Beyond MoCo Archives - Page 163 of 191

Beyond MoCo: Big Greek Cafe to Open Urbana Location This Summer

Published May 23, 2022 at 7:08AM

$6 gyros will soon be available in Frederick County as Big Greek Cafe is heading north with the recent announcement of a new Urbana location in Village Square at Urbana– joining the likes of Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and Domino’s at the new retail development (3290 Bennett Creek Ave).

This will be the 6th location for the local restaurant, and the first outside of Montgomery County. Big Greek Cafe opened its first location in Downtown Silver Spring in 2009 and has quickly grown to become a local favorite across the county. There are currently additional locations in Bethesda, Hillandale, Kensington, and Rockville, along with Big Greek Cafe on Wheels– a food truck that debuted in 2020.

Local News Anchor Looks to Block 73-Year-Old Ric Flair’s Return to the Ring

By Patrick Herron

Published May 22, 2022 at 5:52PM | Updated May 22, 2022 at 8:15PM

On July 31 at the Nashville Fairgrounds in Nashville, TN, 73-year-old professional wrestler Ric Flair, real name Richard Fliehr, will be making his return to the ring for one last match at an event titled Starrcast V. One person who isn’t excited about the Nature Boy’s return to the ring is CBS radio anchor and part time news writer for WTOP Christopher Cruise. Wrestling fans will remember Cruise as a play-by-play commentator and interviewer for World Championship Wrestling during the late 80’s and early 90’s. Cruise argues that a man Flair’s age , with serious health problems, should not be allowed to compete.

Prior to this summer’s upcoming event, Flair’s last wrestling match took place in Orlando, FL against a man called Sting at a TNA wrestling show in September 2011. Though he hasn’t wrestled in nearly 11 years, Flair has made many appearances on various wrestling programs, including WWE, in recent years. Reaction to the announcement of Flair’s upcoming match has been mixed.

Jackass 4.5 is Now Streaming on Netflix; Two of the Show’s Creators are From MoCo

By Patrick Herron

Published May 21, 2022 at 3:48PM

Jackass 4.5 is now available to stream on Netflix. The film contains unreleased footage and outtakes from Jackass Forever, which grossed over 80 million when it was released in theaters earlier this year. Originally a 30-minute show on MTV, the Jackass franchise was created by MoCo natives Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze, along with actor Johnny Knoxville. Tremaine and Jonze were childhood friends, both growing up in MoCo and graduating from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda in the mid 80s and are both executive producers of all the Jackass movies.

Tremaine is the former editor of the skating culture magazine Big Brother and a former art director of the influential BMXmagazine GO. He was also a former professional BMX rider. Tremaine has directed and produced all the movies in the Jackass franchise and was also the executive producer on the MTV reality series Rob and Big, and the executive producer of Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, Ridiculousness, Nitro Circus, and Adult Swim’s Loiter Squad.

Chef Rob Sonderman from Federalist Pig in DC and Ensemble in Bethesda Wins Good Morning America’s Ultimate Pitmaster Trophy

By Patrick Herron

Published May 17, 2022 at 4:20PM | Updated May 17, 2022 at 5:10PM

Chef Rob Sonderman from DC’s Federalist Pig won Good Morning America’s Ultimate Pitmaster competition, a nationwide competition to look for the best barbecue in the U.S. While Federalist Pig’s original standalone location is at 1654 Columbia Rd in DC, their Michelin award winning BBQ is also available at Ensemble in Bethesda. Ensemble is a digital food hall from Salis Holdings (Ted’s Bulletin, Sidekick Bakery, Federalist Pig), located 4856 Cordell Ave. The menu features items from four the different Salis Holdings restaurants that can be mixed and matched. You can get a brisket sandwich from Federalist Pig, side of French toast from Ted’s Bulletin, fried chicken from Honeymoon Chicken, and dessert from Sidekick Bakery all at the same spot. You can order from their mobile app or website for pickup or delivery.

Montgomery County Council Statement on Mass Shooting in Buffalo at Tops Friendly Markets

By Patrick Herron

Published May 16, 2022 at 11:40AM

“Moreover, we are thankful for the swift action taken by law enforcement and their ongoing investigation of this deadly attack as a racially motivated hate crime.

“In the midst of our grief about this tragedy, we must all recommit ourselves to stamp out hate in all its forms and to continue the fight for gun control across our nation. We stand with the residents of Buffalo, and we encourage Montgomery County residents to remain vigilant and report all acts of hate or discrimination in our own community.”

