Archive for the 'Silver Spring Takoma Park Restaurants' Category
For Valentines Day – The Romantic Choice for Dinner in Downtown Silver Spring
February 10th, 2012 Categories: Silver Spring Businesses, Silver Spring Takoma Park Restaurants, Uncategorized
The most romantic place for Dinner in Silver Spring has to be Sergios.
It is intimate, quiet and dark, like a cozy cave, the wait staff are attentive, the drinks are good, the food is Real Native Italian, Generous and Excellent! (especially the veal dishes). The atmosphere is understated thick white tablecloth elegant and romantic.
Nothing beats having that warm, friendly personal greeting from Sergio Toni, the owner, a native of Rome and now a Silver Springer. Sergio has been involved with this restaurant since 1982 when it was Mamma Reginas.
This Silver Spring Restaurant is a hidden treasure – the location is in the basement (off the garage) of the Hilton Hotel in Silver Spring.
Sergio Ristorante Italiano
8727 Colesville Road
Hilton Hotel Garage
Valet Parking
(301) 585-1040
| Discussion: No Comments »
Bungalows Galore in Old Downtown East Silver Spring – Blair Subdivision
January 6th, 2012 Categories: Old Vintage Silver Spring Takoma Park Houses, Silver Spring Neighborhoods, Silver Spring Takoma Park Restaurants, silver spring real estate
The Blair Subdivision is one of the earliest subdivision of homes in Silver 
Spring. Originally called E Brooke Lee’s Addition to Silver Spring, it is one of E Brooke Lee’s first forays into Residential Real Estate Development. E Brooke Lee’s father, Blair Lee, had originally started developing the Blair area in the early 1900’s aroung the B&O Railroad Station. Carved out of land that was part of the Blair Family Country Estate, many of the street names come from the Blair and Lee families, such as Gist, Violet and Woodbury. There is even a tiny street named after the famous horse “Selim” that threw Francis Preston Blair and ran off, causing the discovery of the original “Silver Spring”. Blair is one of the first working class neighborhoods of Silver Spring.
Most of E Brooke Lee’s addition eventually became the commercalized area of Downtown Silver Spring and South Silver Spring. There are residential single family homes left that make up the Blair Subdivision with some sections called Blair/ Takoma. The boundaries of the residential sections of Blair and Blair Takoma are roughly: Sligo Avenue to the South, Philadelphia Avenue and the Montgomery College Campus to the North, Fenton Street to the West and Piney Branch Road on the East.
Within Walking Distance:
All the great ammenites of Downtown Silver Spring! Silver Spring Metro Station (Red Line), Downtown Silver Spring, Restaurants, Shopping, Veterans Plaza, Ice Skating Rink, year-round farmers market, NOAA, Discovery Channel Headquarters, Montgomery College, The New 
Montgomery College Performing Arts Center, Whole Foods, Safeway, Giant Food, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Sligo Creek Park, many delightful “pocket parks” and much more.
Public Schools:
East Silver Spring Elementary School (K-4)
Piney Branch Elementary
Sligo Creek Elementary
Takoma Park Middle School
High School: Home School is Montgomery Blair High School
Downcounty High School Consortium – Choice Process: Blair, Einstein, Kennedy, Northwood, or Wheaton high schools
*Note: always Check the Montgomery County School Assignment Locator for the specific school a child will attend that is assigned by street address.
Full of wonderful old timey bungalows, some colonials, american four squares, victorian farmhouses and cape cods, this neighborhood borders on Downtown Silver Spring on one side and Takoma Park on the other. The 
Blair – Blair/Takoma Subdivision is considered part of East Silver Spring.
Blair and Blair Takoma Home Sales 2011
11 single family homes Sold
Average List Price – $507,855
Average Sold Price – $480,045
Lowest Sale Price – $350,000
(a small 2 Bedroom 1 Bath 1928 Bungalow)
Highest Sale Price – $701,000
(a large expanded and completely renovated 5 Bedroom 4 Bath 1923 Bungalow)
Average Days on Market – 41
Check out Homes for Sale Now in Blair Subdivision, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| Discussion: No Comments »
Gil’s Restaurant is Worth a Visit
March 9th, 2011 Categories: Silver Spring Businesses, Silver Spring Takoma Park Restaurants
There is a new and “improved” corner in Silver Spring. Gil’s Restaurant has 
opened @ the corner of Silver Spring Avenue and Piney Branch Road. It’s the corner store at the end of the old strip shopping center on Piney Branch Road near the intersection of Dale and Piney Branch.
I hardly recognized this place. It’s was the site of Matchu Pitchu restaurant and then something like Lembada’s (not sure of either spelling), just remember the restaurants there before were “scruffy”, beat up looking, raucous at night and not very appetizing.
The place has been painted, spruced up and there is new landscape in the front. The inside feels cleaner than the places that were there before.
