Joelle "miss moxie" R.'s Profile

About a week ago we wanted pizza, but didn't want the usual chain-joints, so I remembered the $4 coupon I got in my mailbox for Giovanni's around the corner.  It seemed packed when I drove by once on a Friday night, so I figured it was worth ago.

We ordered their "Works" pizza: pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions and black olives. Pretty much everything I like on a pizza.  We also ordered some garlic cheese bread so we could meet our coupon minimum. (And at $4, it ended up being free with the coupon).

They arrived in about 40 minutes, per the guy on the phone.  The delivery guy was friendly and didn't linger, like some do. The pizza was hot and melty (and it should have been, given that it's only about 3 blocks away.)

All in all, the pizza was very good. Very authentic tasting and the crust was especially good.  I usually end up leaving the crust, but I stole the crust from my friend because it was so good. I would definitely, definitely order pizza from here again.

Why only 4 stars? Talk to the garlic bread.  What a bummer that was!  basically a super thick cold-ish piece of italian bread with some melted American cheese on top (or what looked like American cheese... maybe cheddar). it wasn't bubbly or melty or even particularly garlicy.  It was totally superfluous to our meal... had we not ordered that, I'd have been none the wiser and they'd have gotten 5 stars. The delicious pizza made it look even worse than it was, like if you were 20 lbs overweight standing next to a supermodel.

But as I said, this will probably be my new pizza delivery place. I'd like to try some of their other items and I was excited to discover they serve breakfast, so yay!

I have a long love affair with Spaghetti Factory. As long as I lived in San Diego, I've been going here. Since 1979 I've enjoyed their delicious and very well-priced food with family and friends. I've had many a birthday here and oogled many a waiter (when I was a teenager, it was like, LAW that every server at OSF was hot).  I had dreams about their bread.

When they closed several years ago, I was a little heartbroken. I moved back to San Diego from Dallas and was sad to see them gone, so when I heard they'd reopened, I had to check it out.

Went down on a Monday night (during tourist time) around 6:30 and only waited about 15 minutes to be seated.  The interior is reminiscent of the original, but it's decidedly "modernized", I guess. I miss the cablecar. I really, really miss the cable car.  

I did like the upstairs area where we sat with it's big cozy booths (if something can be both big and cozy).  We were very comfortable and had great service, despite there being a party across from us with (and I'm not kidding) easily a 30 foot table full of people.

Some friends brought our own wine (which I had NO idea you could do) and we just paid a $10 corking fee. Of course, I think corking fees are kind of stupid -- hand me the corkscrew and I'll do it myself, but I appreciate that we're using their glasses and taking away from their wine sales, so... that's cool. Better than $10 a glass!

The food? Fantastic. I had the Mizithra with Browned Butter with a side of meatballs and we all shared some Sicilian Cheese Bread which was some of the best garlic cheesebread I've had. The pesto ranch salad dressing was just like I remember and the bread... totally brought me back!  I missed the "other butter" they also served alongside the regular (was it garlic? honey? we couldn't remember...).

Spumoni was nostalgic and a perfect capper to the evening.  But I daresay the truly perfect ending was the $65 bill for four entrees and an appetizer. My friend and I walked out of there paying $38 including tip and we had leftovers and a wonderful time!  Looking forward to trying the Loft lounge upstairs next time.

I missed you, OSF. Welcome back.

If I'm being honest, since I first wrote this review, I avoid going here if at all possible.  They carry very few things that my bun likes much anymore. Sometimes I buy my Carefresh here, but I've found that in order to avoid going here, I'm willing to pay $3 more a bag at Petsmart.  Really, carpet squares are the only reason I go back... and that's not often.

Mandy D. is right... one of the women here can be a bit rude.  Holier than thou, I would say. I really wish this wasn't true, as I've met some very nice people through the SDHRS, especially at BunnyFest and through some of their vendors. But  one woman in particular, can be harsh and takes some time to warm up to.  Only recently has she started being slightly more cordial.

I am a paid member of both the National HRS and the SD HRS, so it's not like I don't support the project, but if you are a store that wants customers, I would recommend acting like you value those customers. If a customer shows up early, they are immediately put to work --  this is not that big of a deal and of course, I don't mind helping, but the expectation that I will help you schlep giant boxes of hay and giant bags of litter out of trucks and vans just because I came to buy something from you is presumptive.  They don't *ask* you if you'll help, they tell you.  Once we arrived 5 minutes early, several people were standing around, but we stepped in to help unload some Carefresh.   Several dozen 50L bags, I might add.  

At 11:58, I was standing in the store, assuming that *at least* the people who helped unload would be permitted to stay -- who cares about 2 minutes? But no, I was asked to leave the store, without any thanks for my help, "until we let you in".  I stepped outside, and less than a minute later, they opened the doors to everyone. Was that really necessary?  It was very power-trippy.

I realize it's a volunteer organization and that it's a non-profit and they need all the help they can get, but you get more flies with honey, as the saying goes.  The bottom line is it's a store that you choose to work at in conjunction with an organization that you choose to participate in.  No one is forcing you to be there, so it would be nice if you acted like you were happy about it.

