16 Handles - Gaithersburg, MD

It's the season for... frozen yogurt! If you guys have been following me on Twitter, you know that last summer I would eat a 1lb of froyo for lunch once a week at Caliyogurt. I was an addiction. Recently the bf and I went to Rio to try 16 Handles because the 16 self-serving flavors reminded me of Yogurtland during our SoCal trip. There is a garage and parking lots around the town center, but not directly next to the place. The closest metro stop is Shady Grove on the red line.

It's so pretty and bright on the inside! As you can see above, there isn't much seating.

They charge $.49 an ounce of yogurt/toppings, $.60 of just toppings and $1 for a waffle bowl. Not all of the flavors are non-fat as some are simply low-fat.
The 16 flavors change depending upon availability, but when we went some of the flavors were:
Angel Food Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Peanut Butter
Cookies and Cream
Birthday Cake
Vanilla
Euro Tart
Green Tea
Strawberry
Original
Blackberry
Mango

The mini screens shows the flavor and the nutritional value! The most high tech frozen yogurt dispenser I've seen yet.

They offer around 40 toppings too including cheesecake and brownie bites.

The bf and I had opposite types of froyo. I had all fruity flavors with mochi and fruit toppings...

he tried all of the cake flavors topped with candy and cheesecake bites.

This place is almost, if not as good as my favorite place (Caliyogurt) because the flavors are intense. The consistency isn't runny and is creamier rather than icy. The only minor issue is the lack of "Asian" flavors. I like my taro and lychee. Same thing with the toppings, there weren't lychee or longan fruits. I plan on going back often when the weather gets hotter!

215 Boardwalk Place
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(240) 386-8692

Yogi Castle- Gaithersburg, MD

This frozen yogurt craze is getting out of hand! Literally across the street from Caliyogurt is a new place called Yogi Castle. I stopped by during lunch (hence, the Iphone photos) to see if I liked it more than Caliyogurt (my current favorite). Located in a shopping center, there is plenty of parking. The closest metro stop would be Shady Grove on the red line.

Upon entering, I found the place to be really small and narrow. This is the front that has 1-2 small tables.

This is the main area with the yogurt machines and bar seating against the wall. This is a self-serve yogurt place at 39 cents an ounce. Caliyogurt is 45 cents per ounce.
They offer 8 flavors:
Cheesecake
Strawberry
Vanilla
Peanut Butter
Cookies & Cream
Original Tart
Banana
Chocolate

Their toppings bar had the essential items like fruits, chocolate chips, cereal, mochi, etc.

Being an adult has its perks, like eating dessert for lunch if you want!

I'm a big fan of fruity yogurts, therefore Yogi Castle didn't suit my taste. Most of their yogurt flavors were more 'creamy' rather than 'fruity'. I think I tried 7 of them just to test them out, and the cheesecake one isn't bad. I like that it's the cheapest place I've been to, so if Caliyogurt wasn't across the street, I'd stop by more often just to get the Original Tart flavor.

12209 Darnestown Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(301) 355-7800
Website

Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Caliyogurt- Gaithersburg, MD

UPDATE 6/12/12 - Went back over the weekend after a while and they have a total of 8 flavors including non-fruity ones. They also offer bubble tea, shaved ice and crepes!
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Hi everyone! Frozen yogurt places are all the craze right now. It's usually fat-free, comes in different flavors and you can customize your toppings. I've been to 4 different places in the area (Yogi Berry, Mr. Yogato, Yogi Castle) and Caliyogurt is by FAR my favorite.
Located in a shopping center right next to Quince Orchard HS, there is a small parking lot, but I've never seen it full. The closest metro stop would be Shady Grove on the red line.

The interior is clean and modern looking. Its actually the biggest one I've been too. It could hold a good number of people at once.

I love all of the cool seating. In the front there are tables with comfy, adjustable swivle chairs. I always sit there.

If you stop by with a couple friends, they have semi-private cubicles in different colors with more chairs. Those have electrical outlets, so people bring in laptops to use with their free WiFi.

This is the last seating section in the back near the yogurt.

One of the reasons I like this place is because its self-serve. They have free cups, and waffle cones for 75 cents each. They charge you by the weight of your yogurt and toppings at 45 cents an ounce. They have tiny sample cups at the register.

The yogurt comes in 6 fat-free flavors (chocolate, blackberry, mango, honeydew, pink grapefruit, passion fruit, original) that can change depending on the day. They also offer swirled/combined flavors on the machines that have connecting flavors. For example, blackberry and chocolate share a machine, so you can get them swirled together.

The toppings bar is huge my opinion. There are a lot of toppings like fruits, cereals, chocolate chips, cookies, bubble tea bubbles, mochi, etc.

This was my 1st creation, and seriously after I ate it ...I bought another one!

I think they have AMAZING yogurt flavors. Mango and honeydew swirled together is my favorite. I love loading on whatever toppings I want too. Aside from just yogurt, they offer shaved iced for $7.50, smoothies for $4.95, Yogi-fondue for $15, and an assortment of teas. Also on the back of their business card they will give you a free 'under 10 oz.' yogurt if you buy 9 'over 10 oz.' yogurts. I've become addicted to this place, sometimes buying it as my lunch!

12158 Darnestown Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
301-208-2020
Website

Summer (Apr-Oct): Mon-Thurs: Noon-10PM
Fri-Sat: Noon-11PM
Sun: Noon-8PM
Winter (Nov-Mar): Mon-Thurs: Noon-9PM
Fri-Sat: Noon- 11PM
Sun: Closed

Montgomery Country Agricultural Fair 2009

It's the week of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair! I haven't been since I was like 5 years old or something. So the bf suggested we go check it out on opening day.
It's kind of expensive since it's $8 admission and $5 to park your car. Then the food is overpriced too. Oh well, we should all know this going in.

