Bubble Tea is EVERYWHERE!

Not sure if anyone noticed...but there is a TON of bubble tea shops popping up around Rockville/Gaithersburg.  I like to think I was ahead of my time since I opened my own bubble tea shop back in 2002 in Travilah Square (Green Tea Cafe for life!), and then ultimately sold the business since it wasn't doing too well (boo to seasonality).

Let's take inventory (not even including all the restaurants that sell bbt as well!):

Kung Fu Tea - 275 N Washington St D, Rockville, MD 20850

Kung Fu Tea - 11802 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852

Bubbles&Tea - 1319 Rockville Pike B, Rockville, MD 20852

Jumbo Jumbo Cafe Asia Taste - 15192 Frederick Road, Rockville, MD 20850

Bubble Tea Cafe - 130 Rollins Avenue #F1, Rockville, MD 20852

Gong Cha - 1800 Rockville Pike C, Rockville, MD 20852

Tea-Do - 838 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852

Ten Ren Tea - 825 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852

Bubble Express - 765 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852

Pearl Lady - 201 E Middle Lane, Rockville, MD 20850

Lab Cafe - 101 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD 20850

Jumbo Jumbo Cafe - 765 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852

BoBaPop Tea Bar - 312 Main Street #100, Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Bubble n Berry - 7234 Muncaster Mill Road, Derwood, MD 20855

SnowBots - 1701 Rockville Pike Suite B-9, Rockville, MD 20852

Did I miss any?

The Spot Rockville...Cafe Rio Travilah...Trader Joe's...Which are you most excited about?

There's a lot of new openings around Rockville/Gaithersburg...which are you most excited about?

The Spot Rockville - Asian Food Hall next to Rockville Town Square

Cafe Rio - New store officially opened in Travilah Square

iFly Sky Diving - Indoor sky diving in Gaithersburg

Carvana - Car vending machine in Gaithersburg

The Beach - Pike & Rose (fake) beach aka sand.

3.14.15 Pi Day in the Metro DC area

March 14th, also known as Pi Day! This year is super special because it's also 2015... hence 3.14...15!  Check out who's offering pie specials this year in the area:

• Blaze Pizza - Montgomery Mall Bethesda, College Park, Laurel has custom-made pizza pies all day for $3.14.
• Dangerously Delicious Pies (my personal favorite)- H Street, pie slices for $3.14 during the hours of 9-11am and 7-10pm.
• Pi Pizzeria - Penn Quarter, has specials all month including free apps and salads, $5 dine-in menu, Thursday dine-in buy one large pizza, get second equal or lesser value for $3.14.  AND if anyone has a March 14th birthday and can show ID, you get a FREE large pizza!
• Pizzeria Paradiso - Georgetown, $3.14 beers from 9:26pm until midnight. (because pi begins 3.1415926!) Love it!
• Radius Pizza - Mount Pleasant, pizza slices for $3.14 with beverage purchase.

Downtown Crown - Gaithersburg, MD

I finally ventured to the new Downtown Crown, the CROWNing jewel of JBG Retail.  So exciting to explore a new MoCo neighborhood.  I first ate dinner at Coastal Flats and then roamed around the neighborhood in the Harris Teeter.  I then proceeded to walk around down to Washingtonian Center and back to Crown…a whole 2 hours worth!  Check out Crown's website for more information.

Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven to Celebrate 7/11!

It's July 11th, aka 7/11 day, which means FREE SLURPEES at 7-Eleven locations from 11am to 7pm.  Quick, free small Slurpees!!!

What else is happening today, 7/11?  Chick-fil-A Friday, aka "Cow Appreciation Day".  Pure GENIUS!  Dress "head to hoof" in a cow costume and you'll get a free breakfast, lunch or dinner combo meal! If the kiddos dress upm they get a free kids meal!  Last year, over a million people dressed up like cows to get a free meal.

Brasserie Beck comes to MoCo - Kentlands, Gaithersburg

 

Belgian chef/owner, Robert Wiedmaier will be opening a second Brasserie Beck at the former O'Donnell's Sea Grill space in the Kentalnds.  It is slated to open sometime in the first quarter of 2014. 

 

We were all sad to see O'Donnell's close after 91 years in business.  We're all even sadder to see those yummy rum buns go!

 

But Brasserie Beck will feature an extensive Belgian beer list, mussels, beef carbonnade, steak and frites, and other hearty entrees!  Chef Wiedmaier also owns Mussel Bar & Grille in Bethesda, Atlantic City, and Arlington; Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda, Brabo in Alexandria, Marcel's, and Brasserie Beck downtown.

 

I for one am SUPER EXCITED to have a wonderful full service restaurant come up north to MoCo!

