen today

It's been a long week for Bethesda Curry Kitchen, which was forced to close when a utility wire was improperly left dangling over Cordell Avenue, and thereby was snagged and pulled down by a truck late last week. Pepco finally came to restore electricity to the restaurant on Tuesday, a full five days after it was knocked out.

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The owner had to remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday to restock the restaurant, and thoroughly clean and sanitize from the power outage impact. The restaurant is now expected to reopen for business today, September 14, 2018. It's good to hear the owner took extensive steps to ensure that customers are getting fresh food; hopefully the owner can recoup his substantial losses from Pepco, as it was their code violation that caused the extended closure.

Thai Kitchen opening today in Bethesda - here's a sneak peek (Photos)

The Thai Kitchen plans to open today at 7015 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. They are in the former Fish Taco space. Here's an exclusive sneak preview of the interior and menu: