Gaithersburg Mayor and Council to consider allowing City Manager to negotiate with Lakeforest parcel owners

Gaithersburg's Mayor and Council will consider a resolution tonight that would allow the City Manager to negotiate and enter into agreements with the owners of parcels at Lakeforest Mall. WRS, Inc. recently purchased the main mall structure itself, but some of the anchor tenants own their individual buildings. This is a standard situation at most malls, including Montgomery Mall and the late White Flint Mall.

Proposed resolution regarding Lakeforest Mall

City staff are recommending the Mayor and Council approve the resolution tonight. The Mayor and Council have already agreed to postpone discussion of a proposed moratorium and area study for Lakeforest Mall until September 3, at the request of WRS, Inc.

Impossible Whopper revew

The Impossible Whopper at Burger King is the first nationwide release of a plant-based burger at a quick-service chain with locations in every region of the country, and has generated tremendous interest from beef and non-meat eaters alike. It is flame-grilled on the same equipment as the beef burgers at Burger King, as noted on the chain's website. The Impossible Whopper is not necessarily more healthy than the all-beef Original Whopper, and with the Whopper being my favorite burger, I certainly approached the sandwich with high expectations - and a high price, more than a beef Whopper at over $7.00 here in Montgomery County.

 Out of the wrapper, the overall sandwich looks like a Whopper at first glance - it has all the same toppings, and comes without cheese unless requested for an extra fee like the Original Whopper. The toppings were colorful, fresh and high-quality as they are on the beef Whopper, as well. It appears the Impossible Whopper patty is the same circumference and width as the classic Whopper.

Once the top bun is removed, however, the illusion falters. The Impossible patty is perfectly circular, and perfectly flat, unlike a hand-formed beef burger's irregular surface and edge. While sporting the identical flame-broiled grill marks as the famous Whopper, the patty does not match the beef Whopper in color - it leans toward brown more than grey. It looks like a mechanically-sliced patty from a machine-formed loaf.

The Impossible Whopper has the flame-grilled aroma of a Whopper, but does not replicate the beef aroma. Biting into the Impossible Whopper, one finds the texture is similar to ground beef in chewiness, but not in overall texture. The patty material is packed differently from a beef patty. There is no juiciness, making it a drier burger than a real beef Whopper.

Flavorwise, the Impossible Whopper has even-stronger flame-grilled taste - it's almost too much, and appears to be perhaps intentionally so to mask the lack of real beef flavor. A beef Whopper has a more balanced beef-smoke ratio, and tastes like a burger you made on a backyard grill. The Impossible Whopper tastes as if additional smoke flavor has been added beyond what the flame-broiling process alone bestows.

My final verdict? The Impossible Whopper seems to have overwhelmed hipsters in the mainstream press. The Washington Post declared it indistinguishable from a regular beef Whopper. They need to get out more often. I know the Whopper, I love the Whopper, and I would not be fooled in the least in a blind taste test that I was eating a beef Whopper with the Impossible Whopper. Perhaps you could fool the average person that they were eating a cafeteria hamburger, but that's as far as you could dupe most people - on a good day.

The Impossible Whopper is an event. You really should try one yourself. It may be a luxury item compared to what it forced on the American people down the road. And if you either simply want a non-meat alternative on the menu, or you love the Whopper but for whatever reason are no longer able to eat beef, this could be a great choice for you.

But if you're an extreme Whopper fan like me, you'll likely find it fails to recreate the magic of Burger King's signature burger. I'd recommend running out now and getting a fresh, juicy Original all-beef Whopper, which I rate six out of five stars (not a misprint). As far as the Impossible Whopper, I will give it a "good" three stars out of five - it delivers the alternative some diners very much want, but can't fool true Whopper fans enough to earn five stars.

Signage up at Cinepolis and Berries & Bowls + new Kentlands mural in Gaithersburg (Video+Photos)

Signs have been installed at Cinepolis and Berries & Bowls at Market Square in The Kentlands in Gaithersburg. As the new luxury cineplex takes shape, so is a Kentlands mural outside. Take a short walking tour of the redeveloping property in this video below:

Is this Gaithersburg house historic or not?

A highly-visible home at 309 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg, passed by tens of thousands of motorists each day, will be at the center of a controversy next month: Is it historic, or not? Right now, the City of Gaithersburg officially has said it is. But the property owner is asking the city's Historic District Commission, Planning Commission, and Mayor and Council to remove that designation.

While historic designation offers its own set of benefits to a property owner, most buildings are worth more if they are not designated historic. A property that can be more easily modified, renovated or even demolished is naturally worth more than one with many restrictions and the extra red tape of government approvals. This home sits on a prime piece of property on MD 355, which faces Forest Oak Cemetery.

A joint public hearing by all three city bodies on the request will be held at City Hall on September 3, 2019, at 7:30 PM. The home has been used as a business in recent decades, including as a hair salon.

Home Goods Gaithersburg under tight security after partial roof collapse

The Home Goods store on Quince Orchard Road suffered a partial roof collapse blamed on last week's thunderstorm. It was temporarily condemned by the City of Gaithersburg due to structural concerns and damage. During the closure, the store has been under heavy security, with fencing installed around it and a security guard in a car adjacent to the store.

RanKen Noodle House, Occasions Unique Gifts coming to Gaithersburg

Market Square at the Kentlands in Gaithersburg has signed two more tenants. RanKen Noodle House and Occasions Unique Gifts will both open at the development, which is undergoing a massive renovation.

Gaithersburg Toys R Us - What's left behind (Photos)

The Toys R Us in Gaithersburg - like the chain's stores nationwide - closed last year. Signage was stripped from the front of the building. But there are still some "signs" of the Gaithersburg Toys R Us still left behind today, as an urbex expedition to the abandoned store reveals.

One is the customer pickup lane sign. The Rockville store had one of these in the rear, as well. It was where customers would drive around with their claim slip to pick up a big item like a bicycle or ride-on car. Sadly, children today will never experience the excitement of driving around back for a big toy, or even of a massive store filled wall-to-wall with only toys. 

And then, wait a minute, what's this? A Toys R Us semi truck trailer! With Geoffrey and the classic Toys R Us logo. Do you think there are any toys inside? 

Toys R Us is reportedly planning something of a comeback at a smaller scale. But we now know it was not a lack of demand for toys, or the internet, that caused them to fail. It was the greed of private investment firms like Mitt Romney's Bain Capital. These firms suck all the value out of a retail chain like Toys R Us, Sears, etc., and then throw away the husk, and the jobs of all the employees along with it.