Mimi's Handmade Ice Cream has opened at 12274-E Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza. The shop offers handmade ice cream, sorbet and sherbet. Asian, German and Italian-inspired flavors are found on the menu, alongside standard favorites. Operating hours are 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday through Friday, and 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
Friday, November 17, 2023
Mimi's Handmade Ice Cream now open at Federal Plaza in Rockville
Mimi's Handmade Ice Cream has opened at 12274-E Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza. The shop offers handmade ice cream, sorbet and sherbet. Asian, German and Italian-inspired flavors are found on the menu, alongside standard favorites. Operating hours are 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM Monday through Friday, and 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Good Feet Store opening at Federal Plaza in Rockville
The Good Feet Store is opening a new Rockville location at 12274-D Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza. "Coming soon" signage has been installed in the storefront windows. The Good Feet Store specializes in customized arch supports designed to relieve foot, hip, knee and back pain. It has an existing Rockville location at Wintergreen Plaza.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar to open in Rockville
Federal Realty is making news again this week by signing a second restaurant to a lease at its Federal Plaza shopping center in Rockville. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar will open a 3,325-square-foot restaurant at the property next summer. It will be the chain's first Maryland location, and second in the Washington, D.C. region. As the name suggests, sushi plates circulate throughout the dining room on conveyor belts, offering patrons choices of sushi, udon, ramen, hot and cold sides, and desserts. Upping the entertainment value for diners are the prizes dispensed by KuraBot robots for every 15 plates or beverages they serve.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar joins Torchy's Tacos in announcing their leases at Federal Plaza this week. “We welcome Torchy’s Tacos and Kura Revolving Sushi Bar as they expand into Maryland,” Ralph Ours, Director of Leasing, Mid-Atlantic Region at Federal Realty said in a statement. “These two new, innovative dining additions further cement Federal Plaza as a popular shopping and dining destination for the Rockville and greater Montgomery County community.”
KuraBot
Photos by Lisa Czech (top), Emily J. Davis (middle), Kura Sushi (bottom)
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Torchy's Tacos opening in Rockville
Those who made Federal Plaza a stop for Tex-Mex food during Chuy's short run there will have another Mexican chain from Texas to check out there soon. Torchy's Tacos has signed a lease at the shopping center, property owner Federal Realty announced Monday. Its 3,961-square-foot Rockville location will be the chain's first in the Washington, D.C. area. Torchy's, founded in Austin in 2006, is promising to serve "the most unique tacos, coveted queso and refreshing margaritas in the game, and the rotating Taco of the Month."
Sunday, August 6, 2023
DMV Iron Gym "coming soon" to Rockville
DMV Iron Gym has posted "coming soon" signage at its future space at Federal Plaza in Rockville. Located next to Micro Center, the gym was expected to open next month, but the signage gives a more generous "Fall 2023" opening target. The 16,000-square-foot gym will be filled with state-of-the-art fitness equipment, and represent the local chain's first venture into Maryland.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Chuy's signage finally removed in Rockville
It took more than two years, but the signage has finally been removed from the abandoned Chuy's restaurant at 12266 Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza. No more will out-of-state drivers pull in to the shopping center for an Elvis Presley Memorial Combo, only to find themselves rattling a locked door. The Tex-Mex restaurant opened in October 2016, and remained untouched like a post-apocalyptic time capsule years after its pandemic-era closure. Why the chain gave up on Rockville when it is still packing customers in at other area locations remains a mystery. An Olive Garden would be the perfect tenant for this space!
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
DMV Iron Gym to open in Rockville
DMV Iron Gym is expanding into Montgomery County. It will open a new facility at Federal Plaza in Rockville this fall, property owner Federal Realty announced Monday. DMV Iron Gym centers its training philosophy around three "pillars:" mindset, movement, and function. Classes and goals range from fitness and weight loss to athletic assessments and rehabilitation.
“For years, we’ve been hearing from our members that they would love to see us expand into Maryland," DMV Iron Gym owner Leo Williams said yesterday. "We were excited by the central location of Federal Plaza in Rockville, and look forward to bringing a state-of-the-art gym and training facility to Montgomery County.”
The 16,000 square foot gym will open in September 2023. It will be located next to Micro Center.
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
This vacant Rockville Chuy's restaurant is frozen in time (Photos)
Chuy's has been closed at Federal Plaza in Rockville for more than two years now. Other than the removal of the flatscreen televisions in the bar, it still looks the same as it did during the four years it was open. Signage remains on the outside of the Tex-Mex restaurant.
Why Chuy's closed and never reopened after the pandemic lockdown of 2020 remains a mystery. The food was very good. Other Chuy's locations in the region remained open and are still packing in diners today. They never even collected their furniture and extensive interior decor.
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Car crashes into Tiger Sugar in Rockville
A driver crashed their vehicle into Tiger Sugar at 12266-E Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza last night. According to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer, no injuries were reported, but he said the County will inspect the structure to determine the extent of the damage. However, a witness told The MoCo Show, when it first reported the crash last night, that the driver was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries.
A large board has been placed over the damaged area today. If you look closely, you'll notice a column at the curb in front of the shop was destroyed by the vehicle, as well. Tiger Sugar is temporarily closed due to the incident.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Crumbl Cookies sets opening date at Federal Plaza in Rockville
Crumbl Cookies is finally ready to open its first D.C.-area location at Federal Plaza at 12266 Rockville Pike. The store and delivery business will open this Friday, October 2, 2020. Cookie lovers will love the hours, as the store will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 AM to midnight. Additionally, cookies can be delivered from 8:00 AM until 10:00 PM, Monday through Thursday. On the weekend, deliveries will be available from 8:00 AM to midnight.
