EggMania is coming to 385 Muddy Branch Road in Gaithersburg, taking over the space formerly occupied by Curry Place, next to Indian Bazaar. Representatives from the restaurant tell us they plan on opening this spring. The menu consists of egg-centric Indian street food, including a masala omelet, egg curry, and Goti Fry (sliced boiled eggs cooked with ginger, garlic and chili. Topped with American cheese and onion-tomato based gravy). EggMania currently has franchises in several states and is currently opening new locations throughout the U.S.

The restaurant tells us, “There’s lots of misconception when it comes to “EggMania”. In American culture eggs based dishes are primarily used during breakfast whereas in popular Indian street food culture, eggs based dishes are made for entrees and served during lunch / dinner and full menu items, not just breakfast. EggMania is not breakfast place. Hope to serve the community and bring this delicious food options for our MoCo residents and surrounding very soon…!!”

“We are delighted to announce that our new branch will be opening soon!!! EGGMANIA Gaithersburg, Maryland
385 Muddy Branch Road, Besides India Bazaar, Gaithersburg, MD 20878″

Feature photo courtesy of EggMania on Facebook.

Construction has begun at the new Chick-Fil-A restaurant at 700 N. Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg, at Progress Labs.  Progress Labs, which began construction in summer 2021, is a 44-acre property that directly fronts I-270 at the Montgomery Village Avenue exit. and is located next door to the recently constructed 300,000 square foot FedEx Ground facility, just south of the new Watkins Mill Interchange. No opening timeframe has been announced for the new restaurant.  Chick-fil-A has additional MoCo locations in Bethesda, Gaithersburg (Kentlands), Germantown, Olney, Rockville, and Silver Spring. Prograss Labs will also be home to MoCo’s first Sheetz.
SEE: Final Site Plan for MoCo’s First Sheetz Has Been Approved

Renderings of the restaurant can be seen below:
”This “high-barrier-to-entry” Montgomery County location serves over 6.2 million residents in the Washington D.C. MSA, making it an excellent headquarters, biotech / lab facility, or distribution location.

Per the City of Gaithersburg: In observance of the Christmas & New Year’s holidays, facility closures are in place Dec. 24 – 26 & Dec. 31 – Jan. 2.
Saturday, December 24, 2022

Per the Frederick Police Department: On Dec. 9, 2022, at approximately 2:16 p.m., The Frederick Police Department received several calls for a disturbance and the sound of gunshots. Callers advised that an altercation took place around the area of Key Parkway and Willowdale Drive. Officers responded to the area, but did not immediately locate any subjects that were believed to be involved. Patrol officers continued to canvass the surrounding area and eventually observed a subject that matched the clothing description of one of the possible suspects in an outside common area of a nearby apartment complex. Officers made contact with the subject and checked the surrounding area where he was observed. Within close proximity of the subject, officers found a loaded handgun hidden under a children’s toy. The subject immediately began to flee on foot from officers when they discovered the handgun. The subject ran to the area of McCain Drive and entered into an underground water culvert. The culvert travelled underground from McCain Drive to an area South of Route 40 near the Alternate Route 40 split.

Officers positioned themselves at both ends of the culvert and with the assistance of a Frederick County Sheriffs Office K9 Team, they entered and began to search for the suspect. As the officers were making their way through the culvert, the suspect emerged at the other end and was arrested. The suspect was in possession of a New Jersey ID card, however officers determined the ID card was fake and the name was not the suspect’s correct name. Officers eventually fully identified him as Gervon William Norris (11-08-1993) of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Officers discovered that Norris had an active arrest warrant through the Anne Arundel County Sheriffs Office for failing to appear in court. Officers also learned that Norris is prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous criminal convictions.

Norris was charged with the following crimes:

• Possession of a handgun on his person
• Possession of a loaded handgun on his person
• Illegal Possession of ammunition
• Possession of a firearm with felony convictions
• Illegal possession of a regulated firearm

WRS Inc., a real estate investment firm based out of South Carolina, that purchased Lakeforest Mall and all four anchor sites, will present their latest plan for Lakeforest Mall on Wednesday, January  4 at 1pm at Asbury Methodist Village (409 Russell Avenue) in Gaithersburg. According to the Village News, “Guests should enter via the Gatehouse at 301 Odendhal Avenue and continue straight. The Rosborough Cultural Arts & Wellness Center is on the right (building 409) with parking across the street. Additionally, the City of Gaithersburg Joint Planning Commission/Mayor and City Council Hearing on the plan is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 at at City Hall, 31 S. Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.”

