Connecticut Ave, NW in Chevy Chase, DC Needs Help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tian Tian Fang (dilapidated Chinese restaurant on Conn. Ave next to Child's Play) has closed! Looks like another dead-beat restaurant has bit the dust. Hopefully something fabulous moves in. Has anyone heard anything? One can only hope "The Avenue" is on the upswing in Chevy Chase!

I still mourn the loss of Mandarin Palace which was there before. That used to be my favorite place to eat when I came home from college. That and Vace pizza.

[Anonymous]

Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, DC desperately needs some nice hip family friendly restaurants. Something that both parents and kids can enjoy. Something hip enough that parents aren't mortified to go to - with good food and drink for all. Maybe a nice updated and casual pizza place or similar. There are so many nights my family would love to grab a bite out close by or meet friends for Friday night dinner with kids. Comet is good, but it is always such a mob scene and not walkable from the circle. Seems like it is so popular a little competition might be good and needed up in Chevy Chase, DC. Seems like it would be a good idea for the old Chinese restaurant location - or get rid of the Bread and Chocolate next door and renovate that to be a cool family friendly restaurant - certainly has the large indoor and outdoor space to be focal point/flagship/cornerstone of the block.

[Anonymous]

Ugh Comet is insufferable when the families invade.

It's such a bizarre space - kids running everywhere, "cool" parents nursing drinks, indie/punk shows, and disaffected hipster college students slinging drinks and nursing neat whiskeys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, DC desperately needs some nice hip family friendly restaurants. Something that both parents and kids can enjoy. Something hip enough that parents aren't mortified to go to - with good food and drink for all. Maybe a nice updated and casual pizza place or similar. There are so many nights my family would love to grab a bite out close by or meet friends for Friday night dinner with kids. Comet is good, but it is always such a mob scene and not walkable from the circle. Seems like it is so popular a little competition might be good and needed up in Chevy Chase, DC. Seems like it would be a good idea for the old Chinese restaurant location - or get rid of the Bread and Chocolate next door and renovate that to be a cool family friendly restaurant - certainly has the large indoor and outdoor space to be focal point/flagship/cornerstone of the block.

Blue 44!

I think much of this is a collective action problem, as the restaurants / shops are largely small businesses with little motivation to act together. A nudge by the OP and others might help them out of their slumber. That said, I would much rather have a collection of small businesses than a Panera collective. God save us from another Cathedral Commons. (What were they thinking? Who approved that? Have heads rolled yet?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, DC desperately needs some nice hip family friendly restaurants. Something that both parents and kids can enjoy. Something hip enough that parents aren't mortified to go to - with good food and drink for all. Maybe a nice updated and casual pizza place or similar. There are so many nights my family would love to grab a bite out close by or meet friends for Friday night dinner with kids. Comet is good, but it is always such a mob scene and not walkable from the circle. Seems like it is so popular a little competition might be good and needed up in Chevy Chase, DC. Seems like it would be a good idea for the old Chinese restaurant location - or get rid of the Bread and Chocolate next door and renovate that to be a cool family friendly restaurant - certainly has the large indoor and outdoor space to be focal point/flagship/cornerstone of the block.

Blue 44!

I think much of this is a collective action problem, as the restaurants / shops are largely small businesses with little motivation to act together. A nudge by the OP and others might help them out of their slumber. That said, I would much rather have a collection of small businesses than a Panera collective. God save us from another Cathedral Commons. (What were they thinking? Who approved that? Have heads rolled yet?)

Here's what we need:
1) A good sushi joint.
2) A good family restaurant with decent food.
3) A better hair salon option.
4) Really cute coffee shop. Like if Red Fox would just move north.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, DC desperately needs some nice hip family friendly restaurants. Something that both parents and kids can enjoy. Something hip enough that parents aren't mortified to go to - with good food and drink for all. Maybe a nice updated and casual pizza place or similar. There are so many nights my family would love to grab a bite out close by or meet friends for Friday night dinner with kids. Comet is good, but it is always such a mob scene and not walkable from the circle. Seems like it is so popular a little competition might be good and needed up in Chevy Chase, DC. Seems like it would be a good idea for the old Chinese restaurant location - or get rid of the Bread and Chocolate next door and renovate that to be a cool family friendly restaurant - certainly has the large indoor and outdoor space to be focal point/flagship/cornerstone of the block.

Blue 44!

I think much of this is a collective action problem, as the restaurants / shops are largely small businesses with little motivation to act together. A nudge by the OP and others might help them out of their slumber. That said, I would much rather have a collection of small businesses than a Panera collective. God save us from another Cathedral Commons. (What were they thinking? Who approved that? Have heads rolled yet?)

Here's what we need:
1) A good sushi joint.
2) A good family restaurant with decent food.
3) A better hair salon option.
4) Really cute coffee shop. Like if Red Fox would just move north.

Maybe some easy "gets" would be:

2) a Cafe Deluxe
4) a Saxbys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else see the article on the front cover of this weeks NW Current about either Harris Tetter or Trader Joes moving into AU Park where the old Fresh Foods was? They are also getting an expanded and renovated Wagshals and new development in the old Chicken Out location. It feels like everyone is getting spruced up with renovations and redevelopment in NW except us. AU/Spring Valley, Tenleytown, VanNess, Cleveland Park - when will it happen for Chevy Chase?