Crumbl will offer four limited-time cookie varieties each week, along with their two standard cookies: warm chocolate chip and chilled sugar cookie. Limited-time flavors will include Muddy Buddy, Biscoff Lava, Funfetti, Snickerdoodle, Coconut Lime, Chocolate Caramel, Cranberry Vanilla, Nutella Sea Salt, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Rocky Road, S’Mores, Orange Creamsicle, and more.
Customers in the store - who will have to wear masks and observe capacity limits due to covid-19 protocols - can watch the cookies being made in the open bakery. “Having our customers see every cookie being made is one of the best experiences of our stores,” Federal Plaza Crumbl location owner Robert Davis said this morning. “Each ingredient is carefully chosen to provide customers with the highest quality cookie on the market.”
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Spirit Halloween to return to Rockville for 2020 in new location
Monday, July 27, 2020
Subway closes at Federal Plaza
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Outdoor seating at Silver Diner in Rockville
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Crumbl Cookies opening in Rockville
This will be the first northeast location of Crumbl Cookies, which also sells ice cream. They've chosen a good location on busy Rockville Pike, and which is also walking distance from Pike & Rose, another Federal Realty property.
They've started construction inside. But the signs are already up outside. I'm a little bit triggered by the name of the Utah-based company, though - fresh, soft cookies shouldn't crumble!
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Five Below to move up Rockville Pike
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Chuy's to celebrate Elvis' birthday this Sunday in Rockville
Also on sale, will be the appropriately-named frozen Blue Hawaiian cocktail, and limited-edition Elvis t-shirts. If you remember my review when Chuy's opened, you'll recall that Elvis is something of a patron saint for the restaurant since the first one opened in Austin in 1982 sporting a $20 velvet painting of The King.
"Our annual birthday party for Elvis is just one of thequirky things that makes Chuy's - Chuy's," John Korman, Director of Operations for Chuy's, said in a statement. "We love any excuse for a party, so why not enjoy a plate of enchiladas with a Frozen Blue Hawaiian and toast The King on his birthday? We hope folks will join us and have a good time."
Elvis would have been 82 on Sunday.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Chuy's Rockville review (Photos)
Red-shirted "lifeguards" are veteran Chuy's employees who help get new locations up and running |
In the comfortable bar area, you'll encounter the ubiquitous flatscreen TVs, but also the rear of a vintage Chrysler doubling as a nacho bar. Here, I started off with their classic margarita with fresh-squeezed lime juice. Very refreshing, but I found their frozen strawberry margarita to be even better. Another stand-out is the Texas Martini, which has jalapeno-stuffed olives, and you can actually detect their presence in the flavor.
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Chuy's famous margarita |
Made with fresh-squeezed lime juice |
The Dog Wall, where you can bring a framed photo of your mutt to add to the collection |
This appears to be your typical nacho bar... |
...except it has Chuy's famous sauces... |
...and is in the trunk of a Chrysler... |
...and perhaps most importantly, is free from 4-7 PM Monday-Friday |
One man in Mexico makes thousands of these for Chuy's all these years later (the first Chuy's opened in Austin in 1982) |
Step up to the bar |
Some of these fish are not like the others |
Artificial palm trees in the main dining room |
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Each one is distinctive - this one is bearing coconuts |
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And this one sports a dying, yellow leaf |
Seating is vintage Americana |
Neon? Check |
Hubcaps? Check |
Automotive wall decor graces the Hubcap Room |
The glass-enclosed tortilla station may be the most important spot in the restaurant |
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Each Chuy's has a "Pride Wall" featuring what employees are most proud of, including staff members and charity work |
Chicken roasting oven |
Spices and seasonings custom-made for Chuy's |
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Chuy's combs yard and estate sales on both sides of the border to find unique artworks... |
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...and vintage photos |
The entry foyer |
Chuy's famous sauces |
Classic Tex-Mex Enchiladas plate with refried beans and Mexican rice |
Tough, dry rubbery steak is my pet peeve in steak burritos. This steak was the best-ever; tender, juicy, and flavorful thanks to quality meat and that marinade. Where I often avoid steak burritos because of the chance of finding a Goodyear tire playing the role of steak, here I will seek this Steak Burrito out, and recommend you do as well. A side of charro beans plays like a chili without beef, and goes well with the other side on the platter, green chile rice. I prefer the green chile rice to the Mexican rice here.
Get a load of that melted cheese |
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Pause for a sip of the Texas Martini |
Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom chicken enchiladas with refried beans and green chile rice |
The best chicken you'll find in an enchilada |
Strawberry Frozen Margarita |
Fresh tostada chips, crunchy and piping hot |
The Steak Burrito is a must-try |
A side of charro beans is great on a fall evening |
Look at that steak and melted cheese |
I'm looking forward to trying the two Elvis items on the menu on future visits - Elvis Green Chile Fried Chicken, and the Elvis Presley Memorial Combo. Any place that has a shrine to Elvis is my kind of place. The good news is that I'm pretty sure The King would approve of the food, as well. If you know Elvis, you know he had high standards when it came to food. Fortunately, so does Chuy's. This is the way Tex-Mex should be made. Five stars.
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I need one of these |
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A great American |
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"Get me one of those Elvis Memorial Combos" |
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"Have you seen my TV glasses?" |
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"Psst. Ask your server about Creamy Jalapeno Sauce" |