Back in Feb. 2012 scuttlebutt was confirmed that a new Busboys & Poets would be coming to the Takoma Central project in Takoma DC. The building is slowly starting to rise and Busboys has recently applied for a liquor license:

“American Bistro with full entrée menu serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner with a seating capacity of 216. Total occupancy load of 237. Background music and live entertainment will be provided to include, but not limited to, poetry readings, occasional showing of films, and a pianist. Summer garden with 112 seats.”

From MPD:

On Wednesday, April 3, 2013, at approximately 9:10 pm, members of the Fourth District Vice unit received information that there was a man armed with a gun in the 700 block of Tewkesbury Place, NW. Upon arrival, officers attempted to stop an individual who ran and pointed a gun at an officer. That officer discharged their weapon but did not strike the suspect. The suspect was apprehended and a gun was recovered on the scene. There were no injuries to the officers or the suspect.

From a press release:

More than six years after Dolci Gelati first came to DC, Chef Gianluigi Dellaccio and his business partner/wife Anastasia have announced that they will open Dolci Gelati Café, their first storefront, in Takoma Park this spring—a second location will follow next year in the Shaw neighborhood, at the City Market at O. Dolci Gelati can currently be found at Nationals’ Stadium and the National Zoo as well as in restaurants and markets throughout the Washington Metro area such as Whole Foods and Taylor Gourmet.

The first planned location will open its doors in Takoma Park early this spring and is being opened in tandem with fellow Italian and local entrepreneur Marcello Mina. This first shop, just 10 minutes from the Dolci Gelato laboratorio “kitchen”, will be on 7000 Carroll ave., in the heart of the trendy neighborhood.

Dolci Gelati Café will open their second location next spring at the City Market at O development on 8th street between O and P Street. The complex will be erected in Shaw and will also include a renovated state of the art Giant as well as a hotel, apartment complex and other retail and restaurants.

Chef Gianluigi currently has created more than 300 varieties of homemade gelato, and will bring his crowd-pleasing favorites such as salted caramel, white chocolate raspberry and bacio to the store daily. The Chef will also experiment with fresh, new flavors including creating a health-conscious line with tantalizing treats like Green Tea, Pomegranate Powerberry and a Super Citrus Antioxidant sorbet. Dolci Gelati Café will also feature a Social Good flavor, from which the profits will go to a variety of great causes.

“For years my creations have been bound by what the markets would order. I have so many new ideas that I want to try both in gelato and pastry and now I have my own place to do so,” said Chef Gianluigi. “I can’t wait to connect with our customers on a new level and offer new varieties that they have only imagined, while staying true to my family’s recipe that I learned growing up in Italy.”

Before creating Dolci Gelati, Chef Gianluigi was a Pastry Chef at Galileo, as well as an Italian Water Polo Champion. The Chef plans to incorporate his background as a pastry chef to develop many new items. The menu will include “cupcake cones”- ice cream cones filled with cupcake and chocolate ganache center, gelato sundaes, pastry and several varieties of praline nuts and artisan kettle corn (chocolate covered, cotton candy, bacon, and parmesan).

Dolci Gelati was started in 2005 by Former Italian champion water polo player turned pastry chef Gianluigi Dellaccio. Dolci Gelati offers many great varieties of gelato with a consistent level of quality that can only be achieved with artisan precision. The process starts every morning with deliveries from local dairy farms and other handpicked fruits, fine chocolates and other fresh ingredients. Gelato offers the same great taste as ice cream with 1/3 the fat and none of the artificial ingredients. Gianluigi uses a 100% authentic Italian recipe and local fresh ingredients to bring you a little bit of Italy across the Atlantic.

