Fire Pit Brazilian Barbecue opened its food truck at 804 Rockville Pike in the Golden Arcade shopping center (across from the Ritchie Center/IHOP) in Rockville in October 2022. Less than a year later, the family behind the truck is planning a second location at the upcoming Solaire Social Food Hall in Silver Spring, according to a review in the Washington Post (also reported by Source of the Spring). A video can be seen below of what our very own Mr. MoCo referred as possibly being his favorite sandwich from Fire Pit.

“Less than a year into his new venture, Gonzalez is already planning a second location at the forthcoming Solaire Social food hall in downtown Silver Spring. And why not? His version of churrasco aligns better with modern life than those pricey Brazilian steakhouses and their endless parades of all-you-can-eat meat. Fire Pit is casual. It’s affordable. It doesn’t dare you to eat like a 16th-century royal.” wrote Tim Carman in the WaPo review.


Champions Sports Bar will be transitioning to Mercury Lounge in the coming weeks. The bar/restaurant opened in Silver Spring this in October of 2020 and is located at 9433 Georgia Avenue, in the former home of Action House Vape & Hookah (same strip at La Casa Del Mofongo) and was recently listed for sale for $185,000. The sale is now pending, according to the listing, but a representative confirmed the change will be occurring soon.

Montgomery County’s Alcoholic Beverage Services (ABS) will hold a hearing on the application by Teko Clavet, on behalf of Destiny Real Estate Holding Company, LLC, for the transfer of a liquor license to the new tenant, which will be known as Mercury Lounge. The hearing will take place on Thursday, October 19th at 10:30am as the restaurant/bar prepares to make the change.


Detectives are on the scene of a shooting that occurred Saturday, September 30 in Wheaton. According to safety reporter Cordell Pugh, a male was shot in the leg around 7:20PM at Wheaton Forest Local Park.  The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries and Montgomery County Police 4th District Officers applied a tourniquet prior to EMS arrival. Montgomery Parks Police in handling the investigation.

We will post an update if additional information becomes available.   Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps. 


In September 2023, APAH completed the purchase of 170 apartments at the Falkland Chase apartment community in downtown Silver Spring, MD from seller JBG Smith. APAH is envisioning a phased redevelopment of approximately 1,250 brand new apartments for this site with a large percentage targeted as affordable for residents with incomes at or below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Upon vacancy and/or turnover, the existing 170 garden-style apartments will be leased at rents affordable to residents earning 60-65% AMI until the redevelopment begins. While the North parcel of Falkland Chase purchased by APAH is already entitled for the 1,250 new units, APAH intends to modify the existing site plan to maximize the affordability of the future community.


Montgomery County Police responded to the reports of shots fired on Saturday, September 30. According to police, “MCPD responded to the 9300 block of Piney Branch Road at approximately 12:17 a.m., for the sound of shots. No victims were located at that time.  A short time later officers became aware of an adult male at an area hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound. The injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening at this time.”

Public safety reporter Cordell Pugh tweeted the following, “12:20AM Saturday, outside the Forest Park Apartments off Piney Branch Road (Montgomery County, MD near the Northwest Branch). Victim arrived at an area hospital after being shot at least twice; Officers located scene near the Forest Park Apartments.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps.


On Saturdays & Sundays in October (starting October 7) from 10am – 6pm, Cabin John Miniature Train and Wheaton Miniature Train will take a ride through “Trainslyvania.” Each rider is given an “Eye Spy” card with seasonal items to look for along the tracks during the ride. Great for families of all ages!

Visit ActiveMontgomery.org to purchase tickets and guarantee a seat for your ideal train date and time. Online registration closes the morning of the scheduled ride, so don’t wait, book your online reservation today! For tickets purchased online, any train canceled due to weather or mechanical issues will result in a full refund automatically credited to your method of payment.


Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the six suspects who committed an armed carjacking in Silver Spring.

On Friday, September 22, 2023, at approximately 8:30 p.m., 3rd District officers responded to the 11600 block of Lockwood Drive for the report of an armed carjacking that just occurred. Detectives have determined that the victims were attempting to park their red 2016 Toyota Highlander, when an unknown gray 4-door sedan, pulled up behind them, blocking them from pulling away. Two suspects immediately exited the gray sedan, approached the victim’s vehicle and displayed handguns. The suspects forced the victims to get out of their car. The suspects then left the scene in the stolen vehicle, followed by the unknown gray 4-door sedan.


Montgomery County Police responded to an armed carjacking on Wednesday, September 27 in Silver Spring. According to police, “At approximately 9:49 p.m., MCPD responded to the 8300 block of Garland Ave. for the report of an armed carjacking. The suspects stole the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene. No injuries have been reported. There are no suspects in custody at this time.  This is an active and ongoing investigation.”

According to public safety reported Cordell Pugh, the vehicle stolen was a red 2016 Kia Sorento with Virginia plates. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps. 


Red Ribbon Bakeshop, a Filipino bakery chain, opened its new Wheaton location last Saturday, September 23 at 9am just as heavy rains moved through the area with Tropical Storm Ophelia. That didn’t  stop hundreds of customers from showing up to support the bakery’s first Maryland location– arriving as early 3:30am. One customer, Mr. Eugie Ariaga of Rockville, became Red Ribbon’s first-ever Maryland customer. He won “one year of sweetness”– a Mango Supreme Cake every month for a year.

The bakery is located at 2501 University Blvd W, right next to the Anchor Inn sign that still stands. Currently, Red Ribbon Bakeshop has over 200 locations across the Philippines and 39 in the United States. In 2005 it was acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation, which opened its first D.C. area Jollibee location at Wheaton Mall in 2021.


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