junebug "Food is the only way to my <3"

Whenever I’m in dire need of the Internet in the Central district, I head on over to the Online Coffee Company! With a purchase of a drink, you can spend 30 minutes FREE at one of their computer workstations!

The most amazing thing about this place is that it has great ambiance for an Internet cafe! Cute tables and comfy chairs, tables outside for nice weather, and great computer workstations with plenty of room to browse the Internet, take notes, and sip on your cup o’ joe.

The baristas are always really friendly and nice. They never rush their customers, and provide you with good lighthearted conversation while serving up the beverages.

For those of you who are not into supersweet mochas, the baristas at this place have mastered the art of nuance—the mochas or flavored drinks are never overly syrupy or sweet. Even their chai tends to be on the spicier side. For those of you who aren’t interested in coffee, they also serve beer and pretty awesome Italian sodas!

So if you ever need the Internet and a cup o’ joe, head on over to the Online Coffee Company.

I know how to say cheers in Spanish, but don’t know anything about tapas… For me, Tangos was an onslaught of mixed emotions.

First, I was nervous because I was on a first date and… Oops… this is a food review… let me refocus…

The food was an onslaught of mixed emotions. It’s difficult for me to write this review because honestly some of the dishes were great and some others were mediocre at best. It was like the restaurant was suffering from a grave case of multiple personality disorder. The flavors of some of the dishes were not well balanced as you’ll read in my dish reviews below.

I’d give Tangos three stars, but I’m giving it four stars because the service was really great! Our waiter was really kind, patient, and helpful.

Read my food reviews below for greater insight into the rating dilemma.

This place is horrible! Honestly, it was the worst Italian food I’ve ever eaten in my life. It was also really overpriced for the quality of the food.

All the food was super salty and overpowering!! I even think the wine was salty, but maybe it was just the salt mine aftertaste that was left after each and every bite of food. The ying-yang of the food was totally off at this place. Flavors in your meal should complement each other. In this case, the flavors were completely contradictory.

I hate being harsh, but if you go here, beware! Your money is better spent at the Spaghetti Factory or Olive Garden.

To end on a positive note since this review has kind of a negative vibe, I’ll say the service was ok.

So Georgetown is a little bit out there, but Jules MAES certainly isn’t!

The food was great. I had nachos with the chicken and a salad with some fruit in it. So delicious!

The bartender was awesome too. The nachos were a little burnt around the edges, but we were cool about it so the bartender “accidently” mixed us our favorite drinks. Woops!

In any case, service, food, and the drinks were perfect! So check it out.

I went to the Kingfish Cafe recently and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. I ate frequently at this cozy little restaurant on 19th when it first opened, and the food or presentation isn’t as good as it used to be. Maybe it was a fluke, but 10 years ago, the food and presentation was always great.

A definite plus is that they have some half-priced bottles of wine on Tuesday nights. The wine we had, an Italian wine, was delicious, and complimented the meal well and only cost $15!

I had the Simply Griddled Catfish. Even though the catfish was great, the spicyness of the collard greens really overpowered the rest of the food on the plate. The grits were also overcooked.

The one thing that has not degraded in quality was the strawberry shortcake! Even though it costs $10.00, there was no skimping and the flavor was undeniably amazing! I will just say that the strawberry shortcake itself could easily replace the definition for the word motherload.

So I’m not a Greek food conneiseur by any means. To be tewtally honest, I know almost nothing about Greek food. But I’ve eaten at a few Greek eateries, and the Byzantion is one of the best Greek restaurants I have eaten at.

The food was OH SO fresh, the portions were pretty sizeable, and presentation was impecable! The wait staff was also very friendly.

To start off, we had some tzaziki with homemade pita bread. Oh boy was it so super delicious!!! Even though I had the Village Plate this time, the time before, I got a lemony chicken dish. My friend got the lemony pork dish and she said it was delicious! The dolmades were also delicious. Generally I find the flavor of dolmades overpowering at most Greek places, but the dolmades here are heavenly perfection!

