Adventure Seven: The Soundry

Live from The Soundry! Its this guy! Talking to you about this place that he is in. This week I took a journey(literally last minute) to a small coffee shop/independent artist/musician artsy fartsy hipster spot. As I speak there is a group of artists past the hallways behind me, are each working on tediously on their own individual pieces. While a guitarist in a different set of rooms is set up with a tape recorder and a six string trying to figure out where he wants to be in his song. All the while the shop keep passes a coffee cup with a sleeve that says “F*ck the Machine” to one of my companions. The Soundry was a unique experience to me, walking in I instantly felt comfortable. The 12pm crowd was light but instantly friendly to my party as we entered. After a quick self guided tour through the facilities I made my way back to the front to get a cup of their coffee. $1.25 got me a 16oz cup with as much cream and coffee as id like until I left, which is very good considering that the coffee is nearly as good as The Amphora. The Soundry also offers a slew of specialized coffees, Mochas, french press, etc. I however did not get a chance to try them; I figure if their standard coffee is good then their special coffee cant be far off from its basis. The Soundry is also open real late(its 1am and i'm sitting at a table writing up this article), so its a perfect spot for the late night crowd to show up, grab endless coffee, and relax with a bunch of hipster artists for several hours. The only thing it really lacks is any sort of snack food floating around. I feel like this place could take a healthy dose of things such as pizza bagels, hot pockets, and taquitos to serve for their crowd. All and all The Soundry is a great place to get in touch with your artistic side in good company with a great batch of endless coffee flowing forth from a pot in the corner.

Scores:
food: N/A
service: 5/5(nice guys)
coffee: 4/5(pretty good all around!)
Cost: Inexpensive to free

(hipsters shown in photo not included)

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Adventure Six: King of China

This week I am choosing to grace you all with the knowledge that is China King! As you no doubt may have realized, I have somewhat of a taste for Asian cuisine. However I find it very difficult to locate a good Chinese food restaurant that does not cost you a large chunk of your savings during any given outing. Enter China King, a small restaurant in the midst of a shopping complex with the bustle of a grocery store. Upon entering the first thing you notice is a line of people waiting by the counter, and a small Buddha statue with the sign taped under it “Rub my tummy 3 times for good luck”, and you damn well better rub it.
China King's setup is very simple, you walk in, you stand in line, order your food, and take a number. It may seem very lazy on their part, and of course it certainly doesn't help that they don't deliver at all; however there is no denying the results. For the low low price of $5.95(plus tax) I regularly get a gigantic take-out sized box of Mongolian beef with onions and rice. Don't mistake though, as with Ba Le, just because its cheap does not mean its not good as hell. They boast a large menu, which is filled with the delicious unhealthy meals that satisfy the soul on any day. In all honesty it could be a dirty old man smoking a cigarette making this food and I would still eat it. Alas, it is instead a friendly staff that never messes up your orders, remembers what you regularly order, and sometimes gives you a free fortune cookie. This can easily be a substitute for your bi-weekly Chipotle, or to satisfy your hunger when its not prime time for Ba Le. So here are the damn scores/Map.


Scores:
food: 5/5
service: 3/5(they remember your orders)
coffee: Not here.
Cost: Inexpensive, feed your family for 15$ yay!

GO HERE FOR CHINA KING

Adventure Five: The Amphora

Last week I visited an all night diner that has been in the heart of Vienna since before I can even remember. I am referring of course, to The Amphora. They specialize in cakes, sandwiches, and breakfast; and they serve all of these 24 hours a day. Now mind you, this is not exactly the most inexpensive restaurant for the 1am crowd, but honestly, where the hell else can you get a good chocolate mousse cake, a side of bacon, and a delicious cup of coffee. Now I will not go forth and boldly claim that I have ended my quest for the best cup of coffee ever, however within a 3 mile radius of my home I believe I have found one of the best I can get within 15 minutes notice of any time of the day. First and foremost its a smooth coffee, this is perhaps my favorite quality of the coffee, it has a little bit of a nutty taste to it which compliments any sort of cake you happen to be eating at the time. The amphora boasts a large menu ranging from a verity of grilled cheese sandwiches to complex pastas to hamburgers and salads. The staff, with the exception of the manager, is also very nice and capable. They also all wear suits and bow ties which can at times remind me of the stereotypical waiters of legend. They tend to go out of their way to be as helpful and friendly as possible. For instance the last time I went we had a large party of about eight people, so the waiter took the liberty of placing a large pot of coffee amongst us and came back dropping off creamer every so often. All of this being said, expect to pay a bit more for your meal than some other places, but it has been worth it pretty much every time, just pass on the fries, they aren't that great.


Scores:
food: 4/5
service: 5/5(Mythical Waiters)
coffee: 4/5
cost: Expensive, around $16 per person

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