City Market at O

Back in Dec. 2012 I shared some scuttlebutt that a Busboys and Poets would be coming to the new Takoma Central project at 235 Carroll Street, NW. Happy to report it’s been confirmed. The Post’s Jonathan O’Connell reports they’re shooting to open in Spring 2014. From a press release:

Federal Capital Partners (FCP) and Level 2 Development (Level 2) have signed fast-growing and highly popular Busboys and Poets to a 6,500 square foot lease at Takoma Central in the Takoma neighborhood of Northwest Washington, DC. The pioneering restaurant/bookstore/market concept will occupy a large portion of the 9,000 square foot retail ground floor of the $36 million, mixed-use development located at the corner of Carroll and Maple Streets. Takoma Central will feature 150 rental apartments adjacent to the Takoma Metrorail station and is just steps from the center of this eclectic, historic urban village. Busboys and Poets is cherished by its customers as a contemporary community center, where people gather to eat, work, browse through books and join in conversation. Takoma is considered to be one of Washington’s most diverse and popular “towns within a city” and Busboys and Poets is a perfect fit for this flourishing neighborhood.

David Franco, Managing Partner at Level 2, commented, “We are thrilled to bring Busboys and Poets to Takoma Central. Busboys’ personality is Takoma Central’s personality is Takoma DC’s personality, setting the stage for a hip Takoma celebrating both its old and new character. Takoma Central, with its commanding Busboys and Poets frontage and outdoor, multi-level terraced dining, will bridge the gap between the Takoma Metro Station and the historic Takoma downtown. Takoma will become the new “it” destination stop on Metro’s red line.”

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FCP Managing Partner, Lacy Rice, commented, “Busboys and Poets is a destination retailer, providing a cultural center in each of its four existing locations. Not only will they be welcomed by the neighborhood, but we believe their presence will be a catalyst to further revitalization of this very attractive corner of Washington, DC.”

First established in 2005, Busboys and Poets was created by owner Anas “Andy” Shallal, an artist, activist and restaurateur. After opening the flagship location at 14th and V Streets, neighboring residents embraced the restaurant as a community destination. Busboys and Poets is now located in four distinctive neighborhoods in the Washington Metropolitan area and will open at the Takoma Central location in late 2014, soon after building completion. The development of Takoma Central is reflective of the focus by both the community and the DC Office of Planning to bring increased reinvestment to the neighborhood. In January, restaurateur Jeff Black announced that he would be opening a new restaurant at nearby Laurel Avenue, illustrating the growing confidence in what has been an underserved market.

Takoma Central has been designed to respect and enhance the architectural history and spirit of the Takoma neighborhood, with a five-story Victorian-style warehouse design connected by a glass “hyphen” to a contemporary, four-story brick and stone Art Deco building. The project consists of two phases that are being built concurrently and joined together at the first floor. Busboys and Poets will occupy the long street front along Carroll Street and will continue around the corner to Maple Street. Tall windows and French doors will connect the interior to an outdoor dining terrace along the new, wide sidewalk.

Thanks to Andrew and Caroline for sending photos of Soupergirl’s expansion:

From a press release:

The organizer of the hugely successful Fenton Street Market, in conjunction with the Old Takoma Business Association, will be bringing a new market to historic Takoma Park, MD in Spring 2013. The new Grant Avenue Market will showcase antiques, collectibles and other funky finds and will take place on one block of Grant Avenue in the Takoma Junction neighborhood in Takoma Park. Market goers can expect to find the same winning format as the Fenton Street Market – vendor booths, music and food – adding yet another activity to the busy Sunday line-up in Old Takoma which already offers the popular Takoma Park Farmers Market from 10am-2pm.

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The market will take place on the 2nd Sunday of the month from 10am-3pm on May 12th, June 9th and July 14th and will feature antiques including furniture and household items, vintage items such as clothing, collectibles, jewelry, records, books, artwork and ephemera plus repurposed items like clothing, jewelry, artwork. The Grant Avenue Market is excited to announce the participation of Washington, DC area favorite, Ruff & Ready Furnishings which will be bringing their unique mix of antiques, collectibles and “neat junque” each Sunday.