Even though the portions are pretty sizable, the same cannot be said for their drinks. They also charged extra for ordering an extra piece of pita bread which was also on the small side.

Even though the side perks are slightly more expensive, your tastebuds will thank you graciously for eating here.

So when I went into this place, I had this eery feeling I had been there before. Or maybe it was the eery familiarity this place has to mediocre kaitensushi places in Japan.

I have to say that this paticular Sushi Land really felt like a kaitensushi place in Japan. First of all, all the sushi chefs were young Japanese dudes (supposedly women’s hands don’t have the correct temperature to make good sushi) and they all spoke Japanese. And of course the waitress responsible for tea and miso soup and bringing the bill was young and pretty.

The sushi is OK. Yes, it’s cheap, but I wouldn’t claim it’s the best cheap sushi I’ve ever had—it isn’t even the best cheap sushi that I’ve had in Portland.

But like all kaitensushi, you have to wonder how fresh the stuff on the conveyor belt is. When I lived in Japan, my friend Kumikochan always told me to eat off the conveyor belt with caution. So I tried to eat with caution, and I had a couple of pieces of some pretty icky stuff. :( Everything made to order was pretty tasty except Sushi Land has some odd takes on kani and spicy tuna!

For the price, the sushi is pretty good but not the best. But if you want to reminisce your living on scholarship exchange student days in Japan, visit this Sushi Land because it really felt like being in a kaitensushi-ya in Japan! Like I said, it was like entering the twighlight zone.

So after two days of eating freeze dried food, carrying 30 lbs in my pack, and trekking over 25 miles of trails through the forest near the Portland area, I was ready to eat when I headed back to the city!

But being as hungry as a bear didn’t make the food at Pizzicato much better. Usually after backpacking, I’m so ravenously hungry that anything and everything with fat in it is delicious, but it wasn’t the case with the eats here.

I found the Barbecue Chicken Pizza to be really bland. The barbecue sauce on the pizza was uncompelling, and the pizza itself didn’t seem to really have a good onion to chicken ratio. The Pear Arugula salad was ok, but it was nothing to write home to mom about.

I hate writing reviews about mediocre food, but I guess it’s a necessity to create balance in the world.

I like the Ram for two reasons—(1) it’s one of the only hamburger joints where they ask you how you want your burger cooked and (2) I love potatoes but especially in the form of Ram chips. Need I say more?!

Yes, I must. :)

I like that the burgers are huge. I went there after I moved into my new home so I was STARVING!!! The burgers are definitely not for the faint-hearted. If you order one of those, be hungry or make sure you are with someone who will finish any leftover food for you (like me)!

The beer that I tasted was a bit of a disappointment. I don’t remember what it was called, but it tasted like watered down Mac and Jacks African Amber Ale.

I actually like the back bar. It has a very macho collegiate feel to it, but the mix of people who dine there is pretty diverse. It’s a pretty great place to watch NCAA men’s basketball too.

The nice thing about 22 Doors is that it has great diner atmosphere and they serve brunch until 2 pm (I think that’s what the sign said). It’s not quite a Denny’s or trucker stop (truth be told, I love divey joints), but it also doesn’t feel super upscale either. I’d just say that the atmosphere is really comfortable and quaint in that 15th in Capitol Hill sort of way.

Their coffee was quite good, and during my meal, our server kept our mugs filled to the brim—the bottom of my mug never saw the light of day! For me, this is a sign of great service.

I had a mushroom omelette which was quite delectable and pretty filling, but my hot date had a less impressive meal, where the ham was too dry and the portions seemed slightly less impressive.

Even though I enjoyed my omelette, there was something about the place that just felt so rushed. Even though our server was great with the coffee, I also felt like there were a couple of workers who wanted us to relinquish our booth for the line of people waiting to be served. But I don’t blame the restaurant, it’s just sort of the nature of coffee and breakfast places on 15th in Capitol Hill.

In any case, if you want a comfortable atmosphere and like the bustle of people on a weekend morning, check it out.