If by "Cleveland Park" you mean Cathedral Commons on Wisconsin Ave. (ir's actually i Cathedral Heights), they can keep it! Boring corporate chains (three banks!), way too much concrete streetscape and generic design (and that is being kind. Cheap looking is more accurate). I'll take the eclectic, pedestrian-oriented, neighborhood-serving businesses and restaurants in Chevy Chase DC any day. Sure, there's room for improvement and more variety, and everyone will have a different preference. But I would have no interest in seeing this area "yup-scaled" into a generic Clarendon-Rockville Town Center type development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, DC desperately needs some nice hip family friendly restaurants. Something that both parents and kids can enjoy. Something hip enough that parents aren't mortified to go to - with good food and drink for all. Maybe a nice updated and casual pizza place or similar. There are so many nights my family would love to grab a bite out close by or meet friends for Friday night dinner with kids. Comet is good, but it is always such a mob scene and not walkable from the circle. Seems like it is so popular a little competition might be good and needed up in Chevy Chase, DC. Seems like it would be a good idea for the old Chinese restaurant location - or get rid of the Bread and Chocolate next door and renovate that to be a cool family friendly restaurant - certainly has the large indoor and outdoor space to be focal point/flagship/cornerstone of the block.

You know what would be amazing? Family Meal (the one in Fredrick, MD by Bryan Voltaggio) would make a killing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, DC desperately needs some nice hip family friendly restaurants. Something that both parents and kids can enjoy. Something hip enough that parents aren't mortified to go to - with good food and drink for all. Maybe a nice updated and casual pizza place or similar. There are so many nights my family would love to grab a bite out close by or meet friends for Friday night dinner with kids. Comet is good, but it is always such a mob scene and not walkable from the circle. Seems like it is so popular a little competition might be good and needed up in Chevy Chase, DC. Seems like it would be a good idea for the old Chinese restaurant location - or get rid of the Bread and Chocolate next door and renovate that to be a cool family friendly restaurant - certainly has the large indoor and outdoor space to be focal point/flagship/cornerstone of the block.

Blue 44!

I think much of this is a collective action problem, as the restaurants / shops are largely small businesses with little motivation to act together. A nudge by the OP and others might help them out of their slumber. That said, I would much rather have a collection of small businesses than a Panera collective. God save us from another Cathedral Commons. (What were they thinking? Who approved that? Have heads rolled yet?)

Here's what we need:
1) A good sushi joint.
2) A good family restaurant with decent food.
3) A better hair salon option.
4) Really cute coffee shop. Like if Red Fox would just move north.

Maybe some easy "gets" would be:

2) a Cafe Deluxe
4) a Saxbys

I'm with you. Jetties was a good start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, DC desperately needs some nice hip family friendly restaurants. Something that both parents and kids can enjoy. Something hip enough that parents aren't mortified to go to - with good food and drink for all. Maybe a nice updated and casual pizza place or similar. There are so many nights my family would love to grab a bite out close by or meet friends for Friday night dinner with kids. Comet is good, but it is always such a mob scene and not walkable from the circle. Seems like it is so popular a little competition might be good and needed up in Chevy Chase, DC. Seems like it would be a good idea for the old Chinese restaurant location - or get rid of the Bread and Chocolate next door and renovate that to be a cool family friendly restaurant - certainly has the large indoor and outdoor space to be focal point/flagship/cornerstone of the block.

Blue 44!

I think much of this is a collective action problem, as the restaurants / shops are largely small businesses with little motivation to act together. A nudge by the OP and others might help them out of their slumber. That said, I would much rather have a collection of small businesses than a Panera collective. God save us from another Cathedral Commons. (What were they thinking? Who approved that? Have heads rolled yet?)

One can assume that when Cathedral Commons was approved the skids downtown were greased with a lot of Giant margarine (and generous political contributions). It's an uninspiring development that seems better suited for a main highway in Germantown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:News flash - Connecticut Avenue in Upper NW has always been gentrified. It was built that way in the 1800s.

Not really. The apartments on upper Conn are full of lower income older residents compared to newer apartments in Bethesda/Arlington

Gentrified doesn't mean what you think it does

[Anonymous]

Nowhere in my pp did I suggest Cathedral Commons come to CC, DC! Relax! Just want current shops spruced up/renovated and maybe some new tenants in the old run down store fronts - like the closed down Chinese restaurant. Sounds like lots of people agree! Child's Play is FINALLY fixing up their store front and I only wish others would follow. Family friendly restaurants (Blue 44 is only one option), sushi, Little Red Fox type place, nice hair salon, better grocery store, better kids shoe store, pizza place, cute ice cream shop, Mexican restaurant, etc. No one is suggesting we bulldoze the whole street and build enormous box stores like target - just a spruce up. New sidewalks and improved tree wells without giant weeds would be fabulous as well.

[Anonymous]

I despise Blue 44s decor--so dark.

I think the neighborhood could use a real pizza restaurant (like Pete's, not Comet), good Tex Mex, and a better grocery store option (let's not get started about Safeway).

[Anonymous]

Holy shit @ this whole thread

Like what you think you can order new local businesses off a fucking menu

Yeah I want a great sushi place and a bagel joint around the corner from my house too, who do I lean on to get it?

[Anonymous]

Holy shit @ this whole thread

Seriously. People think that Cafe Deluxe would open another restaurant exactly in between the two restaurants it has already? And that Pete's needs another location a mile from the one they already have?