“We think Takoma Park is the perfect venue for this new market since there is not anything like it nearby.” says Fenton Street Market co-owner and manager Megan Moriarty. “Sundays in Takoma Park are busy and fun already – we look forward to using our expertise to add to the energy and the options already available.”

For more information, go to: www.grantavenuemarket.com

Vendors interested in participating may find application information at: http://grantavenuemarket.com/apply or contact Megan Moriarty megan@fentonstreetmarket.com

Parking for cars and bikes available in the City Lot across from Grant Avenue or take Metro’s Red Line, stop Takoma.

This edition of Eating Around Town was written by Abbey Becker. Abbey lives near Eastern Market.

Neighborhood Gem: Middle Eastern Cuisine and Market

Downtown Takoma Park is nothing if not eclectic, and Middle Eastern Cuisine and Market fits in just fine. Local hangout Olive Lounge & Grill is in the back of the restaurant, but up front, you can sit down for a full meal with table service.

This is definitely a “come as you are” kind of place—on a Sunday night, there was a young family enjoying an early dinner, while at the table next to them was a man wearing headphones and a parka throughout his entire meal.

Drinks are cheap for DC. Wine by the glass for around $6 to $7 per glass, lots of beers by the bottle ranging between $4 and $5. Water in big plastic cups. No frills, but gets the job done.

You’re not impressed, I know. But order lunch or dinner and you’ll understand.

My group of four ordered the Mezza platter, a hulking tray with homemade hummus, baba ghanoush, falafels, stuffed grape leaves, what I think was a Mediterranean salad or maybe tabbouleh, and an olive-flavored dip with the texture of hummus, all served with a basket of warm, pillowy pita. The olive dip was exceptional—creamy, salty, and rich. One of the people I was with said she generally doesn’t like grape leaves, but that these were excellent (she ate two!). The falafels were maybe the best I’ve had in the District. They were lightly fried, not greasy at all, with a creamy interior that showcased the flavor of the chickpeas and nothing more. The tabbouleh was zingy, lemony, and refreshing. Don’t be afraid of the $18 price tag. It’s definitely worth it.

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Everyone ended up ordering wraps for dinner—falafel, chicken kabob, and lamb shwarma. While the wraps aren’t that big, they’re inexpensive at about $6 or $7. Having ordered the lamb, I can say that it wasn’t greasy or fatty like other shwarmas I’ve had, and I could definitely taste the grassiness of the lamb. I think I would have liked more yogurt sauce, and I’ll ask for some on the side next time. My favorite part might have been the pickle slice that came with every dish. I liked the way the sour, briny cuke cut through the richness of the lamb when I finished the wrap.

If you live in the neighborhood, takeout seems to be a popular option here.

Have a hidden gem in your neighborhood that online reviews seem to forget about? Leave a note in the comments and I’ll try to get there!

Thanks to a reader for sending an update on Takoma Central coming to 235 Carroll Street, NW (and possible future home of a Busboys and Poets.) The reader writes:

“Tower crane is up and a Takoma-Central-January-2013-Newsletter with a construction schedule was distributed.”

Thanks to everyone who sent links for this huge news coming to Takoma Park. A new restaurant from Jeff Black (owner of Logan Circle’s Pearl Dive and Black Jack among many others) is coming to 6937-6939 Laurel Ave not far from the Takoma metro in Takoma Park, MD. The Post’s Tom Sietsema reports:

Still to be named, their modern American restaurant will embrace a dining room, two spots for drinking, a patio, live entertainment a couple times a week and — to absolutely no one’s surprise given Black’s multiple seafood-themed establishments — a raw bar.

A few weeks ago we also learned that a Busboys and Poets is also likely coming to Takoma.

A reader hears some scuttlebutt that a Busboys and Poets could be coming to the new Takoma Central project at 235 Carroll Street, NW. I’ve also heard some scuttlebutt that they are interested in that space. If it is accurate – do you think Busboys and Poets would make a nice compliment to the already announced La Mano Coffee Bar coming to 304 Carroll St, NW?