Saints Valley opens at Rockville Town Square

Saints Valley, a pop-up shop, has opened at Rockville Town Square. It has been here before, and recently ended a run at Bethesda Row. Saints Valley specializes in handmade jewelry and clothing, as well as prints, bags and other textile products.

Thai Chef Street Food coming to Rockville

Thai Chef Street Food is coming to Rockville Town Square in late summer 2021, property owner Federal Realty announced yesterday. While the development has struggled in many respects, Asian restaurants have generally been successful there, as Rockville has continued to emerge as the near-equal to Annandale as the region's top choice for Asian cuisine. Now the winning formula for the city and Federal Realty expands with the arrival of Thai Chef, which has an existing location at Dupont Circle.

What sets Thai Chef apart from all the other Thai restaurants around? “We believe that if you haven't had Thai street food, you haven't had Thai food,” Thai Chef's Chalisa Fitts, said Monday. “We look forward to getting to know the community and showcasing our Thai favorites such as Moo-phing, BBQ pork on skewers and Catfish Dry Curry, fried catfish filet sautéed with spicy curry paste, Thai eggplant, wild finger root, kaffir lime, peppercorn and fresh basil, as well as our handcrafted specialty cocktails.”  

“Street food has become a fan favorite over the years for many people and Thai Chef’s twist on the genre is a unique and welcome addition to the Rockville Town Square neighborhood,”  Federal Realty Director of Asset Management - Mixed Use Dan Corwin said yesterday. Thai Chef's menu is said to feature entrees you would expect to find from street vendors in Bangkok. But as you can see from the rendering above, the atmosphere will be more refined than a street cart experience.

Images courtesy Federal Realty/Thai Chef

Rockville Senior Center time capsule to be exhumed this month

A time capsule buried 26 years ago at the Rockville Senior Center will be unearthed and opened on Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 5:00 PM. The odd-number anniversary wasn't the original plan in 1995; the pandemic forced the unearthing to be delayed for a year. In another nod to the "new abnormal," the time capsule exhumation will be streamed live on the internet. Register for the free Zoom viewing online. 

What objects were donated to be buried in the time capsule? Tune in to find out, and return to the year when Die Hard with a Vengeance and Batman Forever played in theaters, and Radiohead's The Bends and The Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness were being snapped up at Tower Records on Rockville Pike!

Plaza Oaxaca sets opening date in Rockville

"Oaxaca has never been so close," Plaza Oaxaca promised in its long-anticipated announcement of its opening date at 141 Gibbs Street at Rockville Town Square. The grand opening is now set for Saturday, May 8, 2021, missing Cinco de Mayo by only 3 days. Plaza Oaxaca fronts onto the temporary Gibbs Street "Streetery," where the roadway has been converted into an outdoor dining area in a partnership between the City of Rockville and property owner Federal Realty. Permanent signage has just been installed on the restaurant's facade, as you can see here.

Signage installed at Taco Bamba in Rockville

The signs are up at Taco Bamba at Congressional Plaza in Rockville. Taco Bamba is in a cramped corner of the shopping center, forcing its main sign to be placed directly under Chopt's, instead of standing alone. 

A pedestrian facing sign above the sidewalk under the overhang is also unique for the shopping center, as it is in the color, shape and font of the taco chain's logo image. The windows are still covered, and the official opening date is still just "spring 2021" as of this writing.

Nature by Trejok coming to Rockville Town Square

Nature by Trejok is coming to Rockville Town Square. The tableware and accessories retailer specializes in combining past and contemporary designs into contrasting balance for tea and coffee, kitchen and home decor use. Nature by Trejok takes over the space at 130-B Gibbs Street previously occupied by IT'SUGAR. Their grand opening is scheduled for this Saturday, May 1, 2021, from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Signs of activity at iPic, Regal theaters even as MoCo ban on food, drink sales remains in place

There's no indication Montgomery County's ban on concessions sales at movie theaters will be lifted anytime soon, but a couple of theater chains are showing signs of preparing for reopening. Regal Cinemas already announced a tentative reopening date for its Montgomery County cineplexes next month, in an apparent gamble that the ban on the sale of food and drink will be lifted by then. Workers began sprucing up the exterior of the Regal Cinemas Majestic & IMAX theater in downtown Silver Spring on Monday. And iPic at Pike & Rose is now hiring servers for its in-movie food and drink service, a clear indication that the luxury theater chain believes the ban will be revoked in the coming weeks.

Tarps on the sidewalk outside the Regal Cinemas
Majestic & IMAX theater in Silver Spring, where
workers are touching up the exterior

However, a list of potential steps in loosening restrictions at County businesses released by the County Council does not specifically mention movie theaters or performance venues - nor the ban on food and drink - among the relaxed rules. Only at Phase 3, which will be reached when 50% of the county population is fully vaccinated, could theaters sell food and drink because the County will belatedly adopt the current state guidelines at that point. Under the current ban, which eliminates the most profitable revenue source for theaters, only AMC has reopened its theaters in the county.