Sarah "slygirl" L.'s Profile

I remember a thread in the Talk forums about a Yelper who was a fan of milk tea pudding. Black milk tea is one of my favorite flavors, so that's what I ordered when I came to Jumbo Jumbo. I saw pudding as an add-on so I requested it. With bubbles as well. I think the Taiwanese dude raised a proverbial eyebrow and mentally declared me a n00b. Pudding with boba is just plain weird. Texturally, it tastes like soft tofu. Combined with perfectly cooked boba? Just too much going on, man. So lesson learned--next time I will pick one or the other.

Note: Minimum order $10 for credit cards.

I recently rode back from NY to DC on Megabus. This updated review was averaged between me and my boyfriend.

Pros
- For 2 people, the price was $22.50. Awesome price if you like to plan ahead and buy your tickets in advance.
- We arrived one hour early and was able to take the 3:30pm bus. They usually charge a fee to change your time but the guy told us not to worry about it. So I guess sometimes they enforce the rules and sometimes they don't.

Cons
- Leg room was uncomfortable for my 6'2" boyfriend
- Seems to be a bumpier ride
- Hot bus
- The guy behind us was the loudest mouth breather ever. I seriously thought he was snoring for 4 hours. Nope. Wide awake.

Also, fellow passengers? I think some of you need to invest in a good set of noise-cancelling earbuds or headphones. Some good brands are Sennheiser, AudioTechnica, Etymotic, and Klipsch. And I suppose if you're a sucker for marketing, Beats by Dr. Dre (seriously, go with the other brands). Beyonce will sound a lot better, and you won't kill your hearing by blasting her songs through those crappy Skullcandy earbuds. Trust.

We had a fantastic late lunch here last Tuesday. We were on our way to the Museum of the Moving Image but were famished. We were warmly greeted by the owner and he explained the menu. They have a Weekday Lunch Combo Special from 11am-4pm. For $7, you get your choice of one arepa and a juice or soda. For $12, you get 2 arepas and a juice or soda. The fillings were wide and varied, from traditional Venezuelan-style shredded beef to baby shark.

I forgot what my friend ordered, but I chose camarones (shrimp cooked with tomato, onion sauce, and cilantro) and pabellon (shredded beef, black beans, fried sweet plantains, sprinkled with white cheese). They came with bottles of cilantro mayo and another sauce that was hot and sweet. I love condiments, so I generously used both. I enjoyed the contrasting savory and sweet flavors of the pabellon. Their cafe con leche was also surprisingly delicious. This meal hit the spot, especially since we haven't eaten anything since 6:40am.

This is my second time trying arepas (my first being at Caracas). This one was a much better experience. Great lunch special, no wait, and you don't feel like you're rubbing elbows with the customers next to you. Pro-tip: grab more napkins, as it can get messy.

I imagine the Forest Glen Metro station to be a scene from a horror movie. It has a post-apocalyptic ambiance. It's always eerily quiet. You could almost imagine descending down its depths, only to be attacked by zombies when the elevator doors open. As you deflect the zombies, you have a choice: head in the direction of Glenmont, or Shady Grove? Which will you choose?!

In all seriousness: this is a nice, clean, quiet station. The elevators are always working, and there is ample parking. Another perk is if you're feeling flatulent, you can let one rip as the train whooshes past you. No one will be the wiser. Not that you heard that from me. *whistles*

3.5 Stars

I blindbooked this hotel via Hotwire for an overnight stay for an incredible price of $91 plus tax. I did some research on Better Bidding before placing my bid, and there are two 3.5 star hotels on the UWS that would have been a match. This was one of them. We had no problem getting from our bus drop off point to the UWS, but then spent 20 minutes finding the hotel. To our embarrassment, it was right next to the Bra Smyth store on the corner. In our defense, the building is currently covered in scaffolding and the hotel's HB sign really looks like the logo for a construction firm...

Our room wasn't ready but the front desk agent offered to upgrade to a double standard room for an additional $30, which I declined, as we were only staying the night. When we came back around 5:30pm, our room was ready. It's pretty small--the smallest room I've ever stayed in NYC to date. However, the room can hold a bed, desk, TV, and the bathroom had its own shower stall. I find the wood floors to be odd (more work for housekeeping) but they do add a bit of warmth to the room. The LG flat screen is nice, but what's the point of having a high def TV when all the channels are in analog? Sorry, the picuture looks like crap.

It's a short walk from the 79th St stop on the 1 line. We went to Astoria, Chinatown, and Midtown and found that the shortest trip was to Chinatown. It's also walking distance to Alice's Tea Cup, Central Park, and the museums.

