Aspen Hill

Maryland-based Poke Bowl, a restaurant serving poke bowls, bubble tea, a variety of appetizers, and more, is coming to 2229 Bel Pre Road in Plaza Del Mercado– replacing Smoothie King, between Pizza Stop and Aldi.

Poke Bowl has five locations in Maryland, primarily in the Baltimore region with one location in Frederick. Signage has just been posted on the window informing shoppers of the restaurant’s impending arrival, but an opening date is now available. Smoothie King, which closed permanently last month after four years at Plaza Del Mercado, has additional Montgomery County locations in Bethesda and Rockville (Fallsgrove and Congressional Plaza), and an upcoming location in Olney.


Beyond MoCo

Last February, we let you know that Elys Game Technology, an interactive gaming and sports betting technology company, announced an agreement for The Cloakroom (“Cloakroom”) to operate a sportsbook with located at 476 K St. NW, Washington DC, 20001. The Cloakroom is a gentleman’s club that is co-owned by Montgomery County native and resident Tony Cavasilios. “I’m bringing something to our region that has not been done anywhere. This will be the first Gentleman’s club in the country that will have a sports book inside of it.” said Cavasilios.

A soft launch is expected ahead of the busy New Year’s Eve sports weekend with first wagers planned at the Cloakroom and Over Under Sportsbook Rooftop Lounge (“Over Under”) at 4:00 P.M. (EST) on Thursday, December 29, 2022. The general public will be able to access the sportsbook starting Friday, December 30th.  Full press release available below:


Maryland

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Larry Hogan today announced a $20 million Water Assistance Relief Program that will support residents with water bill debt related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We continue to provide ways—especially during the winter months—to help residents who may have difficulty with their water or heating bills,” said Governor Hogan. “Water systems are encouraged to apply for this funding to ensure savings for customers in the coming months.”


Aspen Hill

Smoothie King, which opened at 2229 Bel Pre Road in Plaza Del Mercado in September of 2018, closed permanently last month. Smoothie King will be replaced by Maryland-based Poke Bowl– a restaurant serving poke bowls, bubble tea, a variety of appetizers, and more.

Poke Bowl has five locations in Maryland, primarily in the Baltimore region with one location in Frederick. Signage has just been posted on the window informing shoppers of the restaurant’s impending arrival, but an opening date is now available. Smoothie King has additional Montgomery County locations in Bethesda and Rockville (Fallsgrove and Congressional Plaza), with an upcoming location in Olney.


Aspen Hill

The restaurant tells us, “There’s lots of misconception when it comes to “EggMania”. In American culture eggs based dishes are primarily used during breakfast whereas in popular Indian street food culture, eggs based dishes are made for entrees and served during lunch / dinner and full menu items, not just breakfast. EggMania is not breakfast place. Hope to serve the community and bring this delicious food options for our MoCo residents and surrounding very soon…!!”

Laperaux, the Journemanchef’s Bistro- Germantown


Events

The Montgomery County Planning Board and the Montgomery County Planning Department, both part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), have announced their January 2023 calendar of events and meetings. Residents can participate in Planning Board meetings by testifying in-person, testifying virtually, and watching the meetings on the Planning Board’s live stream. Community members may sign up to testify and provide comments in person, through Microsoft Teams, or over the phone to the Planning Board during the meeting on specific agenda items. Written testimony must be submitted in advance of the meeting. Contact us for accessibility accommodations.

These events are subject to change. To sign up to testify for Planning Board meetings, please go to the sign up to testify page and view individual agendas. Agendas are usually made public 10 days prior to the start of a meeting. Consult the Development Review Committee (DRC) and Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) websites for their  agenda information.


Gaithersburg

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 13-year-old from Gaithersburg. Laron Scarlett was last seen on Sunday, December 25, 2022, at approximately 4 p.m., in the 19500 block of Frederick Rd. in Germantown.

Scarlett is approximately 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. It is unknown what he was last seen wearing. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.


Bethesda

Xavier men’s soccer player Makel Rasheed was drafted by Nashville SC in MLS SuperDraft 2023 presented by adidas on Wednesday night. He was taken as the seventh pick (65th overall) in the third round. The Rockville, Md. native, who is a 2019 graduate of Walter Johnson High School, was the second Musketeer taken in the draft as Cole Jensen went in the first round (pick No. 18) to Inter Miami CF. Xavier had two players taken in the same draft for the first time in program history.

The 2022 All-BIG EAST Second Team Selection helped the Musketeers match the program’s highest United Soccer Coaches Ranking this season (No. 9 on Oct. 18). The defender also helped the Musketeers match the program record for longest unbeaten streak to start a season (14 matches) and set the program record for fewest losses in a season (2).


Brookeville

D.C. United have selected Georgetown University midfielder Aidan Rocha with the 60th overall pick (Third Round) in the 2023 MLS Draft. Rocha is a MoCo native (Brookeville) and attended St. John’s College High School before heading to Georgetown. Rocha scored five goals and recorded six assists in 69 appearances (52 starts) for Georgetown University from 2019 to 2022. In 2022, he scored three goals and recorded three assists in 20 appearances.


Restaurants

Last month we let you know that longtime MoCo restaurant Amalfi Ristorante Italiano at 12307 Wilkins Ave in Rockville was bought by the owners of Chef Tony’s Restaurant in Bethesda. The restaurant had a hearing for a liquor license on Thursday, December 15 at 10:30am and hopes to reopen in the first week of January, according to a social media post. Full statement from Chef Tony’s can be seen below:

“🥰 Hey everyone, just wanted to give you a brief update. First and foremost I hope everyone enjoys their holiday time and spends quality quality time with people at home. Often times in the Christmas season and the holiday season we can get wrapped up and so many worries about doing this and doing that and buying this and buying that that we missed the point of it. Spend time with family spend time with those that you love and just relax. We all need some time like that in our life.