This little restaurant is in the back yard, sort of, of an ice cream parlour in Takoma Park, MD. It's run by one guy who opens only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He's been there since September and makes barbeque to die for -- chicken, pulled pork, brisket, ribs. He cooks it outside (outside being just behind where I was standing when I took this picture) on a grill. He stays open only as long as he has food so you have to get there between noon and about 6 or 7 PM to guarantee finding him open. We went one day when it was bitterly cold so we ate inside that door, in the ice cream parlour where the owners were quite friendly, even though we bought nothing from them. (Well, I bought a bottle of water...) But!! I learned today that The Big Guys are moving in. The Big Guy in this case means
Jeff Black who owns and operates a bunch of fabulous restaurants in Bethesda, Rockville, and Garrett Park. I'm happy to see any new restaurant open close to home but I will mourn the loss of Wang Dang, which is a seat-of-the-pants place. Takoma Park is slowly, slowly, slowly becoming just a tad too upscale for me. Oh well, times change.
4 comments:
It seems like the way of the world--Big Companies push out the small ones. We used to have TONS of small, eclectic coffee shops and now we mainly just have Starbucks.
I'm afraid it's the arc of American success and failure -- the big guns move in, they offer value, then they are tired and lured by even bigger money, someone like Landry's buys them, and then that entity starts cutting corners and it all goes to s***. Then it is vacant and some enterprising soul makes an attempt at running an independent place in the now-boarded up storefront, starting the process all over.
the arc - so true - just like the housing bubble.
Let's keep Mark's Kitchen and the Middle Eastern Restaurant in business. The ice cream parlor is a big loss.
And by the way Black's did the same thing in Garrett Park -- pushed out the former cafe/restaurant owner; a resident with heart and character.
Its no longer a community restaurant -
Post a Comment