Beyond MoCo: Mighty Quinn’s BBQ to Open New Locations in Maryland

By MCS Staff

Published May 15, 2022 at 10:27AM

Franchisee Sasha Gatling has signed a multi-unit agreement with the fast-growing fast casual barbeque franchise

Mighty Quinn’s BBQ, a fast casual restaurant group founded in Brooklyn, is excited to announce its first franchise location in Maryland. Franchisee Sasha Gatling, an experienced hospitality executive, former Department of Defense Comptroller, spouse of a retired Army Officer and successful franchisee of the Tropical Smoothie Café system, has signed an agreement for multiple locations with the first Mighty Quinn’s opening in Columbia’s Meriweather District.

Grotto Pizza Founder/Co-Owner, Joe Paglianite, Has Passed Away

By MCS Staff

Published May 15, 2022 at 10:01AM

Joe Paglianite, one of the founders and co-owners of Grotto Pizza, has passed away, according to a post on the Grotto Pizza Facebook page. “Joe Pags” created Joe’s Pizza, the restaurant that later became Grotto’z Pizza, at Harveys Lake Pennsylvania over 70 years ago. The Grotto Pizza chain itself originated in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in 1960, and has since expanded across the state of Delaware and into Maryland and Pennsylvania, even opening a Columbia location in 2016. Below you’ll see the full social media post announcing his Joe Paglianite’s passing.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must inform our extended Grotto pizza family that Joe Paglianite, who was my uncle as well as founder and co-owner of what we now know as Grotto Pizza, passed away on Wednesday, May 11th.

D.C. Ranked 8th in “2022’s Best & Worst Cities for Basketball Fans” List

By MCS Staff

Published May 11, 2022 at 8:03AM

Basketball has become the second most popular sport in the U.S., behind just football. While the industry, like all sports, was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA’s revenue for the 2021-2022 season is expected to hit $10 billion, an increase from the around $8.3 billion for the season before the pandemic. WalletHub compared more than 290 of the largest cities based on 21 key metrics, ranging from the performance level of each city’s NBA and NCAA Division 1 basketball teams to ticket prices to stadium accessibility.

Washington D.C. came in 8th in the country in WalletHub’s “2022’s Best & Worst Cities for Basketball Fans” list. Nearby College Park, MD in Prince George’s County (the home of the University of Maryland), came in 7th on the “Small City” list.

Beyond MoCo: Sweet Rolled Tacos Opens NoVa Location

By MCS Staff

Published May 10, 2022 at 8:18PM

Sweet Rolled Tacos was founded in California in May 2017 by two brothers, Donovan and Kenny. Since then the dessert shop has expanded to over a dozen locations across the country, including one at 5967 Centreville Crest Ln in Centreville, VA that opened just last week.

The concept is a melting pot of taste, texture, and aesthetic into ice cream and drinks. Per the dessert shop’s website, “Sweet Rolled Tacos is all about the experience and catering to what customers want. We want you to enjoy every bite and every sip. Every ice cream taco is made with premium cream, handcrafted on a cold plate that is rolled into ice cream is fitted into a waffle taco cone.”

Governor Hogan Announces Donation of Medical Supplies and Body Armor to Ukraine

By Patrick Herron

Published May 10, 2022 at 2:52PM

The governor made the announcement at an MDH warehouse facility in Hanover, joined by Yaroslav Brisiuck, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Ukraine; Karina Mandell, chair of the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee; Dr. William Chester of the Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation; and Maryna Baydyuk and Boris Levonenko of United Help Ukraine.

“The atrocities taking place in Ukraine have served as a reminder to all of us of exactly why strong ties and alliances are so critical, and why it is so important that we do whatever we can to support our allies in their time of need,” said Governor Hogan. “I want to thank our entire state government team for working around the clock over the past week to make this possible, along with the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee, which has been indispensable in helping us coordinate efforts on the ground.”

Beyond MoCo: Escalator Replacement Project Will Close L’Enfant Plaza North Entrance For Seven Months, Beginning May 9

By MCS Staff

Published May 8, 2022 at 7:48AM

Beginning Monday, May 9, Metro will close the north entrance at L’Enfant Plaza Station at Maryland Ave and Seventh St to replace the three entrance escalators. The entrance will remain closed for approximately seven months. The work is part of a seven-year, $179 million escalator replacement project to install 130 new escalators by 2028. The project will replace the current escalators with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable. Construction will require Metro’s contractor, Kone, to close the entrance to remove all three escalators at once and install a new support beam.

During this time, people will still be able to access the station from the two remaining entrances and elevator located at: