Wednesday, December 12, 2007



By: Justin, Ryan, and Fuzz

Awful Arthur's


Although Blacksburg, Virginia offers many dining options to its college student consumers, not many are as fun or delicious as Awful Arthur’s located on 213 Draper Road. Awful Arthur’s is a seafood chain which has other locations outside of Blacksburg, but the Blacksburg locale is especially convenient for Virginia Tech students. It’s a very nice place, but don’t come here if your style is lace and fingerbowls. Awful Arthur’s promises a good time.
Not only does Awful Arthur’s offer fresh, delicious seafood, but also includes comfortable seating, pool tables, live entertainment, and karaoke. The ambiance is a carefree and fun one. Huge fish tanks throughout the restaurant make you feel like you’re on vacation. The menu is also clever and fun. You may want to sample an “Awful Burger” or even the “Awful Platter” if you’re feeling extra awful.
I enjoyed the Bayou Salmon with Cajun spices and included fresh steamed vegetables and hush puppies. The food was fresh and the spices were not too strong or weak. Others with whom I was dining also said they enjoyed their meals and when asked about it later, one person commented that she liked the atmosphere.
Although Awful Arthur’s can be a place to eat and party, don’t be afraid to bring your family. It’s really a place for everyone. Although not cheap, the entire menu is reasonably priced and the seafood is very fresh. All in all, it’s a good deal.
Service at Awful Arthur’s was good. I, personally, like a waiter or waitress who will talk and joke with you. I like someone to make you feel relaxed and be your buddy. I can’t say that the service at Awful Arthur’s was like this, but it was certainly satisfactory. I wasn’t wowed by the service of our waitress, but was not at all disappointed.
So, you may be thinking, why can’t I just eat at Red Lobster or some other seafood chain. You may think that it’s essentially the same thing. Wrong! Awful Arthur’s offers an experience that you just have to see for yourself. The Blacksburg location only adds to the spirit and fun of Awful Arthurs; something that other places lack. Awful Arthur’s is unique because it has it all. It can be a hangout to chill with your friends and share a few drinks, or it can be a nice place to have a family meal.
Awful Arthur’s is a great place for any number of celebrations. The atmosphere is perfect for a birthday dinner or even a graduation dinner. The best part is really the versatility of the place. It can be whatever you want it to be. Personally, I went there with my parents and roommate for parent’s weekend, so it was a nice sit-down type of meal for us where we could be comfortably seated and relaxed. At the same time, though, there were many students there having dinner together and having a great time. I definitely recommend Awful Arthur’s for any type of event or celebration. If you’re looking for fun, relaxation, and delicious food, then Awful Arthur’s is the place to be.

Sushi Factory

By Peter Nguyen

Virginia Tech is ranked #1 in food service, but it lacks in one crucial area of cuisine: Asian food. At the beginning of the semester, I found myself constantly craving for decent rice. On my first trip to the Math Emporium, I passed by Sushi Factory for the first and I promised myself to eat at that place when I had money.

Walking into the small restaurant, I was greeted by the nice cashier lady and the sushi chef standing behind the counter. The restaurant only had four small tables with only two seats each. The menu, which could be found either outside the entrance or next to the cash register, was a sheet of paper folded in half and listed it’s thirty some options. The interior was very nicely decorated and gave an Asian feel to it. The walls were painted red and black, which matched with the lanterns that hung above the sushi bar. There were a few posters of famous Asian paintings. The bathroom was extremely clean and also well decorated. There was a stand in the corner with bathroom tissues and also a cute poster of instructions on how to wash your hand correctly. The music was complemented with the Asian theme as the songs that were played were in Japanese.

Looking at the menu, I was very surprised at the prices for it was relatively cheap. Normally sushi can go as high as a few dollars a piece of sushi, but at Sushi Factory the prices ranged from $3.00 to $6.00 for 6 pieces.

