Wendy's Monterey Ranch Crispy Chicken sandwich has returned for a limited time. I tried it for the first time, and here is my review.
We'll also learn the history of Monterey Jack cheese, thanks to a guest expert. Tune in now, and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
A platform to hold a future Capital Bikeshare station on Cordell Avenue is now complete. Riders would be able to take a bike borrowed at Bethesda Metro Center, for example, and ride it over to Cordell, dropping it off at this station.
The first leaves are falling, and Halloween displays are appearing in stores. One more sign of Halloween is evident in Bethesda:
More pumpkin ales are arriving by the minute at Cork 57 on Bethesda Avenue (right next to EuroMotorcars).
New arrivals include The Fear by (Frederick, Maryland's own) Flying Dog Brewery, Uinta Punk'n, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, and Blue Point Pumpkin Ale.
Leaf collection signs will be up before you know it!
I finally had a chance to get out to Taco Bell in Rockville, to test their newest Doritos taco - the Fiery Doritos Locos Taco. Here is my review.
One really odd thing about this third Doritos taco: it's not even named after a real Doritos flavor! What's up with that? Can you really call it a Doritos Taco, when it doesn't have an official and popular Doritos flavor on the shell?
Watch the video for my verdict, and every detail you could want to know about Fiery Doritos Tacos.
The Kenwood Golf and Country Club's canceled July 3 fireworks, that were - according to an employee contacted by phone on July 4 - supposedly being rescheduled for this Labor Day weekend, have failed to materialize.
While club members will still enjoy holiday festivities this weekend, there are no fireworks on the program. No "fireworks-only" tickets were offered either, as always have been for July 4th.
Do they simply get put away for next year? Did the club get its money back?
What was the advantage of not rescheduling the fireworks?
Very disappointing.
A Dickensian building with peeling paint that once housed Weichert Realtors, at 8003 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, is for sale.
Representing a renovation or teardown opportunity, the 1960 office building is directly adjacent to a public parking lot. Tax records indicate its current assessed value is $1,264,300.
University of Florida alumni and fans in Bethesda - and the larger DC area - have reason to celebrate:
BlackFinn Bethesda has just become an official Florida Gators game watch location in the DC region. So expect a crowd of fellow Gators fans for the first game, this Saturday at noon.
If you've been wondering where to watch Florida Gators football games in Bethesda, this is it.
BlackFinn is located at 4901-A Fairmont Avenue at Norfolk Avenue, and is near the Bethesda Metro station on the Red Line. There is a free Bethesda Circulator bus that can drop you off close to BlackFinn on Woodmont Avenue, after a roundabout trip from the Metro station.
Logo courtesy University of Florida - All rights reserved.
Bella Italia, a unique Bethesda shop that imports ceramics, glassware and many other fine products direct from Italy, is moving this weekend.
Currently located in the Shoppes of Bethesda on Hampden Lane, Bella Italia will make a short move into the neighboring Waygoose, in the same shopping center, on Sunday, September 1.
Right now, they are having a moving sale, and I noticed many displays say 60%-off. So if you've just been a window shopper, this could be the time to pick up those items.
There's some kind of sidewalk work being done by California Tortilla and Freddy's Lobster along Cordell Avenue. What exactly is going on, I haven't figured out yet. But the businesses are still open, so don't be scared away by the mess out in front.
Seven vehicle break-ins were reported across Bethesda Monday. Four out of those were in neighborhoods between Strathmore and Cedar Lane, along the MD 355 corridor.
There may have been additional incidents that went unreported; check your vehicles for signs of tampering, or stolen property, if you live near any of these incidents. As always, this is a good reminder to keep vehicles locked at all times, and remove anything of value from the cabin.
Here is the full list of reported vehicle burglaries from Monday:
9800 block Bristol Square Lane.
9600 block Bellevue Drive.
5100 block Elsmere Avenue.
11000 block Stillwater Avenue.
7500 block Old Georgetown Road.
4500 block Cortland Road.
5400 block Surrey Street (Somerset).
The following crimes were also reported Monday:
Burglary. 9000 block Ewing Drive.
Theft. 11400 block Rockville Pike.
Burglary. 11000 block Powder Horn Drive.
Assault. 7300 block Wisconsin Avenue.
Theft. 4400 block Montgomery Avenue.
THE DARK SIDE OF WHITE FLINT:
PART 15
Welcome to The Dark Side of White Flint, a frank and candid examination of the not-so-wonnerful, wonnerful, wonnerful side of urbanizing the suburbs.
Click here to read Part 14, and follow links back through the series.
In this installment, another update on White Flint Mall:
White Flint Mall owner Lerner is now indirectly acknowledging the short-term damage its aggressive demolish-and-replace-with-a-city plan has wrought on the last remaining mall tenants, and on its public relations with the community. Sort of.