The food was great. It is Tex-Mex & Salvdorean. I had a lunch special platter with cheese enchiladas. The platter had the ususal beans, rice, guacamole and pico de gallo. I won’t name names, but at most of the mexican places in the area, the beans, rice, guac and pico de gallo are usually left on my plate after just a taste, especially the beans. At other places the beans are usually so bland and greasy, I don’t bother eating them. The beans at Gil’s are fantastic, I cleaned my plate. The beans are seasoned to perfection and like none I have ever had before. They are not greasy, bland, dry or hard, they are just right.
The tortilla chips were also excellent, served warm with “warm” salsa, you could tell they were made there and made at least “very recently”. The guacamole and pico de gallo were really FRESH and like the beans, seasoned better than 
I’ve found in other mexican places. The enchilladas were very light, not a hint of heaviness and not greasy.
This is a place that I will go back to again just to try more dishes.
NOTE: They are just getting started in business and don’t have their credit system set up quite yet, so don’t be surprised if your credit card reciept say’s “Gil’s Painting”. The manager came to my table to give me my reciept and explained the situation. They probably do painting too? I’ll bet they did the great paint job on the outside and inside of the restaurant.
Website www.GilsRestaurant.com
8200 Piney Branch Road
Silver Spring, Md 20910
(301)328-5972
*Update:
Seems Gil’s had a hard time opening the place because of this location’s “seedy” “problematic” past and nearby Sligo Park Hills neighborhood complaints. They were only able to open by nixing pool tables, hard liquor and closing earlier than they wanted to.
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Paczki Day Today at the Woodmoor Pastry Shop in Silver Spring.
March 7th, 2011 Categories: Silver Spring Businesses, Silver Spring Takoma Park Restaurants
Today is Paczki Day!
The tradition is the Tuesday before Lent is a time to indulge or Fatten up before tightening belts and giving up things for Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday.
I know of no better excuse to make a visit to the
Woodmoor Pastry Shop.
The best, or maybe the only place to get Paczki in Silver Spring, is at the Woodmoor Bakery/Pastry Shop in the Woodmoor Shopping Center. They make the most divine, decadent Paczki anywhere in the area.
Check out reviews of the Bakery and the Paczki at the Woodmoor Pastry Shop
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Old Fashioned, Overlooked, Out of the Way Dive with the Best Burgers and Breakfasts in Silver Spring, MD
October 6th, 2010 Categories: Silver Spring Neighborhoods, Silver Spring Takoma Park Restaurants, Takoma Park Real Estate, silver spring real estate
Step back in time behind the cases and coolers of beer, wine, snack displays and 
the cramped cash register to one of Silver Spring’s best kept secrets, the Flower Delicatessen Restaurant.
A little lunch counter/restaurant and bar that’s been in business since 1937. Located in the Old Flower Avenue Shopping Center where most of the original businesses have been replaced and the historic Flower Theatre sits closed.
The current proprietor “Hadi” took over the Flower Deli from the original owner in 1979 and “redecorated” the bar/restaurant. Nothing fancy here, just good food, friendly staff and what everyone can appreciate, prices from another era!
One regular named “Jim” has been coming to the Flower Deli since 1975. Jim Lives in nearby Takoma Park and was in the “music business”. Jim comes for lunch at least 2 or 3 times a week and always sits at the bar. He says he loves watching the Redskin games there during the season.
An elderly lady with a cane has been having lunch there for a least 30 years. She says you can’t beat the prices, “where can you get a hot dog (Genuine Hebrew National) and a cup of coffee for less than $3.00?” She says the Deli beats the Tastee Diner hands down.
The red headed waitress, Gloria has been working at the Deli for over 27 years. She’s efficient and personable. Gloria works the breakfast and lunch shift.
Some people think that the Deli has the best breakfast in town. The owner says people rave about his 
breakfasts. He say’s it’s all about the sausage. A few years back he changed the sausage meat brand he was buying, many of the customers noticed and complained, so he has switched back to his original brand, and no . . no one would tell me what brand of sausage it is.
The most expensive Breakfast on the menu is the “Flower Special”
That’s 2 Pancakes – 2 Eggs with choice of bacon, ham, sausage, corned beef hash or scrapple served with hash browns, white toast, butter and jelly . $4.59
No wonder the Flower Deli is beloved by all construction workers and contractors.
In my humble opinion, the hamburger is the best one in Silver Spring. For some reason it tastes familiar, like the burgers my mother used to make when I was a kid.
The 1/4 lb hamburgers are $2.29 and cheesburger $2.49.
Located at 8707 Flower Avenue, Silver Spring , Md 20901
Open 6:30 AM – 12 Midnight Monday through Friday
Saturday and Sundays 7:30 AM – Midnight
BTW - The other old fashioned thing about the Flower Deli, besides the ambience and the prices, they don’t take Credit Cards – So bring some good, old fashioned CASH.
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