I ordered six pieces of the eel roll and 6 pieces of the V.I.P roll. I waited sitting on the table while sipping the delicious free tea. The wait for the sushi was only about five minutes long which afterwards I picked up the bag with the food inside a Styrofoam rectangular box, napkins, a pair of wooden chopsticks, a plastic saucer and three bags of soy sauce. The box was neatly decorated as well. There was a decorative piece of plastic colored green and shaped to represent grass. There were pieces of ginger and a chunk of wasabi in the corner.

As a fan of eel, I would have to say that the eel roll at the Sushi Factory was relatively good. The eel was traditionally wrapped on the inside with bits of cucumber and the rice was doused with eel sauce. The combination of the sweetness of the sauce and the saltiness of the eel was perfectly blended and required minimal soy sauce to complement the rice.

The V.I.P roll was a Sushi Factory specialty that contained rice, seaweed, spicy tuna, eel, cream cheese and avocado. The spiciness of the piece was immediately registered onto my tongue, but was followed by the smoothness of the cream cheese and the saltiness of the eel. Overall it was a bit too much at once, but had an interesting combination of flavors.

The Sushi Factory is perfect for the typical college student. He or she can stop by before going to the Math Emporium to treat himself or herself to a small, healthy, and relatively cheap meal. However, as the restaurant interior is limited in size, I would suggest this place as a pick up and eat at home kind of meal.

College Town Restaurant

Have you ever gone to a college town to find the perfect restaurant? Look no further, Macado’s is the place to be. This restaurant is located across from the University Mall and the Math Emporium, so if you’re having a bad day because you had to face the Math Emporium; go to Macado’s for lunch. With its unsystematic décor, to welcoming waiters, and good food, Macado’s is never a disappointment.

Macado’s menu is unlike any other restaurant because it is a long list of any kind of sandwich and other snack type foods. On their menu, there are so many sandwiches to choose from; any sandwich you can think of is on the menu. I tried the Coney Island, which was ham, bacon, and melted cheese with mayonnaise on rye, fries, and a pickle. My meal was very good and it was the perfect temperature. The Coney Island with the fries and pickle was a lot of food for me, but it was good because I had leftover food for the next day.

The service at Macado’s was very good. The waiter was very informed about the different foods when questions were asked. He was very patient when my friends and I needed more time to look at the long menu when we were deciding what to eat. He was very quick with bringing out the food and drinks. The waiter was quick with a response to bringing out more drinks and the check. He was very helpful and made Macado’s a friendly place to eat.

Macado’s is a college town restaurant. The decorations range from life-size dolls of Superman, Batman, to pictures of themed nights that took place, and framed tee-shirts with different things on them. Customers eating at Macado’s would never get bored because there were many different things to look at while you were eating or talking. They even had a big screen TV where they had a basketball game playing on it. Macado’s was decorated in random items people could think of, but it was enjoyable to look at. In the restaurant, other customers were also fascinated by the décor of Macado’s because it was very unique. Macado’s was very welcoming and clean which is appealing because it makes customers enjoy their dining experience and make them want to go back there to eat.

After dining at Macado’s, I would rate it very high compared to other restaurants because of the uncharacteristic décor, welcoming service, and great food. If someone is looking for a good sandwich place, Macado’s is the place to go because they served any kind of sandwich you can think of. It might not be the best place for birthday’s because it is not a fancy restaurant. It is a casual dining place where people can go out to eat with friends. A reservation might be necessary for Macado’s because it is a very busy restaurant filled with families and college students going out to eat. Macado’s is a wonderful place to eat because it is filled with good workers, excellent food, and a comforting place to dine.

