Lynn "word collector" S.'s Profile

$78 for a haircut and shampoo  is certainly the high end of the spectrum for a wash and cut, but I was not thrilled with the outcome.  This was the wrong place for my wavy hair. I was pleased with how light and open the shop was, but on the downside, it allows everyone passing by, to look in.

This salon staff is trained to use a very rigid technique and it seems to work best on straight hair. They do not use round hair brushes to add volume, so I would assume thick hair is what it works best with.  Advance appointments are encouraged, though walk-ins are accepted.

I can officially upgrade this restaurant after visit #2.  It was great!  The vermicelli bowls were full of fresh chopped lettuce, bean sprouts, and rice noodles. Two of us had the egg rolls and one person tried the lemon chicken on top.  The owner served each with a vinegar sauce on the side and chopped peanuts on top.  The place was full of people who worked nearby and  next to our table, one family. My friends enjoyed discovering this little gem in our own neighborhood.

We loved the lunch, appreciated the cold lemonade (with a lime wedge) and had no difficulties until we tried to pay our bill.  (It is a family run restaurant and customers were chatting with the owner, so I just went up to the register and requested it).  Though it is a casual place to eat, but the room is colorfully painted and actually, very pleasant. I plan to go back often, so look for me there.

I am one of the sad customers forced to travel down the road into the next county because my favorite gas station/repair garage closed in Great Falls. I followed Mark the manager, Chris and others to Sterling because I have trusted them with the family cars for many years and have never been disappointed. Mark's mechanics  have helped me with brakes, tires, a new radiator and a sticky back window.

Their new location is huge compared to the previous location, with many service bays, allowing them to do quick oil changes.  In addition, they have a mini-mart and dry cleaners on the property, near the gas pumps. It is a spacious facility, located just off tree-lined Algonkian Parkway. Customers remain loyal because of the managers' reputation for providing consistently reliable, courteous customer service.

Both the garage and the surrounding property were very clean, and I had absolutely no difficulty getting an oil change without an appointment.  The mechanic even checked my air conditioning filter, which needed replacement, and reminded me that one of my windshield wipers was deteriorating and would soon need replacing.  They even vacuumed my car's interior.  As most of their former customers,  I am such a solid fan of this team that traveling a bit further into Loudoun is worth it.  I love the way they treat people.

This is one of  several Thai restaurants bearing the same name.  It recently took over space occupied by another restaurant in the center of a booming business/residential community.  The potential for success is huge...so  why is there no change in the interior decoration?  The food is very good, but the portions are skimpy and dinnerware is boringly  plain.  Attractive plating of the meal in an ethnic restaurant typically suggests colorful, culturally appropriate dinnerware.  Chopsticks were not even offered to my group.  Excellent food served in a dull environment totally misses the point. Dining out should be a fulfilling sensory experience, quite unlike eating at home.  Busara could use an interior facelift.  At least right now, it's a retaurant lacking a soul.

This restaurant/microbrew ery with an attractive Western interior is not providing as pleasant an experience as its namesake predecessor (just off Route 50 in Falls Church). The Pale Ale and Black and Tan beers, the barbequed ribs and the salmon-topped salad tasted the same, but the service at this location was inadequate. When you can't get a straw, have to ask for coffee refills, need more sauce and napkins, it interferes with the experience of escape attached to dining out: Relax, someone else is handling the details.

So, despite the ease of parking, the attractive interior, the great menu and an incredible location just off Route 7 at the entrance of a business park  this location's overall performance is just average. I've tried sitting at the bar and secondhand smoke aside, I had good service twice, very poor service twice.