The latest on Park Potomac
Coffee and margaritas will be flowing at Park Potomac this winter as two new tenants look to open in the next few months. Filicori Zecchini, an Italian coffee house known for its rich espressos and cappuccinos, is on track to launch by early December. A tasting tent at the Park Potomac Fall Festival “got amazing feedback and really got us excited to open,” says owner Laila Asmar. Gringos & Mariachis, the second location for the popular Bethesda restaurant, will arrive sometime after the holidays. For more on Park Potomac’s new lineup, click here.
Get your Greek on
The Big Greek Cafe, a family-owned restaurant known for its generous portions and home-style cooking, opens its third location this week at 5268 Nicholson Lane. “My family has always been in the restaurant business,” says co-owner Simos Marmaras, whose father Vassilios “Bill” Marmaras once ran the Golden Flame restaurant in Silver Spring. “It was always my mother’s dream to open a more casual restaurant that would use all of her recipes that we grew up with,” Marmaras says. “After she died, my brother and I decided to do it.” The Big Greek Cafe is open for lunch, dinner and takeout service; click here to check out the menu.
New sushi at Georgetown Square
Maki Shop, a D.C. sushi restaurant known for its creatively stuffed hand rolls, is heading to Bethesda’s Georgetown Square Shopping Center. Broker Rich Amsellem of Streetsense, who also handled the lease for neighbor Not Your Average Joe’s, says Maki Shop should open early next year. To see what’s on the menu, click here.
Life Time Gaithersburg is ready to roll
Oct. 20th is opening day for the new Life Time Athletic club in Gaithersburg, just off I-370 at Washingtonian Boulevard. The three-story center will have far more amenities than its smaller sister in Rockville, including a boxing studio, two basketball courts, kids’ classes, and indoor and outdoor pools with water slides. Click here for a sneak peek.
FAO Schwarz to rise again
The FAO Schwarz brand, which was sold to Toys ‘R’ Us eight years ago, changed hands again this week when the name was purchased by a California toy manufacturer. The new owner, ThreeSixty Group, makes licensed toys for Discovery Kids, Animal Planet, Sharper Image and other retailers. Plans call for a new line of FAO Schwarz toys to debut at “select retailers” next fall, with a possible brick-and-mortar store to replace the iconic Manhattan location that closed last year. For more on ThreeSixty Group’s plans for FAO Schwarz, click here.
