Kathy G.'s Profile

While camping in the UP over the summer, I came into Marquette with my friends for a little "urban" luxury. We stopped in Babycakes for a snack and some caffeine, and it was the perfect respite. We were delighted with everything we purchased. The food was well prepared and delicious; the coffee was fresh and perfectly brewed. The girl behind the counter was patient and helpful as my friends and I tried to decide which of their yummy looking muffins to try. The baked goods here are, as noted, very good, but so is the rest of their food. I had a bowl of veggie soup that actually hit that rare and delicate balance of healthy and tasty. It wasn't bland and mushy like some veggie soups; it was hearty and flavorful. Babycakes also has a lovely neighborhood coffee shop feel to it. The local art and overall aesthetic manage to make the place look cute without seeming contrived. Overall I was very impressed. If I lived in the area, I have a feeling I'd wind up here all the time.

Hallelujah! I can now stop being one of those jerks who constantly complains about how much better everything was in my hometown. I moved to Northern VA from Chicago about a year ago, and the food/ beverage transition has been rough at times.There are virtually no independently owned neighborhood coffee shops, which were a staple of my daily life. There are a few neighborhood bars, which were the staple of my night life, but not very many that are neither frat boy hangouts nor sad old drunk hangouts. There is no Mexican food!

I have adjusted to many of these shortcomings, and I've discovered some of NoVa's culinary strengths too, such as a lot of kick-ass Indian and Korean food. One thing I could not possibly give up on, however, was my need for good sushi. After trying pretty much every Japanese restaurant in the area and being disappointed by the lot of them, I finally stumbled on Kawata, which has apparently been hiding this whole time in the suburban sprawl across from a Home Depot only a mile from my house! As other reviewers have noted, Kawata appears to be a remodeled Pizza Hut, but when you're eating fresh, flavorful sushi, who cares? The hot dishes are good as well - simple, well-spiced, and very fresh. And if i didn't go back a second and third time on account of the food, the service alone might have won me over. The woman (possibly owner?) who served us on each visit is so friendly and helpful.  

So no more complaining from me! Or at least not about sushi...

Sticky Rice would not make it in a bigger city. Just sayin'. The food is ok. The service is ok. This place is surviving on attitude alone. That, or a whole lot of people who don't know any better. The sushi is so-so. Many people love their special rolls, but throwing together a ton of different flavors to cover up mediocre fish is not what good sushi should be about.  Frankly, the hot dishes are a whole lot better, and the ingredients seem fresher and better prepared.

On an action packed road trip to see as many of the "World's Largest" things as possible, the Bavarian Inn proved to be the best of the inexpensive roadside motels we stayed in. My traveling companion and I had no reservations (yes, I know... sorry for the pun) on this trip, and so we were left to scramble for whatever lodgings circumstance provided. The night before we stayed in the Bavarian Inn, my friend and I had slept in a motel that furnished a small basket of rags with a sign reading:  "please use these rags for 'whatever' instead of our nice sheets and towels." No joke.

Bavarian Inn was more than a cut above the rest. It was incredibly clean, still pretty affordable, and had a decent German restaurant on the premises. It also had, much to the delight of two weary travelers, a rather nice indoor pool, hot tub, and game room. This isn't the Four Seasons, but compared to most other places in its price range, the Bavarian Inn is a great place to stay while visiting Mt Rushmore or Crazy Horse.

To be fair, I'm doing my best to rate Otani in the context of other Japanese restaurants in this area. I have yet to find really great sushi in northern Virginia. I've tried six or seven places, and they all seem to be solidly edible, but none has been delicious. With regard to the quality of the food, Otani is no exception. The fish in the sushi was bland but not gross. The maki were rolled properly, and the hot food my fiance ordered was more or less fine. There was nothing exactly wrong with any of it, but not a whole lot right, either. Otani is, however, out of the ordinary when it comes to price. It is definitely pricier than the average sushi joint. I imagine that this is because they are pushing the Japanese Steakhouse angle -- the interior is a little posher and the menu perhaps a bit more varied. Because of the price factor, and because the service was not great, I'd like to say two and a half stars, but I'll be a good sport and round up.

Do you like poetry? I realize that this will officially mark me as a cynic, but statistically speaking, you probably don't. There is, however, a chance that you might be thinking: "listen here, lady, I DO like poetry... I just never ever read it." If you find yourself in that category, or if you already know you love to read poetry, please take yourself to Bridge Street Books. Go upstairs to the small but well organized second floor. They have a fantastic poetry section that ranges from the heavyweights one might expect to find in a poetry section (Library of America editions of the collected Wallace Stevens, etc...) to the more obscure, like local poet's chapbooks, with a whole lot in the middle. You will almost definitely find something to enjoy here, and you will probably find me too, because I can't seem to stop buying things from them.

I didn't want to like this place as much as I did. I generally dislike eating establishments that have subtitles, and Founding Farmers' signage and online presence all proclaim "Founding Farmers. True Food and Drink." True Food and Drink? Hmm. I object to feeling like a restaurant is projecting its ethos too aggressively. However, I can admit to being wrong on two counts. One: Although self-righteousness is among the worst qualities to find in any man, woman, or business, I actually do appreciate the concept of supporting small farms. Of course I do; I just rankle at pretense. And much more importantly, Two: The food was so delicious, I stopped thinking about ideology and enjoyed myself immensely.

I had lunch with a friend who works nearby, and both of us were blown away by the simple tastiness of our meals. I had a veggie sandwich, which often turns out to be a mismatched pile of vegetables on a couple of anemic slices of bread. Not here. The veggies were a perfect combination of textures and flavors, and the bread was thick and grilled in butter. Let me repeat, grilled in butter. The sandwich came with the best homemade potato chips I have ever eaten. From now on, I will strive to be less anti-elitist. Bring on the subtitles if it means more food like this!

Good, solid Thai food in an aesthetically pleasing environment. The outdoor patio is just lovely, and the inside of the restaurant feels like you've stepped into Monet's Waterlilies -- but in a good way. Their classic Thai dishes are all respectable, but I have been most impressed by the specials. I recently had a roasted duck breast with the sort of simple preparation that can be boring unless the chef really knows his stuff. He does -- it was delicious.

Please do not let the affordable price tag convince you into renting one of these apartments. They are an absolute nightmare -- and I say this after a decade of apartment living that has engendered in me very realistic expectations. Layton Hall has the worst infestation problem I have ever encountered, by a long shot. The apartments are absolutely covered in roaches and bedbugs. I woke up with roaches on me in the night. Then there were the bed bug bites, despite the massive precautionary measures I took when I found out that my building had a bed bug problem. In fact, the affordable rent starts to seem like a moot point when you have to spend thousands of dollars on de-infesting (i think i made that word up) everything you own, and on unexpected relocation costs. I was even unable to cook in this apartment because there was a ventilation fan above the stove that would erupt with roaches the second I began to cook. They would literally drop down from the ceiling into my food. No hyperbole. I know, this is incredibly disgusting; I just want to impress upon you how serious the infestation is, and make sure you do not make the same mistake I did. When I moved in, I knew that there had been a "minor" roach problem in the building, and the office staff talked a good game about their extermination efforts. Nevertheless, it only took about a week for my apartment to become Wild Kingdom, and another couple weeks to start getting eaten alive by bed bugs at night. Seriously, don't let the price and location convince you.

The food is delicious, and the drinks are good as well (mangotinis!) I am pleased that they have both vegetarian and meat options. Although the prices are slightly higher than other places in the area, I think they are well worth it. The service is wonderful.