New signage has been posted outdoors near the Phase 1 demolition site, which has been graded flat for whatever comes next. The signs mention a few of the remaining businesses.
A new marketing slogan - "One Place to Celebrate the Weekend" - fizzled out shortly, when the mall's most popular anchor tenant The Cheesecake Factory said, "we're out of here," and quietly planned its move to the growing Westfield Montgomery Mall. Oops.
With a public relations debacle underway, and a lawsuit from Lord & Taylor filed in court, Lerner actually began to backtrack on its urbanization fervor. We can bring back Bloomingdale's, and other old mall anchors, they said. Never mind that backers of a mini-Manhattan vision for White Flint would have mocked such a statement in the past. Department stores like Bloomingdale's, they say, are fading into the past along with indoor malls, the automobile, trees and backyard barbeques. Apparently Lerner didn't get their memo. The old mall tenants can come back! It will be like Wheaton Plaza in reverse! Indoor mall to outdoor mall. Doesn't exactly sound like 14th Street or "NoMa" to me.
Could it be that most suburban Americans actually aren't that keen on putting their coat and scarf back on each time they move from one store to the next on a shopping trip?
Competitor Westfield, currently reinvesting a boatload of cash into revitalizing Montgomery Mall, operates even larger enclosed malls in other places like Southern California. Clearly, the traffic at those malls, like that at Montgomery Mall, suggests the American indoor mall is here to stay.
Boloco, the fast casual burrito and smoothie restaurant that opened last summer at Bethesda Row, has discontinued its breakfast menu.
If you haven't noticed yourself already, Boloco now opens for lunch at 11:00 AM, and remains open until 10:00 PM.
It was a good breakfast option to have for awhile, but it's worth noting that not every Boloco location in the country serves breakfast. And, of course, your favorites on the rest of the menu are still there.
A new French bakery is coming soon to downtown Bethesda. Fresh Baguette will be located at 4919 Bethesda Avenue, next to the Nest Cafe.
The interior is being modified for bakery operations, and equipment has been imported from France. Mauve-colored awnings have been installed out front.
That block of Bethesda Avenue can be challenging to operate a business on, due to limited foot traffic. Taipei 101 Tokyo Cafe closed this past spring, as did the Queen Bee Cafe previously. But other restaurants like Nest Cafe and Bethesda Crab House remain popular.
Electrical repairs at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Bethesda were completed ahead of schedule, and power has been restored. However, the Daily Grill and Morton's restaurants in the building will reopen tomorrow morning, as scheduled. The Daily Grill says it will open at 11:00 AM Wednesday.
A hotel employee said a new electrical panel was installed. It is unknown right now if the electrical issue had any connection to the electrical fire that briefly closed the hotel earlier this year.
The lighted storefront sign has been installed at the future Voorthuis Opticians in the Bradley Shopping Center in downtown Bethesda.
Work continues on the interior, including WSSC water system modifications for 2 sinks required by the new store.
McDonald's has a new, limited-time only Quarter Pounder - the Quarter Pounder BLT. It is essentially a Deluxe Quarter Pounder (with red onions, premium whole-leaf lettuce, crinkle-cut pickles, mayonnaise, cheese, and mustard) with slices of thick-cut bacon added. Watch my review to find out how it rates.
Bainbridge has filed a development application (project plan and preliminary site plan) for a 17-story mixed-use apartment building at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue, in downtown Bethesda. Along with the now-under-construction Bainbridge Bethesda project in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, the tower will make Bainbridge a major player in the post-recession Bethesda real estate market.
The property was previously an Exxon service station, and borders Hampden Lane. It is a prime candidate for high-density development, as it is steps away from current and future rail transit stations on the Red and Purple lines. 225 apartment units are proposed in the filing with the Montgomery County Planning Department.
For this second project, Bainbridge will be represented by Linowes and Blocher attorneys Heather Dlhopolsky and Bob Dalrymple. The project architect is Annabel Farrales of the firm Shalom Baranes.
Rendering: Shalom Baranes; All rights reserved.
The Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel - and the Daily Grill and Morton's Steakhouse restaurants on site - are shut down tonight, due to electrical issues.
Electrical repairs are underway, and the hotel complex is scheduled to remain closed through Tuesday night, August 27.
The hotel is dark tonight, with some emergency lighting running from generators.
Stay tuned for updates.
Just as the Tesla Store opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, the automaker's Model S became the first car to receive a 5-star safety rating in every category.
How safe?
The Model S is so tough, it actually destroyed one of the machines used in the crash tests!
Take a closer look at the World's Safest Car at Montgomery Mall, or from your easy chair with these new photos.
You may notice the red Model S I showed you in my exclusive sneak preview of the Tesla Store has been switched with another color.
If you can't afford the car, you can still buy Tesla swag, including caps and T-shirts.
