North Bethesda woman missing

Montgomery County police are searching for a missing North Bethesda woman. Giselle Del Jones, 52, of the 11800 block of Grand Park Avenue, hasn't been seen since she left home at 5:00 PM on November 26.

Police describe Del Jones as being about 5’03” tall, 120 pounds, with brown eyes and long brown hair. She was wearing a black jacket and jeans when she disappeared.

Detectives say Del Jones is familiar with public transit, and believe she may be using it to travel. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Del Jones is asked to call the Montgomery County Police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 (available 24 hours).

Sign installed at Chuy's at Federal Plaza (Photos)

The lighted sign has been installed on the front facade of Chuy's, the Tex-Mex chain restaurant opening next month at Federal Plaza on Rockville Pike. Some furniture is in place in the dining room, as well as some stringed, colored lights under the front overhang.

Tomato Festival at North Bethesda Market Saturday, September 10

North Bethesda Market is hosting Montgomery County's first Tomato Festival this Saturday, September 10, from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM, at 20 Paseo Drive. The event will be held rain or shine at the Bozzuto property, which is currently the tallest building in Montgomery County, making it hard to miss driving past.

Admission is free, and so is the parking.

However, there will be a special brunch at Seasons 52 (located at North Bethesda Market) to benefit VisArts, the Rockville-based arts nonprofit. The brunch will be held at 10:30 AM, and you can order tickets online.

Attendees of the festival will taste and vote on the best tomato sauce, with entries from chefs at Seasons 52, BRIO Tuscan Grille, Carluccio's, American Tap Room, Quincy's, Gusto Italian Grill, Summer House and Stella Barra. The free spaghetti-eating contest.has already sold out.

There will also be chef competitions and demonstrations, free tastings, a Reyka Vodka Bloody Mary station (21+ only), tomato-themed kids activities, and live music by Scott Kurt & Memphis 59 and Durham Station.

East Village at North Bethesda Gateway headed to Planning Board Thursday (Photos)

Phase 1 building of
East Village at
North Bethesda Gateway

East Village at North Bethesda Gateway, another major, mixed-use development in the Pike District, is headed to the Montgomery County Planning Board for review on September 8. The site is in the southeast quadrant of Nicholson Lane and Huff Court, and is known as the Eisinger property. Later, the site will connect to Rockville Pike via the Fitzgerald Auto Mall property.

Aerial view of the site

The developer is proposing to build East Village in two phases, each with a mixed-use residential building. Those phases will be separated by a new Bethesda Lane-style "street" and plaza. Phase 1 will have up to 382 residential units, and up to 20,000 SF of retail/restaurant space. When Phase 2 is complete, there will be up to 614 residential units, and up to 34,000 SF of retail space on the site. 12.5% of the units will be MPDUs, the minimum required by Montgomery County.

Phasing of the project; new
pedestrian street will run
west-to-east between them

There will be a total of 701 parking spaces (with 416 of those going into Phase 1), more than the minimum required. Planning staff is proposing 100 private, and 10 public, bicycle parking spaces.

Aerial view of
urban plaza
and fountain

An urban plaza will later be created on Huff Court. Anchored by a fountain, and surrounded by retail and restaurants, the plaza will unite the two halves of a through-block connection. The plaza will be visible from Rockville Pike.

Planning staff is recommending approval of the project, with conditions.

Renderings via Montgomery County Planning Department/Foulger-Pratt

Amazon Locker arrives in North Bethesda's Pike District

Amazon Locker has arrived in Montgomery County at last, and North Bethesda has one of the first locations. It is found in the Shoppers Food Warehouse at 5110 Nicholson Lane.

What is Amazon Locker? You can have your Amazon.com order shipped to an Amazon Locker location near you. Your package(s) will arrive at that location, and you will receive an email notification with an access code that will open your locker. If you do not pick up your order within 3 days, it will be returned to Amazon.

If you live in a building where you have difficulty receiving your packages, this can really come in handy. On the one hand, this is an ideal service for the Pike District, where many apartment and condo buildings are opening or being constructed. On the other hand, most of these new buildings have high-end concierge services, so this may not be as in-demand for those residents.

CALL FOR FOOD TRUCKS AT SMALL PRESS EXPO AT NORTH BETHESDA MARRIOTT

One fan of independent comic book gathering Small Press Expo, September 13-14 at the North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center, is dissatisfied with the nearby food options. She put out a plea on Twitter yesterday to all food trucks interested in "getting rich."

One assumes she is referring to food options that would be in the lower end of the cost spectrum, as there are actually several good restaurants a short distance from the hotel. Chef Geoff's and Timpano Italian Chophouse are both great (I recommend the Big Shrimp and Extra Gouda Grits at Chef Geoff's, and the donuts), and Brio and Paladar are almost next door to the hotel. Matchbox is further up the Pike, at Congressional Plaza.

Furthermore, while room service can tend to have "boardwalk" pricing, I've never stayed in a Marriott-branded hotel that didn't have a Marriott Burger on the menu. That's always a reliable and excellent choice.

I'd be perfectly satisfied with the McDonald's, Arby's and Popeye's right by the hotel, and there's a Chick-Fil-A just across the Montrose Parkway.

But consider this an invitation, food trucks of Montgomery County!

