Crimson Coward, a Nashville hot chicken restaurant founded in the Los Angeles area in 2018, recently opened its first East Coast location a few months ago in Northern Virginia. At that time, the company announced an additional 25 restaurants planned for the D.C. area in NoVa. Now, they plan to add an additional 25 restaurants in Maryland.

QSR reports that “The L.A. hot chicken franchise plans to open 25 locations in Maryland as well as 25 total stores  in Virginia.” According to the report, Restaurant Management Group-Mid Atlantic (RMG-MA) will develop, franchise, and support all stores in Maryland and Virginia. Exact locations of the restaurants have likely not been finalized yet, so they are not available at this time.


Mastiha Bakery at 2387 Lewis Ave in Rockville has announced the launch of Mastiha Taverna, a new food truck that will be stationed in front of the bakery. According to Mastiha, the truck will serve pita sandwiches, Greek dessert, drinks, traditional salads, dips, and small bites/sides. Mastiha Taverna will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5-9pm.

Per Mastiha Bakery: The word mastiha refers to the sap drippings, or “tears”, from the mastic tree which grows on the north-eastern Aegean Greek island of Chio, where founder and owner, Katerina Georgallas traces her origins. Founded in 2011 with a deep appreciation for heritage, culture, and scratch-made goodness, Mastiha Bakery specializes in assorted sweet and savory pastries, cookies, authentically crafted pita bread, hand stretched rustic phyllo pies and other delectable items. Using local ingredients and old-world craftsmanship you can taste, Katerina is committed to producing quality goods entirely from scratch.


50 Top Pizza, a pizza evaluation site in Paestum, Italy, not far from Naples, has released its 2023 Top 50 Pizza list. Montgomery County contributed with the 23rd ranked pizzeria in the country– Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, located in Darnestown/Gaithersburg. Last year Inferno was ranked 25th on the list.

Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana has been open in Gaithersburg (12207 Darnestown Rd.) for nearly 7.5 years– there is still a line into the parking lot full of eager diners hoping to get a table before the dough ran out for the night– something that’s a common occurrence for Inferno (see our video below). For those unfamiliar with the restaurant, it was opened by Chef Tony Conte in October 2015 after he spent nine years in DC’s Oval Room. Inferno specializes in pizza, but regulars will tell you that the appetizers are often just as much of a draw.


Brew Belly at 18065 Georgia Ave in Olney has announced it will be holding its annual Cheesesteak Eating Contest on July 4 at 12:00pm. The winner of the contest, which is open to the first 25 people to sign up ($20 entry fee), will win free cheesesteaks from the restaurant for one year.

The $20 entry fee will be donated to Hero Dogs. In addition to cheesesteaks, Brew Belly boasts of over 250 Maryland-born brews, between its ever-changing (24 tap) beer list, to its well-stocked (12 door), reach-in, self-serve cooler. “Hero Dogs, Inc. improves the quality of life of our nation’s heroes by raising, training, and placing service dogs and other highly skilled canines, free of charge with lifetime support of the partnerships. We serve the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area.”


According to Montgomery County Police, “On Friday, June 23, 2023, at approximately 1:05 p.m., 3rd District officers responded to City Place Mall (Ellsworth Place) at 8661 Colesville Rd. in Silver Spring for the report of a kidnapping that occurred in the playground of the mall.

The investigation has revealed that 32-year-old Jeffery Akame picked up a two-year-old child victim (male) from the playground. The mother of the victim intervened and took away her child from Akame.  Akame then ran away and left the scene.


Flames & Crapes, a new halal food truck, recently opened  at 801 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Owner Ashraf Said is originally from Egypt and has been a MoCo resident for over 18 years. He is bringing years of experience in restaurant management. His fiancé Marelyn is originally from El Salvador and, also a MoCo resident. They tell us she “brings the flavors of Latin America to many of the foods offered.”

The menu features a variety of dishes, including classic American fare like a steak and cheese, chicken sandwich, mango habanero wings, and more. Latin-American fare is also featured, such as yuca frita, pupusas, and tamales. They also offer a variety of crepes– both sweet and savory.


Neal’s Bagels opens today at 113 Commerce Square Pl in Gaithersburg. The new shop is located in the Kentlands paseo, next to Burtons and across from RanKen Noodle House. Neal’s Bagels has relocated from its previous location about a mile and a half away at 12141 Darnestown Rd in the Potomac Valley shopping center. Hours of operation below:

Additional Kentlands news:


Coming soon signage is up for Wiseguy Pizza in the Wheaton Mall food court. The restaurant will be located in the space that was previously occupied by Angel’s Pizza.  Wiseguy serves stone-deck oven baked pizza by the slice that’s made with imported ingredients from Italy, homemade sauces, and dough using a special water filtration system. Pizza options include Cheese, Pepperoni, Paneer Tikki (House Masala, Paneer, Mozzarella, Onions, Tomato, Green & Chili Peppers, Cilantro, Jalapeño Sauce), Nashville Hot Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, and Whitestone (Garlic, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmigiano, Oregano, Oil from Tuscany Italy.)

 


Silky Gem, which offers crystal candies inspired by Vietnamese Lunar new year traditions, will hold the grand opening of its store in the coming days or weeks at 332 Main St in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. The store has been described as the first crystal candy shop to open in the United States (photos below).

The shop has held a few events prior to its grand opening and offers a variety of the same crystal candies many have seen on the Silky Gem social media accounts. The grand opening was initially scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 24th, but had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. A new date will be announced via social media and the store is currently in a “soft launch” phase.


A representative from CVS at 18080 Mateny Rd in the Cloppers Mill shopping center has confirmed that the store will be closing in the “coming months.” Signage indicating the store will be closing has not yet been posted, according to the representative. CVS also recently closed its locations at 9140 Rothbury Drive in the Goshen Crossing shopping center in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village and at 10113 New Hampshire Ave in the Hillandale Shopping Center. In 2021, CVS announced that it would be closing approximately 900 stores “over the next 3 years due to changes in population, consumer buying patterns, and future health needs.” CVS locations at Rockville Town Square (360 Hungerford Drive) and Twinbrook Center (2210 Veirs Mill Rd) both closed last year as well.

CVS has recently opened locations at 311 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg and at 22701 Gosnell Farm Dr in Clarksburg. CVS is also expected to open a location in the new Westside at Shady Grove Metro development, in the area across from the strip that contains Starbucks, Inspire Nails, Kids Ground, and more (Crabbs Branch Way and Gramercy Blvd). Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


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