I arrived at the Hyatt Regency at about 9PM, on the verge of starvation and made a beeline for the Market Street Bar & Grill.  I was greeted at the door by the manager who seated me near the middle of the restaurant.  The crowd at the restaurant had begun to die down so there were plenty of available seats and this tends to be a recipe for disaster for someone neurotic like myself.  I changed seats about three times in total before finally settling on a seat on the patio so I could enjoy the warm evening.

Cost - $$$

Service - B+
I think the manager was working reception when I arrived and was pretty accommodating finding me a seat (although I could detect some irritation on his part after asking to be re-seated for the third time).  The waiter made a recommendation, lobster and grits in a chive lobster butter sauce, that ended up being the part of my meal but more about that in a second.  My only gripe was that I don’t believe our waiter had a comprehensive understanding of the menu.  I poked a bit, asking him to compare different dishes and he wasn’t really a fountain of culinary information (beyond recommending the lobster and grits) however he was very professional and attentive throughout the evening.

Food - A-
The lobster & grits with chive lobster butter sauce was incredible.  I could have probably ordered that dish three times and been pretty happy.  The ahi tuna sashimi was fresh, well prepared and the presentation was good.  For my main course I had the grilled filet with a Napa cabernet (Hayman & Hill) and was happy with the overall quality.

Décor – B
I get the sense that the restaurant invested a good amount of money in the décor. The furnishings are high quality and well construed. That being said, it is decorated like your standard high-end grill – nothing really stuck out to me about the décor apart from the fact that it was very nice.

Feel – B+
I arrived after the dinner rush so things had quieted down a bit, which was nice because it afforded me the opportunity to concentrate on the dishes. The customers outdoors definitely skewed a bit on the older side with a median age of 50 or so. Many hotel restaurants tend to rely on their residents so the fact that the post-rush crowd was primarily local supports the strong product that the restaurant puts out. The ambiance isn’t going to be the focal point in and of itself but I’d recommend the restaurant as a good destination for a family dinner or a business lunch in the area.

The Market Street Bar & Grill is located at 1800 Presidents Street in Reston, VA. They can be reached at (703) 925-8250.

Photos:

This past weekend, I ventured out of DC area headed over to the Hyatt Regency Reston at Reston Town Center to check out the establishment I had heard good things about from friends in the area. Let me preface this by saying that I’m pretty picky when it comes to hotels - I’ve stayed at some of the most notable hotels throughout the US and have been disappointed on numerous occasions. Then again, I’m not really interested in name brands - I’m more interested in a professional, well executed product. I wasn’t disappointed by the Hyatt.

Cost - $$
Service - A
The service throughout the venue was very competent. The receptionist working the front desk was extremely friendly and attentive at check-in. I arrived at about 9PM and headed straight to the Market Street Bar & Grill where the manager was accommodating and helped me find a good seat outside. What really impressed me was upon checkout I had a question about one of the charges on the bill. The receptionist not only was sharp but really seemed to care that the situation be resolved amicably. They’ve done a good job hiring and managing good people at the hotel.

Food - B+
We grabbed a bite at the Market Street Bar & Grill and was not disappointed. The food was well prepared and although the menu was pretty orthodox it did contain some interesting culinary curve balls. Read my full review on the Market Street Bar & Grill.

Decor - A-
The Hyatt is one of the larger structures in Reston town center and like many of the other structures in the area has a slick, modern aesthetic. The main lobby is well construed space configured with subtle, earthy tones. The room itself was comfortably furnished and immaculately clean, with a nice view of Reston Town Center. Admittedly it is odd to look out the window onto Reston Town Center and think that the entire space was developed practically overnight.

Feel - B+
The Hyatt Regency does a great job providing a first-rate space and staffing it accordingly. As a hotel they put out a great product. Their customer base seems to skew a bit on the older side. As far as the hotel is concerned I would select the Hyatt Regency as a venue for professional contacts or relatives visiting the area and similarly, look at the Market Street Bar & Grill as a destination for a family or professional dinner.

The Hyatt Regency Reston is located at 1800 Presidents Street in Reston, VA. They can be reached at (703) 709-1234.

Photos:

It was about a month ago that I received a call from a friend of mine who was down in Glover Park completing a photo shoot and wanted to meet up for lunch (along with the subject of her photo shoot). The weather was warm outside so I recommended Cactus Cantina thinking it would be a good opportunity to refresh my memory of the place and write it up.

Price - $$

Food – B-
There is nothing really impressive about the food at Cactus Cantina. In fact, I’m sure there are loads of little taquerias throughout DC that have tastier food. The focus of Cactus Cantina however is on providing decent, Westernized Mexican food that appeals to a predominantly white demo so they probably intentionally hold back on some of the flavors.

Service – C
There were loads of young kids working at the restaurant, which is fine but doesn’t make for great customer-service banter (normally) nor does it make for great recommendations. Blank stares abound.

Décor – B-
It is a family-style restaurant, which apparently in the restaurant business means an excuse to scrimp on furniture and décor. The walls are adorned with Office Space-esque flair.

Feel – A-
Despite this subpar review, you can’t argue with results - the place is completely packed at all times. I think they have a number of things going for them including location, family friendliness and universal appeal of Mexican food, that seem to negate the need for top quality service or culinary product. Hey – I still end up going pretty consistently even though I don’t really like the food there. Cactus Cantina is an ideal location for margaritas and fajitas on a weekday night or weekend afternoon particularly for families or large groups.