Chris S.'s Profile

I have to say, I don't write many negative reviews (only 1 out of 30) but this place takes the proverbial cupcake. If you only sell one thing, it better be incredible. Instead the product here is inedible: dry and heavy cupcakes with tasteless, oily frostings. Not only are they too big to be eaten in one sitting but they don't keep in the fridge so you have to eat it all or throw out half. If you want a real Red Velvet cupcake try Jongewaards in Bixby Knolls and you won't be disappointed. Get there early though, they actually sell out everyday, you know, because they taste incredible.

My only thought is that the owners of Charmed Cupcakes don't know what they are doing. Very rarely have I encountered a business this raw and unrefined: on my first trip to the store, the owner asked my if I was writing something bad about them on Yelp because I sat in the store and read through some emails on my phone after I bought a few cupcakes.

This brings me to a different point. It would be one thing if they had bad cupcakes and were trying their best to improve their product. Unfortunately, they have obviously taken to spamming the Yelp reviews, I mean seriously how are 11-five star reviews going to pop up on one day all from people who have no other review history? It's an embarrassment.

Without getting too much into the amateurish decor I will say the shop itself looks like an office space combined with a liquor store and someone's living room.

I see bad businesses all the time. It's not hard to pick out the ones that won't be around in a few months but Charmed Cupcakes displays a surprising lack of vision and no artistry whatsoever. It smacks of "next big thing" or get rich quick thinking. Avoid at all costs.

Very impressive menu and high quality food. I had the Panko and Pecan Encrusted Chicken Breast with jalapeño cream sauce, broccoli and garlic potatoes. I was also served hot, tasty miniature corn bread and butter as a free appetizer.

The service was very prompt and friendly with my glass of water constantly being refilled and my plate taken only minutes after I had finished. I was offered a dessert menu but after having two brownies at Rio Rita last night, I need to take it easy.

Man, I really wanted to like Mr. Catfish more than I did. The atmosphere is cool and the people and very nice. Unfortunately I was disappointed by what they didn't have. Name condiments but I'll get to that in a minute.

I ordered the 3 chicken strip/ 3 shrimp combo. My two sides were red beans & rice and hushpuppies. Only I was told they didn't have red beans & rice just yet.

Ok. No problem. I ordered gumbo instead.

Then I ordered a Pepsi. They were out of Pepsi.

Ok. No problem. I ordered water instead.

After waiting for a bit they told me the red beans & rice was ready and I switched back. When my order was delivered to my table I was a little dismayed to see the condiments provided: tartar sauce, honey mustard sauce and cocktail sauce.

Now look, I know that some people love these condiments. They are staples for fish restaurants. Only thing is, I don't care for them.

I asked for some BBQ sauce for the fried chicken... only to be told they didn't have any BBQ sauce. Usually I eat my hushpuppies with butter and honey. Couldn't find any to save my life.

All this having been said, the shrimp was fantastic, the hushpuppies so-so, the fried chicken was dry (naturally) and the red beans & rice were good but a little watery.

If I lived nearby I could probably make it work and take my own stuff or bring it back home. Since I live in California however, I probably won't be back.

Finally went to the Drafthouse last night and caught the Wesley Willis documentary "Joy Ride." The experience here well thought out and flawlessly executed. There is a strong curatorial sense in the films they choose and the events that are put together and the food and service was fantastic.

I wish we had a Drafthouse out in Long Beach but, alas, that keeps me looking forward to the next time I am in Austin.

According to the folklore I have been eating Me-N-Ed's for a year longer than I have been alive. Mom said she was eating Me-N-Ed's pizza while she was pregnant with me and others have confirmed Me-N-Ed's in the delivery room. So there you have it. I am genetically predisposed to loving their pizza.

I suppose there could be a different ending to this story if the food was of lesser quality but I have stuck by Me-N-Ed's through thick and thin (crusts) and having travelled the country wide and tasted pizzas from all over. All in all, Me-N-Ed's is still my favorite (however a close second goes to Chicago's Pizza in, ahem, Chicago) and is the place where all of my friends from out of town want to come back to eat.

The classic Me-N-Ed's pizza is a thin cracker crust that holds up the pizza well. When cooked properly, the slice should not droop and, although a little greasy from the cheese, the tangy pizza sauce is a delight. If you're feeling restless or experimental try the thick crust pizza for three to four times as much dough while retaining the cracker crust bottom.

They have a great bar, back room for events and a few arcade games for the kids. Kids eat free on Tuesday nights (so go! or watch out!), Big Al plays requests on the piano on Friday nights and Sunday nights feature top notch Bluegrass.

For a period of a year or two, this particular Me-N-Ed's location was having a lot of turnover with employees it seemed. During this period I regularly received rude, curt and just plain bad customer service. It was almost enough to make me stop eating here. Thankfully that seems to have passed and although the staff is still relatively young they seem to be doing a better job. There are nights however (remember Tuesday is Kids Night) when they are obviously overwhelmed by the pressing throngs of pizza lovers and order times can run up to an hour. On these nights, forget about delivery. Just order in for pick up and get the hell out of there.

At this point I have eaten at Delius half a dozen times: twice for the prix fixe dinner and the rest for lunch, dinner and brunch. I can honestly say that at different points during my prix fixe dinners I have thought out loud, "This is the best food I have ever had in my life."

At different times during the prix fixe I have eaten filet mignon steak, duck, leek soups and many different creative culinary combinations. I also highly recommend the prix fixe wine pairing. During the brunch I have had both the Eggs Benedict and the Creme Brule French Toast and both are fantastic.

The staff is polite and there is ample parking in the private lot. There is a full bar with television and the ambience of the restaurant is well cultivated: warm and modern without being stuffy.

Delius is my favorite restaurant in Long Beach. It's a shame there aren't more places like this in the city.

It may not be the best Mexican food in the world but it is almost surprisingly good. I was excited when this Char-O opened because previously I had to drive out to the Traffic Circle location or even Seal Beach to get their lemon garlic buttered chicken.

As far as the staff, maybe not the brightest people in the world. Also, the interior is a bit cramped and, in my opinion, it is not very good for kids or large groups of people.

This is a neighborhood pizza place and it's about as no frills as they come. Good pizza, nice staff, no ambience, no fountain drinks.

The pizza is good, not spectacular and the sandwiches are solid. I would also recommend the calzone.

If you want some cheap eats, it's a great place to order something to go. More like 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up instead of down.

I grew up on Winchell's Donuts and remember when a crumb donut was more than a glazed with crap all over it. Allison's Donuts has been around for over a decade and is one of the few donut shops that does it right.

The cinnamon rolls are flaky (is that actual cinnamon I taste?), the chocolate bars are incredible and the crumb donuts have some depth of flavor.

I can't think of another donut shop that I would give five stars to. Unfortunately most don't seem to understand the first thing about baking or frosting. Allison's is a throw back, it almost makes me forget that there aren't any Winchell's Donut shops around anymore.

I played a show here recently while on tour and while I thought the people were nice enough, the overall experience left a lot to be desired. During the one of the performances I was witness to a shouting match between the bartendress and crazy man who came in off the street.

The seats are too far away from the tiny stage and it is very difficult for a performer to feel comfortable here. Also, we had a pretty nice turn out for a Friday night and somehow left with less than $50.

On the plus side there's a good pizza joint just across the street and it seems that you can walk to a few different food establishments.

I've played at worse venues but I probably won't go out of my way to book another show here again.