#5: Java Green

Java Green
1020 19th St. NW

What I Got: Spicy Noodle Soup
Cost: $8.50 before tax (can't remember price after)

I ate there on Thursday - sorry not to get this up sooner. This is how it is described on the Java Green website

ramen noodles in spicy kimchi soup with bean sprouts, scallion, mushroom, roasted seaweed

That's a pretty good description. Here's another - delicious and expensive. My soup was very good - very hot and spicy. The service there was lackluster at best; you wait in one line to order and another to pay - and the girl running the pay line was completely inadequate - taking upwards of two minutes per customer. Another employee had to come over and replace her for a while because she was so bad at just dealing with cash and credit cards.

The organic cups and plastic bags are a nice touch. The food was very good, and while the portion was a little small for the price, you know the money is going to a more sustainable cause than, say, McDonalds. So that's good.

Three stars - four for the food, minus one for the service. I've heard the service is pretty miserable from other people as well, which does not bode well for them.

#4: Daily Market

Daily Market
1001 Connecticut Ave. NW

What I Got: Sandwich w/ Hummus, Sprouts, Avocado, Tomato, and Cuke Slices w/ Cup of Chicken Noodle Soup
Cost: $8.01 after tax

Decent enough. Sandwich was tasty - I went healthy yesterday. Definitely a good call. The line was short (I waited for about 5 minutes for my sandwich to be made right there on the spot) and the sandwich was wrapped tightly so it wouldn't fall apart on my way back to my office. The vegetables were crisp and the sandwich itself was worth the cost. It was big and heavy, too, good signs for a well-packed sandwich.

The soup though, couldn't have been more of a disappointment. Chicken noodle soup, typically, has a bit of a salty flavor to it. Just how it is. This had none. The broth was tasteless, the vegetables in it were practically uncooked, and the chicken was minimal and stringy.

Three stars - would have been four for just the sandwich, but the soup was such utter crap that it takes it down a notch. I'll go back, though - they have a lot of sandwiches and a lot of smoothies there I'd like to try.

A few hours later I still felt good - no gastrointestinal problems, and not greasy at all. Good signs.