Montgomery County's best Groupon and LivingSocial Deals

Here's another scan of the current Groupon and LivingSocial deals worth taking a look at!  FYI, I wouldn't recommend these unless I've personally experienced or visited these places myself.

Woodside Deli $10 for $20 worth of Deli Food - Can you say all you can eat pickle bar (no, I'm not kidding!)

Growlers Brew Pub $21 for one app and 2 entrees Mon-Thurs - A bit restrictive on the groupon but there is another option for $23 for the same deal but valid any day of the week.

Rockville VisArts $19.99 for 3 hour Cocktails and Canvas - Highly recommend.  I did this one with my girlfriends one night which was super fun. =)

BGR $7.99 for Burger, Drink, and Fries - Yum yum gimme some! So delish and 3 locations to choose from.

Studio Fiesta Dance & Fitness $30 for Eight zumba classes - Post baby, I was obsessed with this place.  Owner Veronica is the real deal, super energetic and fantastic motivator.

Bikram Yoga Bethesda $39 for 10 yoga classes - One of my favorite winter activities. 1 and a half hours of stretching in an above 100 degree room.  Super intense but well worth the price in a gorgeous new downtown Bethesda studio.

Bob's Shanghai 66 $15 for $30 - Get your xiao long bao (aka xlb, aka soup dumplings) on!  Bob's, a spinoff of the largely popular Bob's Noodle 66.  One of the only places in the DMV area with decent soup dumplings.  Get an additional 25% off with code HEART25!!

SweetFrog Froyo - Kentlands Square $10 for $20 - A bit chilly outside but who can say no to FROYO!

ZooLights Family Package $29 for 4 admissions - Always a hometown favorite at the National Zoo.

Rockville's first Chick-Fil-A sees Hundreds Camped Out

Rockville's first stand alone Chick Fil A, located in Montrose Crossing, will open tomorrow, Thursday October 10, 2013.  I found it quite odd when I saw several tents set up all around the perimeter of the building.  Got home, googled it and it turns out that the first 100 adults lined up would get a YEAR'S SUPPLY of Chick Fil A (or to get all technical, 52 coupons for a Chick-Fil-A sandwhich, medium waffle fry, and a medium drink.)  Too bad the weather has quickly dropped into the low 50s in the evening, otherwise, you'd probably see me out there waiting as well! ....mmmmm....waffle fries....

Rockville Town Square

www.rockvilletownsquare.com

The retail corridor has changed so much over the decades.  Long gone are the all in one shops to the indoor malls.  Locally, White Flint and Springfield Malls have been (or will be) demolished to make way for hipper town centers and outdoor lifestyle centers.  Developers and property managers are constantly modifying their marketing plans to meet the customer's needs.  One company doing it right is Federal Realty.

As a Rockville native, I admit that I haven't spent too much time in the Rock.  I will be starting a new full time job in the town center , excuse me Town SQUARE, at the end of the month so I decided to feature some of the great things the town center has to offer!  Why Square? Just take a look at their marketing campaign on the website, everything is square!

SUMMER AT THE SQUARE!

Kids Nights - Live kids entertainment and kids eat free every Tuesday thrugh August 20th.  Shows are at 6:30pm and 7:30pm.

Movies on the Square - Wednesday nights until August 21st, movies start at 8:30pm.

Wine Down - Thursdays until August 22nd, 6:30pm - 8:30pm.  Live music, food and $5 wine tasting.  Bands and more!

Friday Night Live - Friday nights 6:30-9:30pm until September 27th. Free outdoor concert, good food, and good beer!

Rockville Town Square Water Fountain - FREE fun for the kids.  Open most days all day long, this is a great way for kids to cool down in the summer heat.  Check the Town Square website for fountain hours.

VisArts Center - 40,000 sf community center offering educational art classes, camps, and event spaces.  My friends and I recently did a Groupon for a wine and  painting...FUN!

Rockville Library - Gorgeous 100,000 sf FREE library that houses over 200,000 titles.  (Did I mention it's FREE???)

Today's Pick-me-Up: Quartermaine Coffee

I love me a good cup of coffee.  I'm not sure if the instant summer weather got me dragging today but I really needed a GOOD CUP OF COFFEE.  I'm not talking about my regular k-cup, I'm not event talking about a certain ROBUST roast.  Walked about 2 blocks down in Bethesda to get this beauty, a medium cup of Quartermaine coffee.  LOVE THIS PLACE.

Founded in Rockville, MD in 1991 by the original founders of Starbucks Coffee, Quartermaine is a regional specialty coffee roaster committed to providing its customers with fresh, flavorful locally-roasted coffee.  YUM!  Conveniently located at 2 locations: Bethesda Avenue in Bethesda or Georgetown Square on Old Georgetown Road.  Their roasting plant in Rockville also gives free tours!  Set an appointment by email sbrown@quartermaine.com.  (Did I already say YUM?)

