kramerbooks & afterwords cafe

beware.... it's hard to believe that as of today (may 28, 2009), this restaurant is #19 on urbanspoon's top restaurant list. are you kidding me?

i'm literally afraid to eat at kramerbooks & afterwords cafe. seriously. the few times i have eaten there the silverware (not to mention the restroom) was filthy, the nachos were disgusting, and theservicewas atrocious. although the desserts are good, you couldn't pay me to eat there, which is too bad because i am actually a fan of kramerbooks bookstore!

beware.

a perfect place for avid readers and foodies.. i recommend getting the fettuccine new orleans. it's really good! it's mixed with shrimp, chicken breast, pork sausage, onions, peppers, and scallions. it's $14, which isn't too bad. my friend got the misko sake salmon salad, which she enjoyed. we didn't have to wait too long for our food, and theservicewas pretty good.

after we finished our food, we went to take a look through their book selection. they have a great selection of books, but they don't have a big selection of magazines.

a little fyi: when you go to the bathroom, you have to ask the restaurant employees for a token. it is used for opening the door.

they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. to live up to that, my cousin told me that he had the perfect place in mind.
this place is my cousin’s favourite and after eating here, i figured out why. i started my day at kramerbooks & afterwords where i had a very delicious corned beef hash & eggs. with a bottomless brew on the side, i was content. theservicehere is fantastic as the staff are warm and courteous.
my breakfast (technically their brunch) came on a skillet filled with the beef along with two perfectly poached eggs on top. a small slit into the egg made it flow out into the dish and my gosh, it tasted awesome!
overall, this meal was so satisfying and filling that i had my next meal only past 11pm.
if you love reading, they have a great bookstore at the back and if you’re in the mood for a drink, their pub will definitely not disappoint.

love the crab pasta. it was awesome. we kind of missed it because in the front its a bookstore and in the back its a restaurant. however customerservicecould have been a little more up beat on the servicing time frame and new the menu more, since we were visiting washington. we would have like to know more about what's good on the menu.

a perfect place for avid readers and foodies.we didn't have to wait too long for our food, and theservicewas pretty good.i appreciate the level of detail this restaurant takes. for example, the serve soda out of a bottle to ensure fresh taste. good place to catch a great dinner. theservicewas exceptional, as was the food. steak was beautifully cooked, ribs fell off the bone, cornbread is heavenly.

great ambience and great food. it is always fun to go to kramer books and browse the eclectic collection of various interesting books. i took a group of 5 family and friends in total to afterwords and had not been there in awhile. when i first looked at the menu, i wondered if i would like anything. we each ordered different things and everything was delicious and reasonably priced. i had the slow cooked pork tacos which were truly scrumptious. the salmon dinner was excellent as was the chicken pot pie (really good crust), fish tacos and the cuban sandwich.servicewas friendly and right on target. i am definitely coming back.

...when i saw grits on the menu, i said why not. after being greeted by the friendly staff and taken to a table, i had a look at the menu and settled on corn grits with the cafe sausage. the menu description fails to leave out 2 freshly made cafe buns, butter, strawberry jam, and fruit. i loved the buns, very tasty. the sausage looked like a meat patty but was just formed in that shape. it’s very intense in flavour. lovely flavour but a little too intense. the corn meal grit is like polenta with just enough cheese mixed through. tasty and a very filling meal.serviceis very friendly and excellent. a great first start in the big us of a.

lousy. we visited mid week. we were looking forward to eating there having had a drink there the night before . from the minute we sat down it felt as if the evening was going down hill. the waiter returned 3 times within 3 minutes asking if we were ready to order our appetiser. the last time he did not move until we felt pressured enough to order. he then returned 2 minutes later not moving again until we ordered our main. the starter turned up within a further 3 minutes. we had nachos which were clearly made earlier and were luke warm. we were not even half way through when our mains arrived. despite stating to the server we had not finished our starter the server put them down and walked off. when the waiter asked if everything was ok, despite moaning about feeling rushed he too walked off. we did not stay for a desert. in summary the food was faster than mcdonalds, was clearly microwaved, was only luke warm, poorly presented and it was clear they wanted you in and out asap. we would never visit again. there are far better places to eat, although as yet we have yet to find any in washington where customerserviceand faiir quality food is really lacking.

