A new book club focused on social justice is meeting each month at miXt Food Hall in Brentwood.

Created by the Mount Rainier Branch Library and the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights, the Solidarity Stories book club is for readers who want to engage in discussions about themes such as race, disability, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender equality.

The book club, which is open to all adults aged 18 and above, meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month from March to November at the food hall, located at 3809 Rhode Island Ave. All events are free.

The first meeting, held on March 19, featured a wide-ranging discussion on Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower,” an apocalyptic science fiction novel about an America torn apart by climate change and wealth inequality.

The next meeting, slated for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, will look at “Poverty, By America,” a critically acclaimed work by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond.

Other upcoming discussions will focus on “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei (May 21), “The Deep” by Rivers Solomon (June 18), and “Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo (July 16), among others.

The book club chose miXt Food Hall because it features a variety of options from chef-driven local businesses, many of which are owned by people of color, plus a full bar with cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.

“I love that the program allows us to gather with people in a vibrant and welcoming community space like miXt and share stories and experiences that help us to better understand the world around us,” said Caitlin Clark, a librarian at the Mount Rainier branch.

Along with Clark, the book club was started by Kyla Hanington with the Office of Human Rights and Audrey Lau with the Prince George’s County library system.

For more information and the full line up of books, and to RSVP (for free), visit the book club’s information page.

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A new farmer’s market will open in Brentwood in early May.

The Gateway Farmers’ Market will take place in the Bunker Hill fire station’s parking lot at 3716 Rhode Island Ave., on the border of Brentwood and Mount Rainier. It will feature vendors from around the Route 1 corridor and nearby farms in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Local vendors will include Riverdale Park bakery Manifest Bread, Hyattsville Latin fusion restaurant Cocineros, Mount Rainier juice and smoothie bar The Waterhole, Brentwood candle shop Purple Rose Wellness, and Zeke’s Coffee, which also has a location in the Woodridge neighborhood south of Mount Rainier that is undergoing an expansion.

At the Gateway Farmers’ Market, you can experience the true essence of local produce and products. You’ll find meat and produce from Singh Sugar Maple Farm in Marriottsville, Md.; Sharrah Orchards in Orrtanna, Pa.; Birdland Pastures from Manchester, Md.; Hog Haven Farm from Goochland, Va.; Garner’s Produce from Warsaw, Va.; and Pecan Meadow Farm in Shippensburg, Pa.

Other vendors include Two Story Chimney Ciderworks from Gaithersburg; Tae-Gu Kimchi from D.C.; ; Finesse Essential Body from Upper Marlboro; and D.C.-based Jarabe Gourmet Pops, which sells Mexican-style ice pops called paletas.

The Gateway Farmers’ Market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays starting on May 4. You can read more on its Instagram page.

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If you missed visiting the Tidal Basin this year or avoided it because you hate crowds, you can still enjoy the cherry blossoms around the Route 1 corridor, especially this year when the blooming season is one of the longest on record. 

Cherry blossoms can be seen in several areas around the corridor and one of the best sites is the National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave. NE, just a 15-minute drive from the corridor and home to a stunning array of cherry blossoms.

At the Arboretum, you’ll find a rich tapestry of 70 cherry tree varieties, including three unique hybrids developed on-site. These trees are thoughtfully spread along wide walkways and broad open spaces, offering you the perfect opportunity to capture that Instagram-worthy photo or bask in the beauty of the blossoms.

In fact, the Washington Post just named it “the best place to see cherry blossoms in D.C.”

The University of Maryland campus in College Park also has a number of cherry trees, including Okame, Higan, Kwanzen, Yoshino, and Sargent varieties. You can see a map here of all the trees on campus.

You can also find cherry trees all around the corridor.

The Neighborhood Design Center has even put up a map showing the location of each tree in Prince George’s County, which shows some surprising locations.

For example, the map shows a number of cherry trees located along Rhode Island Avenue just south of Mom’s Organic Market in College Park.

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A 20-unit apartment building is being built in the former location of a church in the Woodridge neighborhood of D.C., just south of Mount Rainier.