WRS held a similar informational meeting on October 20 at the mall. WRS purchased the core, ponds, and forest conservation of the mall back in 2019 and added the four anchor sites earlier this year, spending a total of $75 million to acquire Lakeforest Mall. This evening they announced that they have worked with the City of Gaithersburg since March and plan to submit their zoning application and sketch plan in the next couple weeks. The target date for demolition of the mall and the start of new construction is currently 2024, with a more specific date to come after the approval of sketch plans. The sketch plan requires at least 35% “green space” and WRS stated that initial sketches are currently at a little more than 35%. Green space is defined as trees, grass, walking/biking areas, etc.

The current retention pond will be “cleaned up” and a boardwalk is in the plans for a dining experience on the water  that was described as being similar to what is available at nearby Rio Lakefront. WRS has also heard from several different movie theaters that are geared towards adults with food offerings and a bar, mentioning one that has a very robust civic program that would allow community groups to use one theater per week for their own functions. No specific names were given and it was noted that a discussion “doesn’t mean it’ll happen.”

A national builder has signed on to build all the various type of housing that will be available at the new development (areas G-P in the map pictured below). The name has not been released yet because the builder wants to announce it in a future press release. MCDOT has would also like to see an enlarged transit corner that will likely be located in area F. Area C would be heavily retail. “A place you’d go once a week to fill up the car with things you’d bring home to fill up the pantry.” A few in the crowd began to discuss Costco possibly moving to the new development, but it was never mentioned by WRS. Area D would be designated for medical offices, a space for a business to move its headquarters, lab space, etc.

Following the approval of its zoning application and sketch plan, WRS will work on site development that will include a series of detailed site plans. Below are the images displayed by WRS at tonight’s meeting:

Planet Fitness at 255 Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg will be temporarily closing next week to complete renovations at the gym. Signage on the front door reads, “We are working on an upgraded club! We temporarily close on 12/13 at 9pm and plan to re-open tentatively on 12/30. Further communication will be posted!”  The Planet Fitness at 13031 Wisteria Dr in the Germantown Plaza shopping center briefly closed for renovations back in November.

Planet Fitness has also announced that its new location in the Montrose Shopping Center in Rockville is scheduled to open this month. The gym is moving from its 15,000 sq ft space at 1776 E Jefferson St to the 30,000 sq ft space at 5520 Randolph Rd, which was the previous site of Gold’s Gym. This will also be the first Planet Fitness location in Maryland to feature the new RelaxSpace Wellness Pod, where the gym’s Black Card members can “select between a variety of videos, scents and even temperatures while learning more about diet, nutrition, breathing and the benefits of exercise.”

Taco Bamba at 670 Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg has announced it will open on Friday, December 16 at 9am. The new location, which will feature an all-day breakfast menu, is giving away a free Taco Bamba coffee mugs and a free cup of coffee to the first 50 customers.  Gaithersburg exclusive tacos on the menu will include “the Mr. Zadir, which stuffs ground lamb and beef kafta in a flour tortilla with chipotle yogurt and chili-spiced feta slaw, and the McLovin It, which pairs crispy chicken nuggets with a chipotle barbecue sauce, hot mustard, Fresno slaw, pickled onion, and cornbread crumble.” The restaurant will be open Sunday-Thursday 9am-9pm and Friday-Saturday, 9am-10pm. Additional details below per Taco Bamba:

Victor Albisu will open his eighth location of Taco Bamba on Friday, December 16 at the Quince Orchard Shopping Center in Gaithersburg, Md. The first 50 guests will receive a complimentary branded coffee mug and a free cup of everyone’s favorite morning beverage with their order. Doors open at 9am. Taco Bamba is known for serving its breakfast menu all day, and last fall they added a complimentary coffee station to all locations. Coffee is available until mid-afternoon with any purchase.

“Following the runaway success of our Rockville location, we’ve had so many guests in Maryland ask us to open more stores,” Albisu said. “Expanding into Gaithersburg has been a fun and rewarding journey as we built another set of unique food and cocktail menus for our friends in the neighborhood. There’s a great local restaurant community here, with an audience that knows good food, and we’re honored to be joining it.”