The Bolger Center - Mother's Day Brunch

After feeling under the weather all week, my family enjoyed a low key brunch at The Bolger Center in Potomac, MD.  The Bolger Center is owned by the USPS (yes the Postal Service) and centrally located in the middle of posh Potomac.  This beautiful sprawling campus was primarily used as a postal service training facility.  A couple years back, Dolce Hotels took over the hotel's management and are focusing their efforts on booking social events such as bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings.


Little does the public know that they feature a fabulous breakfast buffet for only $12!  NO LINES, NEVER any crowds and ALWAYS with great service!

Made to Order omelets, assorted fruits and breads, oatmeal and grits, and my favorite ALL YOU CAN EAT SMOKED SALMON...*YUM*!

After breakfast, we walked around the grounds which is beautifully landscaped and meticulously maintained.  I noticed the interior was recently refreshed with paint and refurbishing.

 Complimentary umbrellas to use anywhere on the campus grounds.

Curious why the USPS is going bankrupt? Take a look at the beautiful Bolger Center landscape, your federal taxes hard at work!

 Spring flowers in bloom.

 Osgood Building

All joking aside, the Bolger Center is beautifully landscaped and worth a visit!

Last but not least...

Happy Mother's Day!

Traville Gateway - Goodbye Stella, Hello Nantucket's Reef!

I've been slow to post lately since my entire family got a stomach bug...not fun.  Today while running errands, I stopped by my neighborhood Giant at Traville Gateway, since the one at Rockshire has since closed, and realized there are quite a few changes and new tenants in the shopping center.

The center is tucked behind the University of Maryland satellite campus on Shady Grove Road.  Although it is certainly convenient to the surrounding Wootton neighborhood, it lacks visibility to the main roads, which centers such as Fallsgrove enjoys.

Here's a couple of the great businesses in the center:

BagelTowne Deli - Boasts the Best Shmear Around...Sunday omelet bar is a great deal: custom omelet, bagel w/ cream cheese, oatmeal. *yum*
Cava Mezze - The original!  A couple of Wootton guys opened a Greek mezze place, you may have heard of them? I'm being sarcastic...of course you have! Cava mezze/grill can now be found EVERYWHERE in the DMV, and it all started here at their original Traville location.  It gets packed so make sure you come early.
Potomac Pizza - Ah, my groupon go-to.  I frequently hoard my $10 for $20 groupons for quick dinner solutions.  They also deliver!
Quench - Formerly Thai Taste Restaurant and Beale Street Grill, Quench is the new gastropub featuring crafted cocktails, creative cuisine and laid back luxury!
Nanda Child Care Center - Brand new childcare facility taking over a previous furniture store.
Nantucket's Reef - Taking over the previous Stella's Restaurant (previously Vyne Bistro, Amanda Amante).  New sign just went up and looks like will be open in June 2013.

Pholuscious Opens! - More "Pho" Everyone.

You google Travilah pho and what comes up? ITSMYMOCO! By far, my post about Pholuscious coming to North Potomac has been one of the most popular posts on my blog.  Random, I know.

I finally got to try out Pholuscious today for lunch and it didn't disappoint.  Yelpers agree!  They offer a full range of Vietnamese cuisine including pho, bun (rice vermicelli), and rice dishes.  I went for a regular bowl of pho with a variety of beef cuts, and an ice coffee.  The decor is bright and cheerful with large flats screens.  Best yet, Pholuscious also features beers! I'll drink to that!

Maryland Crabs - Where to get crabs in Montgomery County Maryland

www.nytimes.com

What is Maryland known for? CRABS!  We even have a blue crab on our "Save the Chesapeake" license plates!  So the common questions are: When is the Maryland crab season and where can you get crabs?

According to the web, crab season generally starts April 1st for soft and peeler blue crabs in coastal water and soft and peeler crabs in tidal waters and runs until the end of December.

Of course you can get an abundance of crabs down in Annapolis, around the bay, and down by the Ocean City shore.  But where are the best places to get crabs in Montgomery County MD?  Here's my list sorted by sit down restaurants and take out.

Restaurants:

• Bethesda Crab House: Warning you need to call ahead to reserve crabs.  Seating is limited depending on the weather.  This place can get uber expensive, especially for extra large crabs.
• Seafood in the Buff: Wheaton and Germantown locations
• Steamer's Seafood House: Bethesda, MD
• Fingers & Claws: Muddy Branch Road in Gaithersburg, MD (no outdoor seating though)

Take Out Places (already cooked):

• Seafood in the Buff: Wheaton and Germantown locations
• Cameron's Seafood Market: 12 locations including Rockville and Silver Spring.

Bethesda Row Restaurant Week April 15-21, 2013

Just Announced. Bethesda Row Restaurant week is back.  Enjoy a $15 three-course lunch or a $30 three-course dinner.