First thing I did once I walked in was buy a corn dog. It reminded me of elementary school. I believe it was $4.

The lemonade was quite refreshing since the sun was beaming down on us. I think it was around $3.

The bf wanted real food, so we found this taco stand. It was $5 for 3 tacos. They were really good, but spicy!

I was looking forward to trying these! Fried Oreos...mmmm. They were amazing. For $5 you got around 6 Oreos.

Think funnel cake, but better!

It wouldn't be an agricultural fair without the farm animals. I felt bad for them being tied up and stuff =(

They also had rides that required tickets. I think we spent $22 to get on 2 rides. This one was insane! It went so high and flipped you all around.

It wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be, but I'm sure its something people go to once the sun sets.

Saturday, August 22nd is the last day, so if you have time I'd check it out, but be prepared to bring $$.

Website

Ricky's Rice Bowl- Gaithersburg, MD

Hi Everyone! It's been a while since I've posted. Life gets in the way sometimes, haha. Anyway, one day during my lunch hour I decided to try out Ricky's Rice Bowl in Gaithersburg and shot pics with my Iphone. The closest metro stop would be Shady Grove on the red line. It's located in Gaithersburg Square and there is plenty of free parking.

There are a few tables outside so you can enjoy the nice weather while you eat. 

It's your regular, casual lunch spot where you order up front, get a number, wait 5 minutes then pick up your food when your number is called. 

The decor isn't anything special but there are a lot of tables. All utensils, sauces and napkins are located in an island in the middle of the dining room. 

The main part of the menu consists of 18 different bowls of rice with different meats (chicken, steak, fish) and sauces (teriyaki, Seoul, peanut, curry, sesame garlic). You can order one of two sizes, and substitute for brown rice for a small fee, if you'd prefer. 

I ordered the regular size bowl of '#5: Curry Chicken Bowl- Mild Japanese curry sauce, grilled chicken, rice and veggies' for $5.95. There was a lot of food in the bowl. I actually didn't finish it! So it's a good price since you get a lot of chicken and rice. The taste was a bit bland compared to the Japanese curry I've had a few times in the past. I would've preferred more sauce too, but that's also an extra 50 cents.  

It is a place geared towards a quick lunch, so I shouldn't have expected it to be the best rice bowl. Maybe their Chicken Teriyaki is better since I'm sure it's the most popular and is listed 1st on the menu.  
544 N Frederick Ave
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
(301) 963-2695

Yoyogi Sushi - Gaithersburg, MD

This is my favorite "Go-To" sushi place ever, so since I come here pretty often for lunch on the weekdays, I figured I might as well write about it!

Yoyogi Sushi is located in Gaithersburg in Kentlands Market Square. There is free street parking in the front and a free parking lot in the back. Just make sure you park in a non-numbered space. The closest Metro stop would be Shady Grove on the Red Line.

This is the front of the place (As you can tell I got the photo via their website because I walked through the back). During warm months you can eat outside and enjoy the nice weather. If you aren't a big fan of the sun, some of the tables are equipped with umbrellas.

Usually I come in through the back entrance since it faces the parking lot.

The interior in the shape of a L. It's small, cozy, and clean. Usually you can't even walk around because the place gets packed during the 'lunch rush', however my coworkers and I were having a late lunch, which is why it looks empty. Don't let the photo fool you! Lunch specials are served until 3pm.

What is nice about this place is how quickly you get your food. Not everyone has a lot of time to spare during their lunch break, so everyone can appreciate their speedy service. Another coworker of mine nicknamed the place 'Super Quick Sushi'. Literally if you're in line, you better know what you're going to order because the woman at the register is fast.

You order at the register, get a number to put on your table, and someone will bring your food to you in a few seconds to a few minutes. One time a coworker of mine ordered his meal, and his food was put on the table before he had a chance to sit down. Lightning speed! What is great is they have around 4 sushi chefs constantly rolling sushi, so you don't have to wait for your roll to be made after you order it.

For those that don't like sushi, they also office salads, noodles, noodle soups, and meat w/rice dishes.

My coworker orderered the #7 Lunch Special - Tuna roll and Yellow Tail roll for $6! This is what I usually get and I love how the fish is fresh, there isn't a lot of rice, the rice isn't old and hard, and they give big chunks of fish.

I ordered the #4 Lunch Special - Yellow Tail roll and California roll for $6 too. Mmmmm...

My coworkers both ordered a Miso soup for $1 each! How cheap! I've had it before and it's great because they give a good amount of tofu, scallions and seaweed.

My other coworker ordered a Salmon and Avocado roll off their regular menu for $4. I've had this before too and its one of my favorite.

They also provide free self-serve cold and hot water. The most expensive thing on the menu is the Sushi Deluxe (6 pc. tuna sashimi & 6 pc. sushi) entree for $15. Keep in mind this isn't a fancy-dancy sushi place with elaborate/creative rolls, because their menu offers mainly standard rolls like Eel, Philly, Spider, Tuna, etc, with around 4 special rolls.

I truly love this place. The people who work there are friendly and greet you when you come in. The server is a really sweet lady who will get you whatever you need and the rest of the staff is real helpful and efficient. The sushi is very affordable for the quality and freshness that they provide.

328 Main Street
Kentlands Shopping Center
Gaithersburg,Maryland 20878
301-963-0001
Website

Monday 11:30am – 9:30pm
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday - Saturday 11:30am – 9:30pm
Sunday 11:30am – 9:00pm