Merlo Point, Chocolate Moonshine officially close at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Merlo Point and Chocolate Moonshine have officially closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Merlo Point's closure was expected and announced in advance, while Chocolate Moonshine made a quiet exit. Chocolate Moonshine had begun clearing its shelves and filling packing boxes as the month of May began. It was also removed from the mall's online directory. As of last evening, signage had been stripped from its space in the Dining Terrace food court. Chocolate Moonshine can still be found online.

Compared to Chocolate Moonshine, which had been a tenant at the mall for nearly a decade, it was a super short run for Merlo Point. The furniture store opened right before Christmas 2024. Although attorneys for regional furniture giant Marlo were no doubt thrilled by the name Merlo, the latter was operating in a niche of Italian and Turkish furnishings and home decor. Last evening, Merlo Point was sealed shut, the windows were covered over, and its signage was also gone.

Sixty Vines opening at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg (Photos)

Sixty Vines is coming soon to Gaithersburg, according to signage posted at its future storefront. It will be at 212 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown. Sixty Vines calls itself "the winemaker's restaurant," and the concept and menu will be familiar to those who have dined at Vino Volo or Cooper's Hawk. Your choice of sixty wines will be poured from the restaurant's "sustainable wine on tap system," which you can see installed in the photo below. I would estimate construction is about 50% complete inside the space, which was formerly home to Pour House.

"Show me all the blueprints."

McDonald's On-the-Go, only the 3rd built in USA, opens in Rockville (Photos)

The new McDonald's On-the-Go restaurant has opened at 11710 Rockville Pike in Rockville. This is only the third of this new restaurant design concept from the chain to open in the United States, with the first two having been in California and Texas. The emphasis is on takeout, delivery, and - above all else - drive-thru service. There is no indoor dining area of the type that you have come to expect from the Golden Arches, and most other traditional fast food restaurants.

However, as you've seen in my ongoing updates during the construction of the building, there is one table in the small lobby. Customers are apparently allowed to dine indoors at that table on a first-come, first-seated basis, and were doing so last evening. All other patrons were standing, awaiting their orders to be handed out from the pickup window, which replaces the traditional open counter. "Fight for $15" touchscreen kiosks likewise replace the cashiers and cash registers of the past.

The two biggest upgrades for nearby residents with this McDonald's are the addition of a drive-thru (the old McDonald's just down the street did not have a drive-thru), and the fact that the drive-thru will be open 24 hours. A 24-hour McDonald's - or a 24-hour fast food restaurant of any brand - is a rare find in moribund Montgomery County. Speaking of which, the new restaurant's debut is being initially hampered by the County's anti-business sign code, which has steadily removed and banned most of the prominent and legible roadside business signage ubiquitous in the rest of the country. There were only four customers in the lobby last night, and few cars using the drive-thru, suggesting that few people driving past were aware the McDonald's was even there or open. A typical McDonald's has a steady line of cars at the drive-thru, even during off hours. Aside from those establishments who still have grandfathered roadside signage, a large percentage of businesses along the Pike are invisible to all but the most careless rubberneckers driving by. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Gaithersburg man dies after assault at Silver Diner in Rockville

A Gaithersburg man was the victim of a fatal assault at Silver Diner at 12276 Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza in Rockville on May 21, 2025, Montgomery County police say. Officers responded to a report of an assault at the popular restaurant at 11:52 PM that evening. When they arrived, they found Fredi Torres, 49, of Gaithersburg to be unresponsive. Officers immediately began lifesaving efforts, until Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services personnel arrived. MCFRS transported Torres to a local hospital, where he tragically later passed away.

Detectives are urging any customers of the restaurant who may have witnessed the incident to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page, or call 1-866-411-8477. Tipsters may remain anonymous. 

Rockville is "REDI" for Global Bites Restaurant Week June 1-14

Dining out in Rockville between June 1 and June 14, 2025 will have additional rewards. Rockville Economic Development, Inc. will be sponsoring Global Bites Restaurant Week during that time period, and 20% of your receipt (or $20, whichever is higher), will be donated to local nonprofits that participate in REDI's Rockville Rewards program. There might be a reward for you as well: REDI will be giving away three VISA gift cards, worth $50, $100, or $200.

All you have to do to participate and be entered to win, is to dine at any participating restaurant within the City of Rockville between June 1 and 14. Note that national chains are excluded. Upload a copy of your receipt, and you will be entered in the gift card contest, and a donation will be made to local nonprofits. Each receipt counts as one entry; you can enter multiple times, but each receipt must represent a separate transaction. Photos of receipts must be uploaded by 11:59 PM on June 15, 2025.

REDI's goal, beyond assisting community organizations, is to highlight the international cuisines of Rockville's restaurants, which include those that have made the city a regional destination for the best Asian dining experiences. “Rockville is home to an amazing variety of restaurants offering a world of flavor,” REDI CEO Cynthia Rivarde said in a statement. “Global Bites highlights this culinary and cultural vibrancy while creating meaningful local impact.”

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning movie tie-ins at AMC Montgomery 16 in Bethesda

Mission: Impossible briefcase popcorn
holder as seen at AMC Montgomery 16 in Bethesda

AMC Theatres continues to outdo itself in the movie tie-ins department, with the release of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning this holiday weekend. The MacGuffins Bar in the lobby is serving The Reckoning, a limited-edition cocktail featuring "a covert blend of spicy tequila BURSTING with juicy flavor." For agents who don't mind blowing their covers, there is a briefcase popcorn holder with a light-up Mission: Impossible logo. It sells for $50, as a combo with popcorn and drink included. Face your final reckoning at AMC Montgomery 16 at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, AMC Dine-In Rio Cinemas 18 in Gaithersburg, and AMC Wheaton Mall 9 at Wheaton Plaza in Wheaton.

Police called after assault at hotel in Rockville

Rockville City police were called to a hotel early Friday morning, May 23, 2025, after someone reported having been the victim of a 2nd-degree assault there. The assault was reported at a hotel in the 16000 block of Shady Grove Road at 4:00 AM Friday. A Red Roof Plus+ hotel is located on that block of Shady Grove Road.