Store Reporter

Retail & Restaurant news for Rockville, Potomac & North Bethesda. We know it all. And we like to share.

Jade Billows

River Falls Market reopens; dueling crabcakes in Potomac Village; Chinese food back at Cabin John next week

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Market at River Falls returns on Wednesday

River Falls Market in Potomac Village is set to reopen next Wednesday (Dec. 17) with a slight name change (it’s now The Market at River Falls) and a new husband-and-wife team in charge: James McWhorter, a VP with wholesaler Coastal Sunbelt Produce, and Yasmin Abadian, a realtor with Long & Foster in the Village. (It was the breakup of the market’s previous husband-and-wife owners that led to its closing last October; click here to read that story.) Andrew Malinowski, the market’s longtime head chef, will be back on board for the reopening along with his popular recipes. “We’re going to expand into more organic and plant-based foods,” Abadian says. “But everything that people loved is coming back, including the superior-quality fish, the chicken tenders, the meatballs and of course the crab cakes.” However, River Falls won’t be the only place to find those crab cakes. Read the next item for more.

 

Potomac Grocer crabcakes

 

Dueling crab cakes

After the demise of River Falls Market in October, several key staffers quickly found jobs across the street at the recently opened Potomac Grocer (10107 River Road). Among those who made the switch are executive chef Steven Fela; meat and seafood specialist Michael “Junior” Turgott; and most recently, general manager Max Devens. “This area feels like home to me,” says Devens, who spent the intervening months working at the D.C. market Wagshal’s. “Since I’ve come back to Potomac Village, the reception I’ve gotten from customers has made this one of the most heartwarming times of my life.” With the reopening of River Falls, it will be interesting to watch how customer loyalties play out now that so many have switched their business over to Potomac Grocer. They’ve been coming not only for the familiar staff, but also for the familiar recipes — which apparently will now be prepared similarly at both stores.

 

Chinese lantern

 

Chinese food back at Cabin John next week

China Gourmet Bistro, the new restaurant moving into the Cabin John Shopping Center, will open for business on Monday, Dec. 15. “We’re going to have a modern Asian menu with the majority Chinese food, but also some Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and Singaporean dishes,” says owner Vivien He, whose family also owns a small Chinese restaurant in Ellicott City. “One of our specialties will be Ramen noodles — not the instant kind — where you can choose different toppings like braised beef, chicken or shrimp.” This will be the third Chinese restaurant to operate from the same space at Cabin John. But this one will offer something that its predecessors didn’t: Delivery.

 

Corned Beef King food truck

 

Corned Beef King looking for a new kingdom

The Corned Beef King is no longer holding court on Falls Road. Last week, right after we reported that the popular food truck had signed a long-term lease to park at the Copenhaver Swim Club, owner Jon Rossler was forced to move after an unhappy neighbor complained to the county. The news came as a major disappointment to many Store Reporter readers who told us they’ve been driving as far as Olney for one of Rossler’s corned beef sandwiches. Click here for our Dec. 4 report on the Corned Beef King — and stay tuned to Store Reporter to find out where he’ll park next.

 

 

MET’s debut; Chinese food back to Cabin John; Vintage vinyl and holiday coffees

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martini

 

Meet the MET on Nov. 15

As anticipation builds for all the new restaurants under construction at Westfield Montgomery Mall, we hear that MET Bethesda is set for an unofficial opening on Saturday, Nov. 15. House specialties will include avocados stuffed with Maryland crab, a “Char Bar” of skewered meats and vegetables, and a selection of raw and cooked New England seafood — plus a martini bar with 30 flavors on tap. This will be the fifth location for Boston-based MET Restaurant Group, and the first outside of Massachusetts. Click here for more info.

 

 

China Jade Bistro, Cabin John Shops

 

Chinese food coming back to Cabin John

Chinese cuisine will soon be back at Cabin John Shopping Center. The owners of China Village, a family-run restaurant in Ellicott City, will take over the empty space next to Grilled Oyster Co. with plans to open in about three months. The spot was home for many years to local favorite Jade Billows — and then to its short-lived successor, China Jade Bistro, which departed last February. This time there won’t be any “Jade” in the name: the new restaurant will be called China Gourmet Bistro. The menu isn’t set yet, but you can click here to see what’s cooking at the family’s Ellicott City restaurant.

 

Beatles vinylComing around again

Urban Outfitters, the retail darling of the 18-to-30-year-old crowd, recently declared itself to be the world’s number one seller of vinyl records. Although that claim has since been disputed (Billboard says Amazon is really number one), any teen can tell you that Urban has played a key role in vinyl’s return to relevance. At the chain’s Westfield Montgomery Mall store, where records and record players are prominently featured near the entrance, manager Melissa Leiva says classic artists like Bob Marley, the Beatles and Prince sell nearly as well as contemporary acts like Lana Del Ray, the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. “A lot of our young adult college audience wants to listen to these new artists on vinyl,” Leiva says. “But we also get a lot of parents who want to introduce the whole vinyl experience to their children.” Curious about what else people are buying on viny? Click here to see Amazon’s best-sellers.

