Eric O.'s Profile

Good haircuts for guys!

If you have the time, the short hours and the haircuts tend to run a third longer than most due to the student/teacher setup, Aveda Institute is a great place to get your hair cut.

The cuts have ranged from acceptable to great. With a nice shampoo, a usually friendly stylist and plenty of cute girls to see, that's certainly worth $15 + tip in my book.

By far the friendliest cup of coffee in town! The Americorps volunteers and staff that run the place are always warm, though perhaps too green for the coffee snobs out there.

It's fun to peruse the books, answer the daily trivia question or perch upstairs with your laptop. If you're in a pinch for lunch, they offer good pre-made salads and sandwiches.

To top it all off, the revenue goes to support a good cause, Habitat ReStore/Humanity in Charlotte.

It's a coffee shop...and as long as that's what you expect, I doubt you'll find a better one in Charlotte.

You'll find its' quaint, wooden interior filled with soccer moms getting their Chai on, 'web designers' with Mac & espresso and people like me getting a tasty caffeine fix. Be warned! Their wall of roasted beans is awfully tempting to the inner barista.

I'm a huge fan of the genial, knowledgeable and largely non-pretentious staff.

Edit:
Decided to give Little Toyko a second shot...it ended up with a fourth star.

Our waiter was amusing & perfectly attentive, the sushi a bit better.

Certainly the top Sushi restaurant in the area.

*******

Ventured down here on Friday & boy was it packed. Thankfully, it seems the local crowd prefers the flair of teppanyaki/hibachi, so we had plenty of room on the sushi side of things.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems Jackson's sushi restaurants were once diners. You won't mistake yourself for being in Little Tokyo.

The waitstaff was prompt & pleasant, and I imagine sitting at the bar or sushi bar wouldn't hurt the experience of a date or night out with friends.

The sushi, while short of remarkable, is a tiny step up from what I had at Nagoya. As one would expect, the rolls were hit & miss, so I vote for being adventurous & ordering at random. The menu is a good size, so you'd like be able to please Asian friends & picky, American eaters alike.

Eclectic, friendly staff. Always something relevant on the radio (NPR, Celts game). Decent selection of wine, good selection of liquor & always a new, strange beer to try.

Though I know my way around cars, I didn't have the tools since I moved up North. After reading all the glowing reviews on Yelp, I tripped down to 209 Broadway. It doesn't look like much, but Murph & Crew lie within.

Knocking suspension & squeaking brakes? Let's put it up on the lift. After twenty minutes tightening things up & realizing the rotors were just rusty from neglecting my baby, Murph tried to send me off without paying a dime.

Knowledgeable, fair & prompt. Highly, highly recommended.

Friends took me here for my birthday a few weeks back. I left a fan.

First off, I'd strongly recommend forgoing lunch if you're stopping by here early - no one in our party cleaned plate.

Of note, the smoothies (they don't serve alcohol), mariscada, shrimp moqueca & shrimp bobo were all warmly accepted. While they do offer vegetarian options, the Vegan of the group wasn't too impressed.

The only issues detracting from the experience are relatively minor. On a cold night, be prepared for a wicked draft if you're in line of sight of the door. Though we had a reservation, we were forced to wait outside for over 15 minutes for them to clear a table.

All in all, a welcome addition to my growing stable of good Boston restaurants. Not very suitable for larger gatherings of friends, but for a date or couples night, it fits the bill.

First off, the good:
It's fast, same day. Call ahead & you'll be in a chair in no time.
The vibe is laid-back rocker.
It's cheap

Now for the bad:
No blowdry unless you're prepared to shell out $20

The REALLY bad:
While Suni may be entertaining to talk with, she did not listen at all to what I wanted. I've been growing my hair out for 6 solid months, came in with a picture of a guy with longer hair than me & told her I was going for that look. She said great & started chopping away, literally. I walked out more upset over a haircut than I've ever been.

I won't be going back.