Shawn "Shawnblog (dotcom)" H.'s Profile

I had a business appointment at a private residence a few miles from Chestnut Ridge Market. I noticed the place, which just looked "right" as I drove by before the appointment.

I had already eaten lunch, but thought maybe I'd stop back by after my business was done to see if they had anything good. This is quite a way off the beaten path and I figured it could be really something special... or not so much. I'm a risk taker!

My appointment was with a local resident who had great things to say about Chestnut Ridge Market--especially the pizza. Good pizza is always worth stopping for, so the plan was set. I also had an evening appointment scheduled, so a slice on the way would be good since I wasn't going to be eating a regular dinner. Plus, my wife didn't want to cook herself dinner because she wasn't feeling well.

I walked into Chestnut Ridge Market and quickly realized I would be saving the day for my wife (not uncommon...that's how I roll--she'll tell you). Everything from Pot Stickers to Home Made Meatloaf and quite a lot more filled a 12 foot case right there in front. There were also some baked goods, but I was fixated on the food!

The pizza did look great, but I decided to go for the Pot Stickers. I took a Meatloaf home and set it all up for her before my late appointment. Yes, I'm rad. I know. Also, I just finished the meatloaf. It's comparable to my Mom's, which is better than your Mom's. Just sayn! ;-)

Chestnut Ridge Market is well worth the stop. I'd go out of my way for their food any day.

I love the curry rice. Sushi isn't bad, but just that. Service is lame.

A friend gave me her $30 Living Social deal, so I figured I'd go check it out one more time after two previous unfriendly waitstaff visits here. This was probably the last try (I really love the curry rice).

When my wife and I walked in, there were 4-5 people in the bar area, but no host:

On previous visits, I walked upstairs and was seated (no host in site on those visits either), so we walked upstairs since I really had no idea about how seating is supposed to work here--until this visit! A server near the top of the stairs greeted us with a sort of you're not supposed to be here tone with "hey can I help you with something?" to which I replied, "table for two please", fully expecting she would just seat us at one of the many open tables.

Instead, I was truly surprised with her reply of, "actually we're host seating now" (or something like that--with quite a lot of snark). I picked up on the attitude before she was finished and replied with my most sincere FUSmile shining and "I didn't even notice a host at the door" and started to head back down the stairs without waiting for her response which was some excuse that the host was seating someone else at the moment.

So, we waited several minutes downstairs with another party that walked in after we got to the host station. $30 is $30 and we drove all the way down here from Takoma Park, so we were going to wait!

The host finally arrived and was cordial, but failed to speak up about the fact that we were just standing there waiting without having been greeted for more than a few minutes at the front of the house. It was before 7 and the place only started getting full about 20 minutes after we were seated, so it wasn't a matter of being  busy--and besides, MORE HOSTS is probably a good management idea if you're seating people.

Our server quickly stopped with water and asked us if we wanted to order drinks. I hadn't even looked or thought yet, so she said she would come back. She made it back in just under 10 minutes, which might be okay if you're really cool and live in the neighborhood, but not so much for us. So, we ordered a few things to share. No extra plates were offered, but the food came out quickly and was not bad at all. I've read here that Sticky Rice doesn't offer carry out orders which might be the only way I'd ever consider this place again...and that's solely because of the service--NOT the fruit flies.

All restaurants get fruit flies. Sticky Rice must have a serious problem because we were upstairs at the front of the house. Fruit flies usually congregate near drains, at or near the bar, drink stations and sometimes, the kitchen. I managed to kill one mid-flight after finishing my appetizer. A photo of the critter's final rest on my nearly empty plate was uploaded here on Yelp.

I didn't say anything about the fruit fly I killed or the others that were constantly flying around us as we ate because I'm not all that bothered by these things unless one is in my food, which was not the case. Of course, I'd prefer the restaurant take care of the problem since it's easy and cheap enough to do (not to mention their responsibility to maintain sanitary facilities and equipment). My level of concern was quite low--almost nonexistent.

I did leave the dead fruit fly in plain site on my plate, but only because that was where it landed when I went all ninja on it and I wasn't going to bother moving the cabbage on my finished plate around to cover my work. I was also sort of proud of my skill (this dirty work occurred when my wife had left to use the restroom) and again, I really didn't care about the fruit fly...but I was first amused and finally dismayed by the reaction of the server. She clearly saw the dead fruit fly on the plate because she silently stared with a locked gaze directly at that part of the plate as she picked it up, in noticeable "slow motion" and almost as though holding her breath so that I might not notice THE DEAD FRUIT FLY ON MY PLATE.

I would have said something if I were waiting tables. I guess I'd feel sort of like the customer should get taken care of and maybe wanted something done about what was sitting there. This chic didn't say a word. With the attitude of the staff on three visits now, I am sadly and totally unsurprised.

After the rest of our food, we had some leftovers and wanted a box. It had gotten busy and our server was taking orders from new tables. The FULL FIFTEEN minutes after I had slid our empty-ish plates way over to the side of the table before our server finally came back to our table was a ridiculously long wait to ask for the check and box, which we had to fill with leftovers with no spoon since the table had been cleared of everything--even our drinks.

THIS PLACE IS NOT GOOD IF YOU LIKE TO BE TREATED WELL BY THE STAFF WHEN YOU DINE OUT. THE FOOD IS NOT BAD, BUT THE PEOPLE ARE.

