Masala Art Interior Build-Out Underway

Interior build-out of the new Waterfront Station Indian restaurant Masala Art on 4th Street will begin this week according to the proprietor Atul Bloha. Exterior work has been underway since November. It will take between 10 and 12 weeks to finish the interior, which puts the opening of the restaurant sometime in mid- to late-May, perhaps by Memorial Day weekend. If this schedule holds out, it would be the shortest amount of time to open a restaurant at Waterfront Station (with the exception perhaps of Subway). Both Station 4 and Z-Burger experienced significant delays before their restaurants opened. While the menu for the Waterfront Station Masala Art is still being worked out, there will be dishes that differ from the Tenleytown location. 

The Waterfront Station Masala Art will be much larger than the Tenleytown one – there will be seating for 130 people, including seats at the bar and lounge area. For comparison purposes, Station 4 has seating for 210 people including outdoor seating. Masala Art will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, along with bar fare. More details will likely be forthcoming when the restaurateur goes before the ABC commission to get a liquor license. Job positions that will be available include waiters, bartenders, kitchen helpers, food runners, and bar backs. Waiters will need at least two years of experience in fine dining with a customer-first approach to their job. Resumes and references should be sent to masalaartsw@gmail.com.

Masala Art to Open at Waterfront Station

 

I just learned from ANC 6D Commissioner McBee that Masala Art will be opening at Waterfront Station and will take up the two vacant storefronts at 1101 4th Street, north of Subway. Masala Art is an Indian restaurant by Atul Bhola, the former manager of Heritage India, with a location in Tenleytown that opened in 2009.  According to a review by The Washington Post's Tom Sietsema, the Tenleytown restaurant seats 45. The Tenleytown location is open daily for lunch & dinner and it also offers free delivery.  Here's a look at the menu. Masala Art will join Station 4, Z-Burger, and Subway as the fourth restaurant to open at Waterfront Station, in addition to Safeway, CVS, and Waterfront Cleaners. There are still two vacant retail spaces available - one each at 1101 and 1100 4th Street.  I’ll share more details on Masala Art as I learn them.

Waterfront Station Retail Update

If you walked down to Station 4 yesterday hoping to have a drink or grab a bite to eat, you may have been disappointed since the highly anticipated restaurant has not opened yet.  However, the restaurant received its Certificate of Occupancy earlier this week, so the opening must be imminent! The menu is still being tweaked, so it is not available yet. Below are the hours of operation and meal times:

Hours of Operation

M-Th: 11am - 2am

F: 11am - 3am

Sa: 10am - 3am

Su: 10am - 2am

Meal Times

Brunch: 10am - 3pm (Saturday & Sunday)

Lunch: 11am - 5pm

Dinner: 5pm - 11pm

Late Night: 11pm - 1 hour before close

As I mentioned last week, Z-Burger is between 2 and 3 months away from opening in their space next to Station 4. Expensive upgrades to the space have caused delays.

At Monday's ANC 6D meeting, Gordon Fraley from Waterfront Associates told the commissioners that the existing retailers at Waterfront Station have been doing well since opening up shop in 2010. Also, he mentioned that CVS has plans to make some upgrades to their space, including the addition of self-checkout lanes. It was confirmed that TD Bank will open a branch at Waterfront Station just to the north of Station 4. TD Bank has been expanding in the DC metro area and most of their branches are open 7 days a week. No timetable for when the bank will open is available. That leaves three retail spaces left to lease - the green-framed space at 1100 4th Street and two spots at 1101 4th Street next to Subway. The landlord is in discussions with a potential tenant at the 1100 4th Street space. I was told several months ago that an AT&T Wireless store was coming, but I haven't heard any more about it since.

Subway Opens Tomorrow

Slowly, but surely, retail has started opening along 4th Street at Waterfront Station. First came Safeway (with a Starbucks) in April, then CVS in July. Last week, Waterfront Cleaners opened its doors and tomorrow, Subway will be having its grand opening. Hours of operation for the sandwich shop will be Monday - Friday 6am to 9pm, Saturday 8am - 9pm, and Sunday 9am - 9pm. Next up will be Z-Burger and Station 4. I noticed that work started on both storefronts last week - both of these restaurants are supposed to open in 2011. There are rumors that TD Bank will be replacing Bank of America, but I haven't received confirmation yet from the developer. Excluding space for the bank, there are at least three retail spaces available.

Update: Below are a couple photos taken on Wednesday during lunch.

Wallpaper gives the impression that the walls behind the counter are brick, but they're not.

