Odeon Cafe

OVERALL: 2 Star

The menu claimed italian, but I was struck with more french features; crepes and eggs benedict... i don't think there was single tomato on the menu. The only thing italian was the checkered table cloth.

Food Quality: 2 Stars -- I should have tried the crepes. Instead I was intrigued by the salmon benedict (benedict odeon). It was served with the hollandaise on the side. As first I liked it, then i tasted the sauce. egh... They had both savory and sweet crepes; chocolate, fruity, spinach and cheese, sausage. I'm sure they would have impressed me. Alas, I chose wrongly.

Mimosa/Champagne Quality: 3 Stars -- always the best part of the day! Well mixed champagne cocktails, with a brand that not too dry. I suggest the bellini. They are made individually, instead of by the pitcher like the mimosas.

Service Quality/Refill time: 2 stars -- A bit slow on the refill time, and it took a while to get the food. The dining room was not that full except for one other large group. I thought we were typically the rowdy ones! I would have thought it would be easy to serve a 4 top table, asking for the same thing every time we raised our hands: 1 more mimosa please?

Atmosphere: 3 stars -- The place was set out to primarily be a bar, with tables and a working kitchen during the day. I did like the soft lighting, with sconces on the side, and mottled chandeliers. But like so many that come before you, unremarkable. The place does convey an ambience of a small meal, a coffee with friends, a casual criossant... a cafe. 

Tony and Joe's Seafood

OVERALL: 3 Stars

For all its pomp and swagger, I was expecting a lot. But unfortunately, the waterfront location barely lived up to its reputation.

Food Quality: 3 Stars -- Tony and Joe's presents a well stocked buffet of hot food standards, and a fresh fruit bar. They boast fresh oysters, which are indeed fresh, but flavorless and small. Granted, it was february. The only other shellfsh on the menu was a crab dip, which was delicious, but primarily because of the cream and butter added.

Mimosa/Champagne Quality: 4 Stars -- only the classic was available, but poured from a pitcher it was ensured to be consistent. Strong with just a splash of classic orange, we were thoroughly delighted as appropriate by the time we left.

Service Quality/Refill time: 3 stars -- This is always difficult in a buffet situation. We filled our own plates, and waved every time we needed a refill. I guess they did their job with a smile, and never left us with an empty glass, which means a lot when you only have a couple of hrs to fill up and enjoy!

Atmosphere: 3 star -- What a lovely view! Tony and Joe's is situated on the river, in the heart of georgetown riverfront. The decor is stock catering table and chairs. The live jazz is charming, playing a mixture of 80s steel guiltar and 70s David Bruebeck. The players are talented, and kept a lively beat despite the desolate dining room.

Level One

OVERALL: 4 Stars

Awesome and totally Faaab-u-lous! A well cooked a la carte menu that was to the point and had just enough to choose from... a cute waiter with the perfect refill skills... and music so loud you can barely hold up a conversation..

Food Quality: 4 Stars -- The waiter wasn't lying when he told us the shrimp and grits were the best. Doused in a creole type sauce, they were buttery and flavorful without being overwhelming. The eggs benedict was perfectly poached, with a side of crisp hash browns that were so wafer thin they melt in your mouth. We were full from appropriate portions with no doggy bags, so just enough to go around. Try the calamari too!

Mimosa/Champagne Quality: 3 Stars -- Perfect proportions of juice to bubbly, but the classic was the only option here. I have decided that larger glasses as in wine or goblet glasses are just so much easier to drink from. Champagne flutes are fragile and just plain risky! Thin, top heavy glasses in uncoordinated hands: who thought up that combination?

Service Quality/Refill time: 5 stars -- Loved it!! (floppy hand wave) The light footed waitstaff never let our glasses get less than half full. Mat, 'the Chugger' tried to get it empty. Several times.

Atmosphere: 2 star -- Well spaced tables and simple decor was difficult to enjoy with the loud music blaring. We can't go back here, unless we want to wear hearing aids by the age of 40.

Ping Pong Dim Sum

OVERALL: 4 Stars

Whoa! Dim sum brunch sounds a litte off the wall at first, but all the lovely little plates brought a lovely little piece of brunch with them to form a deliciously filling morning. Only 2 of our group had eaten Dim Sum before, but as soon as the waitress said, "its like Chinese tapas"... OOOOHHHHhhhh. Now i got it.

Food Quality: 4 Stars -- If you are going for low card, this is probably not the place for you. Almost every dish was either wrapped in flaky pastry dough or thin rice based dough. All the dishes were tasty though some tended toward the bland side. A dipping sauce was brought with each plate, so we started collecting them in a row down the table, using them for other stuff. My favorite was the baked beef and spinach dim sum. I would skip the chive dim sum, and go for the honey chicken instead. There are a couple of salads on the menu, but sorry! we stuck to the fattening stuff. 

Mimosa/Champagne Quality: 5 Stars -- when the waitress shows up double fisting bottles of champagne, its a good sign. Followed by mini carafes of 5 different juices, we were satisfied. Lychee, passion fruit, mango, and strawberry and regular OJ were constantly refilled. The mimosas are always best when you make then yourself.

Service Quality/Refill time: 5 stars -- I think we asked for a new bottle maybe once. Our waitress was very sharp and did not beat around the bush, when we asked her what we should order. She knew we were there to get our money's worth and we did. Her name was Mandy and she works for a non profit company, waiting tables on the side. Give her a good tip.

Atmosphere: 4 star -- The place was very modern and open, with tall tables and stools instead of chairs. The decor was appropriately eastern; all the stools had wide, curving seats without backs. Surprisingly these were comfortable and made everyone feel like they were sitting in an intimate close nit group. I think the tables could have been a bit bigger though. We were always fighting for room with all the dim sum plates being constantly brought out. Maybe we could have just slowed down and not inhaled our food.