Daniel P.'s Profile

So here's the thing with the Thai food. I like it. My partner thought he didn't (something about peanut sauce). I only have had it a few times, since it is something my mother and I went for when we were out together, since Dad hates it. The 'rents are in Florida now. So no Thai for me in a loooooong time. I guess I just want to be clear that I am not the best judge. I like to be honest.

So now for the review...

I LOVED IT! It was just what I remember Thai food to be like, except in a much hipper environment. You walk in and it is a small, modern, fast-food looking place. Reminded me of one of those Bubble Tea places up north I got so fascinated with. Except for the part where I realized 50% of the  place was actually the kitchen and I could see everything being prepped and then cooked. Cooked by one woman and her enormous wok!

The food was YUMMY. In all caps. Just like that. We had the Pot Stickers,  Panang Curry Chicken, Pad Thai, and the safe choice (in case my man hated the rest) Thai Orange Chicken. I loved everything. I went for "medium" spice levels, so that the other flavors would stand out for my Thai Food Newbie. I really enjoyed some of what I remembered to be traditional Thai flavors just like where my mother and I used to go. Nice! The Pot Stickers were the least impressive, not that they weren't good. They just came off like any Pot Sticker. Didn't seem "Thai" enough.

Best part: My man likes Thai food now! Yay!

All in all 4 stars. And now I get to start exploring more Thai places around  the city! Wee!

I am a lazy man. It's true. I hate doing laundry enough as it is. I can't even begin to bother with ironing things.... So all my work clothes, especially the dress shirts, go to the cleaners. I typically get the shirts laundered and pressed, and the pants dry-cleaned. Anything black I will typically get dry-cleaned as well. I hate faded black clothes.

Anyhoo, with that in mind I will tell you that since moving to San Diego this has been my cleaners of choice. I tried others at first, but the prices were really high or the location was inconvenient. I don't think this place charges an unusual price at all. It's sort of middle-priced from my experience. As you know location is key. I can grab a coffee at Starbucks, do groceries, and pick up my clothes all within walking distance. It's glorious.

As far as the service, I would give it a solid average. They clean the clothes. They starch as requested. And every now and then a stain might not come out. Once a shirt got ruined. But you know, stuff happens. Just like anything else. If you do it/go there enough eventually *something* will go wrong. It's a statistical fact...

What I do love about this particular cleaners, and the main reason I keep going back... the PEOPLE. The same 2 gals are usually at the front. They  know my partner and I BY NAME. They are fun, funny, and make a rather mundane chore kinda fun. In fact I pop in when I am just going groceries to say hi. I don't do that anywhere else!

So if you are looking for a perfect yet really inexpensive cleaner (if that exists), this may not be your place. If you are looking for a solid cleaners in your neighborhood where they greet you with a smile, I invite you to try Stadium Cleaners...

I think this might become our new "place".

Tio Leo's is one of those that we drove by quite often, but never stopped. Now I have eaten there 4 times. 2 for take-out and dined in the other two. Was the food amazing? No. It was very good though. Very good. Do they have my favorite mole sauce? No. Which they should remedy...

What do they have? Amazing service everytime. For take-out I had ordered there and the hostesses were always friendly, peppy, and made absolutely sure I had everything I needed for my meals. Both times we have dined in it was actually *fun* to eat there. Our server last night, Rachel, was great. Amazing actually. She went above and beyond!

AND...  the chips are tasty and the salsa has the right amount of kick to it, there is a full bar, the delicious food felt kinda authentic, and I love the look of the place.

I have to say, give it a go, yo!

*now only 2 stars*

Jimmy Carter's. I have been going to this place for years. We discovered it (and fell in love with it) in the old location on Washington. They have since moved to 5th they have continued to be a favorite. Great food, inexpensive, and unique decor. We continued to go once a week.

Then they sadly experienced a bit of staff turnover. Two of the best servers we'd ever had (anywhere) left. The service has been on steady decline ever since. The last few times we felt very rushed, and the male server clearly disliked us or something. Every time he'd stop at our table it was like he couldn't get away fast enough. The new gal (I think she's new anyways) can't ever seem to get my Richard's order right. Like ever. The last three trips she made the exact same mistake.

