Ryan M.'s Profile

[This is a review I wrote all the way back in December 2003. Please take that into account. And sorry for continually calling it "The Cass Hotel."]

I'm always skeptical of outright terrible reviews that are sprinkled among otherwise decent write-ups of a hotel. For instance, when I was researching inexpensive hotels in Chicago, the Cass Hotel was at the top of my list. It offered good prices, especially for the location. But some of the reviews I saw on various sites mentioned absurd things like seeing prostitutes in the lobby. My BS meter went off. Surely, this hotel couldn't be that bad, right?

Right.

The Cass Hotel is, simply put, a good deal on a modest hotel in a good area of town. It's within a few blocks of an El stop, there are plenty of very good restaurants just down the block offering up everything from Indian to Thai food, and the hotel itself provided what you'd expect for the money... and a little more. Yes, the towels are thin, but if that's the worst you can say about a hotel, you're in pretty good shape. The room I stayed in with three other adults was just fine for the four of us. The bathroom was small but clean, the cleaning staff did a great job each day, and our floor was quiet. The Cafe was cheap and accessible and the front desk staff was very accommodating in keeping our five bags behind the desk after we checked out.

I think a lot of people go into places like the Cass Hotel expecting too much--you're not going to get five-star accommodations for $80 or less a night in the center of Chicago. But if you're not counting on having room service for dinner, the Cass will serve you just fine and leave you plenty of extra cash to spend on better things than frivolous hotel "features."

Pros: price, location, value, cleanliness

Cons: thin towels, expensive phone calls, slow-as-dirt elevators

The Bottom Line: If you're looking to save some money, you'll be more than happy with the value you get at the Cass.

If there's any spot in New York that's worth the hype, it's Lula's. The Supervegan page is one glowing review after another stating that the homemade ice cream is equalled only by the friendly service of the two proprietors. For those that haven't heard, Lula's is an all-vegan ice cream parlor (one of two in the city!) that looks like an authentic, old school ice cream parlor (and not in the kitchy way, at all). To get a good feel for the vibe, check out this excellent photoset: http://www.flickr.com/...

As soon as we entered, the owners told us, "Let us know if there's anything you want to sample." And sample we did. I eventually settled on a malt (a MALT! REALLY!) made with cake batter ice cream. My wife and daughter split a simple, but tasty, mint chocolate chip cone. I'm pretty sure that on our next trip to the city, we'll be coming here each night.

Yay for Lula's!

We knew for sure that we were going to Lula's Sweet Apothecary for dessert, so the next trick was finding a nearby restaurant for dinner. There were a few options, but we settled on Lan Cafe, a vegetarian (and very nearly vegan) Vietnamese restaurant that serves up veggie pho, half a dozen varities of banh mi sandwiches, vegetarian banh xeo pancakes, and every other traditional Vietnamese favorite you can imagine. The food was excellent. My banh mi with grilled seitan was perfect and my wife thoroughly enjoyed her banh xeo with mock pork.

Though not a vegan pizza place, the Two Boots listing on Supervegan indicated that they had a number of vegan choices, so we stopped by for a few slices.

When I stepped to the counter and asked if they had any vegan pizzas made, the guy indicated that they didn't and gave off the vibe that he didn't want to bother making one, either. I gave him a disappointed look and said, "Oh, you don't?" followed by a pregnant pause. He then said, tersely, "OK, I'll make one." He didn't ask what we wanted on it or anything, so we crossed our fingers and waited.

What we got was one of the best vegan pizzas we've ever had. It was cheeseless, but they seemed to have taken every possible vegetable from their kitchen (and maybe a few from next door) and threw it on a pizza. The result was a slice piled ridiculously high that seriously hit the spot.

[originally written 8/2007]

There's not a vegetarian restaurant to be found near where I live or work.  Our county, despite being the richest in the country and one of the fastest growing, doesn't have a single vegetarian (let alone vegan) eatery.  Sadly, much of the eastern part of the county has been strip-malled to death so there are Ruby Fridaybee's everywhere.  Thankfully, there is a pretty good variety of veggie-friendly Vietnamese, Thai, India, and Mexican restaurants.

One of my favorite of these restaurants is A Taste of Burma in Sterling, VA.  It's the relatively new sister establishment of the excellent Myanmar Restaurant in Falls Church, where my wife and I ate at frequently when we lived in the area.  Burmese cuisine, I've found, is unlike any other single cuisine in that area of the world.  Sure, it's got touches of southeast Asian style as well as obvious Indian influence, but there are some recipes that seem to be wholly Burmese.

One of these is my new favorite dish, their Fermented Tea Leaf Salad.  The menu describes it as "pickled tea leaf, cabbage, tomatoes, sesame, peanuts, broad beans, lime juice, garlic chips, and seasoning."  While the idea of eating a tea leaf salad may sound a little strange, let me assure you that it's delicious.  I honestly cannot even find the words in my vocabulary to describe what the taste is like.  I can't compare it to anything I've eaten before.  But, wow, is it good.

