Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken at 16248 Frederick Rd (on the border of Gaithersburg/Rockville), which opened on February 19, will hold its official grand opening on March 11. The restaurant will donate 10% of that day’s sales to the Montgomery County Humane Society. The North Carolina-based biscuit chain is known for their buttermilk-brined chicken and has additional Maryland locations in Columbia and Towson.  Menu items include biscuit sandwiches, biscuits & gravy,  fried chicken strips, and donuts. Full details below per Rise:

“Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken, the award-winning biscuit and chicken concept based in Durham, North Carolina, will celebrate the grand opening of its new Gaithersburg, MD location on Saturday, March 11th. Rise will be donating 10% of that day’s sales to the Montgomery County Humane Society and giving customers multiple opportunities to win free Rise food and branded merchandise.


Hazel Monae comes to the City of Gaithersburg with more than 12 years of experience working in racial equity & leadership development.

City Manager Tanisha Briley announced the selection of Hazel Monae as the new Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Program Manager  within the City Manager’s Office. Hazel will begin her role with the City on March 6, 2023, and will be introduced at the Mayor & City Council meeting that evening.


Brew House Kentlands at 325 Main Street in Gaithersburg will open this Saturday, March 4. Per its logo, it touts itself as being the “best coffee shop in Kentlands.” Brew House Kentlands is taking over the previous home of Clear Skies Meadery, which has opened its new meadery at 15201 Display Ct in Rockville. In addition to coffee, the menu also features beer, wine, and cocktails, as well as breakfast and lunch options. The full menu can be seen below.


Sardi’s Pollo A La Brasa at 430 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg has reopened following a February 2 after their fire in the restaurant’s ductwork that activated its sprinkler system. This incident occurred approximately two weeks before another issue with the exhaust system at the restaurant’s Olney location cause that restaurant to close for an evening.

We spoke with owner Phil Sardelis who let us know that the safety of the Sardi’s employees and customers is always his number one priority. “The exhaust system at every Sardi’s location is cleaned every two weeks and unfortunately the recent situations have been freak occurrences.” Sardelis told us. Insurance claims were not filed for the recent fires at both the Gaithersburg and Olney location as the ultimate goal has been to fix any potential issue and get the restaurants open again. All Sardi’s restaurants are now open.


Her musical journey began in her early years in Chechnya, where her grandfather played Chechen folk music for her on the piano. During her rigorous musical schooling, she was able to study with some of the finest teachers and graduated with distinction in cello, piano and voice from the Moscow Conservatory. She came to the USA where she studied cello at Boston University and went on to receive a doctorate from Yale School of Music (1995) with a thesis inspired by J.S. Bach as she compared his works for solo violin and solo cello.  Tanya transcribed Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin for cello, in the original keys, and recorded all of them in 2001-2004.  

Now years later, as an internationally renowned performer, teacher and composer with experience and maturity, Tanya is re-recording those J.S. Bach sonatas and partitas.  She shared with me that her inspiration to re-record comes from the acclaimed pianist Glenn Gould. He came to prominence when he recorded Bach’s Goldberg Variations in1955 when he was 22. He recorded them all again in 1981, taking advantage of the advances in recording technology while capturing the insights of more than 20 years of musical life.  “Gould’s two recordings of the Goldberg Variations demonstrate something profound – that two different approaches to the same notes say a great deal about how one ages and how tastes change over time.” (https://interlude.hk/returning-studio/)  Tanya Anisimova’s years of life experience, professional and personal, have shaped her skill as a passionate, insightful performer.  What a gift to the world for her to revisit the Bach partitas and sonatas as the musician she is today.   


Per MCPD: An 18-year-old high school student is in custody following the armed robbery of a Montgomery County gas station. Rockville City Police officers arrested Jeffrey Gabriel Johnson of Rockville, on Monday, February 27 at Richard Montgomery High School, where he was taken into custody without incident.

On Monday, February 20, 2023, at approximately 9:52 a.m., Gaithersburg and Montgomery County Police officers responded to the Summit Shell Station at 15 South Summit Ave in Gaithersburg for the report of an armed robbery.    The investigation determined that two Black males entered the store, and one suspect pulled a knife from his waistband.  The suspect went behind the counter, held the knife to the clerk, and demanded that the clerk open the cash register.   The clerk complied and the suspect removed an undisclosed amount of money from the drawer.  Both suspects ran from the store after the armed robbery.


Home Depot has purchased its own store at 15740 Shady Grove Road at the 270 Center in Gaithersburg. According to a report by Maryland Newsletters, Home Depot recently paid $55.5 million for the 102,190 SF building. The store was previously subdivided out of the larger shopping center so that it could be sold individually.

Home Depot is a co-anchor of 270 Center, a shopping center shadow-anchored by a powerful mix of destination retailers including Best Buy, Nordstrom Rack, and soon (maybe), a brand new Amazon Fresh grocer. The property benefits from high historical occupancy, high sales, and long-term leases. Nordstrom Rack has been at the property for ±10 years and is ranked the 2nd busiest Nordstrom Rack in the state of Maryland by customer foot traffic. Best Buy has co-anchored the property since its inception in 1994.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a a collision that occurred on Shady Grove Rd near MidCounty Highway on Monday afternoon.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the collision trapped one person inside the vehicle. That person was extricated by MCFRS crews and transported to the hospital with priority 2 (urgent) trauma.


With Lakeforest Mall scheduled to close its doors at the end of March after 45 years, a handful of tenants remain open during its final days. Since our last update in January, Aeropostale, Bath & Body Works, Beautiful U, Champs Sports, Charly’s Cheesesteaks, and Finish Line have all closed.  Bath & Bodyworks recently opened a new location in Downtown Crown and Beautiful U has relocated to the Clarksburg Outlets. Below is a list of what was open when we stopped by on February 27:

The following businesses were not open when we stopped by, but had yet to clear their locations, so they may be open during limited hours:


Quincy’s South at 11401 Woodglen Dr in Rockville, which will be closing its door on March 31, has released additional information on its closing due to redevelopment, as well as an update on the restaurant’s future and its staff. Quincy’s has additional locations at 9813 Main St in Damascus, 616 Quince Orchard Rd in Gaithersburg, and 1093 Seven Locks Rd in Potomac. Per Quincy’s:

“It’s the end of a 9-year run for Quincy’s South Bar and Grille in North Bethesda, the popular sports bar from restaurateur Marty Magill and partners Jeff Greenberg, John Sahakian and Chris McCasland.


The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) will be hosting a ribbon cutting for Forever Fit Physical Therapy & Wellness to celebrate its new clinic in Gaithersburg. Forever Fit is a woman-owned, physical therapist private practice that treats a wide array of orthopedic injuries, including arthritis, back pain, joint pain, and more. The Gaithersburg location is the company’s eighth location around Montgomery County and nearby counties. They will be offering a complimentary injury screening for attendees at the ribbon cutting.

What:              Ribbon cutting to celebrate Forever Fit Physical Therapy & Wellness new clinic


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