Lime & Cilantro has faced an unexpected and challenging situation that has deeply affected their business and the community they serve. Danny Chavez, the chef and owner, had a dream of creating a welcoming space where friends and family could enjoy great food. Unfortunately, they were forced to close their doors in October 2025 due to circumstances beyond their control. The sudden eviction left them with no time to gather their belongings, and the financial strain has been overwhelming.
Despite these hardships, they managed to reopen on November 18, but the road ahead remains difficult. The loss of income for Danny and his family, who are all employees, has been significant. The legal fees and lost inventory have drained their savings, and they are now working hard to rebuild. Your support can make a real difference in helping Lime & Cilantro get back on their feet.
Every visit to their restaurant and every contribution counts. Let’s come together to support this small business that has given so much to our community. Thank you for considering a donation to help them overcome this adversity.
– Excerpted from email circulating to local listservs
Jeff Weintraub, a vocalist and guitar player from the North Woodside neighborhood, will be performing at the Urban Winery on Thursday, November 20, from 7 to 9 pm. Joining him will be Jack Gruber on keyboards, Percy White on bass. They will play a wide sampling of jazz, blues and folk tunes.
The Urban Winery is located at 2315 Stewart Ave. in Silver Spring. For more information, go to www.weintraubmusic.com.
Fancy Cakes & Patisserie by Selam invites North Woodside neighbors to a one year anniversary celebration this Sunday, November 23, from 3-7pm. Free drinks and pastries.
Attention, neighbors! After nearly two months of closure, the popular and widely acclaimedLime & Cilantro will reopen on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. It’s great to have such a gem of a restaurant in close walking distance from the neighborhood. Let’s show owner and executive chef Danny Chavez our support by giving the restaurant our business.
By Wendy and Lisa, daughters of Gus Bauman (North Woodside)
On Friday afternoon, August 24, 1984, when most Montgomery County officials were away on vacation, a contract developer quietly commenced demolition of the 1938 Art Deco Silver Theatre prior to a scheduled public hearing about designating it as an historic site.
The Silver Theatre in 1938, shortly after opening. Black people were not welcome for its first couple of decades. Source: M-NCPPC Historic Preservation office file
Because the county executive, councilmembers, county attorney, and planning board chairman were all out of town, our dad—an involved civic leader and prominent land use attorney—received frantic phone calls from county planners about what was happening at the Silver Theatre building.
On the following Monday, the county permitting department, under pressure from Dad and others, issued a stop-work order before the exterior destruction had managed to reach the theater’s unique interior.
Then, on June 15, 1989, following appointment by the county council (and threatened veto by the county executive), Dad took the oath of office as full-time Chairman of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission/Montgomery County Planning Board. Under his leadership, following a decade of bitter struggles, including lawsuits, over what to do about the declining downtown Silver Spring, a new “Plan for the Revival of Downtown Silver Spring” was finally adopted by the county in April 1993. Among scores of action items, the plan recommended the shuttered, deteriorating Silver Theatre for historic designation and reuse as a performance venue. It was so designated the following February.
The new AFI Silver Theatre, with a nearly identical façade, welcomes everyone and features a great diversity of film festivals and screenings. Source: AFI Silver Theatre’s website
Now, as a major film buff, Dad was well aware that the American Film Institute had a very small theater inside the huge Kennedy Center. Perhaps, he thought, the AFI might wish to have a nearby Golden Age movie palace to showcase American and foreign films.
And so, in early 1993, he placed a phone call from M-NCPPC to AFI about his idea. When the citizens advisory committee on possible reuse of the Silver Theatre learned what the chairman—our dad—had done, they were furious with him; they had been pushing for a live-performance venue, not “another movie house.”
The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, the saved original theater and two additional screens, opened in April 2003.
For more information about current and upcoming films showing, see afisilver.afi.com.
Escape the cold, come meet your neighbors, and support our local winery. First come, first seated. No host bar, non-alcoholic beverages, and food available (see theurbanwinery.com/menu).
