Former chef at D.C.'s Obelisk opening La Speranza in Rockville

The sign is up at La Speranza at 806 Baltimore Road in the Burgundy Park Shopping Center in Rockville. Neptali Mendoza will be the executive chef of the Italian/Tex-Mex restaurant, his first venture after a long career in Washington, D.C.-area restaurants. He started cooking professionally under the chef Peter Pastan at the Michelin Guide-listed Italian restaurant Obelisk at 2029 P Street, N.W. in 2006. Mendoza then moved onto RedRocks Pizzeria in Alexandria, and Baronessa Italian Restaurant here in Rockville, which closed last year. He is a graduate of the culinary arts program at the Carlos Rosario International School.

La Speranza will serve Neapolitan-style pizzas cooked in a wood-fired brick oven, classic Italian entrees and pasta dishes. A smaller set of Tex-Mex and Latin American favorites on the menu will include fajitas, carne asada, BBQ pork ribs, ceviche mixto, nachos, and gambos al aljillo. Steaks and seafood will round out a menu that should appeal to a wide audience in a convenient neighborhood location. Mendoza hopes to open La Speranza before the end of the month; stay tuned for an opening date.

Piketoberfest 2023 at Pike & Rose (Photos)

Piketoberfest returned to Pike & Rose for 2023 yesterday. "North Bethesda's premier fall festival" featured food, live music, games, a pop-up bar by Hello Betty, and a craft beer garden hosted by Owen's Tavern. Among the performers was It's All Good, a cover band from the Delmarva peninsula. Also spotted was the Calluna Flower Truck, a vintage Chevrolet pickup truck loaded with fresh flowers for sale. The fall events at Pike & Rose continue this week, with an Oktoberfest Seafood Boil at Hello Betty this Saturday, October 7, from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Tickets are $59, and available online.

Sheetz "highly impressed with the performance" of its first Montgomery County store in Gaithersburg

Sheetz says it is "highly impressed with the performance" of its first store in Montgomery County, which opened in August at 751 Progress Way in Gaithersburg. The rapidly-growing convenience store and mega gas station chain provided its impression of the early financial success of the store in a new memo to the Gaithersburg Mayor and Council, which provided answers to questions raised at a previous public hearing regarding its planned second store at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center. In the unsigned memo, the company also expressed its appreciation for the support it has received from the City and the public, as it enters the Montgomery County market. 

The Altoona, Pennsylvania-based chain also reports 350 people attended the grand opening. In addition to the $2500 donations it made to Special Olympics Maryland and Feeding America that day, Sheetz says it has now made a second $6000 donation to SOM, which was generated by proceeds from its special discount fuel promotion during the grand opening period.

Gaithersburg has provided a welcoming launch point for the chain, as its zoning is friendlier to Sheetz than Montgomery County's, as well as to its fellow Pennsylvania competitor, Wawa. That is why both firms are launching their entry into Montgomery County within its city limits. It's also why the Walnut Hill Shopping Center is seeking annexation into the City, so that it can add the Sheetz store to its property.

Sheetz says its Walnut Hill store will be smaller and have less gas pumps, due to its closer proximity to a residential neighborhood than its Progress Way store - although that store was also smaller than the typical Sheetz operation found on major highways. It predicts that there is enough drive-by traffic on I-270 and MD 355 to support both Sheetz locations. Sheetz also believes that the lack of fast food restaurants in the immediate proximity of Walnut Hill provides demand for its quick-service fresh food operations. An attorney representing Walnut Hill Shopping Center, in separate correspondence to the Mayor and Council on September 19, says that the revenue provided by the Sheetz store will cover the cost of needed upgrades to the property.

Fire at the Grand apartments in White Flint

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel responded to a report of a fire at the Grand apartments at 5801 Nicholson Lane in the White Flint area last night just after 7:00 PM. The fire was located in a dumpster in the basement trash room of the 15-story high-rise. MCFRS Pete Piringer reported that the fire was extinguished without spreading any further. 

Smoke from the fire did rise to some of the floors above, and some residents required assistance from firefighters. But there were no injuries, Piringer said, and no residents have been displaced. However, a lingering odor of smoke shortly after midnight this morning led a resident to call 911. MCFRS personnel responded, but found no evidence of fire.

Aggravated assault at store in Rockville

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an aggravated assault at a store in Rockville on Thursday afternoon, September 28, 2023. The assault was reported at a business in the 14900 block of Shady Grove Road at 2:22 PM Thursday. That appears to be at the Fallsgrove Village Center. A weapon other than a firearm was employed in the assault, which was not a domestic incident, according to police.

Strong-arm robbery at Rockville grocery store

A Rockville grocery store that has recently made news for the wrong reasons is back in the headlines again. Rockville City police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery at a supermarket in the 600 block of Hungerford Drive Thursday morning, September 28, 2023. The robbery was reported at the store at 10:00 AM Thursday. There is a Giant store on that block of Hungerford Drive, where 3 people have been assaulted since August 11 of this year.

Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too returning for the holidays at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

If you believe the Christmas season is the most wonderful time of the year, the annual arrival of Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too is a welcome sign that the holidays are just around the corner. What is alpaca? According to an explanation from the company, "alpaca fiber is warmer, weighs less and is more durable than wool. It is soft like cashmere, but stronger and a highly-natural product. Because alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic, most people [allergic to] wool items can wear alpaca. Alpaca garments...are stain resistant. Precipitation does not readily penetrate an alpaca garment, and they are naturally windproof." The seasonal pop-up is fully-stocked and ready to open any minute. Unleash the alpacas! Look for Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too on Level 1 of the mall.