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Bleu Pearl Jazz Lounge and Raw Bar, Not Opening in the Old Qdoba Space in Kentlands Plaza


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Coming to Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg.  In the space formerly occupied by Qdoba and (before that) Baja Fresh.  A few doors down from Buca di Beppo and across the parking lot from Pacifica Cafe

I'm kind of torn on this one.  Torn between wtf? and a sigh of relief that it isn't another pizza place, nail spa or fast-mex.  I hope it does well - maybe MedImmune offers untapped potential, and maybe this will catch some overflow from the line-out-the-door Bonefish Grill across the main street. I dunno.

There's a menu pasted to the door with oysters, lobster and other such items.  Interior hasn't yet begun; Qdoba just cleared out.  More as things happen.

Edit - no, that's not a typo in the title.  Bleu.

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Wait? The Qdoba closed? It opened like 5 minutes ago. (Not that I ever went. There is a Chipotle on the other side of the road...And sushi up the street. And crappy pizza catty corner. And wildly uneven Chinese, etc...)

Can't quite imagine it working in the neighborhood though I would welcome an alternative to Bonefish when my inlaws visit.

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Wait?  The Qdoba closed?  It opened like 5 minutes ago.

Yup, it disappeared like the Colts.  The paint was barely dry.

There are two names on the menu - next time I'm by I'll post the names in case anyone knows the guys behind this.

You know, my favorite raw bar experience was in New Orleans, and I love oysters and such.  I'd really like it if this place would succeed AND be a place I'd like to go - but having said that, I simply can't be eating lobster and oysters on the half shell that often, even if the place is great.  My hope is there's a pent up demand there.  If I wanted oysters now I'd likely go to Tower Oaks or maybe try Range but both are pretty far away.

My fear is that this is kind of a front for a nightclub - though I can't imagine anyone picking that spot for such a thing.  Speaking of which, the old "44" spot up the hill and across from Starbucks is rumored to have a new tennant restaurant but no word on who.  I'd think maybe Greene Turtle but that's a guess.

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Yup, it disappeared like the Colts.  The paint was barely dry.

There are two names on the menu - next time I'm by I'll post the names in case anyone knows the guys behind this.

You know, my favorite raw bar experience was in New Orleans, and I love oysters and such.  I'd really like it if this place would succeed AND be a place I'd like to go - but having said that, I simply can't be eating lobster and oysters on the half shell that often, even if the place is great.  My hope is there's a pent up demand there.  If I wanted oysters now I'd likely go to Tower Oaks or maybe try Range but both are pretty far away.

My fear is that this is kind of a front for a nightclub - though I can't imagine anyone picking that spot for such a thing.  Speaking of which, the old "44" spot up the hill and across from Starbucks is rumored to have a new tennant restaurant but no word on who.  I'd think maybe Greene Turtle but that's a guess.

When I do a Google search on 622 Center Point Way - which was the old Qdoba space - I get hits for both Qdoba and Baja Fresh, but almost nothing about Bleu Pearl.

And yet, there's one Yelp review about Bleu Pearl from March, 2013.

Does anyone have any updates? Am I being too detail-oriented in trying to sift out all of this information (in theory, no, but in practice? Does *anyone* give a whit?)

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To answer your questions:

1. No one gives a whit.

2. Update - ain't going to happen.  There's been a notice on the door that the building owner took the space back over.  I've heard second-hand that this didn't happen as the Bleu Pearl people weren't able to get the kind of liquor license they wanted/needed. 

Which of course brings up the eternal debate - is MoCo's strict liquor enforcement/control a good thing or bad thing?  While I'm not one for more government controls, I'm also not one who drinks much.  So the net for me is "OK".

I'd say this one is dead.  Sorry for starting a thread on a possible restaurant that only ever existed pretty much in concept only - they never touched the space or did much of anything (I could tell) other than apply for a liquor license.  Hard to say if even the owners gave much of a whit.

The space up the hill is making progress - the space formerly occupied by 44, Tony and James, Last Mango, etc.   I believe another thread covers this, but a Green Turtle guy is branching out on his own with the same basic premise - neighborhood sports bar.  There's construction now on the inside, with indications there will be a bathroom on the dining level (a big issue in all prior incarnations) and valet parking (another issue.)  I think this place has a chance, as the guy (theoretically) knows how to run a restaurant. 

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To answer your questions:

1. No one gives a whit.

2. Update - ain't going to happen.  There's been a notice on the door that the building owner took the space back over.  I've heard second-hand that this didn't happen as the Bleu Pearl people weren't able to get the kind of liquor license they wanted/needed. 

Which of course brings up the eternal debate - is MoCo's strict liquor enforcement/control a good thing or bad thing?  While I'm not one for more government controls, I'm also not one who drinks much.  So the net for me is "OK".

I'd say this one is dead.  Sorry for starting a thread on a possible restaurant that only ever existed pretty much in concept only - they never touched the space or did much of anything (I could tell) other than apply for a liquor license.  Hard to say if even the owners gave much of a whit.

The space up the hill is making progress - the space formerly occupied by 44, Tony and James, Last Mango, etc.   I believe another thread covers this, but a Green Turtle guy is branching out on his own with the same basic premise - neighborhood sports bar.  There's construction now on the inside, with indications there will be a bathroom on the dining level (a big issue in all prior incarnations) and valet parking (another issue.)  I think this place has a chance, as the guy (theoretically) knows how to run a restaurant. 

Why is there a Yelp review?!

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Why is there a Yelp review?!

A: it isn't a review.  It mentions what the menu looks like - a menu was posted on the front door for a few weeks.  The review was (I presume) based on the experience of standing in front of the closed storefront, staring at the butcher's paper lining the windows and thinking "I bet this is a Yelp 4-star experience"

B: ergo, yet another reason why Yelp sucks.   (but...you now have 8 posts on a restaurant that never was...Yelp only has one...if we don't appeal to actual content but only to volume...Yelp has the upper hand :wacko:  )

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B: ergo, yet another reason why Yelp sucks.   (but...you now have 8 posts on a restaurant that never was...Yelp only has one...if we don't appeal to actual content but only to volume...Yelp has the upper hand :wacko:  )

No way. This is a discussion about a potential opening; not a bunch of reviews. Granted, if the Yelp post was only about a posted menu (I don't remember it), then that's perfectly legitimate, too.

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No way. This is a discussion about a potential opening; not a bunch of reviews. Granted, if the Yelp post was only about a posted menu (I don't remember it), then that's perfectly legitimate, too. 

The review said something like "the menu looks more like that of a steakhouse.  Welcome to the neighborhood." And then gave 4 stars out of 5.

I guess if they would just open they'd earn the 5th star :)

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