QUIZNOS CLOSES AT 11802-D ROCKVILLE PIKE IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTOS)

Quiznos has closed its Mid-Pike Plaza restaurant at 11802-D Rockville Pike. As you can see, the sign on the storefront is gone, and the windows are covered.

WATCH UFC 163 TONIGHT AT HOOTERS OF ROCKVILLE

Tonight at 10 PM, Hooters of Rockville will be showing the live broadcast of UFC 163.

There are 3 bouts tonight: Machida vs. Davis (light heavyweight), Maia vs. Koscheck (welterweight), and, of course, the main event, Aldo vs. Korean Zombie for the World Featherweight Championship.

BRIDGET NEWTON RUNNING FOR MAYOR; MARCUCCIO DECISION COULD BOOST TEAM ROCKVILLE SLATE

Two-term Rockville Councilmember Bridget Newton officially launched her bid to be the city's next mayor last night. Her opponent will be another multiterm councilmember, Mark Pierzchala.

Newton has pledged to take no money from developers, and has been a skeptic of urban-style development outside of the city's Town Center.

Pierzchala, and the rest of his Team Rockville slate, favor denser, transit-oriented development.

Both mayoral candidates have long records of public service.

Current mayor Phyllis Marcuccio declined to run for another term, and has endorsed Newton.

Marcuccio's decision, and the current lack of opponents for Team Rockville, could lead to success on Election Day for the slate.

There are now three wide-open council seats. Incumbent Tom Moore will lead slatemates Julie Palakovich Carr, Beryl Feinberg and Virginia Onley into the contest.

While Newton has as much of a chance to win as Pierzchala, the Team Rockville council candidates could sweep the election, if it were held today.

Rumored candidate Anne Robbins, a veteran councilmember, has not filed yet. The filing deadline is little over a month away.

The vacuum that would have existed for a slow-growth candidate has now become a black hole.

While Newton vs. Pierzchala will be a marquee race, offering voters a clear choice for the city's future direction, the mayor holds little power in Rockville.

Should no city activists nor Robbins step forward to file, this election would be a blowout for Team Rockville in terms of council seats, and political power.

TACO BELL SMOTHERED BURRITO REVIEW (VIDEO)

Taco Bell has a new Smothered Burrito. It came out Thursday, and I stopped by the Rockville Taco Bell Friday night to pick one up.

Now let's test it out together in this review on The Robert Dyer Channel.

What is it smothered in, what's inside, and how does it all taste? We're about to find out!

POPEYES CHICKEN WAFFLE TENDERS REVIEW (VIDEO)

Popeyes new Chicken Waffle Tenders arrived in restaurants Monday. Last night, I stopped by the Popeyes at Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road to try them. Here's my review, including close-ups of the tenders and special sauce.

Chicken Waffle Tenders are only available for a limited time.

POMEGRANATE & CO. CLOSING IN ROCKVILLE TOWN SQUARE (PHOTOS)

Longtime tenant Pomegranate & Co. is closing its store in Rockville Town Square.

They are currently holding a 50%-off closing sale.

ROCKVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION NOMINEES SKEPTICAL OF ROCKVILLE PIKE PLAN

A very significant item on the agenda of tonight's Rockville Mayor and Council meeting (7:00 PM at City Hall) is the appointment of two citizens to vacant seats on the Rockville Planning Commission. Those who fill the seats could well determine the outcome of the Rockville Pike Plan, and the future of the city's APFO.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio, who has been critical of plans to promote urban density in suburban Rockville,  has had mixed success with her previous appointments. While Marcuccio has had the opportunity to completely shift what has, in recent decades, been a pro-development body, there is still not a solid majority in opposition to the Pike Plan.

If one were to place bets on the 5 sitting members' potential Pike Plan votes, well, that would be difficult.

Only Jack Leiderman is a likely NO vote. David Hill and John Tyner II are likely YES votes, if the changes they've suggested are approved.

But Dion Trahan and Don Hadley have yet to reveal their hand. Both have been skeptical of the urbanization concept the plan represents.

2 YES, 1 NO, 2 UNKNOWNS.

Enter 2 new members:

Mayor Marcuccio has nominated Charles Littlefield and Anne Goodman. Both are skeptics of the Pike Plan. Littlefield served on the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance committee in 2011, and issued his own Minority Report that dissented against attempts to weaken the ordinance.

In his report, Littlefield made clear that he feels a strong APFO is essential to protect residents from out-of-control growth:

"As a member of this Committee I witnessed an aggressiveness on the part of certain developers, elected officials and public planners to push through large-scale residential development regardless of public opinion. The impression they made on me left me firmly convinced that Rockville's APFO/ APFS should not be weakened. From the perspective of a Rockville resident/ homeowner, the APFO 'evens the playing field' between everyday citizens and organized, connected and financially powerful developers. Without this tool, it would be virtually impossible for citizens to stop an undesirable development project from occurring and negatively impacting our quality of life."

Goodman also expressed concern "about the potential for weakening the APFO to allow more development" in her Pike Plan testimony.

While Marcuccio and Councilmember Bridget Newton owe much of their political support to voters who favor limiting growth and building heights, councilmembers Tom Moore and Mark Pierzchala are running (for council and mayor, respectively) on a more aggressive development platform.

It could be a contentious meeting tonight, as a result.

If approved by the council, could strong arguments by Littlefield and Goodman lead to a 5-2 or 4-3 defeat for the Pike Plan? Can they get majority support tonight, with outgoing councilmember John Hall as the potential deciding vote?

Intrigue! Suspense! Stay tuned!