 

Starbucks Gingerbread Latte

 

Lots of lattesDunkin' Donuts Lattes

‘Tis the season for calorie-laden winter coffees. This week Dunkin’ Donuts rolled out its new Snickerdoodle Lattes and Sugar Cookie Lattes. And next Wednesday (Nov. 12), Starbucks will debut its first holiday beverage in five years: The Chestnut Praline Latte will take its place in the chain’s longtime winter lineup of Gingerbread Lattes, Caramel Brûlée Lattes and Peppermint Mochas. Here at Store Reporter, we’re still fending off Halloween candy and have no immediate plans to taste-test a 300-calorie beverage. But if you’d like to do the honors, please share your reviews on our Facebook page (click here to post).

 

 

Congrats to our iPic ticket winners

Congratulations to the winners of last week’s Store Reporter giveaway: Lana Teixeira, Larry Kaplan, Andy Lieber, Caroline Sailer and Monika Woods each won a pair of Premium Plus tickets (the ones with the pillows, blankets and reclining seats) to the new iPic Theater on Rockville Pike. Stay tuned to Store Reporter for future giveaways.

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Grocery shakeup in Potomac Village; Chinese food back to Cabin John?

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River Falls Seafood Market

River Falls Market shuts down

Potomac Villagers were shocked this week at the sudden departure of River Falls Market, the 16-year-old gourmet store known for its fresh seafood and prepared meals. The store shut down without warning Sunday afternoon, a casualty of the bitter breakup between owner Jeff Grolig and his wife Ashley. The family also operated two neighboring restaurants, Renato’s and The Tavern, where it looks like business has resumed as usual. Enzo Iachetti, manager of Renato’s, says he’ll continue to run the restaurant under the direction of Ashley Grolig. At The Tavern, Jeff Grolig’s father has taken over day-to-day operations. “I haven’t managed the restaurant before, but I’ve been the owner since we opened it,” says John Grolig, a retired fireman and real estate agent. “I’ve got the same staff, and we’re going forward.”

 

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Meanwhile, across the street

If you’re among those mourning the loss of River Falls Market, here’s some good news: Several of the store’s longtime employees have migrated across Falls Road in recent months to join the staff at Potomac Grocer. Familiar faces who’ve made the switch include meat and seafood specialist Michael “Junior” Turgott, chef Steve Fela plus another cook, and two longtime counter service staffers. Thomas Spencer, who opened Potomac Grocer last February at 10107 River Road, says he had no intention of poaching employees but the migration happened naturally. “These people started streaming over to us” when things weren’t going well at River Falls, he says. So if you’re wondering where to find crab cakes like the ones at River Falls, you might want to check across the street.

 

Chinese food coming back to Cabin John?Chinese lantern

It looks like Chinese cuisine will soon be back at Cabin John Shopping Center. We can’t name names yet, but we hear that a favorite Chinese restaurant from elsewhere in Maryland is close to signing a deal for the longtime Jade Billows space. The spot has been empty since February, when the short-lived China Jade Bistro moved out.

 

Deal of thDeal of the Weeke Week at Dawson’s Market

Store Reporter readers get $5 OFF a $25 purchase at Dawson’s Market in Rockville. Stop in anytime before the end of October — or time your visit during one of the store’s great events, including a Health and Wellness Fair this Sunday and a Farmer’s Market on Wednesday. Click here for our Dawson’s Market coupon, good through Oct. 31.

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Arranged logoWe’ve “arranged” a winner

Congratulations to Store Reporter reader Amy Kossoff Smith, who won our contest for a free consultation with personal organizer Bridget Calhoun of Arranged. And for all those readers who couldn’t get themselves organized enough to enter, Arranged is offering a discount. Click here for details of our offer, which is good through Nov. 15.

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Blazing fast pizza, Burton’s Olympic buzz, goodbye China Jade

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Blaze Pizza Assembly Line

 

Pizza in a flash at the mall

Blaze Pizza, a hot new concept from the founders of Wetzel’s Pretzels, will make its Maryland debut this summer at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The California-based chain, which has attracted such high-profile investors as Maria Shriver, is known for its Chipotle-style assembly line: Customers watch as their ball of dough is flattened into a crust, topped by their choice of 40 fresh ingredients, then flash-fired for two minutes in a super-hot oven. The Montgomery Mall location, which will open near Old Navy, is just the beginning for Blaze in this market. Virginia and D.C. locations are in the works.

 

 

Burton_patchwork_jacket

 

Olympic buzz for Burton

Excitement about the winter Olympics has been great for business at Burton, the Vermont-based snowboarding company. At its Westfield Montgomery Mall store, which opened last August with a broad selection of boards, boots and winter clothes, “jacket sales have been up crazy amounts” since the Olympics began, says assistant manager Cory Brown. But there’s one item in high demand that the store just can’t provide: the patchwork jackets worn by the U.S. snowboarding team. “Only the athletes can wear them right now,” Brown says. Not for long, though. A civilian version is coming later this year.

 

 

China Jade Bistro, Cabin John Shops

 

No more mu shu

It looks like we’ve seen the last of China Jade Bistro at the Cabin John Shopping Center. Doors have been closed for more than a week at the neighborhood eatery, which replaced the similarly named Jade Billows just a few years ago.

 

 

Mr. Potato HeadToy story

Also closing in the next few weeks, after two decades as a Potomac Village fixture, is the charming toy shop Toys Unique. “I’ve never carried computer games, Xbox or things like that — just good basic toys that don’t get outdated,” says owner Jarunee Chantraparnik, who is retiring. The mix of shops in Potomac Village has changed a lot in 20 years, she says, and her customers’ buying habits have changed too. “Now the younger parents seem to be doing everything through the Internet.”