Skip to main content

Ballston Redux

For reasons beyond my understanding I keep going back to Ballston Quarter expecting to find something special.  I keep being disappointed.  Construction is still a bear.  You either have to walk across Wilson Blvd two or three times to deal with sidewalk closures or walk blocks around the whole thing.  When I arrived this time the barn doors were open which was actually nice.  It was a pretty day and people were strolling in and out, taking advantage of the variety of seating options.  The food choices, however, landed me back in an unhappy place.  I was going to get something from the Mi & Yu Noodle Bar for lunch and grab a pizza for dinner from Turu's by Timber Pizza (the first time I tried to get a pizza from them they were "out" of pizza).  Doing take-out from the Noodle Bar proved a tad problematic.  On one hand they gave me a ton of food, but on the other hand it was all in separate containers (broth, tofu, udon noodles, vegetables) with no way to mix them.  So I switched out -- I would get the pizza for lunch and take the Noodle Bar offering home.  Problem #2.  The internet crashed and the pizza place could only take cash.  Plus, the service was really slow.  They only had one person working the register (with others standing around complaining about their jobs??!?) so after I finally placed my order I waited around, only to see a customer come back to complain about her pizza being burned (it was) and the guys behind me get their order before me.  Given that they ordered a pepperoni pizza and a salad and I only ordered a cheese pizza, this was perplexing, but whatever.  The pizza was decent.  Not a Margarita (my fave) it still had mozzarella cheese mixed with other cheeses, a tangy tomato sauce and a nicely chewy, tangy crust.  Inexplicably the basil wasn't added to the pizza but placed in a corner of the box.  This mystified me and made for an odd tasting addition.  In any case it was acceptable pizza but the hassle in getting it kind of wore me out.  The bowl from Mi & Yu was less impressive.  The toppings, noodles, tofu, an egg, some chopped veggies, was bland and boring.  Worse yet, the supposed veggie broth wasn't veggie and I ended up ... well, you know where I ended up.  So I won't go back to that particular shop.  Will I continue to keep "trying out" Ballston?  Oh, probably.  I just hope I can find a winner in this food court of duds.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Watch

Meant to invite some family members here but a friend beat me to the punch.  We compromised and went together.  Unfortunately, this is a place where it looks better than it is.  Across the board.  The funky design scheme makes it an echo chamber and, with the pumping music, very loud.  Conversation was difficult.  The menu is covered in glossy photos and descriptions of the food but ... I started with the Morning Meditation Fresh Juice, a pretty blend of citrus and beet.  Or I tried to.  Took three reminders to the waiter and when it finally arrived, halfway into the meal, it was 90% ice and 10% juice.  My companions opted for coffee.  It was ice cold.  Another long wait (about 20 minutes) to get new coffee -- and included a reminder to staff that they wanted fresh cups as well.  I ordered the Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl, which was described as having up to 12 ingredients.  It had three.  The quinoa, an egg, maybe two teen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Afghan Bistro

With family members moving to Springfield, it has been a struggle to find good places to eat so far afield.  After flirting with some chain restaurants near the mall, we tried a Pakistani restaurant (there are many, many Pakistani restaurants there), but it fell flat.  Finally, someone suggested this amazing place.  It's a little hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall.  With oilcloth table coverings, the vibe seems questionable.  For about a minute.  Then you are warmly greeted and given menus with a plethora of choices.  My party ordered a great number of items and every dish rose above expectations.  The staff are eager to please and checked in to make sure everything was okay, from food to drink needs.  When a member of my party dropped a piece of silverware on the floor one of the waiters swooped in with a replacement before we could even ask.   But onto the food.  We ordered the Potato and Leek turnovers, the Aushak (leek and sc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Junction Bakery & Bistro

Everything here was good.  My party got a Tofu Stir Fry, Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich, Crispy Flounder Sando, Sweet Potato Fries and a Chocolate Cream-Filled Croissant.  The food took a while but arrived literally hot off the grill.  The two sandwiches came with a plethora of side salad and a great homemade dressing.  Portions were large and all of us took home enough for a second meal.  The bill, with tax and tip, came to just under $75.  As mentioned, it was good.  Very good -- but not great.  Everything came close to being great it just didn't cross the line.  The cross-cut sweet potato fries were extremely munchable but the "Harissa Sour Cream" had a lot of sour cream and very very little harissa.  The Tofu Stir fry had a nice mix for a cold day but needed a little more oomph (I borrowed salad dressing from my companions).  Everything, including the Tofu and Flounder, were breaded and fried but didn't seem greasy until later....
Post a Comment
Read more