Silver Spring Scene News Round Up
By Silver Springer • Oct 3rd, 2006 • Category: Uncategorized
Sayonara Testudo san
Something else is leaving Silver Spring, the Testudo Sculptures. After six months in downtown the four University of Maryland mascots are off to the auction block.Newswise
Montgomery Chamber of Commerce Endorses Ehrlich
The business community in Montgomery County has backed Ehrlich based on the ICC and other business related endeavors.BizJournal
Phillips Seafood Moves Out
One reader points out that Phillips Seafood is being replaced. I’m kind of sad to see a Maryland based company leave for some unknown Kebab house out of Chicago? Funny how on Saturday I was in Rockville and in the mood for some Phillips Seafood but instead found a Moby Dicks in its place. Needless to say I ended up going somewhere else. I didn’t find their offerings appetizing at the moment but most of all it was quite pricey. It looks like all Phillips in the D.C. area are being replaced by Moby Dicks. Is the company closing down?
Correction: Looks like Moby Dicks started in Bethesda around 1987 if I’m correct.
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To the best of my knowledge, Moby Dick’s is a local chain. They have 9 locations, all in the DC metro area:
http://www.mobysonline.com/
They have been around in Bethesda for as long as I can remember. Phillip’s apparently wasn’t very good and had poor service, so perhaps they deserve to fail.
Are you sure Moby Dick’s is out of Chicago? According to their website it’s a small chain and all their stores are in the DC-MD-VA area. Making me believe that it too is a small locally-based chain.
http://www.mobysonline.com/
The menu at Moby Dick’s has some crossover with the very close by Lebanese Taverna. Is there a large enough market in the DTSS core for two middle-eastern fast food restaurants? They may cannibalize (sorry, couldn’t resist) each other’s business.
Ok looks like you both are right. It seems that they opened their first shop in Behtesda, 1987.
Still though, Phillips is a Maryland based company too.
Woodsider said…
The menu at Moby Dick’s has some crossover with the very close by Lebanese Taverna. Is there a large enough market in the DTSS core for two middle-eastern fast food restaurants? They may cannibalize (sorry, couldn’t resist) each other’s business.
RE: I thought the same thing too. Lebanese Taverna made the mistake of opening a cafe instead of one of their full service resturaunts.
They probably figured that they could do better catering to the lunchtime crowd with a cafe.
Until you guys mentioned it, I didn’t think about how many competitive restaurant situations have been created simply by having DTSS and City Place both trying to sign leases. The Lebanese Taverna/Moby Dick competion will be new (LT has better variety, MD better kabobs IMO), but it replaces a Phillips/Red Lobster competition (with Phillips not really well suited for express service). There’s also the Baja Fresh/Chipotle/Austin Grill competition, with the first two offering very close to the same thing, and AG offering full service and a wider menu. I wonder if any other shakeout should be expected?
Both Chipotle and Baja Fresh do a very brisk business, so I wouldn’t worry too much about them. Chipotle is a (half) McDonald’s company, so you know there was EXTENSIVE market research done before choosing that location.
The turtles were kind of weird. I want a flaming hawk to replace some of them in key locations.
At least they didn’t get banished to Siberia like that poor penguin. It looks pathetic sitting there in an island down by the library.
i went to phillips twice, and both times the service was slow and the food was just really not very good. not for the price you paid. i’ve eaten at the buffet restuarant in ocean city and really liked it. so the scaled-down version in SS really disappointed.
and i do love LT. But I’m all for some more middle eastern variety.
I am still annoyed at Philips Seafood. A few weeks ago I ordered a sandwich with my wife and they tried to charge us for tap water. They claimed that since many kids were getting water and filling it up with soda they were going to start charing .25 for a clear dixie cup. I mean give me a break. If you are going to charge me for the cup then I am going to get some Diet Coke. They were good when they first opened and then slowly went downhill.
Twoste said…
The turtles were kind of weird. I want a flaming hawk to replace some of them in key locations.
RE: Hey now that’s my Alma Mater you’re talking about!
Disco turtle (from the corner of Georgia and Colesville) will not be auctioned off. The developer of Downtown Silver Spring already owns it.
Not sure if it will be back on the corner, but you never know.
I hope the Disco Turtle stays. I’ve enjoyed seeing the decorated terrapins around, both because UMd is my alma mater and because the University is our neighbor.
Disco Turtle will be auctioned off. The landlord does not own it. They simply sponsored him for 6 months.
I wonder how much it cost to bring the Turtles to town. However much, from an arts perspctive, the money could’ve been better spent IMO.
The food and service at Phillips has always been terrible. Who cares if it’s from Md. As far as Middle Eastern Food is concerned. Taste of Jerusalem is the best in SS, if not the DC Met.
I still think the terrapins were cool. It would also be nice to keep at least one around.
As for Moby Dick’s, it looks like any other fast food joint but charges the price of a sit down restaurant. Nothing worthwhile was less than $8.00.
Anonymous wrote:
“Disco Turtle will be auctioned off. The landlord does not own it. They simply sponsored him for 6 months.”
According to the University of Maryland, Disco Turtle is not for sale because it was purchased by its sponsor (Downtown Silver Spring).
Personally, I think Lebanese Taverna (the restaurants, not cafes) are better than Taste of Jerusalem, at least the dishes that I have had. The shwarma from LT rules.
MD of Silver Spring is the eleventh store of thirteen that will be opened in the next few months. I think LT is good, but it’s just “good”. MD is “great” food at a reasonable price and a very nice atmosphere. So far….MD is S.S. is the friendliest of the chain(MO). By the way, it IS Maryland based. Was started in Bethesda , Maryland years ago by one man and his family and is still run by him with the help of some good partners and staff.