So today Richard decides to let the owner know. He went to the place IN PERSON even to meet Jimmy. It sounds like the conversation was polite enough, and the man acted surprised, however apparently Jimmy never once apologized. Never thanked him for his loyal patronage. Never asked him to return. Never said any of the things that I myself (in the customer service industry) would say to an upset customer.

Though the food is still amazing, the service and *experience* have to be up there with it. Especially in today's economy. I don't think we'll be back. I also cannot recommend this establishment.

Okay, to start with I have to say that I love the *idea* of this place. I hadn't noticed it going in, so it was a big surprise as we drove over to the Ralph's today. We decided to give it a go since we were both starving and didn't want to grocery shop in that condition (the worst thing you can do!)

I was pleased by the decor when I went in. It looked bright and cheery, if a bit like a juice-joint. The menu was a bit confusing, but we got it after a minute or two. It's a bowl or a wrap with your choice of some pre-set theme innards and meat. I was a bit thrown by the use of the word "grain" instead of "rice". I am sure it makes sense, like the difference between "tissue" and "kleenex", but I still didn't get it, and felt that the cashier could have helped make it clear instead of making me fell dumb.

The food was pretty enough, but so plain flavor wise. I had the BBQ wrap with chicken breast with brown rice as my "grain" (hold the zucchini) and was disappointed in the flavor. To be honest it was a lot of "grain" too. Maybe since I didn't want it with zucchini  they went heavy with the grain, but srsly, it was like 80% rice (GRAIN).  Richard fared a bit better with the Fajita bowl. All he will say was that it was "okay". However he agreed it was a lot of rice, and not enough meat. Although I should say that he also skipped the zucchini. What is with this place and all the zucchini?

Anyhoo, I don't think that I'd return here with a glorious Chipotle just a mile up the road...

Dude. What can I say about this place? I love it. I am sad it is changing hands. Even tho much as the staff claimed "nothing will change" (which I think they truly believe) we all know it does... eventually.

So we go based off of y'all here at Yelp and the prodding of the bartender at Bing Crosby's (at Fashion Valley). We were startled at first. In fact our friend that was meeting us arrived before we did and texted me to be sure we knew what we were getting into! I reassured her and soon we saw what she meant. It is in a 'different' neighborhood. Next to a mechanic or a gas station (the drinks *are* strong. I forget) The smoking tattooed folk outside made us feel more dive-bar than dive-restaurant. However I, the non-beef eater in the group was confident. "It will be great!"

My crew, made up of my man, my parents, and our close friend were less sure..

We sat in the small dining room and our server greeted us and told us the rules. The only cooking device in the place was the one WE would use to cook our food. Now I kinda got that, but I think my man thought there'd be like cooked sides and stuff. No. You cook *all* your food. It was perfect. What an ice breaker when your parents are in town and you want to introduce them to friends! And the dive-ish decor with the horse shoes and riding crop wall paper and the leather and the metal... perfect. I adore this place more than The Lamplighter. And that says something.

The food was amazing. The meat (and in our group there was a variety ordered) was of a high quality and very well seasoned. We all had either wine or cocktails, and the bill was still low. If that's what I save to cook my own food on a community grill in the dining room, well.. I can live with that.

I truly hope this place stays the same, as we will go back, and will most definitely be trying the new location...

Okay. I realize that this place has been open for like a minute in the scheme of things. It's new. The staff is new, the building is new. How can we really review it fairly now? We can't. Right?

However, let me say that it is a most welcome addition to not just to Fashion Valley Mall, but Mission Valley as a whole. There is really nothing like it over here. It has an amazing old Hollywood charm yet a modern feel. An environment I could linger in. It reminds me of both The Whisper Lounge in LA and of the Left Bank Restaurants in Northern CA. Classy. I like that.

Sure it's a pricey night out, but the Happy Hour prices are more than reasonable and the drinks are unique and strong. Perfect for after shopping! Also there is nightly live entertainment (or at least weekends... not sure) AND they are open late. We like that since we work late!

Where this place really wins is the service. Sure a lot of the waitstaff seemed pretty green but everyone was professional and friendly. We sat at the bar and the bartender seemed to know his company, business, and his menu really well. He had a great personality and we had a great time, even engaging with the group next to us thanks to the bartender. Felt like a little party.

