bfrog "I eat better than a grad student should"

I liked the place – decent food, good pricies – until my wallet was stollen! I was bumped once by the busboy and my purse fell, then I was bumped again by a customer. In that second bump is probably when the theif took my wallet out of my purse! I was with a friend who was sitting across from me and my purse which was hanging from my chair (which ladies, don’t ever do!). These people were professionals…they charged $600 in total at 4 different places within 1/2 hour. I told the manager of the restaurant and he just shrugged his shoulders…the least he could have done is apologize or feign being shocked which at least the cash register person did. Didn’t this manager CARE about the safety of his customers? It gives me the impression that he’s in on it! For that alone, this place gets 1 star…or less if I could! Watch your purses ladies!

This is one of the newer places in town near the soon-to-be revitalized U St. Corridor. Liberals will love it all from the socially concious philosophy to the uber-leftist books to the vegan options on food, but conservatives can also enjoy a good drink and food at this loungy, urban chic place without feeling too overwhelmed. Busboys and Poets is a Langston Hughes reference, and particularly appeals to the creative types with their open mic, poetry reading sessions. There are even celebrity sightings, the most recent of which include Omarosa from the Apprentice and Ralph Nadar.

This place is popular. Our wait was said to be 20, but I think it was less. There are plenty of cool books addressing veganism, racial disparities, anti-war, and environmental advice to keep you occupied. The service is friendly, even flirty. The crowd is late 20s on up. The lighting is dim and the seating is mixed with bar seating, regular tables, and couches to share. The food is usual bar food, but done well. The drinks are delicious. The prices are usual given the menu options.

This hidden gem of a restaurant is disguised as a apartment complex. Behind the Colonnade and across the street from One World, I can’t believe I missed this for so long! The place is awfully hot inside during the summer, so try to sit in the outdoor patio area. The food is delicious, but the selection is kind of limited. However, I hear the selection changes over time. The rice pudding at the end is a perfect way to end the meal. The only bad thing is how much it is for a lunch brunch.

This is a real diner. Not a diner slash some other kind of dish which quite a few diners around here seem to do. It’s off the beaten path of where Hopkins students venture too, but during the day there should be no problems. This is a popular place, so be prepared there may not be a place to sit. since the only place to sit is at the “bar.” The service is super nice, but they do have a friendly way to say it’s time to get going when you’re done with your meal. They get the food to you quickly, so the wait isn’t long. The food is great and plenty in proportion. The prices are very affordable.

I’ve heard the rumors, and had to taste it myself. Cafe Zen is easy to miss being about a block in the opposite direction from Belvedere Square. But this place is worth checking out. The restaurant prides itself on fresh foods and it delivers on that promise. The food is incredibly affordable. The decor is minimal, but it’s clean and spacious. Our waitress was very friendly and smily. The menu has a mix of Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Japanese. Complimentary tea comes with an order of $5 or more. You get a fortune cookie at the end and a little bit of lime sherbert – unique!

Kawasaki is well known in this city between their Mount Vernon location and Fells…along with the little known to outsiders location in the Hopkins Hospital. The sushi is fresh and wide in variety. The sushi is on the pricey side, but is the expected price around this town. The location Fells is right by the water, with indoor and outdoor seating. There are cool booths you can sit in with tatami floors with an opening beneath the tables to hang your legs (I would prefer it were all tatami under the table) where you must take off your shoes. They gave us towels to wash our hands with but they were cold! Real Japanese restaurants give these to you super hot to kill the germs.

Onto the bad part, my date and I were the last ones of the night and you could tell they wanted us out of there. They were watching us and didn’t provide my date with extra ginger because the kitchen was closed up already. My date’s been here often and been a good customer, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell. There was some miscommunication perhaps between my date and I about how we were splitting the bill, but in the end we tipped less than we meant too…and the hostest let us know! She said we didn’t pay enough as we were leaving…then clarified angrily that we left less than a 10% tip. I was horrified, first because this happened and I don’t usually tip so little, and second because she asked for more of a tip I think because we were the last ones which I thought was rude and not her place! In the end I added more tip, but overall the experience left a really bad taste in my mouth after some good sushi. I will try to avoid this place in the future.

The green awning is easy to miss. I discovered this three years into living near Charles Village. But this is a decently large place, with little if any wait, fast service, reasonable prices, and close to authentic Japanese food/sushi. I have only been here for lunch, and I think the bento boxes are well worth the money. I love the variety of four little appetizer dishes that come for free with every meal. You never know what you’re going to get – potato salad, kimchee, seaweed, beans, radish pickles. That alone makes this place an adventure. At noon, as the place gets croweded, it’s a little hard to get the attention of a waiter, but when you do, they serve you or get your bill quickly.