Thursday, February 20, between 7:00–9:00 pm Urban Winery, 2315 Stewart Ave., Silver Spring, MD
Features music by NWCA resident Jeff Weintraub. Co-hosted by North Woodside Citizens’ Association, Linden Civic Association, Lyttonsville Civic Association, and Rosemary Hills Neighbors’ Association. For further information, email programs@northwoodside.org.
Lali Market carries all the staples for Ethiopian cuisine, including spices, dried beans, and injera.
Fancy Cakes & Patisserie by Selam offers a wide selection of sweet treats, from slices of Napoleon and a variety of layered cakes to eclaires, baclava, and fruit tarts, and specializes in custom cakes. For cake photos, see the business’s Instagram and Facebook pages. The bakery also sells coffee.
Lali Market & Fancy Cakes by Selam held their grand opening on November 23, 2024.
Let’s support these new businesses and welcome them to the neighborhood!
Sights to See: Natural Wonders, e.g. “The Niagara of North Woodside,” viewable whenever the sky really unleashes.
Want to know where some famous people grew up? Which house still has an old horse hitch and well in back? Where the hidden stream flows? Where to find some delicious guava, mango, or soursop ice cream on a hot and sultry day?
Discover the humble wonders of our very own neighborhood in The Staycationer’s Guide to North Woodside. Written and organized like a tourist guide book—Sights to See (Natural Wonders, Historical Sites, Botanical Gardens), Things to Do, Where to Eat, and How to Get Around—the guide’s 27 pages contain almost 60 things* to see and do around the neighborhood—something for all ages and staycation inclinations!
How to Get Around: By bike! Need a tune up? Contact Freewheeling Bike Tune-Ups, a free service of North Woodside resident Manuel Vera.
The guide was a fun little summer pandemic project a couple years ago for North Woodside resident Anna White. This summer it may be of particular interest to any new neighbors wishing to get to know their new home better, anyone who’s had their vacation plans scuttled by airline cancellations or Covid, and parents and caregivers of young children looking for ideas for simple, fun, and creative activities to pass away downtime.
North Woodside residents and NWCA members who are subscribed to the neighborhood listserv can access the guide in the listserv’s online file section (Click on the “Fun” folder). A digital or hard copy can also be requested by sending an email to the NWCA Communications Coordinator.
Enjoy the Local Art Scene: Check out the painted stones around the neighborhood!
Thanks again to all the neighbors who provided information for the guide! If after skimming through it you’d like to suggest additional North Woodside-related history, places, things, or activities to include in an updated version, please do!
For a few more things to do and see listed in The Staycationer’s Guide to North Woodside, see below.
* Note: A few listings in the guide are now out-of-date. Likewise, there are a number of brand new neighborhood sights to see and things to do that are not listedand may be included in a future revised version.
Things to Do: Peruse Used Books. Visit one of the four little libraries in North Woodside. Above: Children read books found in the Philip F. Welsh Memorial Library.Participate in the Local Art Scene: Color in a North Woodside Coloring Page. Neighborhood resident Barry Galef created one for each of 12 neighborhood scavenger hunts that took place Spring 2020. The one above was for the Scavenger Hunt #1 (One-of-a-Kind Decorations).
Sights to See: Historical Sites, e.g. Houses That Mirror the History of Residential Architecture. Can you find the above Sears Kit House?Sights to See: Botanical Gardens. There are many small and beautiful gardens to be found in North Woodside through the seasons.Places to Eat: Tropics Ice Cream. The best tropical ice cream around!
Need the inside or outside of your house repainted? Got a chair that needs re-upholstering? Desiring some custom-made cabinets? Interested in taking cello lessons or an art class? In need of assistance resolving a conflict? Looking for a unique handmade piece of jewelry or hat? There are neighbors who offer all these services/products and more!
Welcome to North Woodside 