Sichuan Food Empire Builder and Chef Peter Chang Plots His Next Restaurant

Welcome to a.m. Intel, your bite-sized roundup of D.C. food and restaurant news. Tips are always welcome, drop them here.

Maryland’s Merriweather District is buzzing with post-pandemic momentum as several stand-out eateries take root in the budding dining and retail district.

Acclaimed chef Peter Chang, with a sprawling empire of Sichuan eateries, will open his next spot (6000 Merriweather Drive, Suite B175) across from Color Burst Park in fall 2022. Jeffeary Miskiri will arrive with crawfish spring rolls, crab pasta, crawfish étouffée, and po’boys when Po Boy Jim (10000 Town Center Drive, Suite B) opens in the Metropolitan Downtown Columbia apartment complex towards the beginning of 2022. Fancy toast and juice bar Toastique (6201 Mango Tree Road) will open in a solo building in the summer of 2022.

Meanwhile, The Food Market Cafe, Dok Khao Thai, Clove & Cardamom, restaurant/bar/bookstore combo Busboys & Poets, and The Charmery ice cream shop have already opened their doors. [EaterWire]

Taco City/Facebook

An Arlington Taco Truck Finds a Forever Home

La Tingeria food truck will bring its queso birria tacos to Falls Church when its brick-and-mortar opens this December at 626 South Washington Street. In the meantime, the popular food truck, usually serving next to Penrose Park in Arlington on weekends, will be off the streets with the possibility of returning after things are running smoothly at the new Falls Church eatery. [ARLnow.com]

Meanwhile, Brookland will trade pho for tacos when Taco City fires up the grill in the former Pho 12 space (3740 12th St NE). The taco spot, known for Mexican small plates and tacos made with fresh tortillas, tweeted a photo of the new sign going up on November 1. No opening date is set, but the owners say it’ll be soon. Pho 12 closed its doors in July. [Twitter]

Rockville, Maryland loses an iconic bakery to pandemic woes

Swiss Pastries (2377 Lewis Avenue, Rockville, MD) in the Twin Brook area of Rockville, has closed its doors after nearly 45 years in business citing a “difficult business climate.” [Bethesda Magazine]

British curry and more Indian dishes land in D.C. soon

Masala Street swung open in Georgetown with quick Indian dishes available for pick-up or dine-in. It’s open daily from 11:30 a.m. until midnight.

Over on U Street, London Curry House is racing toward a late-November or December opening in D.C. with curry-topped fish and chips. London Curry House comes from the folks behind Butter Chicken Company, which is headed toward a nationwide expansion. [PoPville.com]