Rio Lakefront’s ‘Light Up the Lakefront’, which includes a fireworks display, will take place on Saturday, December 9th from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. “Join us for a festive evening of holiday fun on the Lakefront with activities along the Boardwalk (near Guapo’s/Charley Prime) and Fire Lounge (between True Food Kitchen & Uncle Julio’s):
6:45 PM: Enjoy a Dazzling Fireworks show over the lake!* Perfect viewing all along the Boardwalk and Fire Lounge.
Gwenie’s Pastries, a family owned bakery based in Rockville Maryland (12113 Nebel St.), is opening a new location in Frederick. The bakery has been serving the Washington DC area and more for over 15 years– specializing in classic Filipino desserts, fusion specialties, as well as our own unique creations. The new Frederick location will be opening at 220 B Shorebird Street in the Market Square at Frederick shopping center (2430 Osprey Way, Frederick, MD), across from Distill’d. Gwenie’s announced they had the keys to the space in February of this year, but an opening date is not yet available.
More per the Gwenie’s website: “Bakers and Cooks, three words which perfectly describe my family. The moments spent together at the kitchen, which usually end up with a sumptuous meal, has made food and pastries a big part of our family tradition. As our family recipes are handed down from one generation to another, cooking skills were also honed through time.
Lids is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. The store is located next to LEGO on the mall’s lower level. Lids is a “mall based, retail headwear” store that sells NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL licensed hats and merchandise. According to Westfield, “Get lettering or a unique design embroidered on you new find! Don’t want a flat brimmed hat? Lids will steam and curve the brim in house!”
Lids has additional Montgomery County locations at the Clarksburg Outlets, Ellsworth Place (Silver Spring), and Wheaton Mall. Click here to see a list businesses that are also coming soon to Montgomery Mall. Featured photo courtesy @lids on Instagram.
Montgomery County Police responded to a shooting in the White Oak Shopping Center on Saturday, November 4. According to police, “At approximately 5:51p.m., 3rd District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the America’s Best Wings restaurant in the 11200 block of New Hampshire Ave. for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located two adult male victims, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victims were transported to an area hospital, where one of the victims was pronounced dead. The second victim is in critical condition.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that there was an altercation inside the restaurant that led to the shooting. After the shooting, the suspect left the scene. No suspect is in custody at this time. This is an active and ongoing investigation.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.
Downtown Crown, the restaurant and retail portion of Gaithersburg’s Crown neighborhood opened in 2014 with Harris Teeter as an anchor and restaurants including Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Coastal Flats, Paladar Latin Kitchen, La Madeleine Country French Café, and more. Though the places listed are all still open, there have been some changes in the area the last nine years or so. Below, we’ll go over a few recent closures, some vacancies, and a pretty big “coming soon.”
BurgerIM, an Israeli burger chain, closed permanently earlier this year after about three and a half years at 200 Ellington Blvd. Doki Toki, an Asian bakery and dessert shop that took over for Mango Mango in May 2022, closed early this past summer after just over a year at 202 Ellington Blvd. Old Town Pour House, one of the original Downtown Crown tenants, closed last month at 212 Ellington Blvd after 8.5 years.
Hanaro Sushi, located at 7820 Norfolk Ave in Bethesda, is currently undergoing renovations that will result in a change to the owners’ other concept, Kusshi Sushi. The restaurant began renovating earlier this year, remaining open for carryout and delivery only, but will have a new look and name when it reopens. Hanaro owner Wesley Yao took over the restaurant, which has been open since 2008, back in late 2016. The restaurant has continued to operate as Hanaro ever since.
Kusshi Sushi also officially signed on to take over the space that was home to popular sushi restaurant Sushi Damo at 36G Maryland Ave in Rockville Town Square for over 15 years. Sushi Damo, one of the first tenants of Rockville Town Square, closed permanently on October 1st.
Last November, we let you know that New York‘s Chip City will be opening its first Maryland location at the Shoppes of Bethesda, replacing Fancy Cakes By Leslie at 4939 Elm St. Fancy Cakes by Leslie closed in October 2022. The new store opened to plenty of fanfare, as customers and social media influencers alike have been posting their experiences at the new shop.
Five years ago, cookies were a side hustle for Theodore Gailas and Peter Phillips. Since then, they’ve opened over a dozen Chip City cookie shops in and around New York with plans to expand outside of the area. Chip City is expected to rapidly expand, with over 20 stores expected to open in 2023. According to Forbes, The rollout plan will be supported by the founder of fast casual restaurant Shake Shack, Danny Meyer, who recently invested $10 million in the cookies.
The two bronze statues of a cat and a bear have been a fixture at Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront for years, but did you know that they have a name and a story behind them? The whimsical sculptures of Fridolin, the bronze bear, and Kimo, a human size bronze cat, encourages a “hunt for missing objects.”
The bronze animals hold open books that tell a story about their character and that describe six lost items — a pocket watch, hat, suitcase, beehive, Dutch shoes and a bag of popcorn with a bird eating from the bag. See if you can find them all! Read their stories below:
Now you can add a “twist” to your shopping experience by sipping on your favorite alcoholic beverage while strolling throughout Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Rd., Tysons, VA). You can purchase your favorite drink at any of our participating restaurants listed below. If a restaurant is not listed, they are not approved to sell alcohol for common area consumption. FAQ and additional info below, courtesy of the mall:
Can I carry an alcoholic beverage around Tysons Corner Center? Yes! Those that are 21 years of age and older can now purchase an alcoholic beverage from participating restaurants and stroll throughout the common areas and most stores at Tysons Corner Center. Beverages must be in a logo disposable cup provided by the restaurant where you purchased the drink.
Shoppers at Tyson’s Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Rd, Tysons, VA) can now imbibe alcohol while shopping at the mall. According to the Tysons, “Now you can add a “twist” to your shopping experience by sipping on your favorite alcoholic beverage while strolling throughout Tysons Corner Center. You can purchase your favorite drink at any of our participating restaurants listed below. If a restaurant is not listed, they are not approved to sell alcohol for common area consumption”
There will be an official Sip & Shop Launch event on Wednesday, November 8 from 5-8pm where the first 100 shoppers to arrive will receive a gift bag and a $25 gift card from one of the mall’s participating restaurants, including:
District Bistro at 11230 Grandview Ave in Wheaton-Glenmont (former site of Umberto’s), will begin its soft opening on Friday, November 3, at 5pm. According to owner Pedro Matamoros, District Bistro is a new American concept that is focused on “seasonality and use of local ingredients.”
District Bistro shares its location with sister-restaurant Frank’s Burgers, with Frank’s on one side and District Bistro on the other, united by a kitchen in the back. A copy of the menu can be seen below.