BIBIBOP Asian Grill, which has locations in Downtown Silver Spring (935 Ellsworth Drive) and Pike & Rose (11584 Old Georgetown Rd. Unit 1126), is offering free bowls for all teachers on Tuesday, May 2. BIBIBOP offers fully customizable bowls with your choice of proteins, bases, toppings, and sauces. Options include Korean BBQ, steak, spicy chicken, and tofu.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI and released in November 2022. We asked it to tell us the “10 best restaurants in Montgomery County, MD.” Three of the restaurants on ChatGPT’s list are no longer open, but the AI chatbot did provide a disclaimer that it doesn’t have access to the most current data. Here’s the response we received:
“As an AI language model, I don’t have access to the most current data or information about restaurants in Montgomery County, MD. However, here are ten restaurants that have received high ratings from various sources:
IKEA will be opening a new urban-format concept, “which appear to be the first of their kind in the United States”, according to a BizJournals. Per the report, IKEA will open “plan-and-order” points with pick-up at two locations in the DMV– Fairfax Corner in Fairfax and Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. The Rio IKEA location will be taking over the space that was previously home to Charming Charlie at 101 Boardwalk Place #102 and could open by the end of the year.
Per IKEA, “Our Plan and Order points are smaller stores dedicated to kitchen, bedroom, and living room planning where you can find home furnishing advice and expertise to help design your ideal space.” You can book an appointment to start your design with a planning specialist, or use in-store, self-service tools to design your own solution. “Whilst there are no items to purchase in-store and take home on the day, for your convenience, purchases made at the Plan and Order points can be delivered to your home or picked up from one of our collection points.”
Last year we let you know that specialty furniture brand Lovesac was planning to open a new location in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown. The store opened at 111 Crown Park Ave STE C120 last month.
The company’s name comes from the brand’s original Durafoam-filled bean bags called Sacs. Stamford, Connecticut-based Lovesac was founded in 1998 and first came to the area when it opened its Montgomery mall location in 2017. The retailer specializes in a patented modular furniture system called “Sactionals.” Sactionals combine both multiple “seats” and “sides,” as well as custom-fit covers and accessories that allow patrons to configure different styles of seating. Sactionals can fit most spaces, no matter the size or layout, because patrons can add, subtract and arrange pieces in an infinite number of ways. There are more than 250 available fabric options and more than 150 available covers that are machine washable, according to the company’s website.
Last summer we let you know that Colony Grill, a popular Connecticut Pizza restaurant offering “bar pies”, is expanding into Maryland with its upcoming location at Cabin John Village in Potomac. Over two years ago, the New England-style hot oil bar pizza spot opened a nearby location in Arlington (2800 Clarendon Blvd). The menu is simple- Drinks on one side and pizza/toppings on the other. Pizzas range from $10.50 to $13.50, according to the Arlington location’s menu. While an opening date has not yet been set, the restaurant could open by the end of spring. Progress photos below:
Per the City of Rockville: Everyone — residents, neighbors, visitors, employees, and business and property owners — is welcome to provide feedback as Rockville plans a successful future for Town Center over the coming decades. To take part, register at engagerockville.com/towncenter, which has multiple ways to provide input. Take a short survey, add to the reaction map, ask a question and share ideas for how to reimagine Town Center.
The Organic Butcher, which opened in March at 7925 Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda, has announced it will hold a grand opening event on Saturday, May 6, from 10am-6pm that will feature free samples of house-made meats, local beer, wine, and more. The Organic Butcher took over the space that was previously occupied by French restaurant Le Vieux Logis. Modeled after the old-fashioned English butcher shops, The Organic Butcher is a full-service, traditional butcher shop with its first shop located in McLean, VA.
According to a press release, “in addition to the freshest cuts, they have house-prepared meats, sausages, prepared foods, produce and fresh bread delivered daily from a Baked Joint. As well as a large selection of local craft beers, boutique wines, artisan cheese and unique grocery items. Home chefs can pick up a wagyu ribeye, and all the herbs and spices you would need. Interested in bison, venison — ostrich! — The Organic Butcher has that, too. There is always an experienced butcher behind the counter to help you select the perfect cut of meat, game, poultry or seafood as well as provide you information on the farms and cooking tips on how to best prepare your purchases in your own kitchen.”
Life shouldn’t be about views, likes, and shares, but this article will be as we take a look back at the upcoming restaurants that have created the most buzz on our website and associated social media accounts in the last two months. Today we’re going to highlight the five (in no particular order) that have generated the most buzz in terms of views, likes, and shares now that we’re in the midst of spring:
Charley Prime (Rio/Gaithersburg): Permanent signage is up at Charley Prime Foods, the new restaurant from Jackie Greenbaum & Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) that will be replacing Tara Thai on the Rio Lakefront boardwalk at 9811 Washington Blvd in Gaithersburg. The restaurant is expected to open this spring.
Sideline Swap is hosting a trade-in event at the Dick’s Sporting Good in Wheaton Mall (11160 Veirs Mill Rd) from Friday, April 28th until Sunday, April 30th. You can bring your gently-used sports gear to receive a gift card for the trade-in value. Sideline Swap is accepting hockey, baseball, lacrosse, golf, ski gear & more. Sideline Swap runs from 2pm-7pm on Friday, 10am-6pm on Saturday, and 10am-6pm on Sunday. Items accepted include:
Items not accepted include:
Almost a year ago, we let you know that Capo Italian Deli will be opening a new location in Cabin John Village. It will be taking over the location that was previously home to Goldberg’s New York Bagels, which closed last year, at 7731 Tuckerman Lane. Capo Deli had its hearing last month with Montgomery County’s ABS for its alcohol and liquor license and a representative from the DC location let us know that the Cabin John Village location should open in “a couple weeks.” Photo of the interior can be seen below.
The Italian delicatessen was previously available for carryout and delivery in Montgomery County out of sister restaurant Brickside Food & Drink (4866 Cordell Ave) in Bethesda. The deli’s first location opened at 715 Florida Ave in NW, DC. Using a a prohibition style speakeasy gimmick, the deli their old school Italian deli as a “front” to it’s back bar. Capo gained attention in the area in the summer of 2020 for their popular “Fauci Pouchy” carryout cocktails. The deli has since opened a Western Market location and has a Tyson’s Corner location coming soon. The menu includes Italian classics like Chicken Parmigiano, Hot Italian Beef, Prosciutto & Provolone, and more.
Permanent signage is up at Charley Prime Foods, the new restaurant from Jackie Greenbaum & Gordon Banks (Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) that will be replacing Tara Thai on the Rio Lakefront boardwalk at 9811 Washington Blvd in Gaithersburg. The restaurant is expected to open this spring.
According to a press release, the Charley Prime team envisions the restaurant as a mature version of their popular DC restaurant Bar Charley, with an expanded menu, but keeping its lively cocktail forward energy. The broader menu will remain steak focused, but will also feature house made pastas (a la Little Coco’s) as well as other items unique to just this location. The group has tapped Editlab@Streetsense to design the space. Explains Greenbaum, “We can’t wait to do our first suburban project and think the timing is perfect. We’ve always done restaurants that are near and dear to our hearts and that we feel are right or needed in the particular neighborhood. My partners both have young families and Rio has been a frequent destination for them for years, as it is for tons of people in north Montgomery county. This is especially true for our chef and partner in this project, Adam Harvey, who lives nearby. We’re really thrilled to bring something unique to the mix out there.”