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Rockville’s Rocktobierfest to Take Place This September

By MCS Staff

Rocktobierfest is set to return to Rockville after last year’s cancellation. The event will take place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and features two stages of entertainment, including German and rock music. Guests can also enjoy beverages for sale by local breweries and participants, food, and an artisan shopping area. This annual event attracts nearly 10,000 people to Rockville Town Center.

Local artisans and breweries are invited to apply to participate as a vendor for Rocktobierfest. Click on the appropriate application below to download the rules and application for this year’s festival. Applications are due by Friday, August 11, 2023. Additional information and applications can be found here.

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31st Annual Taste of Bethesda Set For This Fall

By MCS Staff

The 31st annual Taste of Bethesda is scheduled for Saturday, October 7th from 11am – 4pm, and will feature Bethesda’s best restaurants, five stages of live entertainment, an activity area for kids and more.

Admission to the Taste of Bethesda is free. Taste tickets are sold on-site in bundles of four tickets for $5. Food servings cost one to four tickets. Restaurants serve delectable dishes from 11am-4pm. Ticket sales end at 3:30pm. The event is held along Norfolk, St. Elmo, Cordell, Del Ray and Auburn Avenues in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle. Taste of Bethesda is located just three blocks from the Bethesda Metro. Participating restaurants and entertainment schedule can be seen below:

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The Washington Post Visits The Sunshine General Store

By MCS Staff
Sunshine Burger from Sunshine General Store

The Washington Post recently released its “10 Best Burgers in the D.C. Area” list and Montgomery County’s very own Steeze Burger was ranked the #1 burger in the area. It was the only MoCo burger to make the actual list, with burgers from Soko Butcher (Takoma Park) and Quarry House Tavern (Silver Spring) named as honorable mentions. After going back and trying some reader’s picks, write Tim Carman believes MoCo’s Sunshine Burger deserves a spot on the original list.

“The Sunshine burger deserves a spot on the original list. It checks all the boxes: an unassuming preparation that trusts the basic building blocks of a good burger, even if they’re not necessarily the kind of ingredients sought out by chefs in white-tablecloth restaurants.” Carman wrote. The burger itself is generally loved by many, but there are also plenty (based on various comments through the years on our various social media posts) who can’t get past the look of the Sunshine General Store, where the burger is made.

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Gama Chicken, Formerly Choong Man/CM Chicken, Closes Permanently in Rockville

By MCS Staff
Courtesy Google Maps

Earlier this year, Choong Man (CM) Chicken rebranded to Gama Chicken & BBQ at 765 Rockville Pike #E. At the time a representative from the restaurant, which specialized in Korean style fried chicken, let us that they made the change in early 2023 and that you can still find many of the same or similar menu items. Several readers have pointed out that the restaurant recently closed and GAMA is now listed as being closed permanently via Google with the phone number no longer working.

CM Chicken at 12933 Wisteria Dr in Germantown also rebranded to Chicken Pocho earlier this year. That restaurant remains open. CM Chicken opened in Rockville in late 2020. About Gama Chicken & BBQ: “Established over 6 years ago, we are a korean fried chicken franchise made with only the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Whether you eat in, get it to go, or get delivery, Gama Chicken will make sure to satisfy your taste buds.” Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

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Wawa Returns to College Park for the First Time Since 2007; Grand Opening Event August 10th

By MCS Staff

On Thursday, August 10th, Wawa will return to College Park following a 16 year absence. The original College Park Wawa location was adored by many students throughout the years until it its closure in September 2007. Now, Wawa returns with its location at 10050 Baltimore Ave, next to the College Park Ikea store. The celebration will allow customers to grab a pic with Wally Goose and the first 100 customers at 8am will get a free t-shirt.

Last November, Wawa opened a location nearby at 9100 Riggs Rd in Adelphi, MD. That location, which features a 5,619 square foot food and beverage store and a gas station, is located on the Southwest corner of Adelphi Rd and Riggs Rd, just across Adelphi Rd from the existing 7-Eleven and Popeyes.

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Approximately 65 Firefighters Respond to Early Morning Fire at Wheaton Restaurant

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a fire in the basement of Rumba Y Carbon, a restaurant located at 11222 Grandview Ave (off of Veirs Mill Rd) in Wheaton, early Sunday morning.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the call came in at approximately 3:30am and approximately 65 firefighters responded to the call to get the fire under control and eventually extinguished. One person was transported to the hospital with minor burns and other non-life threatening injuries. As of 7:17am, the origin/cause of the fire was still under investigation with explosive investigators on the scene.