And Register to win a $200 Dining Certificate to Jaleo as part of Restaurant Week!

Participating Restaurants:
Assaggi Mozzarella Bar
American Tap Room
Café Deluxe
Jaleo
Lebanese Taverna
Le Pain Quotidien
Luke’s Lobster
Mon Ami Gabi
Mussel Bar & Grille (lunch only)
Parker’s American Bistro
Raku
Redwood
Vino Volo

Georgetown Cupcakes - Bethesda

Those who are familiar with Georgetown Cupcakes, the popular cupcake shop and also the basis for the TLC show DC Cupcakes, know that there is ALWAYS a line out the door!  I'm a block away from the Bethesda location which is slightly dangerous. Why is it dangerous you may ask?

What I'm about to reveal may possibly change your life FOREVER.  BE WARNED.

Here is social media at its best!  If you Facebook friend them, Georgetown Cupcakes issues a secret not-on-the-menu flavor EVERYDAY.  Every store has 100 of these no-on-the-menu cupcakes that they give away...FREE.  FREEEEEE!

WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Almost every day, they also have a random drawing for a dozen FREE cupcakes as well. FREEEEE!

So if you're a Joe-Shmoe walking down the street, you see all these people lining up for cupcakes, you must think to yourself, "man, those must be some damn good cupcakes...what am I missing out on, I should wait in line too!" MARKETING GENIUS!

NOW, when you see the line out of Georgetown Cupcakes...makes you wonder, how many of them are actually paying customers? =)

BonChon Rockville - Open for business!

One of my most popular posts is the news that BonChon is coming to Rockville.  I may be a bit behind but they're officially open! Arg...I was in Rockville Town Center this past weekend and MEANT to go check it out however sangria from La Tasca got in the way! =)  I never imagined how lively Rockville Town Center gets at night!  La Tasca features a DJ and latin dancing after 11pm on Saturdays and Bar Louie features all the NCAA games while a DJ spins hip hop and house...AND the best part was I didn't feel like the old fart hanging out after hours because the crowd was so diverse.  Haha. =P

MoCo St. Patrick's Day Festivities

With a name like Patti McHugh, you'd expect red hair and freckles.  Yeah, I'm actually Chirish (Chinese marrying Irish/Slovak).  Nonetheless, my daughter is half-Irish which means we need to find some genuine St. Patrick's Day activities in the area.  Here's a few I've found for the whole family:

• Friday, March 15th - Brookside Gardens is hosting a series of St. Patrick's Day Green and Growing Scavenger Hunts every half hour from 10am-12:30pm.
• Saturday, March 16th - Washingtonian Center (I-370 and Washington Boulevard) 10am-noon, The City of Gaithersburg, in partnership with the Harp and Shamrock Society of Gaithersburg and The Peterson Companies and Washingtonian Center will host the 13th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.
• Sunday, March 17th - Baltimore St. Patrick's Day Parade.  The Shamrock 5k race begins at 1:15pm at Charles and Franklin Streets.  The Parade steps off at 2pm at the Washington Monument, and continues to Pratt Street and Market Place.
• Saturday, March 16th noon - The Ocean City St. Patrick's Day Parade and Irish Festival is sponsored by the Delmarva Irish-American Club.

For those partaking in drinking festivities, here are some local favorites.  Note those who don't have website links, well, you know they're authentic!

• Ri Ra Irish Pub in Bethesda
• Hank Dietle's Tavern in North Bethesda/Rockville (not sure if they actually serve green beer, also it's BYOF - Bring Your Own Food)
• Saturday 10 am St. Patrick's Day Party at McGinty's Public House in Silver Spring
• S&J Bar and Restaurant in Riverdale
• Royal Mile Pub in Silver Spring
• Irish Inn in Glen Echo
• Quincy's Bar & Grill in Gaithersburg
• Saturday and Sunday -  Dogfish Head Alehouse Gaithersburg Tent Party with Bands and Games
• Saturday noon Beer Olympics at Growlers in Gaithersburg

El Pollo Rico - Gaithersburg

Sorry about the super shaky pic, I think I was too excited to finally go to their new restaurant!

Talk about super duper excited Patti.  For those Peruvian Chicken enthusiasts, El Pollo Rico has arrived in Gaithersburg.  DELICIOUS! Even Anthony Bourdain agrees!  After being a starvin marvin, I popped over to El Pollo Rico (best part, it's so new there was NO LINE!), ordered a whole chicken with 2 sides and an order of plantains (A MUST).  Got home, husband was like, "I don't even want to KNOW how much this cost." (Verbatim)  And I responded, "Only $17.00!" NO JOKE!  That shut him up real quick.

Randomness

How cool are these gift cards? Seen from one of my favorite local pizza joints, Ledo's Pizza!