-Sara DeHart

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Southern Oven

The Southern Oven

The restaurant I visited is called the Southern Oven. It opened just two months ago, the same week as parents weekend, and it welcomes any guest seeking to experience great food and a homey atmosphere. It is located on 221 Progress St. behind the Wachovia Bank here in Blacksburg. Any student who wants to eat hearty and eat right, should definitely make the walk to Southern Oven.
The moment we entered the restaurant, we could tell there was a home-style theme. The tables were all wooden and placed in just the right spaces so that everyone could see the huge sixty inch TVs that were set up in almost every room. The walls were covered in beautiful sketches and paintings of old farm houses. The Southern Oven draws a group together and makes you feel like family. We were guided to our table and our waiter was already there waiting for us. He was extremely friendly and explained that the goal of the restaurant was to make you feel at home while eating great food. After the brief introduction, we ordered our meal. The meal is designed differently at Southern Oven because the restaurant is all you can eat but is served family-style, meaning that as a group, you choose an assortment of main and side dishes and they are brought out on platters and in large serving bowls. This style could be potentially problematic because, as a group, there must be some consensus about what to order. Our group of six, however, had little trouble and agreed upon the fried chicken and roast beef for our meats and mashed potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, and macaroni and cheese as our sides. Additionally, the meal was set up in was set up in a four course fashion.
The first course was an appetizer of chicken noodle soup. This was not any ordinary chicken noodle soup. It came out to us steaming and filled the air with its aroma. This soup was home-style; thick, tender, delicious chunks of chicken, carrots, celery, and noodles that were all cooked just right, causing flavor to burst from every bite. The soup was complimented nicely by the first of many baskets of fresh cornbread muffins.
The next part of the meal was salad and, as salads go, I would rate it an eight out of ten. It consisted of the normal vegetables, ice-burg lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and olives. All the vegetables were fresh and it was brought out only after everyone had finished their soup. The waiter was extremely adamant in making sure we had everything we needed.
After our salads, we moved on to the main part of the meal. They were brought out one by one in generous portions. The mashed potatoes and corn were still steaming when they reached the table. The macaroni and cheese was a creamy yellow with a crusted parmesan top. The beans and corn were average and didn’t come with any butter on top. Although somewhat unimpressive in presentation, it was nice to see good vegetables at the table just like mom would want.
The meats came shortly after and looked delicious. The roast beef and fried chicken consumed the room with their mouthwatering aroma. We wasted no time dividing out servings, passing the dishes, and digging in. The mashed potatoes were some of the best I have ever had. They had a dense consistency with a buttery taste. The macaroni was creamy but also had the crunch of the crusted parmesan. The beans and corn were surprisingly flavorful in contrast to the bland presentation. Then came the meats. The first batch of fried chicken was amazing. The batter was not too greasy and the chicken inside was tender and juicy. The all-you-can-eat style, inevitably led to us ordering a second batch. While the first batch was great, the second was a little bit too greasy, which displayed potential inconsistency in the cooking. The roast beef was the pinnacle of perfection. Both batches had all the right flavors and were juicy and tender.
When we had finished our fill of the main dishes we moved on to dessert. This consisted of a peach cobbler that was no less than a ten out of ten. The warm cobbler was topped with chilled whipped cream.
The waiter had done his job flawlessly and made sure we had everything we needed. Drinks and the check arrived promptly when asked for. We left Southern Oven with a new appreciation for home-style cooking and the content feeling of a full belly.

The Pick-Up Artist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOs1Hr_icmQ

Dan Riess, Sara Dehart, Kathleen Dwyer

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Friday, December 7, 2007

The Cellar

Despite its name, The Cellar is not dank nor is it below ground to any degree. Located just down the street from Squires The Cellar is conveniently located for Virginia Tech students.

The Cellar predominantly serves Italian food, and speaking as someone who loves Italian food and eats is quite often back home, they make it very well. They also serve subs, which I have yet to try, but I’m willing to bet I will before the end of the school year. I had the chicken parmesan as my meal, and it was very good. The chicken is coated with a layer of parmesan, and placed in the center of a pile of pasta. The pasta was covered with a very tasty marinara sauce and combined with the chicken and parmesan was heavenly. I was given quite a bit of food for the price, I’m a big guy and I wasn’t able to finish everything on my plate. The leftovers were able to make an entire separate meal on their own. In my previous visits to The Cellar I had ordered their pizza, which I will also highly recommend.