I even went out of my way to try to find them carpet samples when they were running low. I called several carpet stores, I stopped into a few carpet stores and when I mentioned it to the staff (that one woman in particular), she didn't even say "thanks" or "That was nice of you."  I don't want a gold-star or anything, but really!

It really disappoints me and kind of embarrasses me to update my entry this way, especially since I gave them such a nice review the first time.  If I didn't care about the bunnies and the organization so much, I might give it 2 stars, if I'm being honest.  The vibe in there repels me that much.  Again, this one particular woman is so off-putting and condescending to the patrons and I just don't feel that's the way to encourage or educate people about bun ownership.

Now, I hope I don't get daggers the next time I want to buy a carpet square.

I went here on Lyn P.'s recommendation and was satisfied. I've gone a couple times now and tried different things, my favorite being the jack cheese quesadilla. I don't know what makes this particular jack cheese SO freakin' good, but it just is. I would go back just for this.

I've also tried the bacon & egg breakfast burrito which was fine... not mind-blowing, but good, solid breakfast fare.

I did not like their fish taco, though. It's not that it was *bad*, it just wasn't what I was expecting.  I believe the fish was grilled or seared on a flatgrill, which is fine (though again, not what I was expecting), and it was alright, but lacked a lime and didn't have a lot of flavor.

There is always a line here unless you go in the mornings on a weekday. Any time after lunchtime and it's packed to the rafters with people waiting for carne asada fries the size of the Yellowstone caldera.  That seems to be the most popular thing ordered here, so I guess they must be good. It's just not my thing.

The salsa bar is meager, but fine. Red. Green. Carrots. The end. Their hot sauce isn't my favorite, but just ok. It gets the job done.

I'm sure I'll go back and try some of their other items. So far, since moving to this area, it's been the best taco shop I've tried -- but I've only tried two. :)

I'm going to with 3 stars for now and see if it changes on my next visit.  All in all, it was a solid experience and there were really good elements about it, but some things didn't jive. Of course.

First off, we made it just in time because it got packed just after we sat down. We maybe had 5 minute wait around 9am on a Saturday -- not too bad. There are no booths, so be prepared for tiny two-tops and 4-tops, but it's charming, really. But be warned it might get busy, so plan to wait a bit.

The service is excellent, though it got a little slow toward the end of our meal (she got busy, it happens).  But my coffee was never empty and I loved the little coffee cup and saucer they served. (Note to management: include Splenda with your Equal and Sweet n' Low, please. It's new-fangled no longer.) The coffee was pretty tasty, too.

Now to the food: I ordered the bacon and cheese omelette with both swiss and cheddar. It came with 3 hand-sized pancakes, which were a perfect size for "side" pancakes. They were a wee bit sogged out in the middle, but the omelette was seriously as big as face. Bigger. It could have been a wagon wheel.  It was a baked omelette, so those who are looking for your usual Denny's type omelette... this ain't it. But it's VERY good. More like a frittata, actually.  It was incredibly tasty, but there's at least 3/4 left and I walked out *stuffed*.  The pancakes were just ok in my opinion, but the syrup was delicious -- warm and tasted like the real thing.

However, my friend got pecan silver dollar pancakes which were hit n' miss, and a side of bacon. Some were really dry and crusty, some had runny batter in the middle, some were perfect. We're not sure if it was just a fluke or if it was because we asked to add the pecans or what, but they were kind of a bust. And the bacon, while the flavor was absolutely *delicious* was that super thick country-style bacon that never gets crispy. It was kind of like eating warm beef jerky. If you're into that kind of bacon, than this is your place.  I'm not.

The price is where I get a little less-than-thrilled.  For that, we paid $35+ for two people (with tip).  That's a lot for breakfast. My omelette was $9.65 and my coffee $2.85.  Not cheap, but fine enough.  But my friend? His pancakes were $6.50, plus another $2.50 to add the pecans. Plus another $5 for the bacon (SERIOUSLY!), plus another $4 for the orange juice.  No eggs, no hashbrowns: just pancakes, bacon and juice and his was $16 and change.  Just seemed a little steep in my opinion.

Would I go back? Sure. I'd like to try some of their specialties like the Eggs Michael (Eggs Benedict with sausage instead of canadian bacon and mushroom sherry sauce instead of hollandaise) or the Dutch Baby.  But I might wait until I have someone in town or someone else I know wants to go. It won't be regular breakfast stop for me, despite it being so close..

I really loved this place!  I only wished they had cocktails, though I enjoyed my Sapporo thoroughly.

I met up with Lyn P. for happy hour there and we ordered up their Thai Chili Wings, the Ahi Salad and the steamed dumplings.  All were absolutely delicious (especially that Ahi -- I totally bogarted the tuna), generously portioned and half price! Cheap makes things all the more delicious.

I'll definitely be going back. Soon, I hope!

Dude, seriously? SERIOUSLY.  4 stars?  Well, alright then...

