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178 Useful, 41 Funny, and 136 Cool
Silver Spring, MD
Yelping SinceAugust 2006
Find Me Ina good mood, hopefully
My HometownMaryland
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm helping.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI tell the truth and occasionally it's amusing.
My Second Favorite WebsiteGoogle, of course
The Last Great Book I ReadLove Is a Mixtape
My First ConcertDonnie and Marie
My Favorite MovieRed Dawn
My Last Meal On EarthSteak and red wine
Most Recent DiscoveryNobu Tempranillo
Willow Street, PA 17584
(717) 464-8878
Wasabi Japanese Restaraunt
Category: Japanese
In other sad news, the guy who works the door at the Cafe Japone was there the last time we tried to go to karaoke because it was my friend's extreme wish. He was a jerk then, and he was a jerk now. Like I said before, if you're not in New York, and you work at a not-great sushi place, you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself. Tool. Ugh.
Anyway, after he directed us downstairs in his typically not-charming fashion, we stepped into some under-the-sea, technicolor, 1970s fake Japan meets Studio 54 acid trip. High, it would be amazing. Not high, just weird, and you saw the cracks in the seashell chairs and it was just profoundly depressing.
The food, right. Ok. The tuna tataki was terrible. The sushi was ok, but by that point I'd lost all faith given the state of the tuna. I am weird about sushi places although I'm not a picky eater at all. The surroundings were just so very bizarre, none of us could really handle it. Would not return.
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6/26/2008
We never made it past the front counter.
What a jerk the overimportant "host" was. We had a reservation. We were a little bit late. He gave our table away. Okay.
However, he let us stand by the door for about ten minutes before he told us that, leaving me entranced by the totally cramped and tacky fire hazard of a room, where essentially people just stand up by their tables and sing.
When he finally told me, the de facto spokesperson for my group because I was crammed closest to the bar, that "YOU WERE LATE, and I gave your table AWAY, and someone MIGHT get up," I asked my friends if we could just leave, because oh my stars, I hate that kind of rudeness. Like people are NEVER running late from the Metro? I mean, it wasn't ideal, but get over it and move to New York where I at least find that kind of dismissive attitude - and sneering, that was nice too - more atmospheric than here at home sweet home.
On this particular evening, it just made me despair a bit more over the level of civility of human beings, it made my friend from school sad because she really wanted to do karaoke (like this was my idea? Nope.) and I ended up with a yucky crab quesadilla from The Front Page. The highlight was the big jazz busking band by the Krispy Kreme after that, which restored the faith the Japone dude stomped on, just a teeny tiny bit.
DC can be so up and down.
San Diego, CA 92107
(619) 224-4540
Newport Pizza & Alehouse
Categories: Pizza, Pubs
Neighborhoods: Ocean Beach, Point Loma
And the music was too loud. And the pizza was ok but not great (doughy crust - not a fan, and sort of runny at that.) And you kids get off of my lawn, but whatever. I would have probably given it five if I were drunk, but that wasn't happening at the time. Get over yourselves, pizza people. Be nice. Isn't that the alleged vibe around here?
The rolls were ok - not awesome. I'm on a salmon and white tuna with avocado kick, and they were both fine - also both under $5, which was nice. (I'm really starting to hate the upcharge on everything just for living in Montgomery County.) I also got a couple of pieces of white tuna nigiri because they were $1 apiece. Lunch came with a teeny-tiny ginger dressing salad and miso soup, so it was a lot of food for very little money. The green tea was nice, too.
I wouldn't drive special to get here but if I were in the Mt. Vernon area and had a sushi jones I'd go again.
Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 997-9311
The Cheesecake Factory
Categories: American (New), Desserts
That is not what happens there. What happens there, usually, is you wait a long time for a table and then you sit down and it's loud and menu is like a little plastic confusing book and you pick something that sounds like it's less than perhaps 8000 grams of fat and the size of the table and then you eat. And of course you get cheesecake because, we-hell, it's the CHEESECAKE factory, you idiot. That's what you get there!
So why did I just eat that super mega seared wasabi ahi tuna salad with the two dressings the apropros-of-nothing rice cracker shavings and also the fried macaroni and cheese appetizer? And why did I suck down the mojito again? Right! In preparation for cheesecake.
