bluemercury opens at Pike & Rose, Nando's Peri-Peri touts impending arrival (Photos)

Beauty boutique bluemercury has opened its newest location, at 11885 Grand Park Avenue, at the Pike & Rose development. The store is located in the ground floor of the new Canopy by Hilton hotel and 930 Rose condos.

Meanwhile, in a neighboring space, hot chicken purveyor Nando's Peri-Peri has posted "coming soon" signage.

WMATA fiasco another hit to Bethesda's tanking nighttime economy (Photos)

Metro service cutbacks are the latest drag on downtown Bethesda's floundering nighttime economy. The latest victim is Nando's Peri-Peri, the popular chicken restaurant at 4839 Bethesda Avenue, which is cutting back late night hours on Fridays and Saturdays. For once, Councilmember Hans Riemer - whose "nighttime economy" initiative concluded with 9 bars and one of Bethesda's only two 24-hour restaurants closing, and businesses like Barnes & Noble and CVS cutting back late-night hours - isn't the primary culprit.

Original later closing
time on Friday/Saturday
still visible below
announcement

The Nando's announcement says that the restaurant will close half-an-hour earlier on Friday and Saturday nights at 10:30, so that its employees can get home on Metro. As you can still see on the window stencils, Nando's previously was open until 11:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Text at bottom right
cites Metro service
cutbacks as reason
for the reduced hours

Whether a business closes earlier due to the anti-business votes and policies of the Montgomery County Council, or to the horrific mismanagement of WMATA and Metro, the result is the same. Lost tips, lost wages, lost profits and lost revenue for the County.

The Council's abysmal record on private sector economic development speaks for itself - although the Washington Post and even Riemer's own former chief-of-staff (!!) are now acknowledging how sluggish and moribund it is. If you had to describe the Council's performance in three words, I would suggest "Weekend at Bernie's."

But now our incompetent, dumpster fire of a Council is joined by the three-ring circus known as WMATA. The surge has been anything but for our local businesses, who now have an additional drain on revenue to contend with. It would be an understatement to say that we should all be expecting and demanding a world class Metro system when this surge work is completed, after the outrageous inconvenience and damage to the regional economy this has caused.

They really mean it

this time!!

A letter complaining about cutbacks in late night service, signed by dozens of Maryland officials yesterday, is a very late start. But at some point, the pens have to be put down, and the gloves have to come off. Withholding funds from WMATA is just one nuclear option available; our elected officials should be using that and any other leverage we have to clean house at Metro.

My take? This is the same old "deferred maintenance," with station closures and cutbacks in service that simply allow WMATA to save a lot of money, and we'll be back to incompetence as usual - if the surge ever even officially ends. With the Council too impotent to challenge or lower the boom on Metro incompetence, we're stuck until these folks are ousted from office by the voters. God help us.

NANDO'S TO MAKE BETHESDA DASH FOR FREE CHICKEN TODAY 11 AM TO NOON AT BETHESDA ROW

For the first time on American soil, Nando's Peri-Peri is hosting a Nando's Dash. And lucky for you, this first Dash is happening today at the Bethesda Row Nando's, from 11 AM to noon. Nando's spokesperson Jim Popkin says the international chicken chain has held Dash events for years at their European stores, but that this is the first time it has done so on this side of the Atlantic.

Why is it called a "dash?" Not only is it limited to the one hour time period, but you are also required to dine-in, which means that overflow crowds will have to wait for a seat.

What will you get if you're one of those lucky enough to get in?

Your choice of a free ¼ chicken, chicken sandwich or pita, on a first-come-first-served basis. Sides and drinks will be extra.

Nando's Peri-Peri

4839 Bethesda Avenue

(garage parking right next

to the restaurant)

NANDO'S PERI-PERI BETHESDA ROW GAME DAY SPECIAL

The NFL season is about to get underway.  But first, college football returns!  Nando's Peri-Peri on Bethesda Avenue is offering a Game Day special, through Super Bowl Sunday in February 2013.

Order 15 Double Wings on Saturdays and Sundays, and you'll get 5 more double wings for free!

Don't forget they have sangria, and are conveniently located right next to the parking garage at Bethesda Row.

PROVOCATIVE

NANDO'S PERI-PERI

GRAFFITI STREET ART

MAKES A SPLASH AT

BETHESDA ROW

Bethesda Avenue Art Murals Add Color,

International Ambiance to Garage Entrance

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

What makes great art? There are as many answers as there are people. But one is, art that makes people think or evokes a reaction.

Nando's Peri-Peri has brought its world-famous chicken to Bethesda Row, and now it has added a splash of color to our garage entry with new murals on its side wall. Kudos to Nando's for livening up a dead space.

Designed to evoke spontaneous, rogue street art with touches of artificial graffiti, the pieces also bring an international urban touch to the Row. By which I mean that they don't strongly suggest one particular culture, style, city or country, very appropriate for our very diverse metropolitan area.

There's also a nice contrast with the very formal European design of the Bethesda Lane pedestrian street next door, parallel to this edgy, energetic, contemporary installation at Nando's.

What do you think of the new art at Nando's?

PERI PERI

IS FOR

LOVERS

Valentine's Special at Nando's Peri Peri

All Month Long During February

Love is in the air at Bethesda Row: Nando's Peri Peri on Bethesda Avenue is offering special Valentine's Day dinner package they call "Peri Peri is for Lovers." The best part is, it is available every day in February. After all, is it possible to have too many romantic dinners?

Here's what comes with the package: One whole Nando's Chicken in Fiery Peri Peri Sauce, your choice of two large side dishes, a bottle of Cara Viva wine, and a Chocolate Spoon Cake.

Grand total for this date night: $39.99!

Starts Wednesday at Bethesda Row.