The service was very good, I went to the restaurant with two friends and we all had our drinks refilled constantly. The waitress did not seem fazed by the request for separate checks, which I have often found gets you a dirty look from staff at restaurants. My friends and I all agreed the service was excellent.

The inside of The Cellar is dimly lit with ceiling fan lights, creating an nice shadow effect on the walls that I enjoyed and thought was very nice for creating an atmosphere. However, my two friends said that it slightly bothered them, so it may be personal preference. The walls are covered with various items, such as newspaper articles about the restaurant and things like old wooden beams. There was one article next to the table I sat at that explained the history of the restaurant, which I found very interesting. The Cellar is over 80 years old, being founded by an Italian couple that had just immigrated to the US in the 1920’s. There was also a band playing in one corner, and when I say band I mean it loosely, as it mainly looked liked some guys having a good time. They played pretty decently, and I and my friends loved it, as it greatly added to the experience. I forgot to ask if this was an every night occurrence, but I did find out that anyone can sign up and play with the band on Tuesdays.

All in all, I thought The Cellar looked like a fun place to eat, especially if you have a group of friends. I don’t know how much fun it would be there to eat alone, but I have rarely found a place that I believe caters so well to groups of friends. I give The Cellar a nine out of ten.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Chinese Kitchen

Daniel Kim

For my restaurant review I went to a restaurant called “Chinese Kitchen”. I love Chinese food so my couple friends and I decided to go there. Chinese Kitchen is located in N. Main Street, Blacksburg. The location is very easily accessible to Virginia Tech Students. The distance by car is almost 5 to 10 minutes. As I walked into the restaurant, the place wasn’t as big, it was a small family owned restaurant.

The dishes I tried were Beef Lo Mein (Chinese noodles with chunks of beef and vegetables), Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Pork, General Tso Chicken and Wonton Soup. The Beef Lo Mein was my favorite dish because it had the biggest portion. Also it tasted very delicious. The flavor of the Sweet & Sour Pork was very different. The pork was very tender and with the addition of the sweet and sour sauce made it all the better. For General Tso chicken, it was very sweet and spicy at the same time. I love spicy food so this was good choice for me. the presentation of the food isn’t as fancy as some other luxurious restaurants, but the quantity of the food was a lot. The food definitely arrived hot and steamy. The portions were way bigger than enough, so be prepared to go when your hungry.

The service was very nice and sweet. The waiter is actually the person that takes all the orders and stands behind the counter. So you would go to the counter and order your food and then go sit down. The waiter will bring the food to you, so there were no complications with the service. For the beverage, you would have to go get your own water, because it was “self-service”, other than that the service itself was very fast and crisp. After you finish your meal you go up to the counter and pay for your meal.

The restaurant was clean; I found no problems dealing with dirtiness from the restaurant. There weren’t any decorations except for two giant frames that are pictures of some buildings in Hong Kong. There weren’t many customers in the restaurants because many people order “take-out”. So only a couple people were there when I went. The music wasn’t loud, and the whole atmosphere was very comfortable. It was a good place to just enjoy your meal quietly without much distraction.

Chinese Kitchen was definitely better than what I heard from other people. The food was great with big portions and the price was cheap. Most of the dishes ranged in the prices from $3.00-$10.00, it was a good deal. I wouldn’t celebrate my birthday there though, because of the limited space the restaurant has.

The Experiment of Trying Something New

Every college student needs a good meal before heading off to Lane Stadium on game day. The place to go would easily be PK’s. Located on Main Street, just across from Alumni Mall, it is an easy walk from campus. Even if it was not within walking distance, it would still be worth taking the trip.

Usually, going to a restaurant with a large group of people is a nightmare. However, this excursion to PK’s was a pleasant experience. Within a few minutes of arriving, they had a table ready to accommodate our large group of eight.

The first thing I noticed as I walked through the front door was the gratuitous numbers of televisions. I later found out that they have twenty-two televisions which includes two big screen televisions. There was always a television in view no matter where I was seated in the dining area. This means that anyone can see a sports game that is on one of the many televisions.