My now wife and I were on a Friday lunch then go to the beach date at Mekong Delta Cafe, which is on the corner right by this store. When we walked by, the guy bringing flowers in politely complimented my beautiful wife, so I stopped to get her a rose.

They were obviously busy, taking a delivery, making arrangements, on the phone, etc. I wanted one rose. It was as though Donald Trump had stopped in for a rose because everything stopped and the freshest long stem rose I've ever seen was shown to me and then wrapped the way you wrap a rose (not my thing at all).

They were incredibly professional and accommodating even for this tiny order. Oh and it was CHEAP!

Two words for this place: EXCELLENT SERVICE

We've been living in Takoma Park for almost a year now. When we first moved to the neighborhood, I noticed this place right away because it's right there at the corner of Eastern Ave and Carroll/Laurel. Maybe Pizza Movers is the reason at least 27% of the drivers at that 4-Way STOP... just... don't. Okay, they probably have nothing to do with those morons, but the people inside this place could use something like an attitude adjustment.

In our first few weeks living here in what I now lovingly refer to as "The Gateway to Langley Park" (we are beyond the hospital and across Flower), finishing up the move and getting situated called for pizza several times. Since I had seen this place and it looked awesome (PIZZA in neon ALWAYS looks awesome), I figured I'd bust out of the PapaJ's conformity that I've lived in for so long and give Pizza Movers a try. I mean, as a new Takoma Park resident (even without a Subaru or a beard), I might even be labeled as a corporate pizza loyalist or something worse for not locally sourcing my pizza, right?

I had a couple of good orders here. The pizza was okay. It's hard to do pizza very wrong for a long time and I believe this place has been here for quite a while. The prices were also pretty good.

Then, why the bad review? Oh right, the attitude thing!

I had yet another occasion where pizza seemed like a good plan and called Pizza Movers to order ahead for pickup on my way home. When the guy answered, he continued talking with someone else there in the kitchen or wherever they answer the phone. This is, of course, rude. It's also no way to run a business where you're taking orders over the phone. Since I'm the type that is easily offended by this sort of thing (after running a few businesses where phones were part of the scene), I spoke up with, "are you ready for me now or do you want me to call back later!?" (heavy on the snark).

The guy tried to go ballistic on me for daring to call him out. I quickly and curtly cut him off to remind him that he had answered the phone to take my order. He began to go off again, so I hung up. I've never called back. This review was sitting in my drafts for the last 8 months or so because that's how much I really care... only I found myself with a few free minutes responding to follower/friend requests here on Yelp and decided to plow through ALL my drafts. (social media junkie)

I guess that Pizza Movers guy inadvertently did me a big favor. I don't eat much pizza anymore and I've lost almost 50lbs since then because I'm getting really good nutrition instead. Ask me bout that and I'll tell you how.

Barely renovated, a little smelly, and just old. 2 stars because there was a ST GILES vanity plate on the vehicle parked outside (so I felt like the place was sort of classy as I walked in).

We booked this on the Hotel Tonight iPhone app. I suggest always checking the place out before getting excited about those deals because sometimes they just aren't great.

They have a fantastic cafe that must be the best kept secret in the area. There's a prepared selection of wonderful, classic Thai foods available at lunch and a really serious menu that you can order from at dinner--but be prepared to wait if you order.

There's also a good sized "Asian" grocery attached to the cafe. There's a wide variety of most things you might want to prepare your own food at home. We buy all our rice here along with quite a few other things every time we visit.

We left without ordering because the prices seemed pretty high and the fish did not look very fresh at all. Also, there were a bunch of people just hanging out in there. Maybe they were waiting for a sandwich or platter to be made, but it seemed like they hadn't been to the counter and they were taking up the very limited seating area where we might have eaten had we decided to stay and order.

The vibe in this place was really weird, but that could have just been a momentary thing for me. The menu looked good!

So, I'm shopping. Everyone is walking around the mall. It's the holly daze.

Up ahead of the 373 other shoppers that seem to not really know exactly where they're going next, I see the Teavana logo. I need tea. Now.

The store is surprisingly uncrowded in the midst of the zombie-like crowd of shoppers I was just part of outside the store as I crossed the threshold of the store. I usually grab a sample, but they were out of the little plastic sample cups.

No big deal, I thought... I was in for a very necessary cup of something green. I was still fighting the last part of a nasty cold and my energy was very low after only a short time at the mall. I'm not a shopper, I'm a getter. The mall is NOT a place I want to be--ever.

As I approached the counter, a serious Teavana employee greeted me with an immediately disappointing response to my request. During the holiday shopping season, they don't serve cups of tea. I guess I can understand this. I mean, they make more money selling loose tea and accessories.

Cups of tea are really just a nice touch on the Teavana "experience" that is, while wonderful and classy, simply cuts into the bottom line during a consumerist feeding frenzy/holiday season. So, they decided to cut it out. Classy? Nice? Wonderful? Yeah, whatever... Not until December 26th (according to the clerk that sent me to Starbucks for my tea). I'm no fan of the buck either, but I sure won't think of Teavana for loose tea or a cup anytime soon.

Blueberries inside and on top of the pancakes.

Real maple syrup.

Actual corned beef with those fried potatoes.

I'm not sure I can say much more without going back to New York.

Kubo is awesome. You can get a lot of great Filipino groceries here. On one trip to Kubo, we  got a big Goldielocks "Sansrival" (without rival) cake that was absolutely delicious. We've gotten a lot of other great stuff. If you love Filipino foods, this is your spot.