Reviews

Email, Twitter & Facebook Reviews

A nice emailer said:

I just wanted to say keep up the great wraps!

I stopped in this morning to get a bean wrap to take to work for lunch.

I wasn’t sure what it would be like,

But I’m thrilled with the quality of ingredients, and how bursting with

Flavor and not salt it was!  I have to eat pretty healthy, and this was NOT

Another heavy bean burrito.  It was light and full of veggies.

Thank you for not scrimping on these essential ingredients!!

Some twitters:

• Finally got to come by for lunch yesterday. Loved it! Will be back for sure!
• Fantastic sausage patties in the G’Mornin Bowl at @abowlofgood.
• “best solo dining experience ever. would put this in my top 3 harrisonburg restaurants.”
• “What are you doing for lunch?” “I don’t know; I might abog.” (rhymes with Hey-Hog)
• “had a delicious meal @abowlofgood I can’t recommend this place enough.”

Web Page Comment

“I visited family in Harrisonburg over the Thanksgiving Holidays. My sister and I discovered A Bowl of Good Cafe. The food was absolutely wonderful. The soups were awsome, fresh and different, not the usual run of the mill soup. The staff was warm and friendly. Great atmosphere and highly recommend a visit to see them in the valley.”

“Hi, I picked up lunch several times at your new place as I work a just a few blocks away. Everything I’ve had so far has been absolutely delicious!!!! I applaud your efforts to support local folk even though I realize it can be a bit more pricey. Thanks for bringing healthy tasty food to ‘our’ side of town we often comment on the lack of options on this side of Hburg….”

A Bowl of Good, days two and four

from Rachel Smith’s blog

I don’t know if you knew this, but you’re not supposed to care what I had for lunch. Usually I’d agree with that, but just this once, I think you’ll need to make an exception.

You see, the much anticipated A Bowl of Good cafe opened on Monday just a few blocks from where I work, and I’ve already eaten there twice.

When I met up with a friend at the cafe on Tuesday, we found ourselves at the end of a long line — not because the service was slow, but because so many people were eager to enjoy the cafe. As we waited, I checked out the surroundings. The building is brand new, so the cafe looks very fresh and modern, and the signage is both professional and fun. (It wasn’t until much later that I noticed a picture of a friend of mine hanging on the wall.) I counted seating for at least 32 people inside, including the trendy stools along a counter next to the front window, but there were also a number of tables outside the entrance (all occupied on the beautiful summer day).

I was pleasantly surprised to see a pair of large glass doors on the one wall that had been rolled open to create a wide doorway into Artisans’ Hope, which sells fairly traded handcrafted items from around the world. Artisans’ Hope just moved from their location in the building next door, and their new retail area is much more spacious. The ease of passage between the two businesses (as part of the Common Good Marketplace, as the building is called) should boost sales for both.

The food options fall into three main categories: Breakfast Bowls, Lunch Bowls, and More Goodness (soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and specialty drinks). The Bowls all have fun names, and I’m eager to try out breakfast items like Buenos Dias Bowl and Peace, Love & Granola Bowl. The cafe’s slogan is “Globally Inspired, Local Goodness,” and their menu clearly lives up to that. Lunch options like Maharaja Bowl, All Thai’d Up, Bowl de la Milpa, and Tapas Bowl show a distinct international flair (with plenty of local ingredients), while others have found their inspiration closer to home, such as Mac n’ Jack of the Valley, Red, White & Moo Bowl (featuring local beef), and It’s Nacho-Yo Bowl with “Virginia’s finest nachos.”

I finally settled on Tom Kha Gai Bowl, a Thai coconut chicken soup over rice with lime and cilantro. It was just as amazing as it sounds. It’s hard to be subtle when you’re trying to take a picture of your lunch in a crowded restaurant, but I did manage to come away with this one.

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Hburgnews.com

by Brent Finnegan,

I had intended to write a short entry about this two weeks ago, but never did. A Bowl of Good, a soup/locavore/health food/catering company that’s been around Harrisonburg for years now has a location of their own — a breakfast and lunch cafe near Gift & Thrift on the north side of town.

The chatter on Twitter has been mostly positive, and a local bloggerwrote a glowing review two weeks ago. If you’ve been, share your thoughts below.

Comment from Brent Finnegan
Time: September 11, 2009, 10:10 am

I went on Tuesday for lunch, and really enjoyed the Tom Kha Gai. A more mellow (less spicy) version of some of the Thai dishes I’ve had at the local Thai restaurants.

Also had a curry-chicken-apple wrap that reminded me of chicken divan with a tangier twist.

Comment from Tina

Time: September 11, 2009, 11:27 am

Had lunch there early last week. Good food – fun choices (and names) of the dishes. (Plus I was able to pick up my 9-grain bread that I usually get at the Farmers’ Market.) They were pretty crowded when I was there – seems like a popular spot. I was impressed that they had recycling and composting options.

Comment from Justin C
Time: September 11, 2009, 12:22 pm

Along with the restaurant they have a fully equipped conference room which you can rent to give presentations to go with the soup. Very nice.

Comment from Renee
Time: September 11, 2009, 12:43 pm

Oh, and the bread was good, too!

I also liked how the plastic cups were biodegradable, and they had a recycle bin and a compost bin next to the trash cans, with nice instructions about what could be composted instead of thrown away.

Comment from Josh
Time: September 11, 2009, 2:11 pm

I’ve been twice now, once for breakfast and once for lunch. I think the food is pretty solid, “everyday good” (versus “destination great”). Not the kind of place you go for a special occasion, but the kind of place you could go a few times per week and know what you’re getting.

Their sustainability efforts are admirable. Those efforts are passed along in their prices, but where else in town can you get things like local granola for breakfast (besides the farmer’s market)?

Comment from Jeremy Aldrich
Time: September 11, 2009, 9:09 pm

Josh nailed it. I totally agree. As someone who lives in the EMU area, I am thrilled about the recent appearance of not only Bowl of Good but several other quality restaurants with quick-not-fast food. Organic Grounds and Artiles Cuban Restaurant probably deserve posts of their own, but for now suffice it to say they are definitely worth checking out!