Update on the Changing Food Scene

Here is an update on the ever-morphing food scene in Glover Park, for better or worse:

MAYFAIR & PINE closed in late March after a very short stint at the former Town Hall location. Owners appeared to blame the residents for the failure (which annoyed some residents), implying that they had no competition, but that their creativity wasn't respected and people only wanted delivery. Whether or not there was any truth to that, they just could not bring in the patrons. The location was not ideal at the south end of the neighborhood.  The food and atmosphere was ok but nothing spectacular. I visited once and there was only one table occupied at peak time on a Friday, and they left when we arrived. It was empty with the big bar TV blaring - kind of odd, and did not feel worthy of a re-visit. The service was great, but the food didn't seem all that creative and was uninspiring. Again, did not feel worthy of a re-visit.

MAX'S ICE CREAM - Max has found out he might lose his lease after 20+ years serving the neighborhood. Max has been renewing his 5-year leases every 5 years and now has received a notice of termination.  Max tragically lost his wife last year yet continued to run the store. Neighbors are up in arms about the turn of events and some have vowed to help him fight to stay. The outcome should be decided very soon as the lease is up June 30th.

MALGUDI - Heritage India has replaced it's smaller downstairs venture, Heritage Asia Thai Bistro, with Malgudi (2400 Wisconsin), another of its ventures on 2/19/13.  They refer to it as a "South Indian Spice Cafe" serving fine south Indian cuisine.


ARCURI is expected to open in the former Kavanagh's Pizza Pub location (2404 Wisconsin) which closed at the beginning of the year, and was preceded by Faccia Luna in the distant past.  The Georgetown Patch describes Arcuri as a casual, Italian-American restaurant.  It is expected to open very soon.

Kavanagh's Pizza Pub has closed its doors permanently, as of 1/31/13. Kavanagh's had operated in the former Faccia Luna location (for those long-time residents) since 2004. It was a popular neighborhood spot with a value-conscious menu and decent pizza. The rest of the menu was nothing to write home about, but was adequate for their prices.

There seemed to be fewer and fewer people for dinner in recent years, though it is not clear if business was a factor in closing. The bar remained popular as a neighborhood hangout. Owners made a statement on their Facebook page that they are ready to move on with their lives and spend more with the kids.  The liquor license has been transferred apparently, and a new Italian restaurant is expected to open soon, though nothing official yet...

Concerned about the Wisconsin Avenue Project?

The Wisconsin Avenue Roadway Upgrade Project begun in 2012 and has been ongoing for nearly a year now. Stay up to date on goals and current events at the DC Department of Transportation website on the project: http://www.wisconsinavenueproject.com

The goals of the project are: improved pedestrian environment and safety through wider sidewalks, a pedestrian crossing, and new lighting; and maxize on and off street parking.  The result so far for drivers, though, has been a nightmare, with ongoing construction blockages and the elimination of a driving lane that now funnels traffic into one lane on this major thoroughfare. In addition, drivers have chosen to spill over onto 37th Street through the neighborhood to bypass the terrible traffic situation at certain times of day, and this has caused major bottlenecks though the neighborhood on streets not meant to be used as a thoroughfare to get north and south.  There has been much controversy between supporters and detractors of the project and the approval process guided by neigborhood committees, government officials and neighborhood activists, while certain residents felt they did not have input.  Nevertheless, the project is well underway and expected to be completed this year.

Another aspect of the project is the reconfiguration of the oddly-angled intersection of 37th Street and Tunlaw Rd, the location of much of the spillover bottleneck and cause of ongoing confusion about right-of-way in the four directions. See the unusual proposed design of the reconfiguration at the pic below, showing all 37th Street traffic redirected to a left turn on Tunlaw before rejoining 37th Street at an additional stop sign:

Glover Park "Victory" Gardens

Did you know?...

....that Glover Park's "victory" gardens were part of an initiative started during WWII to encourage citizens to conserve and aid the war effort by growing their own food?  Watch WETA's short video featuring resident Judy Guy.  See garden info at www.gloverparkdc.com/gardens.html

Watch Community Garden on PBS. See more from WETA Neighborhoods.