Located at 2385 Rhode Island Ave. NE at the intersection with South Dakota Avenue, the former home of The Spirit of the Lord Baptist Church was torn down last year to make way for the apartments.

The new building is being developed by D.C.-based Citadel Design Build Development, which has also worked on projects such as the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum and renovations on the old Post Office building in downtown D.C.

D.C. property records show the owners bought the church and lot in December 2022 for $1.2 million.

The Woodridge neighborhood has seen a number of similar small condo and apartment projects on mid-sized lots in recent years, including some condos selling for more than $500,000, according to property records.

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A math study center and a popular ramen chain are coming to Hyattsville.

Both Mathnasium and an outpost of Akira Ramen & Izakaya are coming to the upcoming Hyattsville Canvas Apartments at 5300 Baltimore Ave., next to the Armory building, home of Crossover Church, according to the site’s commercial property manager.

The 1,356-square-foot Mathnasium will host tutoring programs and homework help, part of the chain of 1,000 learning centers across the U.S. The next closest locations are in D.C. and Beltsville.

Akira Ramen & Izakaya is a chain featuring high-end ramen bowls and Japanese fusion dishes, with eight locations in Maryland and one in D.C. The 2,500-square-foot space will be its tenth.

In February, it was named one of the best ramen shops in the D.C. area by the Washington Post in consultation with staffers from the Japanese embassy.

As an izakaya, a type of Japanese eatery that features small plates, Akira also serves appetizers such as edamame, pork dumplings, pork belly buns and a savory Japanese pancake called okonimiyaki.

Seven other retail spaces on the first floor of the building are available. One other, a 2,760-square-foot space, is under negotiation.

Hyattsville Canvas will feature 285 apartments and 30,000 square feet of retail space when it opens, currently scheduled for summer.

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Chick-fil-A is testing a new pizza option in College Park, its first foray into pizza nationwide.

The Georgia-based restaurant chain, known for its chicken sandwiches, is branching out at the Route 1 location of its Little Blue Menu spinoff.

As of this week, the eatery now offers a cheese pizza, one with pepperoni and one with pepperoni, sliced sausage, chorizo, meatballs, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. It’s also offering a pepperoni calzone.

For more adventurous customers, there is a pizza topped with Chick-fil-A nuggets and pickles and another with nuggets, buffalo sauce, and ranch dressing.

Little Blue Menu is closer to a ghost kitchen than a traditional restaurant. It offers food only for pickup, delivery, or catering. You can order online or through DoorDash.

The eatery is open from 7 a.m. through 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

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Charcutago is the newest eatery to open at miXt food hall in Brentwood and offers charcuterie to go including fresh meats, cheeses, nuts, fruit and other sides.

The most deluxe board, the Varsity, features your choice of four types of meat, four kinds of cheese, and one of each spread, pickle, bread, crackers, nuts, and dried or fresh fruit. The menu, which includes gluten-free and organic options, also features light sides such as a chicken Caesar wrap, a muffuletta sandwich, and salads.

Chef-owner Valery Charles told the Hyattsville Wire that he got his start working as a temp in restaurants and hotels throughout the D.C. area as a prep cook, porter, line cook, busser and waiter.

“That’s when I really fell in love with not just cooking but the rush of being in restaurants,” he told the Wire. “It felt like a sport, and I wanted to train more.”

After graduating from culinary school, Charles worked at such D.C. restaurants as Bracket Room, Fiola and Casa Luca, eventually becoming sous chef at Barrel D.C., which had an extensive charcuterie and bread production, preparing its own cured meats, pickling and conservas. He was later executive chef at Hen Quarter.

Charles started his own catering company in 2021, but he saw a demand for something accessible at the food hall — just as charcuterie had become a hot national trend.

“Offering snacks and grazing options that would pair well with a glass of wine or a cocktail at the bar was a priority,” he told the Wire. “Charcuterie is the base of this concept, but we certainly have more to offer, from pinsas to sandwiches, salads to side items such as deviled eggs with beef bresaola. There’s something for everyone to enjoy.”

He said he has other restaurant concepts in mind that he would like to develop eventually.

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