Foodie News: Tex-Mex Joins Tony Shopping Block, Inspections Close Down Restaurants, Edible Cicadas

Restaurant news from around Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods.

Get caught up with the food scene in Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods with 1 Meat, 3 Sides. This week, a new Tex-Mex restaurant on the 'Rodeo Drive of the East Coast' takes center plate, with a side of paella and guacamole from La Malinche in Silver Spring. One meat: On Friday, Chevy Chase's newest restaurant, Mi Cocina, opened in the middle of the ritzy Wisconsin Avenue shopping block, The Collection at Chevy Chase (5471-5481 Wisconsin Ave.)—also known as the 'Rodeo Drive of the East Coast.' Mi Cocina is a popular upscale Tex-Mex chain that opened 20 years ago in Dallas. Its Chevy Chase location has one-of-a-kind art, a lofty private dining room and an outdoor dining space. Flanking Mi Cocina are Christian Dior…

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Virtual Tour: Houses for Sale in Montgomery County This Week

In the market for a new house? Just curious? Check out these recently listed houses for sale in Montgomery County.

  These videos of Montgomery County houses for sale recently were uploaded to YouTube. Each listing links to a YouTube video (also attached to this article). Each house also is shown on the map attached to this article.   Houses for sale this week: 18511 Reliant Dr., Gaithersburg 5981 Valerian Ln., Rockville 15100 Interlachen Dr., No. 4-903 Silver Spring 10796 Symphony Park Dr., North Bethesda 4412 Stanford St., Chevy Chase 8917 Falls Farm Dr., Potomac  1118 Lancaster Rd., Takoma Park    Check back next week for more virtual tours. 

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Restaurant Inspection Reports Now A Click Away

View data from health inspectors online at dataMontgomery.

Montgomery County health officials are now posting restaurant inspection data online at the dataMontgomery website, launched last month as a part of the county’s open government efforts. The website also includes residential permits, completed 311 requests, cable complaints, county contracts, and employee salaries, according to a county press release. Users will be able to view inspection results online for restaurants and other food service establishments, including compliance with food safety requirements, nutritional labeling, the trans fat ban, and the posting of non-smoking signs, according to the release.  Users will also able to sort data by restaurant name or location and view violations and closures, according to county Health and…

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Virtual Tour: Houses for Sale in Montgomery County This Week

In the market for a new house? Just curious? Check out these recently listed houses for sale in Montgomery County.

These videos of Montgomery County houses for sale recently were uploaded to YouTube. Each listing links to a YouTube video (also attached to this article). Each house also is shown on the map attached to this article. Houses for sale this week: 4423 Independence St., Rockville 20166 Locustdale Dr., No. 224, Germantown 15105 Joshua Tree Rd., North Potomac 18511 Reliant Dr., Gaithersburg 9415 Wire Ave., Silver Spring 3705 Dupont Ave., Kensington 111 Lee Ave., No. 101, Takoma Park 2017 Windham Ln., Wheaton 7327 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda 6902 Brennon Ln., Chevy Chase Check back next week for more virtual tours.  Which tour is your favorite this week?

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Retailers Begin Charging Credit Fees Sunday

A fee of up to 4 percent of a credit card purchase could be added to your bill come Sunday.

Think twice when you pull out your credit card to pay for brunch this weekend. A controversial federal court ruling last year has given retailers the go-ahead to tack bank surcharges for credit card purchases on customer bills—starting Sunday. Bank fees between 2 and 4 percent of a credit card purchase had traditionally been covered by retailers making the sales, but smaller businesses without the backing of major corporations usually felt the brunt of these charges.  Ten states prohibit passing fees on to credit card users, but Maryland isn't one of them, according to an announcement issued by the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. Customers can avoid the charges by paying with debit cards or prepaid cards. According to a Time…

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Fear of Gun Control Drives Gun Sales Sky High in Maryland

By Rashee Raj Kumar, Capital News Service

Fears of new gun control regulations proposed by President Barack Obama and Gov. Martin O’Malley have intensified sales at Maryland gun shops. While the boost in sales has bolstered gun dealer’s profits, it has also led to a shortage in the supply of guns in the state, especially assault rifles, gun shop owners said. "Everybody is panicking. Every day has been absolutely crazy for the last three weeks," Henry Calvert, president of Calvert Firearms, Inc. in North East, a town in Cecil County, said of his customers. “It’s a bear market. Everyone is purchasing everything that comes in." Obama proposed a set of gun control regulations on Wednesday, which included a universal background check for all gun sales and a ban on military-style …

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Rick Hudson

12:55 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013

That is the truth!!! All crime continued to drop after the assault weapons ban was lifted in 2008 (I think i have that year right). The problem is a high capacity magazine, a bullet or an assault weapon never hurt anything or anyone with out a person intent on doing harm behind it, That is the root of this problem that needs fixing, not limitation of rights on law abiding citizens.   more ›

Virtual Tour: Houses for Sale in Montgomery County This Week

In the market for a new house? Just curious? Check out these recently listed houses for sale in Montgomery County.

These videos of Montgomery County houses for sale recently were uploaded to YouTube. Each listing links to the YouTube video (also attached to this article). Each house also is shown on the map attached to this article: Houses for sale this week: 9968 Foxborough Circle, Rockville 21312 Autumn Rose Way, Germantown 1 Apricot Ct., North Potomac 21500 Goshen Hunt Ln., Gaithersburg 3309 Edgewood Rd., Kensington  4920 Sentinel Dr., No. 3-105, Bethesda 4849 Chevy Chase Dr., No. 171, Chevy Chase 11624 Swains Lock Terrace, Potomac Check back next week for more virtual tours.  Tell us: Are you selling a house that you'd like Patch readers to see?

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SPEAK OUT: What's Your Favorite Girl Scout Cookie?

It's time to place your 2013 cookie order!

Since 1917, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America have been selling baked goods to raise funds to support local community service projects, maintain Girl Scout camps, develop programs and provide financial support to girls in need. Last year, in the Washington, DC, area alone, more than 4.5 million boxes of cookies were sold. While scouts still sell cookies door-to-door, the Girl Scouts have gone high-tech in the last few years, offering the "Cookie Club" website—which allows scouts to sell cookies via email—and launching the Girl Scout Cookie Locator app so that one is never more than a few clicks away from one's favorite cookies: So, we want to know, what is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie, and why?

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1 Meat, 3 Sides

Food News: Steakhouse Closure, Apizza Opens in April

Foodie news from around Montgomery County and adjacent neighborhoods in Washington, DC.

Get caught up with the food scene in Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods with "1 Meat, 3 Sides." This week, the closure of a popular Bethesda steakhouse takes center plate: One Meat: Unsuccessful rental negotiations caused Divino Lounge—an Argentinian steakhouse in Bethesda—to close its doors for good, Bethesda Patch reported. After 10 years, the popular restaurant has vacated its Wisconsin Avenue location, and a "for rent" sign hangs above the space. Divino's owners had this to say about the closure on the restaurant's website. The restaurant's message ended on a hopeful note:  Finally, for those who have enjoyed our food, I say goodbye with this message: WE WILL SEE YOU SOON!! Read more on Bethesda Patch. Three …

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