I was going to go to Subway, but the line was out of control, as was the parking lot. I happened to park right in front of Palomino's, so they got my business.  I ordered the "Big Plate", which is perfect for someone who doesn't know what they want: bean tostada, two rolled tacos and a beef taco.  A little much, but as I said, I didn't know what I wanted.

The rolled tacos were... fine. Just fine. The guacamole was kind of bland, but ok. The taco?  Really watery from the lettuce, but otherwise, yeah, it was ok.  I like the beef at Sombrero's better.

By the time I got to the tostada I was full. Good thing, too because not only were the beans so foul I spit them out, there was 3 inch straight black hair in my shredded lettuce. Mine is like 2 feet long, brown and curly, so it definitely wasn't mine.

But back to the beans for a minute... I was actually taken aback at how bad they were. There was some spice that seemed to permeate their food from the hot sauce to the beans... like too much oregano or something.  And it wasn't a usual spice I expect to find heavily in mexican food. Not cilantro, not coriander, not cumin... *maybe* oregano, but if not that... then something else unknown to me.

Oh, I got a side of rice which was also okay. A little mushy, but flavor was uneventful, but not bad.  The rice at Margarita's in OB kicks it's kiester.

Service was nice enough, prices were acceptable, I suppose, if not a teensy bit high, but that seems par for the course these days.

I may be able to throw a stone and hit this place, but I daresay I shan't be dining here again. I'll go up to Convoy and hit Sombrero's or scoot up to Lolita's.

Meh, I say. Meh!

I've been here twice now and both times, the food was great.  Today I had the California omelette with hashbrowns "crisp" and sourdough toast.

The coffee was delicious and hot, the food came out quickly and perfectly done and the service was kind and cordial, but not overly solicitous.

The atmosphere is nothing extraordinary, just a warm local place. Nothing fancy, but it suits just fine. The food is hot, cooked well and clearly the place is favored by locals and non-locals alike.

I'll be back, definitely!

I called on a Wednesday morning to have the apartment I just moved out of cleaned. I just couldn't muster the mojo to do it myself after all the box schlepping. Really, it was just the kitchen and bathroom on the roughly 600 sq. foot apartment -- I'd taken care of the living room and bedroom.

I spoke with Patty, who was very friendly and she quoted me $75/hr. at 1.5-2.0 hours, capping it at 2 hours for the entire apartment. This would include the oven and the fridge, cabinets inside and out, the baseboards, ceiling fans, vacuuming... the whole deal. Market ready, in other words.  She booked my appointment with only a day's notice and the girls arrived on time Thursday afternoon.

The girls didn't seem to speak much English, but were very nice and attentive.  I pointed out the things I needed done, explained they didn't need to do the living room or bedroom. I said I had to go, but if they could lock up after, that would be great. (Patty said I didn't need to be there.)

I got nods and smiles and we exchanged thank yous and goodbyes and I stepped out.  I puttered around the property for a few minutes, dumping trash and getting mail.  Less than 10 minutes later I had to go back into the apartment to leave some keys on the counter and found one of the girls already up cleaning out the cabinets.  The other girl?  On the phone speaking in Spanish to what I assume was a friend or family member because it certainly wasn't her boss.

I made eye contact with her and even though I was in the apartment for several minutes, she didn't make a move to hang up -- not even when I said my goodbyes again and left for real.  The next day when Patty mentioned my full 2 hours was used (which surprised me considering they didn't need to vacuum or do the living room or bedrooms at all), I accepted the charges, but mentioned the phone situation to her.

Patty was really great and said that she was sorry and would address it with the housekeeper. She also only charged me for 1.5 hours to compensate for any time that was lost to phone chit-chat.  I hope the other housekeeper gets compensated for potentially extra work she did.

While I was unable to personally check the quality of the cleaning, I asked the property manager and they indicated that it appeared to be just fine. The oven and fridge were clean, the counters and sinks looked good (as best as they could for a 60 year old counter and sink).  The drawers had a few crumbs, but it wasn't the end of the world.

I would hire them again and am considering getting a housekeeper once a month or so for deep cleaning, so I may be giving Patty a call again soon. She was very responsive and friendly and the quality of the work was solid. Thanks, Patty!

Ok, this is the 2nd time I've gone for breakfast and I'm still kind of unimpressed. It just wasn't very good, for all the hype the place gets. I'm really hoping their lunch/dinner menu kicks ass because my breakfast this morning was less than dazzling.

I decided to order the breakfast burrito, since I'd already tried their basic 2-eggs n' bacon breakfast.  It was served with a cup of warm refried beans. And I do mean warm... not hot. In fact, they bordered on cold. They had very good flavor, but would have been better hot.  The burrito itself was just kind of uneventful. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything I couldn't have made at home. Very basic.  I only ate half and brought the other half home so I could do something more exciting with it.

The service staff was very polite and friendly and the coffee was great, so they have that goin' for them. :)  As I said, it seems so popular, I'm hoping their lunch/dinner menu items are much better.