xs baltimore

really tasty. i had not been here in a while however this was great! the tuna tartar, tempura vegetables + seafood and a mesculin green salad with avocado. sampled the drunken noodles--wonderful. this place was just like i remembered it. service was good, however it was on a slow night. i always love the ambiance and the music was awesome...90's r&b anthem all night, reallygooddj!!


-----22 jan, 2015-----

tuna tatar. loved it

oh and today they did not make tea and the gelato machine was broken


-----28 dec, 2014-----

not wonderful if you pick and choose it might turn out ok calamari was good, desserts are large enough to share but not terribly fresh coffee wasgoodbut lukewarm by the time it made its way to the table sushi way enjoyed pad thai ok stupidly expensive 200 for 6 people?

veggie mondays!. i've been to xs a couple times before moved to the mt. vernon area with mixed feelings. one time when it was packed and our food took about a year to come out (caused us to be late for a play we were seeing), and one time when it was almost empty and i really enjoyed myself. both times the food wasgood(not great) and the service was ok (not quite good). since i've moved to the area it's become a routine for me to eat there on mondays. all veggie items are 1/2 off. i usually get the spring rolls (excellent), the veggie sushi roll (pretty good) and a noodle dish (very good) and share it with my gf. add two kirin's and it's a perfect meal on a monday for about $20 plus tip. we've actually got desserts a couple times, but it's not a must, as i don't think they were stellar. overall, it's one of my favorite spots to hit up (on mondays).

the food was great. the servings weregoodand more importantly the food was well spiced. the atmosphere is very nice. the waitress was great. she was attentive and i'd have lived to have slept with her.
but who breeds these people that lack enough wit to say "seat yourself". if you're not gonna have a sign that says it then let's train the employees about what to do when a customer walks in the door.
otherwise, great experience. but keep disrespecting me and then i stop going.

love the sushi. i've only had coffee and sushi here, so can't comment on their other dishes, but the sushi is the best i've had in this part of town. they certainly have some unique sushi. it can be pricey though, depending on what you get, but the cheaper sushi i've tried at nearby restaurants has been so awful that i keep returning to xs. service is up and down - it's been consistentlygoodthis past year, but i've also been there when it's been dreadful. the coffee's prettygoodtoo.

ok in my book. went there after always walking past. i ended up just ordering some food to go, but was able to get an overal feel of the place none the less. ended up getting the crunchy fire roll.. yumm, i love a little crunch in my roll. and also got a monster roll, and it was ok, although the sliced mango on top tasted like anything but slice mango... maybe cheese..? but it wasgoodsushi. i'll be interested in actually sitting down and dining.

nice location, but that's about it... having been to xs many times because friends are baristas and waiters there - i still don't like the place.

i've been for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desert all of which usually leave me feeling let down and happy i wasn't the one who was paying.

the atmosphere is weird. the whole restaurant is spread between 3 floors and there are next to about zero windows in the place so it's really really dark. it's also usually pretty freezing and there are these strange mid-level bars on some of the levels that have flatscreen tv's constantly playing lady gaga and beyonce music videos.

as far as the food goes, its overpriced for what you get. especially the sushi. i went this past summer because it is close to bolton hill where i live, and ordered few different tasters of their eel, salmon, and tuna. all were pretty bland and completely ridiculously priced for about 3 pieces of sushi.

the staff is generally rude, or thats at least been my experience. the 2 waitresses i have had have been unattentive and rude, waiting for about 30 minutes for one to come pick up our credit card & check while she sat chatting it up at the bar with a coworker.

about the onlygoodthing i have to say about it is its close, their turtle cheesecake is actually prettygood- but for the prices... i'd rather just walk down the street and get a coke and a slice of pizza from ninos for $3.

when it first opened, it shined. now, the cleanliness and quality of the place have diminished. sushi remains a fab choice, but the calamari is disgusting and the breakfast is a crap shoot. cocktails are also prettygoodhere. mgmt might want to close down for a week or two to spruce the place up since it's starting to become more of a diner than a chic eatery.