When ordering, I thought of my brother’s suggestion of getting the California Pizza. This is not something I would usually eat because of the fact that I do not like artichoke or spinach. He had highly recommended the California pizza to me so I took his suggestion. Surprisingly, the pizza was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone’s food came to us as if it had just come out of the oven. Usually I expect pizza to be greasy like the common fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut. This was not the case at PK’s. I noticed that this pizza was not greasy when I didn’t need a napkin to wipe the grease off my face. This was amazing to me because my parents usually bug me about using a napkin when I eat pizza.

Sometimes, when faced with a large group of college students, a waitress will be less attentive because they expect the tip to be low anyways. To my surprise, our waitress was attentive and on the top of her game. She would regularly come to our table to ask how everything was and if we needed anything. The cups on the table never became empty. At the first sign of anyone’s drink becoming low, she would quickly, and even a few times stealthily, refill our drinks.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the service and quality of the food at PK’s. The friendly Virginia Tech atmosphere was definitely pleasant and comforting, our waitress was polite and always quick to serve us, and the food was absolutely delicious. I would like to go back to PK’s soon and I recommend that everyone else give PK’s a try. You will enjoy your visit and want to go again soon.

-Justin Shevock

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The Sweet Taste of Revenge

Recently a few friends and I wanted to watch the ACC championship while eating a nice lunch. Buffalo Wild Wings was jam packed so we chose the restaurant right beside it, Boston Beanery. Now I know it seemed sacrilegious to be eating in a restaurant that had the same name as our opponent in Jacksonville but nevertheless we ate there.

Entering Boston Beanery the first thing noticed is the scenery. As it is the Christmas season, wreaths decorated the very clean interior. The server noticed my friends and I had Tech paraphernalia on and made sure we were seated near one of many TV’s. Not soon after being seated the waitress came to take our drink and appetizer orders. The atmosphere around us came across very positive. The other customers were not obnoxious but when Tech did something good on TV, the entire restaurant erupted with cheers and applause.

The waitress brought everything at the perfect time. When a drink became empty, she swooped down to snatch it and quickly refill. The food also arrived relatively fast. I started with a lobster bisque soup. The soup came at the perfect temperature, not too hot but not semi warm. The chef made the bisque with cooking sherry giving it an excellent taste you rarely have except in fancy restaurants. All three of my friends and I had a burger of some type for lunch. Mine was a barbeque chicken burger while someone else had the prime rib burger and the others had pub burgers; a Boston Beanery specialty. All the burgers came with fries and a pickle spear but you better bring your bib because these bad boys are messy.

When we were done our bills came when needed and the waitress thanked us for coming. The restaurant was better than others like it and a good deal. I would compare Boston Beanery to an Applebee’s or TGI Friday’s. Including the soup my meal came under 15 bucks which is good on the pockets of any college student. Also, the building is spacious and large groups are welcome but it would be a good idea to reserve seats in that situation; otherwise just walk right in.

So if every you are in need of reminiscing about our triumph over BC, take a walk to the Beanery. It is closer than Massachusetts just near the architecture studio and well worth the walk.
-Scott Webster

Sunday, December 2, 2007

The best fish taco’s you’ve ever had!

What does a Virginia Tech student do when they have a craving for seafood and Mexican cuisine? It’s not every day that you hear about a fish taco restaurant on the east coast, but finding one that’s exceptional makes the experience quite a treat. Cabo Fish Taco is a restaurant one won’t soon forget with intriguing Baja-inspired, flavor-packed dishes and an interesting atmosphere.

The food at Cabo Fish Taco was well above Par and some of the best food I’ve had during my time here in Blacksburg. On my trip I ordered the classic Cabo Fish Taco with a side of the Jalapeño Mashers, it was everything I could have hoped for in a fish taco dish. Everything on the plate was cooked to perfection and tasted better than most Baja/Mexican dishes that I’ve had, and I’ve had quite a few in my day. The dish was presented in a majestic manner, everything in proper sized proportions, arriving freshly prepared. I left Cabo Fish Taco with my stomach full, but my hunger for Fish Taco’s had just began raging.

