Friday, May 17, 2013
Restaurant news from around the county and adjacent DC neighborhoods.
Get caught up with the food scene in Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods with 1 Meat, 3 Sides. This week, the closure of a popular seafood restaurant that recently celebrated its 90th year takes center plate. One meat: O'Donnell's Sea Grill—which recently celebrated its 90th year in the Washington, DC, area—announced on its Facebook page that this year will be its last, Gaithersburg Patch reported. "...[We] have made the purposeful decision to officially close our doors and exit on a most high note," the restaurant stated. The restaurant originally opened in DC, at 1207 E St. NW, in 1922. In the second half of the 20th century, a Bethesda location was opened, and the DC locations (by then there were two) were …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The trio of tacos—Korean barbecue, carnitas pork and Havana chicken—will be available for a limited time, starting on Monday, May 20.
California Tortilla's fans have voted, and now there's a new option available on the eatery's menu: "Street Tacos." The new menu item—chosen by CalTort fans in an online NCAA-style "Elito 8" competition last March—will be available for a limited time, starting on May 20, according to a CalTort news statement. "Street Tacos" will be served as a trio of three mini tacos, each mini taco made with a soft corn tortilla shell: The taco trio is $6.49. A combo—the three tacos plus a 22-ounce drink and a choice of chips and queso, salsa or rice and beans—is $8.69.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Ri Ra closes in September because of rent issues, and Max Brenner and Panera Bread are opening soon in Bethesda.
Irish pub Ri Ra will close in September because of rent issues, Bethesda Magazine reported. The rent is too high for the restaurant to continue operating in its Bethesda location, and the upcoming opening of a Ri Ra pub in Georgetown is a coincidence, manager Paul Turner told Patch. Ri Ra currently has 12 locations across the country—from Vermont to Kentucky, according to its website. *** The anticipated opening of Max Brenner in Bethesda is getting closer. The restaurant will have its soft opening on June 13, a restaurant spokesperson told Patch. Unlike the chocolate chain's locations in New York City, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Boston, Bethesda Row's new Max Brenner won't be a full-service restaurant but a sweets-only shop, Bethesda …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Food inspection results are supplied by Data Montgomery and the Montgomery County Department of Health.
Three Montgomery County restaurants inspected by Montgomery County's Licensure and Regulatory Services Program had violations that caused the establishments to close for a time in April, according to Data Montgomery. Data Montgomery reports the results of all inspections of food establishments in the county. Businesses may be cited for a number of violations, although only a select few require immediate closure and correction. A lack of hot water is the most common cause of closures, said Ken Welch, program manager for the Office of Licensure and Regulatory Services. Most businesses are able to reopen the same day.
Have you changed your opinion toward your nearby JCPenney?
JCPenney has begun airing a video apologizing to customers for its recent changes in the way it does business—changes that it concedes alienated many of its most loyal customers. The company's ill-advised shift away from discounts and loyal brands could be compared to the New Coke debacle of 1985, a series of security slip-ups by Facebook, and the BP Gulf oil spill, according to Bloomberg news. The article details the changes instituted by former CEO Ron Johnson, who is blamed for losing the retail titan nearly $1 billion ($985 million) in his one-year tenure. Similar to BP’s CEO Tony Hayward’s plain-speak “I’m deeply sorry” video following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2012, the JCPenney spot says: “It’s no secret, recently JCPenney …
Friday, May 10, 2013
With Friday morning's ribbon-cutting ceremony, the gaping vacancy in the middle of the upscale shopping block, The Collection at Chevy Chase, was filled.
Friendship Heights' newest restaurant—Mi Cocina—opened on Friday with a 10:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. The upscale Tex-Mex restaurant opened in the former M Cafe/Famoso/Piazza Sempione spot, which shuttered unexpectedly on April 19, 2011, Patch reported. The space has been vacant since then. Mi Cocina is located in The Collection at Chevy Chase (5471-5481 Wisconsin Ave.), between Christian Dior and Bulgari. It's open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Attending Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony were Max Sagatizado, general manager of Chevy Chase's Mi Cocina restaurant; David Smith, president and CEO of The Chevy Chase Land Company; Del. Susan Lee (D-District 16); Lindsay Camacho, representative for Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-…
Restaurant news from around Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods.
Get caught up with the food scene in Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods with 1 Meat, 3 Sides. This week, a new Tex-Mex restaurant on the 'Rodeo Drive of the East Coast' takes center plate. One meat: On Friday, Chevy Chase's newest restaurant, Mi Cocina, opened in the middle of the ritzy Wisconsin Avenue shopping block, The Collection at Chevy Chase (5471-5481 Wisconsin Ave.)—also known as the 'Rodeo Drive of the East Coast.' Mi Cocina is a popular upscale Tex-Mex chain that opened 20 years ago in Dallas. Its Chevy Chase location has one-of-a-kind art, a lofty private dining room and an outdoor dining space. Flanking Mi Cocina are Christian Dior and Bulgari—making it ideal for those who work up big appetites …
New York City may have Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night," but Bethesda's got the David van Go-berg one.
New York City's Museum of Modern Art may have Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, but Bethesda's got the David van Go-berg original. And, van Go-berg's Starry Night is a lot bigger, and may be seen from the street, free-of-charge. The 146-inch-by-96-inch mural is affixed to the side of Union Hardware (7800 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda)—see it around the corner on Norfolk Avenue. Union Hardware co-owner David Goldberg—aka van Go-berg—created the mural out of left-over hardware stock (more than 1,250 door knobs, levers and backplates from Germany, Italy and the U.S.), according to the description at the side of the mural. Goldberg describes his creation as "Post-Door Hardwareism," in homage to van Gogh's Post-Impressionism. Read more about Goldberg…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Marketplace Fairness Act would require all online retailers to charge sales tax.
For most of Union Hardware's 99-year history, its biggest challenges were other hardware and appliance stores. But since the recession, a new competition has emerged, stronger than any of its predecessors: online businesses that don't collect sales tax. David Goldberg, co-owner of Union Hardware (7800 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda), represents the third generation of his family to own and operate the store. To compete with online retailers not collecting state sales tax, he started stocking European imports not readily available online. He'd rather be stocking and selling American-made products. The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013—which would require online retailers to charge sales tax just like bricks-and-mortar stores must do—recently …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The Washington Post reports that Marriott International will eliminate 34 of its technology jobs in its Bethesda office.
Marriott International—one of the top employers in the Washington, DC, region—is eliminating 34 technology jobs in its Bethesda office, The Washington Post reported. Many of the workers holding those jobs will get new jobs, either with Marriott or with vendors to whom Marriott outsources, a Marriott spokesperson told Patch. Other jobs will be eliminated from Marriott's Frederick and Gaithersburg offices, The Post added, but many of those workers will find new jobs with the company or its vendors. "By December 2013, the number [of jobs eliminated] could rise to 'several hundred' across the three offices," The Post reported. Read more about the job eliminations—including when they will start to take effect—on The Washington Post's website. …
Eric S.
3:40 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
Had no idea BD's closed. But Panera? Really? Ugh. The reason I leave Friendship Heights to go eat in Bethesda is because of the relative lack of bland uber-chains. more ›