CAVA heads to Shady Grove, Cabin John

Hometown favorite CAVA is expanding its presence in the Rockville/Potomac area, adding three new restaurants between now and the end of next year. Besides the location that’s currently under construction at Montrose Crossing on Rockville Pike, CAVA co-founder Ted Xenohristos tells us the chain is heading to Shady Grove Road and I-270 as well as the Cabin John shopping center in Potomac. Cabin John will soon start construction on several new restaurants in its front corner parking lot, with a projected opening in mid to late 2018. More on that in an upcoming issue.

Addie’s and Gusto open, BGR and La Madeleine close

What else has happened on the restaurant scene since we took a break in August? The big news in fine dining is the opening of Addie’s at Park Potomac, a reincarnation of the longtime Rockville Pike favorite from Jeff and Barbara Black. The showpiece of the new menu is the Addie’s seafood tower, featuring a rotating assortment of clams, shrimp, mussels, oysters and other specialties like warm garlic flan and Eastern Shore watermelon. Gusto Farm to Street, the Bethesda-based chain known for its salads and thin-crust pizzas, also opened this week in the former Lobster ME space at Westfield Montgomery Mall. But August also marked the end for two longtime local restaurants: The BGR burger chain is out after six years at Cabin John Shopping Center, and La Madeleine has closed in North Bethesda after a short-lived relocation to Pike & Rose.

Mall moves

Westfield Montgomery Mall continued to take a hit from the struggling national retail scene this summer, saying goodbye to bankrupt True Religion and RadioShack as well as Bebe (now online only) and Wilsons Leather (downsizing). Another longtime tenant, Vitamin World, is expected to file bankruptcy next week. But the mall also has welcomed some new businesses, including eateries Gusto (see story above) and Cookie Dough & Co. (see our Aug. 10 issue) as well as The Fix gadget repair shop, the Euphrasie dress store and the CoCo LaRue hair extension boutique. Also back is seasonal tenant Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too, which will fill the former Bebe space until spring.

New at Pike & Rose

The new tenants are arriving quickly at Pike & Rose, where Sephora and Pinstripes debuted last month (see our Aug. 10th issue), the Sur La Table cooking store just opened, and H&M is set to debut next week. Stay tuned to Store Reporter for more on the center’s fall lineup.