Like all Taco Bambas, the Quince Orchard restaurant will feature a menu of original, unique-to-the-location items inspired by the surrounding neighborhood. For Gaithersburg, that means new tacos like the Mr. Zadir, which stuffs ground lamb and beef kafta in a flour tortilla with chipotle yogurt and chili-spiced feta slaw, and the McLovin It, which pairs crispy chicken nuggets with a chipotle barbecue sauce, hot mustard, Fresno slaw, pickled onion, and cornbread crumble. Experimentation doesn’t stop at the taco menu. Albisu and his culinary team, led by Food & Beverage Director Tom Hall, have whipped up the Ghengis Juan, a spring roll style empanada, and the Other Fries, loaded spiced fries topped with pico de gallo, salsa Valentina, crema, nacho cheese, and jalapeño. But the non-taco showstopper is the Bamba Brisket Mac and Queso, a mammoth large quesadilla filled with spiced brisket, mac and cheese, serrano pickled onions, pickled jalapeño, and Fresno ranch.

Taco Bamba Gaithersburg will also feature Montalbán Mondays, a brand new Monday-only special that includes a tasting flight of three Del Maguey mezcals alongside a heroic mixed grill platter piled with carne asada, chorizo, mushrooms, grilled onion, jalapeño, cotija cheese, arbol peanut salsa, and chipotle charred eggplant salsa served with a stack of warm tortillas.

The location’s original cocktails include the Battle of Puebla, which blends mezcal, Lillet Blanc, absinthe and green grape puree, and the Figetaboutit, with Barr Hill gin, fig, white balsamic vinegar and hazelnut salt. Alongside bar man Amin Seddiq’s creative tipples can be found more traditional margaritas, sangria, and micheladas. Happy hour is offered weekdays from 3-6pm and features select $5 drinks as well as The Jeffrey, Taco Bamba’s signature foot-long crispy meat spring roll with carne asada, pork al pastor, chorizo, chihuahua cheese, peppers, onions, a bit of this, a bit of that, and serrano salsa verde

The Space
The 2,900 square foot space in the Quince Orchard Shopping Center will feature indoor seating for 56, including 28 seats at a full-service bar, as well as additional seating on the heated, wrap-around patio. The Gaithersburg opening will be followed by new locations in Herndon, Va. in early 2023 and the CityRidge Development in Northwest D.C. this spring. Raleigh, NC will be the brand’s first location outside the Washington area, also expected to open in spring 2023.

Just The Facts 

• Address: 670 Quince Orchard Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878

• Phone number: 240-690-2106

• Website: TacoBamba.com

• Social Media Handles: @TacoBamba on Instagram and Twitter; @therealtacobamba on TikTok

• Online Ordering for Pick-up & Delivery: https://order.tacobamba.com/

• Catering: View menu: https://www.tacobamba.com/traditional-catering-menu/
  Contact: [email protected]

• Hours of Operation: Sunday-Thursday 9am-9pm, Friday-Saturday, 9am-10pm

• Happy Hour: Weekdays, 3-6pm

About Chef Victor Albisu:
Victor Albisu is the chef/founder of Taco Bamba, which has eight locations across Northern Virginia and Maryland, with forthcoming spots in D.C., Northern Virginia and Raleigh, NC. In 2015, RAMW honored Albisu as Chef of the Year, and in 2020 and 2016 he was nominated for a James Beard Foundation award as Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. With more than a decade of experience in fine dining and upscale French, American, and Latin American restaurants, Albisu combines his culinary education with his Latin American heritage to bring a unique style of cuisine to his restaurant concepts.

Outside the kitchen, Albisu is active in global culinary relief initiatives, including extensive work with CARE and World Central Kitchen, for whom he was a founding board member and has traveled to Cuba, Nicaragua, and Peru, among other destinations. Albisu co-founded Smile on the World, a non-profit group of chefs and doctors who provide aid and medical care to underserved communities, and with whom he co-led a relief trip to Peru in early 2020. In 2015, Albisu competed on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay and bested the host and grill master with his signature dish, steak & eggs. Albisu has also appeared as a guest judge on Telemundo’s Top Chef Estrellas and the FOX TV series Hell’s Kitchen.

