Chiapparelli’s Restaurant

Location: 237 S. High St, Jonestown, Baltimore, MD 21202

My good friend Sara and her family have been going to the establishment for a number of years. She decided to have her birthday dinner there tonight.

Location/Atmosphere: The restaurant is in Little Italy, between a few more Italian restaurants. The establishment is small, and from what I was told, it has been there for at least 30 years.

Food: The food was simple and pretty delicious. I ordered the gnocchi Bolognese, as well as a bellini. The gnocchi was cooked perfectly and the meat sauce was simple but flavorful.

Service: THIS is where things took a turn for the worst. Our server, Helen, did not speak to me after I placed my entrée order. Every time she refilled a water glass, or handed someone at the table their food, she reached DIRECTLY into me or over me. I can say with certainty it happened at least 7 times. She took everyone’s plate for clean up or doggy bag except for mine. My friend Sara had to ask her TWICE to take my plate for my doggy bag, since she would not stand next to me long enough for me to make the request myself.

Would I recommend it?: If you are black, no. I am not sure what the other waitress is like, but Helen ruined my experience. It has been a very long time since I have felt unwanted in a restaurant. I will never get used to it. It only gets 1/5 stars from me.

JoJo Restaurant and Bar

Location: 1518 U Street NW, Washington DC 20009

I purchased a Groupon for this restaurant a few months back and finally decided to use it over the weekend. My boyfriend, myself, and two of our friends made a reservation for Friday night (on the assumption it would be quite busy).

Location/Atmosphere: The restaurant is located across the street from Cake Love Café, and about two blocks away from the U Street/Cardozo metro station. While it has two floors, we sat on the ground floor to be near the music. This particular night, there was a Latin band. While the music was loud, we could still hear each other at the table. The band was great, as was the feeling in the restaurant.

Service: We arrived a half hour before our reservation and were seated right away. The waitress was helpful, friendly and quick. I had no desire to strangle her which is hard to come by nowadays.

The Food: Theo boys ordered Jager bombs and us ladies order the Jojo rum punch. It was a bit too strong but once we let the ice melt, it was pretty tasty. We ordered calamari and spinach dip as our appetizers. We all agreed that the spinach dip was one of the best we ever had, and I’ve eaten A LOT of spinach dip in my life. For our entrees we ordered the Herb Grilled Salmon, JoJo Lobster Ravioli, Red Snapper and Cajun Chicken Pasta. I have a severe shellfish allergy which meant I could not taste the ravioli or snapper (topped with shrimp). I absolutely LOVED my pasta. It was spicy, flavorful and not too heavy. My friends all enjoyed their food as well which can sometimes be tricky.

Would I recommend it?: Indeed I would. Once the weather gets warmer, I expect we will frequent this restaurant. Even if it’s just for a drink and spinach dip. I give it a score of 4.5/5.

Note: When using the Groupon, you cannot utilize any other special of the restaurant. This means no drink or dinner specials. Every entrée is priced at $22, regardless of the menu price reflects. This is not in the fine print, but should be.