The line was out the door during lunch.

Waterfront Cleaners to Open Tomorrow

As the title of this post states, Waterfront Cleaners at Waterfront Station will open its doors tomorrow. The windows are now exposed, so the interior of the store is now visible. Waterfront Cleaners will be open Monday - Friday from 7am to 7pm, Saturdays from 8am to 5pm and will be closed on Sundays. The dry cleaners claims to be "organic", which usually means the store will use a Hydrocarbon machine that uses a non-toxic organic solvent to clean clothes. I took a quick peek inside Subway next door and it looks like most (if not all) of the furniture has been installed. It is supposed to be open by next week.

Waterfront Cleaners Close to Opening

Signage has appeared above the entrance to Waterfront Cleaners at Waterfront Station. In addition, hours of operation have been posted on the door. Waterfront Cleaners will be open Monday - Friday from 7am to 7pm and on Saturdays from 8am to 5pm. It will be closed on Sundays. Since signage is now up and based on recon from some readers, it appears that the cleaners is almost ready to open - perhaps before the end of the month. When the retailers were first announced in June, Subway was slated to open in September, but it looks like Waterfront Cleaners may open before the sandwich shop.

Update: I heard from Z-Burger that they won't be opening until 2011. I'll let you know once they announce a specific date.

Update #2: The franchise owner of Subway is in the process of getting inspections and should open in two weeks.

Z-Burger Coming to Waterfront Station

It looks like the cat is out of the bag and I can finally report that Z-Burger is one of the tenants that may move into Waterfront Station this summer. I’ve been holding the news in for months, but multiple sources confirm that the developers are in lease negotiations with Z-Burger. This would be Z-Burger’s third location in the District – the other two being in Tenleytown and Glover Park. Their menu consists of burgers, cheese steaks, fries, onion rings, shakes, and malts. Z-Burger will join Subway and Med Lahlou's planned bistro at 1101 4th Street.

Subway Lease Terms Transfer to Blimpie; Pizza Hut Announces Return to Waterfront Station (APRIL FOOLS POST)

After announcing last month that Subway signed a lease at Waterfront Station, Waterfront Associates, the developer of the mixed-use project, abruptly nullified the agreement last night, due to public outcry over the selection of the tenant.

“Once the ink was dry on the lease, we realized we made a big mistake,” said Gordon Smith from Waterfront Associates. “We received over a thousand phone calls from residents and tenants at Waterfront Station who complained that Subway was a terrible choice and threatened to boycott our development. Luckily, retailers are clamoring to open restaurants at Waterfront Station, so we were able to cancel the Subway lease and quickly came to terms with the next sandwich shop on the waiting list – Blimpie. We will be announcing some additional restaurant leases next week.”

As you may remember, Blimpie had a store in the old Waterside Mall. It was located on the left as soon as you entered the mall from the I Street entrance. Blimpie will open by the end of August at 1101 4th Street.

In related news, I got confirmation that Pizza Hut will be opening in the corner space previously reserved for a sit-down restaurant. A Pizza Hut representative told Southwest...TLQTC that the new restaurant will have outdoor seating, revamped menu and a fully stocked bar, which are components of the new restaurant prototype they are rolling out, called Pizza Hut Bistro. Apparently, the developers have decided to bring back some of the old retailers from Waterside Mall. My guess is next week, they’ll announce that the Jamaican Bakery will come back as well…I used to get beef patties and cakes there and they were tasty!

In case you couldn't tell, this post was fake...April Fools!

Food Cart Arrives at Waterfront Station

Thanks to a tip from reader Andrew, I can report that a food cart has been set up at the corner of 4th & M Street, which should provide a quick bite to eat for office workers at Waterfront Station. I haven't had a chance to go by the intersection yet, so can someone tell me if the food cart is one of those green vehicles, or is it a traditional metal cart that you would find near the National Mall? I noticed a few weeks ago another food cart has been placed in front of Constitution Center during working hours. As was mentioned last week, a Subway will open at Waterfront Station by the end of July.

Subway...Eat Fresh!

Subway is on its way to 1101 4th Street (West Tower) at Waterfront Station, according to Gordon Fraley, Senior Development Manager at Vornado/Charles E Smith. This is the first food establishment to officially sign a lease at the project, although the developer is in negotiations with a burger joint and a sit-down restaurant. There are already three Subway restaurants within a one-mile radius of Waterfront Station, so cannibalization isn't exactly a concern for the chain. The Subway lease was signed earlier this month and the restaurant should be open by the end of July.