annie "I eat on the job."

Pros: The decor is really fun, and the staff is casual but efficient. Our nice waitress let me order off the kid’s menu, despite the fact that I am not kid-sized.

I start with the good aspects of Earwax because I want to say something good about this place, but that good thing will not be about the food.

I ordered a mocha cappuccino, and it wasn’t as hot as I would’ve liked, but more importantly, it just wasn’t very good. Strange aftertaste. And the foam was more like a shield than anything.

Food-wise, I got a grilled cheese sandwich with soy cheese and fries. The sandwich just had a whole bunch of problems – again, it wasn’t warm enough, the rye (?!?) bread tasted too dry (not enough fat in the pan) and the soy cheese was just all wrong. Don’t get me wrong – I love soy cheese normally, but this sandwich needed some sprouts or tomato slices or avocado to spruce it up. Non-melted, lukewarm soy cheese on dry rye bread is just so tragic.

But the thing that got me was the boring fries. The serving was generous, but I got bored after my fifth lukewarm, dull fry. They tasted like the fries you buy frozen in the freezer section of a grocery store.

In conclusion, I’ll probably go back, because I want to support them and their plethora of vegan dishes, but next time, I won’t be shy about asking the server to stick everything – coffee included — in the microwave for 60 seconds.

Normally I’m not down with reviewing chains, but I can’t resist hearing what everyone has to say on this. I’ve heard lots of different opinions on Coldstone but never got around to trying it. And then I finally got the chance!

Okay, that was a really crappy story.

Anyway, I was underwhelmed. I’ve heard lots (well, mostly from the girls) about the very high fat content, and while that sounds delicious, I didn’t really like the mouthfeel.

Also, the service was problematic – was I the only one confused about the mix-ins? And the girl behind the counter and I had one of those odd stare-downs where neither can hear what the other is saying.

Now that bathing suit season is over, it’s time to get in shape for sweater season. So I headed over to Salad Spinners, a salad fast-food chain. You can order one of their suggested salads for $5.50 or create your own salad with up to six (non-meat) ingredients for $6.00. They don’t suffer from a lack of options – I mean, you can choose from 5 different beans to go in your salad. Nice.

But is it worth the expense? $6 is fair for a salad, but once you start adding meats or extra ingredients, you’re easily up to $8. Get a salad with meat and extra lettuce and you’re eating a $10 salad at a small table surrounded by other tired business people.

And in regards to size, this is not the kind of big dinner salad that you’re imagining. Not even close. The servings they were giving out in the to-go boxes looked like a generous side salad. Eat in-house and at least you’ll get an actual bowl with a few more lettuce leaves.

This place is fine in a pinch, but there’s no reason to come here instead of getting the salad at McDonald’s: it’s the same level of quality.

Walking into this restaurant is a little like walking into those old houses that’s now a museum because a famous person lived there once and there’s still an old desk left that people can walk by and ooh and ahhh at. I do believe that the restaurant was a house at one point (the bathroom is up a dark, narrow set of stairs that led to a dark hall; I didn’t dare) The tables and chairs are all a very imposing dark wood. But the wait staff are just the right blend of caring and nonchalant to make you feel right at home.

The prices are a little high, but not unreasonable. With a shared appetizer plate, a mango lassi and a beer, our total came to $43.

Come here for the mint chutney; it tastes fresh and I wanted to pour it all over all of my dishes. The best I’ve ever had.

Worth noting: my friend said her Saag Paneer tasted “a little off”, but is one of those people who feels guilty saying anything bad about her food lest a waitress overhear.

Lhasa Cafe: you can go because you’ve never eaten yak and you’ve always wanted to (weirdo), or because you’re a vegetarian and they have lots of yummy potato/vegetables dishes, or because you know you won’t find any dinners for less than $10 in Northampton, anyway, or because the waitresses are very forgiving if you can’t pronounce anything on the menu and you just point and smile instead.

Whatever your reason, it’s worth the trip. I’d recommend it for parties of two – then you can order two entrees and share, since you’ll want to try as much of this new, undiscovered (at least it was for me!) food as you can. It would also be great for a light lunch, as they have lots of giant soups.

I’m excited to go back and try the Ting-Mo, or steamed bread roll, because I’m always down for a new form of carb inhalation.

The major problem I have with Autentica! is the mean guy behind the counter who glares at you while you’re ordering and glowers at you while you’re standing around waiting for your food. I would go more often if I didn’t have to deal with the bizarre fury of that dude.

The restaurant is really tiny and I wouldn’t stay here to eat – definitely get your food to go if you’re going to stop in here, or else you’re going to be eating your dinner literally 5 feet away from the cook & (presumably) the manager. So uncomfortable.