The staff at Cabo Fish Taco was more than friendly. My server was always punctual in asking us if we needed anything, but not asking too often and running over every few minutes. She quickly delivered our drinks, the food and the check when they were asked for and she seemed very informed about the dishes. I had no clue what side to order until she suggested the jalapeño mashers, a mashed potato dish with jalapeños and cheese, stating that it was her personal favorite.

I was initially surprised when I walked into Cabo, thinking it would be a hole in the wall restaurant that was little more than an eyesore but found quite the contrary. Cabo was modeled to look like an old cantina and had a very fun atmosphere with Reggae songs playing off in the distance and interesting seating arrangements. The restaurant was surprisingly clean for being modeled off of a dirty building and had a good variety of people not only eating in the restaurant but working in it as well. Cabo Fish Taco’s bar seems to be a big element in the restaurant, but I cannot write about it as I am not of legal drinking age and could not have ordered any alcoholic beverages.

Cabo Fish Taco couldn’t be located in a more convenient spot for Virginia Tech students to walk to and enjoy. Cabo is located on Main Street across the street from Subway and the Tech Bookstore, which is straight down Washington Street and on the left from campus. The seating inside is ideal for any number of people as there is a variety of seating arrangements, but the restaurant seems less than ideal for a birthday party unless the group going was over 21. The only drawback I felt that Cabo had was that you cannot make reservations, but that seems a small price to pay for everything that the restaurant has to offer. Cabo Fish Taco is the ideal place to eat in Blacksburg for any occasion and is without a doubt one of the best restaurants in town.

-Dan

Souvalki’s: Blacksburg’s Best Greek Food

Are you tired of eating at D2 and West End Market? Are you looking to eat something other than delivery pizza when the dining halls are closed? Head on over to Souvalki’s, Blacksburg’s best Greek restaurant in town.

Located at 201 College Avenue, Souvalki’s is just off of Main Street, and is a short walk campus. If you are headed from campus, walk towards the main entrance of Newman Library, and continue walking past Squires Student Center. At the corner of Otey Street and College Avenue, get on the right sidewalk of College Avenue and walk for another 2 minutes. Souvalki’s will be right past Jimmy John’s.

Depending on what time you go to Souvalki’s, your service may vary. On the wall behind the cash register, a poster hangs, saying “No complaining about the service – there is none.” However, coming both times in the mid-afternoon, I found this statement to be untrue. Upon entering, we were immediately greeted and asked if were ready to order. We were not, and given the availability of open tables, we were able to look over the menu for a few minutes. We then had a waitress come and take our orders, something that apparently does not happen during busy times.

If you plan on coming during the main lunch and dinner ‘rushes,’ plan to order at the cash register. There are only about eight tables, each seating two people, so plan ahead if you would like a table. However, there is also a bar, with about 10 stools for seating.

Within ordering, the food came out in five minutes, a definite plus for Souvalki’s. Not only was it fast, but it was delicious – and very hot. Souvalki’s offers a variety of Greek food, such as Greek salads, gyros and other pita wraps, and best of all, Baklava.

I had a combo, which is short for a combination of both a gyro and souvalki. It had pork tenderloin and other meats and spices, along with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and cucumber sauce wrapped inside a pita. Not being the ‘exotic’ food lover that I am, I was surprised to like the combo.

With food this good, I was expecting a high price, but I was wrong. My total for the wrap and fountain soda was only $5.29, a steal for all college students. In fact, the most expensive thing on their menu is a sixteen inch Philly Cheese Steak sub, costing $7.25. A note to newbie’s: upon receiving your food, you also receive your bill, which you pay at the cash register (not waiting around for the waitress to come back like I did the first time).

Overall, Souvalki’s is a place not to miss while living in Blacksburg. With good, cheap food, what more could a college kid want?