Big News for Shaw Food-Lovers!

Eater’s got details on the big restaurant news that Tom Sietsema scooped in his chat today. The folks behind the fabulously popular – and POTUS-worthy – Mintwood Place are opening a new concept at the City Market at O! Here’s the story:

Restaurant from Mintwood Team Coming to Shaw

Wednesday, April 30, 2014, by Missy Frederick

Big news in Tom Sietsema’s chat today for Shaw residents. Mintwood Place’s chef and owner have signed a lease to open a restaurant at the City Market at O development. There is no name for the restaurant yet but it will be headed to 801 0 St. NW. Cedric Maupillier and Saied Azali will have a 120-seat dining room, and there will be similarities to their French leaning favorite, Mintwood Place. Maupillier tells Sietsema the restaurant will have smaller portions and lower prices, to appeal to a younger audience. It’ll be on the ground floor of a hotel and be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (anearly 2015 opening is likely).

· Tom Sietsema Chat [WaPo]

Can You Keep Up with Shaw?

The little neighborhood of Shaw is jam-packed with growth. As if the opening of the gigantic City Market at O mixed-use complex (complete with one of the largest Giant stores I’ve ever seen), the neighborhood’s recent explosion of new restaurants, and the huge Marriott Marquis that’s about to deliver at the corner of 9th and Mass Ave weren’t enough, here’s a look at some of the other projects planned for the area:

Douglas Development’s mixed-use project at 7th & NY Ave 

A rendering of the planned Douglas office building

 

125 Residences in Blagden Alley (This one kind of bums me out, as I think Blagden Alley is one of the most interesting and charming little streets left in DC. The idea of it being filled with shiny new construction depresses me. Even though the rendering below makes it look like they’re going to try hard to maintain the original feel, unless they’re actually preserving the original facades, I don’t see how that can happen.)

200 Residences + ANOTHER Marriott Hotel at 9th & L

Design by Cooper Carry and tvs design.

Mixed-use Residential + Retail Building at 1336 8th St. NW

 Image via Google Maps

Starbucks Signs at O

Rendering Courtesy City Market at O

This just in: Starbucks has signed on to join the City Market at O development, making it the development’s third signed retailer (after Giant and Dolci Gelati). The ‘bucks will be opening this spring, and will occupy a 1,600 square-foot space on O Street between 8^th and 9^th, located underneath the future Cambria Suites Hotel (which will also be opening in spring). Yay?

Sneak Peek: A Tour of The New Giant at City Market at O

Yesterday I got to do a sneak preview walkthrough of the slightly epic (72 THOUSAND square feet!!!!) new Giant grocery store opening as an anchor to the City Market at O. The soft opening festivities begin today at 2, with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6pm. The Giant opens officially Friday morning at 6am, and will be open from 6am-midnight 7 days a week. Take a look:

The historic market’s facade was maintained, making this one of the prettiest Giants I’ve ever seen (from the outside, at least).

 

 

 

Inside, skylights and a formerly-exterior-now-interior brick wall mark where the historic space ends and the new construction begins. The place is huge. HUGE.

 

 

 

Adorable aesthetic touches like these streetlamps with “street signs” pointing you to the store’s various sections are scattered throughout the store.

 

The historic-looking street lamps also adorn the checkout lanes instead of the typical boring lights.

The biggest cheese section of any Giant, complete with a tasting table (not pictured) that will offer samples daily.

 

View from the upstairs cafe space. Did I mention this store is HUGE?

 

(Nerd Alert) The extra space apparently means extra-detailed signs, which I LOVE. For instance, check out the last item on the left side of the aisle 11 sign below. I NEVER know where to find the breadcrumbs at the store! It’s the little things in life, people.

  

This Giant also has the largest “natural foods” section of any Giant store. Mostly this is them pushing their “Nature’s Promise” brand, but there really is a very wide selection of “natural” foods, frozen and dry. I didn’t have time to ask what the definition of “natural” is though.

Honestly, aside from some nice aesthetic touches, some prepared food options (pizza, sandwiches, and sushi prepared on-site), and a space to sit and eat, this is pretty much a normal Giant – aside from being extra huge, of course. But it looks like the hugeness is mostly packed with additional grocery options (so you have 20 different types of chicken broth to choose from instead of 10.) I do enjoy what they did with the outer facade though, and the effort they went to to maintain as much of the original building as they could. My question is whether the neighborhood is actually dense enough to support a store this large. I guess we’ll see!