The only thing I did not like about our stay was the jackhammering in front of the hotel that began at 7:15am. Otherwise, I enjoyed our stay here and found the staff to be accommodating and responsive. The self-serve hot water, tea, and cocoa station in the lobby was also great for those chilly mornings. Complimentary internet was also a plus--no drop in connectivity during our stay.

A few months ago, sister had a LivingSocial deal that was about to expire, so she, my brother and I came here for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised at the warm staff, amazing food, and reasonable prices. We had grilled cheese as a starter, followed by  burgers and club sandwich. The signature cocktails were also great. The fact that I can recall their version of a Dark and Stormy being loads better than the recent one my manager ordered at Busboys is a testament to that.

My sister had trouble finding parking, but eventually parked in the lot by Sushi-Ko. It was fairly easy for me to reach the restaurant via bus. From Georgetown, I boarded a 30-series bus (like the 36 to Friendship Heights).

Definitely worth a return visit, especially since I hear that Town Hall is great for brunch!

This is one of those restaurants where the median age of the patrons are in their mid-50s and they have a set routine where some day of the week, they go to Greek Village for a meal. I've been to a greek place in Reston that's family run, and the staff makes you feel welcome and valued. Here it's like they go through the motions, but their heart isn't in it anymore. We feel out of place as the youngest patrons there, and for some reason feel under dressed. Our young waitress looks like she's in high school but moves and thinks like someone three times her age. The food was okay, the portions were decent, but the prices are not what you expect of a strip mall restaurant. (Later on, my brother and sister had to hunker down in the restrooms at Target...)

Anyway, the main reason for our less than stellar meal was the check. My sister and I were splitting the bill for dinner. She gives our young waitress her debit card. It was declined. My sister is flipping out because she thinks someone stole her debit card number and she has no money in the bank. So I pay for the rest of the tab with my debit card. We're driving to Target and she calls the bank while we're filling up on gas. The helpful agent at the bank told her that there was no problem with her account at all. Our server had entered her debit card number incorrectly, and that's why it was declined. Meanwhile, I'm secretly flipping out because I'm checking my bank account online through my sister's iPhone and it looks like I was charged for my half of the bill, and was charged again for the entire check. I was wondering how I would convince the restaurant on how to give me a refund, as I only received a copy of one of the receipts. But after a few days, the first transaction was dropped, much to my relief. I don't think we will come back again as you should never feel that stressed after a meal.

3.5 Stars

I felt the price of the teas were expensive for single serving. However, $2.50 for a pot of tea isn't too bad if you plan on hunkering down in this coffee shop for a while. We ordered the lemon ginger and chai to go. I wouldn't consider the lemon ginger to be a tea, per se--more of a lemon ginger syrup. True to Sweetwaters' name, it was overly sweet but I can definitely see its benefits if you're feeling under the weather. It was a much-needed pick-me-up since it was cold this week. I actually watered it down with more hot water when I got home and the flavor improved immensely.

My boyfriend's chai was fine. He also mentioned it being very sweet. There was a snafu with his order as well--he wasn't paying attention and a girl grabbed his chai (with milk). She was actually waiting for a soy chai. Well, he ended up with the soy chai because he didn't want to wait for another order. So now I'm searching Yelp for a one-star review of an angry lactose-intolerant girl who will blame Sweetwaters for making her chai with milk. So far I haven't seen any such review, so hopefully she enjoyed it and didn't spend the rest of the afternoon on the toilet.

I was told this place was tiny, crowded, and expensive. All of the above are true. While I didn't wait in line for the deli, I did try a delicious French olive oil ($40) and some jams and vinegars. The staff is happy to give you a sample of anything, even the $600 balsamic vinegar (I did not have the balls to ask for that). They are upbeat and professional despite the chaos and claustrophobic conditions. I walked out spending under $24. I purchased a pure cider jelly, green peppercorn dijon mustard, and ginger grapefruit marmalade. All I felt were unique and reasonably priced. Definitely stop here if you have a foodie on your list and you're stumped for ideas on what to get them for their birthday or the holidays.

Been eating here since I was 8 or so--I'm 30 now so you do the math. We've experienced our fair share of banh mi shops, but Nhu Lan always consistent in the quality of their product. The only thing that's changed over the years is the interior and the pricing. Also, if you buy 5 sandwiches, you get 1 free, but this is the same model that's used in nearly all the Vietnamese delis.

PSA to English speakers: it is "banh mi", not "bahn mi". There is no "ahn" in the Vietnamese language. An odd way to remember is to think of "bang mi"--the letter G is next to H on the keyboard.