We didn't have to wait last night because a friend got there early (she loves this place, by the way. I'm just a hater.) and snagged a bar table. I'd never been to this location, but it's the same as the other two, in Rockville and Atlanta, that I've been to.
The food was ok. The waitress was extremely annoying, high-maintenance and rushy-rushy and snapping up the dishes while you were still eating, that sort of thing. But if I worked in this place I'd need Xanax cheesecake so I kind of feel for her.
Vanilla bean cheesecake was ok. White chocolate raspberry truffle was my favorite for a long time. I always, always feel like I should have just eaten dessert when I come here, and having done this before I think that's the ticket. Eat somewhere more sane - like home, maybe? - where the entrees aren't the size of a garbage-can lid, and go for cheesecake and maybe a coffee drink in the bar. Do not do the whole dinner ordeal. There are so many better places to do this.
My final irksome tidbit is the inclusion on the menu of a section of "Weight Management Salads." Hi 1954 . May I have some spiced apple rings and cottage cheese, too? You specialize in the fattiest dessert in the world besides eating cake icing out of the container (what what?) and you're not only going to give me three allegedly more sensible dining options, you're actually going to CALL THEM WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SALADS and make me order them that way? (And I don't mean me. The day I utter those words to a server is the day I ought to be spoon fed at home.) It really bothered me.
Meh.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 912-9545
The Best Wurst
Categories: Food Stands, German, Hot Dogs
Neighborhood: Downtown
This was ridiculous, though, even for me. The computer capital-B broke - as in black screen of death, no little spinning rainbow circle, BROKE. I took a cab to the Apple Store from downtown, and paid money I don't really have for an iPhone that I'd been meaning to get anyway.
The iPhone is, of course, awesome. Leeanna or LeeAnn or Anna Lee (I'm so sorry) was very helpful and competent where setting it up was concerned, and did not shame me about breaking basically everything I own and even acted slightly interested in my problems. Floyd the genius could do nothing with my computer, and more or less told me to suck it up til I got home. He was cute, though, and friendly too, in spite of the fact that it was Saturday at 3 p.m., basically the time when all Apple Stores everywhere reach critical mass and the fluorescent lights start to drive everyone collectively insane.
Three base stars because I got the answers I needed and an iPhone with minimal fuss. An extra star because everyone's so much friendlier in Austin than at home (sorry, home) which makes the news goes down just a little easier.
Austin, TX 78799
(512) 482-8000
Liberty Tavern
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Downtown
The waitress was cranky, too. I was a cranky waitress for seven years once, but never to people as nice as I am to waitresses because I was one for seven years, so I'm less down with it these days. Not impressed with any of it, really.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 457-8300
PF Chang's China Bistro
Category: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Downtown
We had 30 minutes for lunch and they had a bar spot open. I order three things at this place, anywhere it is - the wraps, hot and sour soup and Mongolian beef. The first two arrived fine and fast, and that is what I needed. My colleague - who is vegan - was easily able to get her meal adjusted to suit her, which it's always nice to see. .
Service was bad but the bar was slammed, so I'm guessing that was it. I was really too engrossed in my wraps to follow along.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 444-0012
Curra's Grill
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)
I could have stuck with the queso we shared, the completely delicious tres leches cake and another shaker or six of the Mexican martini goodness and wouldn't have missed the fish taco mess for a minute.
(Oh, and service wasn't so bad for us.)
Date

Wasabi was so good, better than my standby spot in the DC suburbs has been lately. I loved the combo salmon/avocado/cucumber roll without all the mayo/cream cheese that my local places seem obsessed with (and yes I can ask them to leave it off but it's nice to just have simple options.) The tuna and scallion roll was lovely as well, and the sashimi was very fresh. I just had room for two pieces of yellowtail but I may grab some for the road on Thursday.
Best? Very friendly woman helped me both times, and the second night we had a nice chat. It makes a difference, especially as accustomed as I am to dismissive customer service and garden variety rudeness. I felt good about patronizing their restaurant and sent a bunch of colleagues here too. I wish them much success in this spot.