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Class 520 in Rockville For Sale, According to Facebook Post

By Patrick Herron

Class 520 at 5 Dawson Ave. in Rockville has been listed for sale, according to a post by the restaurant on Facebook Marketplace (seen below). The store specializes in Thai-style rolled ice cream and was recently featured in Mr. MoCo’s 15 Favorite Ice Cream Spots in Montgomery County.  According to the post, titled “SEEKING NEW OWNER,” the sale price is $80,000 and the monthly rent is $3,000. “Owner will provide training and the ingredients. Lots of parking spaces, small strip shopping center, very busy areas.”

Menu items at Class 520 include ice cream, milk tea, fruit tea, and “lightbulb” drinks, which are served in giant plastic lightbulbs. According to its website, ” Class 520 is the very first Thai-inspired ice cream establishment opening in the state of Maryland. We are open. Handcrafted rolls made with no preservatives or stabilizers, so you know it’s fresh. Thai-inspired ice cream has flourished in NYC, and it’s time to bring it down to Maryland.”

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Wentworth Gallery Closes Bethesda Location

By MCS Staff

Wentworth Gallery, which sold paintings and limited edition prints from established artists and celebrities, has closed its location at Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. The gallery recently hosted events and appearances by Paul Stanley from KISS and Joe Satriani. The Tysons Galleria‎ location at 1807 International Drive in McLean, VA remains open.

About Wentworth Gallery: “At Wentworth, we define selection not only by bringing you some of the most collected and heralded artists worldwide, but by travelling to the far reaches of the globe in order to introduce you to new artists whose works are sold exclusively through Wentworth Gallery. We carry artists such as Peter Max, Ric Ocasek, Mickey Hart, Rick Allen, Paul Stanley, Michael Cartellone, Brian Wheat, Charles Fazzino, Elena Bond, David Schluss, Michael Godard and Romero Britto. If you are in the area, please visit one of our many gallery locations. In any one of our galleries, you will find hundreds of works by internationally renowned artists. We also offer our unique Home Show service where we will bring up to 20 works of art to your home or office for a private viewing, within 50 miles of any of our galleries at no charge and no obligation, at a time convenient for you. At Wentworth, you will find the best selection, the best service, and the best prices. We hope you enjoyed your visit.

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Duck Duck Goose is Ducking Out; Good Ducking Burger Will Be Landing In Its Place

By MCS Staff

Duck Duck Goose Bethesda has been a staple of fine dining in Bethesda since French-trained chef, Ashish Alfred, opened it in 2016. Immediately, the French brasserie was a bonafide success. There were lines, waits for tables and Southern Living Magazine even named it the Best Restaurant in Maryland. More than a commercial success, Chef Alfred, who is a MoCo native and 2005 graduate of Magruder High School, credits the intimate, 27-seater for saving his life – this was his first venture after kicking an almost life-ending drug and alcohol addiction. And he feels Duck Duck Goose Bethesda put his career on the map. It was also because of DDG Bethesda that Alfred was named Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland and the restaurant was named Best Brunch by Washingtonian Magazine three years after opening.

He doesn’t take any of that lightly. However, change is the one constant in the restaurant business. Times change, tastes change, prices fluctuate and the one who chooses NOT to evolve is the one that sinks. For Duck Duck Goose Bethesda, it all came down to the numbers. Despite having a packed dining room most nights, the rising costs of doing business caused DDG Bethesda’s profit margin to plummet. While Alfred’s four other restaurants in Baltimore and DC are both spacious and busy, Bethesda was just busy. Cozy and intimate at about 1100 square feet total (counting interior and the seasonal outdoor patio), and unable to add any more seating, it became obvious that the business was just no longer sustainable as is and, according to Alfred, he was putting an increasingly unfair demand on his employees.

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Chaia Vegetarian Tacos Closes Bethesda Pop-Up Shop After Almost Two Years

By MCS Staff

Chaia, a vegetarian taco shop, has closed its pop-up shop on Bethesda after almost two years. The restaurant was located at 7237 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, the former site of Häagen-Dazs. Though the pop-up shop in Bethesda has closed, Chaia owners have “plans to soon bring its insanely delicious tacos further into the DMV area and beyond.”

On social media, Chaia wrote, “When we opened our pop up shop in Bethesda, we thought we’d have a great time – and boy did you prove us right! Thank you so much for welcoming us with open arms, big hearts, and hungry bellies. Come stop by during our pop up’s LAST FEW DAYS to get your fill of our fresh, seasonal veggie tacos. We’re open through Wednesday! After that, come visit us in one of our two shops in Georgetown and Chinatown.”

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