There are televisions in this restaurant. Set on sports channels.
I shouldn’t have to say more, but I will. There aren’t nearly enough vegetarian options on the menu, and almost no vegan options, which is a poor choice for any restaurant, but especially one in a college town, and especially one in a college town in Massachusetts.
I asked if they would be able to make a veggie burger for me; the waitress, without hesitation, said no. Not a big deal, since it’s not on the menu, but shouldn’t chefs making $11 salads and $17 entrees be able to throw together a veggie burger?

I ended up eating the Harvest Grille panini, with marinated artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes and provolone cheese. My description follows.

Everyone I was with sort of half-heartedly picked at their food and were too polite to say how bland & boring it all really was. Dorm food is actually, sadly, better.

Siam Square does not have a whole lot of personality, and the waitstaff is a little clumsy. If it were running for Miss America, it would lose. The decor is lots of wood, and then a little more wood.
We were seated, sat for 2 or 3 minutes without menus, and then approached by a server who said, “Did you already order?” Nope. (This was a little strange, as there are only about 15 tables in the whole place, and when we were seated, there were only about three tables with diners.) She apologetically gave us menus.

We got the vegetarian sampler platter for an appetizer (from a separate menu with no prices listed) and I got a mild Massaman curry.

The sampler platter was, on the whole, pretty medicore. Everything was really deep-fried and that sort of masked the flavor. If there was any flavor.

But the Massaman curry with tofu was fabulous and was absolutely a 5-star dish. With potatoes, onions, carrots, and roasted peanuts in a light peanut sauce, I was scraping my plate. It was served with a sticky white rice that was cooked beautifully – you had to peel off layers of the rice like you were peeling an orange. A lot of fun.

And then we got the bill.
Please bear with me, I’m a poor college student.
The vegetarian platter turned out to be over $10 for fried finger foods for two people. Not totally outrageous, but I definitely wouldn’t have ordered it if I had been told the price. Okay, I should’ve asked, but most of the entrees on the menu weren’t even $10! So how was I supposed to guess?
Worse, I got charged $2 for the rice I received with my curry. When I ordered the curry, the server just said, “And what kind of rice would you like with that?” and gave no indication that it would be extra. I mean, it’s a curry – what am I supposed to do if I don’t get the rice, pick up the dish and drink the peanut sauce?

So it’s not that the two dollars are a big deal – I just felt that, between the appetizer menu with the prices mysteriously missing and the hidden fees in the curry dish, the pricing was a little shady.

Also, we were given the bum’s rush within minutes of finishing our meal, with waitresses coming by and simultaneously picking up each dish and eyeing the bill, despite the fact that a good 1/3 of the tables were still open and it was only 7:30 PM.

In conclusion, I’d say get your food to go and be prepared for a few, uh, additions to your bill.

When I visited Black Sheep on a Sunday afternoon around 3, it was packed – there was almost nowhere to sit, and me and four friends had to steal plastic chairs from other tables and cram around a table meant for two.

Yes, there’s a good chance you’re going to end up at a plastic table, and there’s a good chance you will have absolutely nowhere to sit at all.

But the food is superb. I got the East-meets-West sandwich with tofu, garlic and peanut sauces, carrots, onions, and lettuce, and this sandwich was both huge (I mean big enough for two people) and delicious (delicious enough for one person). They also serve lots of pastries – including lots of vegan ones! Thanks, Black Sheep!

I’ve heard good things about their hot chocolate, but have yet to try it.

Fresh Side calls itself “a little eatery and tea place” – blushingly self-aware, as you’re not going to find crumpets and scones here.

The outside of the place, on Amherst’s main drag, is black-and-white nondescript, but the interior is polished and modern.

We got mint tea, which was elegantly served in a clear pot swimming with leaves with shot glasses on the side. Small sprigs of mint were in the glasses, which were aesthetically awesome and made the tea’s flavor even richer.

They’re known for their tea rolls – sort of small Asian burritos, I guess? You can mix and match different tea rolls in one order, so I ordered the Vietnamese tea rolls & the pesto seaweed rice tea rolls. Both were fantastic, and I wouldn’t hesitate to order them again, but I’ll probably branch out and try something new next time.

The people I were with ordered bowls of rice, veggies, and chicken, and everything looked perfectly fresh and well-cooked.

Two things you absolutely gotta know: this place is cheap – you can get four tea rolls (about 2 small ‘burritos’, just so you can imagine the size)) for a little over $4. They know their audience in a college town.
Also, it’s very vegetarian/vegan friendly.