All in all I give it 4 stars and look forward to giving it 5 after it matures a bit... So far so good!

It was a *Wednesday*. It was a friends birthday. It was a place we've never been. We were up for an adventure and went to Altitude. 2 of our group passed on the evening due to the fact that they thought it would be pricey. One told me not to spend all my money at the grocery that afternoon, because I'd need it at Altitude. The other, well he may or may not have compared us to Karen Walker and said he'd rather drink 2 dollar beer on the hood of his car.

Well. Okay. We went anyway. A birthday is a birthday. It *should* be kinda special..

So we get there and park in the super-convenient parking garage across the street for just 3 dollars. Not 10, not 8, and not validated by some tricky voodoo. It was 3 dollars. Awesome. Being a Wednesday there was no line to get up the elevator, so up we went (after passing through a GORGEOUS lobby, for a Marriot). We were greeted by the friendly bouncer and immediately confronted with The View.

Now Altitude is an outdoor venue on the roof of the Marriot, so the view was pretty amazing. One of the best in San Diego. However coming from San Francisco where there are many amazing 360 degree view Sky Bars, this one was not a 'wow', but still pretty great.  You can see the ball-park, the Coronado Bridge, boats and stuff.

As far as the prices, we were a but intimidated by the "bottle service" we read about on the website. We were ready to have one drink and bail. That was not necessary. The martini prices were actually pretty average, as well as the finger foods.  So I say if you are gonna go out for drinks, why not have that view?? The cost is about the same.. The service is great.

Why was it only "a-okay" then? Well, it is clearly a smoker's destination. There is an ashtray on every table and the crowd (and it was pretty hoppin' for Wednesday) was determined to use them all. Not only cigarettes, but cigars too. It was nauseating. There is no smoking section so you can't escape it. I smelled like an ashtray when I got home. Being that it is all outdoor, that says something. I would never wait in line on a Friday or Saturday to end up stinky.

But otherwise I love Altitude. It is a trendy spot with an impressive view and great service. A great place to bring out-of-towners.

Last night I wanted to take my man on a date. After 11 years together, when we call something a "date" and dress nice, it had better be good. C Level couldn't have been better. I had actually never heard of it. I was desperate for something amazing since I started the "date" talk and actually asked a co-worker for a recommendation. Crazy! But I tell you, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot I knew it was gonna be a treat.

First of all, the location? Harbor Island is all about the view and C Level is situated on the tip facing downtown San Diego. When you walk in they open this enormous for you and you are greeted with a hip, yet warm environment. Most striking are all the windows. Views everywhere you look. We were told we had a 30 minute wait for an outdoor table (amazingly short for a Friday evening!) so we hit the bar. The drink menu is great. Plenty of wines in addition to a number of signature martinis. Mmm. I did the Skyline Martini and was quite impressed. It was worth the 11 bucks it cost! Generously sized and delicious! After about 5 minutes (WOW!!) our table was ready.

The outdoor dining area is just amazing. The view of downtown is great. We were there in time for sunset, so we got a day time view as well as a chance to see the city lights. What a romantic spot.

Our server was a blast as well. Her personality table-side made me feel like we were hanging out with a good friend. She was also honest in her recommendations, and not just trying to "up sell" us.  Plus she gave Richard free coffee. Yay! Good tip for her... ;)

We ate 2 appetizers (crab-cakes and pot-stickers) which were both so good that we decided to splurge and stay for dinner. My man had a Kobe burger and I had the 7 cheese lobster mac & cheese. OMG. Sooooo good.

I can't even tell you. We love this place.

This place is great! I love to find someplace that is a bit more upscale sometimes than your usual watering hole and Martinis Above Fourth is just that. It has a fun piano lounge feel to it... Classy. I like to dress up a bit if I know I will be stopping in there.

The staff is friendly and the crowd is mixed. Overall there is a fun vibe going on, and not some of that attitude you sometimes find in the gayborhood. There's frequently live entertainment, and a handful of weekly events that could help fill a lacking social calendar ;)

Then there's the drinks. OMG the drinks! So amazing and so many to choose from. The Martini menu goes on and on... My martini of choice is The Fountain of Youth.