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-…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The new restaurant in The Collection at Chevy Chase will feature traditional Tex-Mex food in elegant surroundings decorated with one-of-a-kind artworks.
Come Friday, the vacant space next to Christian Dior on Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights no longer will be vacant. Mi Cocina will open at 11 a.m. Friday at The Collection at Chevy Chase (5471-5481 Wisconsin Ave.). Its ribbon-cutting ceremony (at 10:30 that morning) will be attended by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-District 18) and Sen. Brian Frosh (D- District 16). The restaurant is the latest location for a popular Tex-Mex chain that originated in Dallas, TX, more than 20 years ago. Management saw the Chevy Chase area as a good place for growth, a restaurant spokesperson told Patch. Mi Cocina's menu focuses on traditional Tex-Mex dishes made with fresh ingredients. On the menu: classics like tacos "de brisket" and fajitas, as well as …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Mi Cocina will open in The Collection at Chevy Chase on May 10 at 11 a.m.
Friendship Heights' food scene—recently enlivened by the opening of Le Pain Quotidien—will have yet another new restaurant in just a few weeks: Mi Cocina will open at 11 a.m. on May 10 at The Collection at Chevy Chase (5471 Wisconsin Ave.), according to a restaurant news release. The restaurant, "considered a local Tex-Mex favorite by residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, ... brims with delicious, time-honored recipes, all the while embracing a comfortable and family-friendly attitude that has been celebrated by all ages for more than 20 years. Mi Cocina prepares its diverse menu fresh daily with authentic Mexican cooking techniques and the finest ingredients," according to the news release. On the menu: Tex-Mex classics like tacos "de …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The Shops at Wisconsin Place plaza has a lively cafe again.
The wait is over. Le Pain Quotidien opened this week in the former Tynan Coffee and Tea location on the plaza of The Shops at Wisconsin Place. On Tuesday afternoon, the restaurant was bustling, and diners packed the patio in the pleasant spring weather. The 1,331-square-foot restaurant, which seats 34 diners inside and 38 outside on the patio, was constructed with "eco-friendly features such as LED light fixtures, recycled cast iron arched windows and a recycled church pew," according to a news release from Le Pain Quotidien. The business' name means "the daily bread," and its motto is "where friends and strangers alike come together." Founded in Belgium in 1990, the restaurant is "renowned for its pâtisserie goods—macaroons, madeleines, …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Employment interviews being conducted.
Update, Thursday, March 28, 10:30 a.m.: Le Pain Quotidien will be taking over the former Tynan space overlooking the plaza of The Shops at Wisconsin Place in Friendship Heights, DC Eater reported earlier this month. The business is planning for a summer opening. Read more on DC Eater. Original post, Tuesday, March 26, 4 p.m.: Will Le Pain Quotidien move into the space vacated by Tynan Coffee and Tea last month? Prince of Petworth reported on PoPville that such would be the case, citing "a good source." A recent job listing on Craigslist could support this. The job listing stated that Le Pain Quotidien—"a Belgian cafe and bakery serving organic coffee and healthy, seasonal fare," according to the listing—is hiring employees for the chain's …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Tex-Mex restaurant will open in a Friendship Heights storefront that has been vacant for nearly two years.
Mi Cocina is slated to open later this spring in the former M Cafe space (5471-5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD), restaurant spokesperson Sue List told Patch. Mi Cocina is owned by the privately held M Crowd Restaurant group, which has restaurants in Dallas/Fort Worth, the Houston area, Tulsa and Atlanta, according to Mi Cocina's website. Mi Cocina's menu includes standard Tex-Mex fare (fajitas, enchiladas, tacos), as well as house specials. M Cafe, its sister restaurant Famoso and Piazza Sempione, the luxury women’s apparel store that shared the space with the restaurants, shuttered quite suddenly on April 19, 2011, Patch reported. The space has been vacant in the upscale shopping center The Collection at Chevy Chase for nearly two …
A roundup of the top food headlines this month in Bethesda and Chevy Chase.
February was a newsy month in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase food scene. Patch broke the news this month that Harris Teeter has signed a lease to be the grocery tenant at a new mixed-use development at 8300 Wisconsin Ave. The new grocery store is expected to open in 2015. Also this month, we reported that Dunkin' Donuts is closing its Bethesda Avenue location after Bethesda Row management company Federal Realty did not renew their lease, which expires in May. The coffee shop has two new downtown Bethesda locations in the works. There was more news out of Friendship Heights from celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio, local favorite Persimmon re-opened with a new look, Aroma Espresso debuted at the Montgomery Mall, and the new Prohibition-style bar and …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Grab some free grub from the Pepe food truck today.
Pepe, the popular food truck by celebrity chef and Bethesda resident Jose Andres, will be making a stop for lunch in Friendship Heights on Wednesday. Even better, the mobile eatery will serve free sandwiches to the first 100 people who stop by. Sandwich flavors du jour include shredded beef, eggplant, fried chicken, Spanish pulled-pork and a club. The food truck, which serves up “flautas,” or Spanish sandwiches, has been feeding hungry Washington, DC, residents since March 2012. The truck made its debut in Montgomery County last October. Prices range from $8 to $14. Chicken noodle soup will also be on the menu. Wednesday, Pepe will be serving up the free sandwiches in partnership with Equinox gym. The truck, along with Equinox reps, will …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Lunchbox will be the third eatery in the Chevy Chase Pavilion with a menu by celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio.
The newly-renovated Chevy Chase Pavilion is set to get a third eatery with a menu by celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio, who will open a second location of Lunchbox—a popular sandwich shop in Frederick, MD—in the Chevy Chase shopping center later this year, Washingtonian reported. "Lunchbox takes the fresh, seasonal ingredients ... and transforms them into gourmet sandwiches, salads, soups and desserts," the restaurant's website states. The Frederick location is a "casual dining venue [that] seats 30 people comfortably for lunch only," and restaurant patrons may dine in or carry out. Menu options include grilled cheese, pastrami and meatloaf sandwiches, a variety of salads and soups, cookies and brownies. Lunchbox will join Voltaggio's other …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
PoPville, citing "a good source," reported that the shuttered Friendship Heights coffee and tea shop could become Le Pain Quotidien.
The former storefront of Tynan Coffee and Tea in Friendship Heights could become home to a branch of Le Pain Quotidien, Prince of Petworth reported on PoPville, citing "a good source." Tynan Coffee and Tea recently closed, Chevy Chase Patch reported. Its storefront anchored the southern arm of the plaza at The Shops at Wisconsin Place. Next door is the former storefront for Adolfo Dominguez, a clothing boutique. Patch readers made several great suggestions as to what might work well in the empty space. Suggestions included: an ethnic and/or mid-price-range restaurant, a craft beer or cocktail bar and an ice cream parlor. What would you like to see in the old Tynan space in Friendship Heights? Tell us in the comments.
Wendy Leibowitz
1:11 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013
I don't mind another restaurant, but I'd love to see more cultural offerings, and more coverage of culture--music, museums, scupture, painting, dance and performance art. We go into DC for the Smithsonians, but to see the children cluster around the little fountain outside the Barnes & Noble makes me yearn for some public art or sculpture that would lift us up a litte during our daily grinds. … more ›