went for brunch this morning and had a lovely time. friendlyservicefrom the hostess and server. i love how every brunch meal comes with eggs and bacon and fruit. i hate having to choose between sweet and salty for breakfast and i didn't have to do that here.

i want to like it, but.... i'm all for supporting local institutions, and i will continue to shop for books here, but other than a quick drink or dessert (blueberry pie is awesome), not sure i'd eat here again.

the tables are really crowded together.serviceis always just passable. a token for the bathroom - really? and the food, while eatable, is overpriced. the brunch particularly seems like a good deal, but the "selection of muffins" that comes with it is really a plate of stale mini muffins they put on the table when you sit down. and the "fresh fruit" that comes with it is really one wedge of grapefruit or pineapple as garnish on your plate. so in the end, the 15 or so bucks actually just buys you an average omlette and some fried potatoes. not that great of a deal.

food was good,servicewas good. the title says it all...desserts were so-so. the bread pudding needed a little life. if you are up late visit them because they are open late, it is in a safe part of town and it is a welcoming atmosphere.

kramer and afterwords disappoints. if goodserviceand reasonable pricing is what you're looking for in a nice, relaxing sunday brunch, kramerbooks & afterwords cafe is the wrong place to go. my criticism should not be taken lightly, as i am from downtown manhattan and am more than used to crowded, exclusive restaurants being too busy to go the extra mile for their customers in the courtesy department - but this place takes the cake.

we arrived for sunday brunch, put our names in and were issued a 20 minute wait - not terrible, but we asked if it might be possible to have a cup of coffee while we wait. at a cafe, this doesn't seem to be an unreasonable request, but apparently it was. the one-earringed manager looked around, and barked "not now." at us. this, however, is the least of my complaints.

we were given a table and issued menus. we were given our coffee, which was, by consensus of 3 avid coffeephiles at my table, absolutely terrible. burned beyond belief. i had never tasted worse.

ok. we moved on, opened the menus and discovered not a single item for less than $15.25. we mentioned this to our waiter, who laughed it off. the manager, the one who barked at us for asking for coffee at a cafe, came over and asked what the problem was. we told him and he replied "this is dupont, things are expensive." i have had many brunches on sunday mornings in greenwich village, a place slightly more well known for its cuisine than is dupont, and never have i come across such a gouge.

among the "cheapest" choices on the menu was the "oatmeal, granola, yogurt and fruit: slow-cooked steel-cut irish oatmeal
greek yogurt spiked w/honey; toasted granola
fresh berries & seasonal fruit." i'm pretty sure that i can purchase those ingredients and make a portion four times the size of theirs for half the price.

overall, this was one of the worst dining experiences of my life, and sure, the place is designed in a trendy way, but if you want more than trendy style in your food, i strongly recommend you reconsider visiting kramerbooks and afterwords cafe.

just ok. my husband loved his petite filet mignon. i had the pulled prok sandwich...good at 1st bite but then realized that it was terribly salty. had no desire to eat there again.servicewas good enough. not terribly attentive. liked them for their political stance during the clinton administration.

badserviceto all*. been here a few times and each time i want to like but the staff seem terribly bothered by us customers, especially if you aren't familiar with the maze that is their layout or try to order the wrong thing in the wrong place. if you can tolerate the service, the goober pie will melt your frustration away with the perfect blend of creamy peanut butter and chocolate fudge. *to the reviewer who suggested they aren't pleasant to "black folk," i can assure you they aren't pleasant to any folk, including white folk like myself.

good food but rudeserviceto black folk. was hard to get any attention.