Two neighborhood businesses are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year: Bread Furst and Politics and Prose.
For Bread Furst, it’s been ten years since the bakery opened its doors. Bread Furst’s debut on May 6th, 2014 marked the return of renowned baker and Marvelous Market founder Mark Furstenberg to the neighborhood, and local foodies were practically salivating for months. In July 2013, the proprietor of one DC foodie website wrote, “If you live within walking distance of Connecticut Avenue and Albemarle Street, drop to your knees, bow down to the ground, do a medieval chant, and pray to all that’s holy that what might come to pass, will come to pass.”
Politics and Prose is marking its 40th year. The bookstore was founded in autumn 1984 by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade, and spent its first five years across the street from its current location at 5015 Connecticut. The first storefront is currently occupied by Rosemary Bistro Cafe.
Politics and Prose has written all about its history here, and has been sharing some wonderful throwback photos in the leadup to its anniversary party on June 22nd. The store is planning events and activities all day.
Introducing Flashback Friday with P&P for our 40th anniversary! Shown are pics from back when P&P first moved over to our 5015 Connecticut Ave location in 1989. This was just 5 years after Carla Cohen & Barbara Meade opened the store back in 1984! Share your P&P memories below! pic.twitter.com/5YpswDTxBs
— Politics and Prose (@PoliticsProse) April 5, 2024
A photo safari for a cause: On Mothers Day, Washington Photo Safari instructors are donating their time and expert advice on smartphone photography to those who donate at least $100 to the Women’s National Suffrage Monument Foundation. Hands-on instruction will be available at Constitution Gardens on May 12th, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. All contributors, even those who cannot attend, will receive written handout tips on using their smartphone cameras. All funds raised will go to the foundation. You’ll find the instructions for registering for the class, and making your donation here.
“Realizing that women are greatly underrepresented in the statues and monuments along the National Mall, I was inspired to do this in memory of my activist and suffragist mother Estela, who stood up for her rights and for the rights of her family, and saved our lives by getting us out of Nazi Germany in 1938,” WPS founder and Forest Hills resident E. David Luria told Forest Hills Connection.
Pop quiz: In which neighborhood is Rosemary Bistro Cafe? The boundaries are nebulous things, hence our tongue-in-cheek northern border dispute with Chevy Chase. They lay claim to the Politics and Prose block, and we continue to insist that those businesses are in Forest Hills and Wakefield territory.
Another challenger may have entered the ring. A sharp-eyed reader sent this screenshot of the OpenTable restaurant reservations site. Note the location listed for Rosemary Bistro Cafe: Friendship Heights.
Again, boundaries are often blurry, but this was a first. 5010 Connecticut Avenue would be a bit out of the way for anyone in Friendship Heights looking for a bite to eat. Out of curiosity, we searched OpenTable for the restaurant next door. I’m Eddie Cano is not in the OpenTable network, but it did appear, and it is also listed as a Friendship Heights eatery.
Quick Bites
Shemali’s now has a breakfast menu with four types of omelettes, plus fresh-brewed Turkish and American coffee.
No more service charge at Bread Furst. “Thank you for your understanding. We can assure you that we are as confused as you are about this stuff.”
— Eat DC (@eat_dc) April 7, 2024
Secret sauce still a secret:
Lunch at Flavor Garden on Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness.
They won’t tell you what’s in Dee’s Dust, even if you order it on your wings.
But you can catch live jazz on Wednesday evenings. #FlavorGarden #VanNess pic.twitter.com/XFPHM5S5Gs— Tenleytown & Around (@Tenleytown411) April 26, 2024
Marlene Berlin says
Back when my daughters were at Murch, Carla and Barbara opened up the Politics and Prose cafe. Starting time was 9 AM. This was too late for Murch moms dropping off their kids at school in the morning. So a group of moms approached Carla and Barbara about opening up at 8:30. They made a great business decision and moved the time. Murch moms became regular and faithful customers, both in ordering food and drink and in buying their books… It was definitely a favorite hangout of mine in meeting friends and other community activists.
Green Eyeshades says
Marlene, thanks for the memories. I wish I was in the neighborhood when P&P first opened. On the rare occasion that I buy a book instead of using the library, I order my books from P&P online.