The restaurant itself is fast becoming my favorite place in the area to eat because it's usually relatively empty (hopefully not a bad sign for the business, as two consecutive Thai restaurants in the same location went out of business in less than two years).  Initially, the service was kind of slow, but recently has picked up quite nicely.  The owner, the brother of Myanmar's owner, is very friendly and sometimes brings out new non-menu items for me try.  His sister is vegetarian, so I've been told to rest easy that the vegetarian dishes really are (ie. no fish sauce).

[originally written 1/2008]

I've mentioned before that finding a good variety of veggie food can be difficult in Loudoun County, VA.  It gets trickier the further west you go.  Leesburg offers a few restaurants with a few veggie options, but nothing anywhere near an all-vegetarian restaurant.

Thankfully, there's Xuan Saigon, Leesburg's only Vietnamese restaurant, located on Fort Evans Road in the same shopping center as Anita's (which is visible from business Route 7).  Their menu has a seemingly small vegetarian section, but there are other veggie options scattered throughout the menu, and all are quite good.

Chef Xuan Nguyen's daughter-in-law is vegetarian (possibly vegan, I'm not sure) and helped to ensure that these dishes are made and served truly vegetarian.  They're not made with fish sauce, which is comforting, and if they happen to bring you fish sauce as a side, you can ask that they bring out a tasty veggie sweet and sour sauce instead.

I've been to some Vietnamese restaurants that offer a "vegetarian pho," but when grilled about the broth, they admit to using the same beef stock that they use for their beef pho.  Thankfully, this isn't the case at Xuan Saigon.  Instead, their broth is a homemade veggie broth that's simply delicious and compliments the full bowl of rice noodles, veggies, and lightly fried tofu.

The one appetizer that you simply have to try is the Ginger-Lime Tofu.  Every guest we've taken to the restaurant-including avowed tofu haters-has been amazed at the ginger-and-onion-topped crispy tofu.  It's finished off in a nice sour-and-salty fashion with a dip in a lime juice, salt, and pepper mixture.  .  For every two people in your party, order one of these appetizers.

Last night while talking with our server (one of the chef/owner's sons), he asked if I was vegan.  When I nodded a confirmation, he mentioned that they've just worked up a new dish that's not on the menu, a vegan crepe stuffed with all sorts of veggies.  It sounds like banh xeo, which I've had homemade before, but never in a restaurant.  Let's hope it makes it onto the menu soon.

Beyond the food, though, is the service.  Many of the people you'll encounter are family members and Chef Xuan often comes out and greets diners during their meal.  She's a kind, generous woman and it's heartening to see her vision for a unique Vietnamese restaurant succeeding in Leesburg.

So, next time you're shopping at the outlets or hanging out in Leesburg for some other reason, schedule some time in for a stop by Xuan Saigon.

Though I've had Java Green's food a number of times over the last few years at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary's events, I'd never been there in person.  I made my first stop there this past weekend and was just as pleased with their restaurant as I've been with their catering.

First of all, I applaud their commitment to the environment, right down to biodegradable plastic cups, plastic bags, and straws.  Why aren't more restaurants doing this?  Throw in that they use wind-powered and I feel as smugly happy about spending money there as I do at MOMs (My Organic Market).  Green is good.

Here's a quick rundown on what my wife and I ordered:

Temptation sandwich - tasty combo of grilled tempeh, spinach, roasted red pepper, soy cheese.  Nothing mind-blowing here, but overall, quite good.

Silk Road salad: they do pretty much nothing with the silken tofu, but if you cover it in the delicious sesame sauce, it's really tasty.  The seitan chicken and roasted seaweed are really nice additions that make this a delicious combination of flavors and textures.

Tea lemonade: a not-too-sweet drink that was surprisingly different than I was expecting.

Vanilla soy milkshake: pretty much what you'd expect (damn fine, in other words).  Expensive for the size, but hey, so what?

The employees are friendly, unpretentious, and quick to deliver your food with a smile.

My one hope for Java Green is that they go straight vegan with all of their ingredients.  Phooey on dairy.

The employees: generally quite nice.  Especially the folks that have been there for a really long time.

Everything else: like jamming yourself in the eye with a pencil dipped in acid.  Even with their great extended hours, it's hard to find a time where there aren't more than 20 people in line.

They also seem to have a real problem keeping the doors functioning and the self-service kiosk in working order.

And they got rid of their package pick-up window, which makes sense because they never answered the bell anyway.

And they pulled that bogus deal where they took the clock off the wall so you (supposedly) don't notice how long you're standing in line.

After reading some previous reviews, I half-expected the Rock-n-Roll Hotel to be located admist a collection of bombed out shells of buildings with hoards of people skittering around waiting to attack clubgoers.

Of course, it was nothing like that.

The main critique I've seen here, of the neighborhood, is pretty much unfounded.  Sure, it's not exactly a hopping area, but it's quiet, well-lit, and I didn't feel the least bit unsafe even after the show.  It can be difficult to find parking, though, so leave yourself some extra time beforehand to find a place.

The club itself is really nice.  Sound was good the night I went.  The first floor is the standard bar/stage, but the upstairs lounge stood out.  It's a nice place to hang out between sets -- it's cooler in temperature and the little themed rooms are nicely done.  Even the bathroom's clean.

Can't find much to hate about the Hotel other than its distance from Metro.

Shows are all ages unless otherwise noted on their site.