Montgomery County Police have released the 9-1-1 call made by the pilot who crashed a small plane into a power line tower near Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive in Montgomery Village on Sunday evening.  Maryland State Police identified the pilot as Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C, and the passenger as Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana. The two were rescued around 12:30am on Monday after spending seven hours in the tower, suspended more than 100ft.  In a press briefing on Monday, Fire Chief Scott Goldstein reported that both individuals had been transported to the hospital and their conditions had improved. One patient was still in the hospital as of Monday afternoon.  The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.

In the 9-1-1 call, Merkle tells the dispatcher, “I’ve flown into a tower to the northwest of Gaithersburg Airport. It’s one of the electrical towers and, believe it or not, the aircraft is pinned in the tower and I don’t know how long we’re going to be able to stay here.” He also said that he believed the two had suffered head injuries from being banged around in the cockpit. You can listen to portions of the 9-1-1 call below courtesy of WUSA9:

Per the Maryland State Police: The pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that crashed yesterday into a power line tower in Montgomery County have been rescued and transported to an area hospital for medical treatment. The pilot is identified as Patrick Merkle, 66, of Washington, D.C. He was operating a Mooney Mark 20P single engine plane. One passenger on board is identified as Janet Williams, 66, of Marrero, Louisiana. Following the rescue operation, both occupants were transported to Suburban Hospital for medical treatment.

Shortly before 1:00 a.m. this morning the pilot and passenger of the single engine plane were successfully rescued from the suspended plane without incident by EMS personnel using two specialty crane/boom trucks. The area of Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive remains closed while efforts to remove the plane continue.

Shortly before 6:00 p.m. last night, Maryland State Police at the Rockville Barrack were dispatched to the location of the plane crash about four miles northwest of the Montgomery County Airpark in the area of Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive. Arriving troopers found the plane suspended in the air, entangled in a power line tower.

Maryland State Police and EMS responders from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue remain on the scene alone with personnel from the Potomac Electric Power Company. Personnel from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration are also on the scene assisting with the road closures.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are conducting the investigation. Members of the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division are assisting with the investigation. There are no signs of criminal activity or foul play at this time. The investigation continues..

The pilot and passenger of a small plane that crashed into a power line tower near Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village around 5:30pm on Sunday were successfully rescued without incident by EMS personnel using two specialty crane/boom trucks just after midnight on Monday.  According to Maryland State Police, the pilot was identified as Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C. and the passenger was identified as Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana. Both were transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The plane was also removed from the power lines early Monday morning.

Pepco has announced that it has restored electric service for all 100,000+ customers who were impacted by the incident. Per Pepco: “We are pleased to have assisted @MCFRS  and other local emergency personnel on the effort to safely rescue the individuals who were stranded in the airplane. We have restored electric service for all customers who were impacted by tonight’s incident.”

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has announced that schools will be closed on Monday, November 28th, 2022 due to the widespread power outages that occurred across the county stemming from the plane crash.  All childcare programs are canceled as well. Montgomery College campuses and locations are also closed.

ICYMI @MontgomeryCoMD Rescue operations @mcfrs @dcfireems Technical Rescue Team(s) rescue/removed 2 adult occupants trapped on plane that crashed into power lines in Gaithersburg, MD area. Tower & Crane company (contractors) working w/ PEPCO & @mcfrs to get plane down. https://t.co/bgesIAf7uQ pic.twitter.com/sY3O0Eq2tG

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) November 28, 2022

Per the Maryland State Police: Maryland State Police are on the scene of a single engine plane crash in Montgomery County where rescue efforts are underway. The plane involved is a Mooney Mike 20P single engine plane.  The pilot is identified as Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C. The passenger is identified as Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana. Both the pilot and the passenger are reportedly unharmed inside the aircraft awaiting rescue.

Shortly before 6:00 p.m. today, Maryland State Police at the Rockville Barrack were dispatched to the report of a plane crash located about four miles northwest of the Montgomery County Airpark in the area of Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive.  Arriving troopers found the plane suspended in the air, entangled in a power line tower. Maryland State Police from the College Park and Rockville Barracks are on the scene along with emergency medical service personnel from Montgomery County. Personnel from the Potomac Electric Power Company are also on scene.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration also responded. They will conduct investigations into how and why the crash occurred. Further information about the crash will come fromfederal investigators.

The Federal Aviation Administration has an aircraft restriction in place while rescue efforts are active ongoing. Rothbury Drive and Goshen Road remains closed.  Personnel from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration are on the scene assisting with the road closures.