Peking Duck to open at Montgomery Mall

Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda has announced that Peking Duck will open at the mall in the fall of 2020. The mall owner says the restaurant will specialize in the cuisine of Northern China. Peking Duck will be located on Level 1. Stay tuned for more details on Peking Duck.

Photo via Westfield

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opening at Montgomery Mall

Coal-fired pizza appears to be the new trend in Montgomery County. Less than two weeks after the opening of Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza in downtown Bethesda, Westfield has announced that the pizzeria touted as the "world's best" by many is coming to Montgomery Mall by the end of this year. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana will be located on Level 1 of the mall. The photo released by Westfield suggests the pizzeria will have an exterior storefront, which makes sense with the town center-style addition coming to the mall this decade.

Founded in 1925 in the beautiful town of New Haven, Connecticut, the pizza chain is still run today by Frank Pepe's descendants. Each location has a coal oven modeled after the original one Frank Pepe began using in 1929. All of their current pizzerias are in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, so this will be the first Pepe's outside of that region.

Pepe's has won the Best Pizza title numerous times from media outlets and dining guides. YouTuber Tarnation Bob swears by the mushroom pizza at Frank Pepe's, and their White Clam Pizza is known as their signature menu item. Soon it will be our turn to sample what we've been told is the World's Best Pizza at Montgomery Mall, and we're likely to see lines such as those in the photo above.

Photo via Westfield Montgomery Mall

Rare February severe storm hits Montgomery County

Damaged car on
Norbeck Road

Montgomery County is being pounded by severe storms this morning. A tornado was issued for parts of Gaithersburg and Germantown, as well as the northeast corner of the upcounty near the Howard and Carroll County borders. Flooding has been reported across the upcounty, as have fallen trees and power lines. The whole county is being hit by the unusual February summer-style storm, but the upcounty is being affected the most.

Power lines, tree down on
Darnestown Road at
White Ground Road

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services have received so many emergency calls that they are now operating under Condition Red, which means there may be longer response times, particularly for non-critical incidents. Violent weather and storm damage have also impacted parts of Poolesville, Rockville and Silver Spring, most notably in the Dawsonville, Norbeck Road and Layhill Road areas.

Route 109 is currently blocked between MD 355 and the I-270 overpass after a tree fell across the roadway. Some lanes are also blocked at Route 28 and Route 107. Trees are also reported down by MCFRS on Circle Gate Drive in Germantown.

Photos by Pete Piringer/MCFRS

Lego Store opening at Montgomery Mall

New York may be getting Legoland this year, but Montgomery Mall is getting a Lego Store. Mall owner Westfield says a lease has been signed for a Lego Store at the property, and it will open this fall. According to Westfield, the store will offer products for Lego fans of all ages, and will be located on Level 1 of the mall.

Photo courtesy Westfield

Federal Realty expands leadership team

Mike Ennes

Rockville-based development firm Federal Realty Investment Trust - owner of multiple properties in Montgomery County, including Bethesda Row, Plaza del Mercado and Rockville Town Square - announced yesterday that it is expanding its leadership team. Vice-President, Residential Mike Ennes has been promoted to Senior VP, Mixed-Use Initiatives and Corporate Communications. Senior Director of Development Jay Brinson was also promoted, to VP of Development.

Jay Brinson

Ennes came to Federal Realty in 2015 from Tysons-based Hilton Worldwide. Federal's Pike & Rose property features a Canopy by Hilton hotel. "Mike was sourced from the hospitality industry to better integrate Federal's various residential offerings into its burgeoning mixed-use portfolio," Federal Realty's president and chief executive officer Don Wood said in a statement Wednesday.

Wood cited Brinson as "critical to the delivery of 909 Rose, our first trophy office building at Pike and Rose." Federal Realty is relocating its Rockville headquarters into that building.

Photos via Federal Realty/LinkedIn

Bella Sena boutique opens at Rockville Town Square

Bella Sena boutique has opened at Rockville Town Square. Owned by Bethesda resident Bella Sayag, Bella Sena carries casual and activewear apparel, hats, handbags and jewelry among its inventory. Bella Sena is located at 156 Gibbs Street, which was most recently home to Sunday Kitchen & Bath.

Fighter jets over DC, Montgomery County, N. Virginia after State of the Union rattle residents

Significant fighter jet activity over the Washington, D.C. area around 11:00 PM Tuesday night had many residents seeking answers, answers that are not forthcoming as of this writing. President Trump's State of the Union address had ended earlier, and the commander-in-chief was presumably already back at the White House by the time the jet flyovers began. It was not surprising to hear jets deployed, but they have not been heard to this extent following other recent State of the Union speeches.

The noise was somewhat reminiscent of the weeks following 9/11. It continued for about 15 minutes, paused for a few minutes, and then resumed for about 5 more minutes - at least over Montgomery County. Based on social media chatter, the jets were heard in the District and Northern Virginia, as well. Following the jet flyovers, commercial airliners were heard resuming landings at Reagan National Airport, in greater numbers than one usually hears along the Potomac after 11:00 PM.

A Google News search finds no news articles on the jet noise. In a tweet, Oriana Pawlyk, an air war reporter for Military.com, suggested the fighters may have been F-16s from Andrews Air Force Base.