STAPLES CLOSES IN WHITE FLINT (PHOTOS)

Staples has closed its White Flint location at 11503 Rockville Pike. The shopping center's other tenant, Casual Male XL, remains open - for now. Saul Centers, Inc., owner of the retail center, plans to demolish the building for a mixed-use development. A sign is directing customers to the Staples at 1531 Rockville Pike. The building itself actually looks new and modern; it would have been a good space to put an upscale restaurant, or large retailer. Oh, well.

Casual Male XL is still open

TUTTI FRUITTI TO OPEN AT PIKE AND ROSE IN NORTH BETHESDA

Exclusive!

Frozen yogurt chain Tutti Fruitti is the latest tenant to sign on at the under-construction Pike & Rose development in White Flint. But the shop won't be in the newer Federal Realty buildings going up right now. Tutti Fruitti will be located in an existing retail building at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike.

That structure will be getting a makeover to better fit with the newer development on the site. Tutti Fruitti will move into the space next to Bank of America and Chipotle. Montgomery County has 3 Tutti Fruittis already, located in Wheaton, Germantown and Damascus.

PERSEI APARTMENTS OPENS LEASING OFFICE AT PIKE AND ROSE

The leasing trailer is open at the future PerSei Apartments, in the White Flint area of North Bethesda. Walk-ins will be accommodated, but the building's management, Bozzuto, suggests calling (301-289-7551) or emailing ahead to make an appointment for best service.

The building site is still being finished, so tours will require a hard hat and "hard sole" shoes. Residents will be the first "pioneers" in the mixed-use Pike & Rose development.

Here are the hours for the leasing trailer, and the address, for GPS purposes:

Monday/Wednesday 9am – 6pm

Tuesday/Thursday 9am – 7pm

Friday 8am – 5pm

Saturday 10am – 5pm

Sunday 12pm (Noon) – 5pm

PerSei, 11802 Rockville Pike (parking is available).

Photo courtesy of PerSei Apartments

QUIZNOS CLOSES AT 11802-D ROCKVILLE PIKE (PHOTOS)

Quiznos has closed its Mid-Pike Plaza restaurant at 11802-D Rockville Pike. As you can see, the sign on the storefront is gone, and the windows are covered.

PALADAR LATIN KITCHEN AND RUM BAR TO OPEN AUGUST 15, WILL DONATE OPENING NIGHT DINNER PROCEEDS TO MANNA FOOD CENTER (PHOTOS)

Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar has announced it will open its new White Flint/Rockville location on Thursday, August 15.

The opening will begin at 6:00 PM that evening with a ribbon cutting. A dinner featuring some of Paladar's most-popular dishes will follow. The cost of dinner will be $40 per person, not including gratuity. 100% of the dinner's proceeds will go to the Manna Food Center right here in Montgomery County.

Paladar co-president Andy Himmel says this is just the first example of how the restaurant will actively engage with the local community. "Manna Food Center, committed to providing food, food education and advocacy for residents of Montgomery County, is the right match for Paladar," he says.

The 180-seat restaurant will be located in JBG's North Bethesda Market development on Rockville Pike in White Flint. Free parking will be available after 5 PM weekdays, and all day on weekends, in the restaurant lot off of Woodglen Drive.

Inspired by the cuisines of Cuba and Central and South America, Paladar's menu will feature favorites like Grilled Skirt Steak and Fish Tacos. Its Rum Bar will stock over 50 flavored, spiced, white and gold, dark and aged runs. Best of all, you can order rum flights and tasting size pours.

Appetizers will include a chip platter featuring plantain, yucca, malanga and tortilla chips, and 3 kinds of guacamole for dipping purposes.

There will be 2 patios for outdoor dining.

Paladar's hours will be:

Sunday-Thursday: 11 AM - 11 PM

Friday-Saturday: 11 AM - 1 AM

Brunch Sat./Sun.: 11 AM - 3 PM

Happy Hour: 4-7 PM every day

Late Night Happy Hour Sun.-Thurs.: 9-11 PM

To make reservations for opening night on August 15, call 301-816-1100 weekdays between 9 AM and 6 PM. Hurry!

WHITE FLINT MALL DEMOLITION CONTINUES (PHOTOS) - THE DARK SIDE OF WHITE FLINT, PART 4

Welcome to Part 4 of my series, The Dark Side of White Flint.

This sporadic series is a frank and candid examination of the downsides of urbanization, or "suburban renewal," in White Flint.

PART 1. PART 2. PART 3.

Today in Part 4, the demolition of White Flint Mall continues:

NORTH BETHESDA

TO HAVE FIRST

iPic THEATERPLEX

ON EAST COAST

Federal Realty, developer of Bethesda Row, is bringing a 44,000 square foot, 8 screen iPic Entertainment theater to anchor its new Pike & Rose development at the Mid-Pike Plaza property.

What does this mean?

Upscale cuisine during the movies, and at a separate restaurant accessible to non-theatergoers, called Tansy.

A bar called Salt, with the first "Select and Serve" Wine Tower in Montgomery County.

All-reserved seating at the movies.

Unobstructed views upon micro-suede chairs complete with dining tables.

Premium seats add recliners, pillows and blankets (!!), and waiters to bring "chef-inspired creations" right to your seat.

iPic will compete most closely with the new, 15 screen cinemaplex coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall. That will have twice as many screens, new restaurants, but it is not known how its "bell-and-whistle" amenities will compare to those found at Pike & Rose.

Sounds like Regal Bethesda 10 will have to step up its game bigtime, as the iPic theater will be only a short Metro ride away, and Montgomery Mall is within easy driving distance.

The iPic theater will open in 2014.