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"Another cog in the machine"
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624 Useful, 293 Funny, and 518 Cool
Sacramento, CA
Yelping SinceDecember 2007
Things I Lovemy wife, my buddies, my kids, cats, programming, indie rock, snowboarding, short stories, punk rock, working out, electronica, math, literature, beer, lucid dreaming
Find Me Incomp.soft-sys.sas
My HometownSacTown
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...Slogging along in the biggest machine around
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI'm an INTJ - It's all Carl Jung's fault.
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadBlood Meridian - the most literate horror story ever written.
My First ConcertBackstage at the Memorial with Eric Clapton & Derek & Dominos in '71 - no lie.
My Favorite Movie My Last Meal On EarthA silly question, but beef & beer would be involved.
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...Who made who, who turned the screw?
Most Recent DiscoveryPandora has convinced me I love the Strokes....
Current Crushoh come now, I'm married....
DateFairfield, CA 94534
(707) 864-8558
Scandia Family Center
Categories: Amusement Parks, Pizza, Arcades, Mini Golf
Ever walked into a restaurant noticing it was a little dirty, but thought, "that's okay - La Bonne Soup is a little dirty and they're great!" - but then changed your mind when you smell your server three feet away, and it isn't perfume that you're smelling?
Ever been the lone occupied table, with only two people, and the restaurant has at least three staff doing absolutely nothing, and they give you such poor service you spend your time joking about it?
Ever made a pact with the person you are eating with that if the waitress doesn't finally bring the food out by a certain time (30 minutes after your order) you're going to walk out? And you are the only occupied table at 7 PM in the evening?
Ever been served by a girl who had been chatting on her cell phone for 45 minutes, who then finally brings something to your table in mid-conversation, with the phone still open and connected in her hand?
Ever had a waitress, with only your table to wait on, get your order wrong three times?
Ever eaten dinner at a place with a lunch buffet, and had the sinking feeling you are eating from the bottom of a pan of greasy lunch leftovers at twice the lunch price?
Ever ordered an Indian coffee and received a cup of hot watery milk with two or three grounds floating around, making you wonder if they were just there because the cup wasn't washed?
Ever hoped that you don't start retching in the middle of the night after a dinner?
Ever went to a "4.5 star Yelp" place and wonder if you got the address wrong?
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 452-7594
Magpie Caterers Market and Cafe
Categories: Caterers, American (New)
I love what they've done to the R Street corridor between 14&15. Magpie is one of five or six restaurants in a row including Burgers and Brew, Shady Lady Saloon, and Cafe Bernardo. The are all laid-back upscale, targeting 20 and 30 something's for dinner and drinks, and the stateworker lunch crowd.
I'd give Magpie five stars but the menu is too small, and while one of our choices was great (ham panini), the other was good (shrimp salad) but not great. We had the sodas from New Mexico which were both Hansen's quality in a cute can. The plates were small and simple - I liked the salad, but it was a little uninteresting - just bay shrimp in a white mayonnaise-plus base with some chopped celery, and skinny toast on the side. The side salad was greens only - romaine, arugula and a couple others, with a tad too much oil and vinegar.
My wife thought her uncured ham panini sandwich with Camembert cheese was great - not greasy on the outside, not too much cheese, very good panino. She raved about the pickled onions on the side. The dill gherkins rounded the plate out with a nice touch.
The best part of the meal came last - the desert was excellent - a truly killer raspberry shortcake. Fresh baked shortbread with nuts, a honey cream sauce that made us want to lick the plate, and about 40 raspberries.
Out the door it was $26 including the tip. They have a decent selection of wines and beer on tap. Nice spot for a quick but fun & sophisticated dinner for not too much $$.
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 451-1330
California Precision Service
Category: Appliances & Repair
The problem was with a $$ Sony DSC-H5B I've had a couple years. Up until now I always liked Sony digital cameras - this is my fourth, but now I'm starting to wonder. My daughter loves to borrow it for MySpace shots with her friends, last time she borrowed it, it came back without the shutter button. She said she didn't know what had happened, and since I didn't see any obvious scratches I'm inclined to believe it just popped off.
Checking on the internet I saw that I was not alone - great camera with a faulty button - I hate to think that Sony reliability is going downhill - but the single most moving part on the camera should be the #1 to bullet proof. Not so with this model - it's a known problem - and Sony will fix it for $150 dollars plus.
No thanks - I looked around some more and found a site that showed how to remove and reinstall a replacement button. ( http://tinyurl.com/sny... ) I thought about doing it myself, but hey, since it was so easy, I figure some guy in town I could trust could do it for $40, I wouldn't accidentally fcuk it worse than it was, and everyone would be happy.
Looking on Yelp I saw Precision and so I gave them a ring. The guy wouldn't even talk to me on the phone, I had to take it in. I told him I knew what the problem was and it was just a swap out of the old button. I get it in there and the guy still won't talk to me - I explain what I know and he just doesn't care - he has to do a $20 "diagnosis" before he will even estimate it. I repeat the "I know what the matter is - it's a broken button that is easily replaced." He gives me some gibberish about circuit boards and dismantling the moving parts. I figure Yelp loves this place - and this guy is just the counter guy - so I take the chance - I decide I'm still stupid enough to fork over $40 more or so if that's what they offer to get someone "who knows what they are doing" rather than do something stupid to it myself.
Three days later I get the call - they have "dismantled the camera" and it will take ***$157*** more to fix it. WTF?? I say "no thank you" and go to pick it up the next day. They haven't done the paperwork, and it takes 20 minutes to dig the camera out of box right behind the desk. I look at the screws on the camera - I don't know 100% for sure but the camera didn't look opened - the screws didn't look turned and for my $20 and four days of hostage the camera certainly wasn't even cleaned off. grrrrrrr
So I go home and follow the camerahacker website instructions. Sony wants $30 for the $1 crappy plastic part shipped, so I do it. This afternoon I get the piece. No instructions of course in the tiny box, because they apparently are in on this little scam. It takes me FIVE minutes to replace the button. The camera works great. It was about as difficult as putting a screw top back onto a beer bottle, I swear to god.
Hmmm... Let me add this up... $20+$157-$30=$147 for five minutes of work. That's $1,764 per hour for a service that wasn't really needed, estimated to a guy who did everything he could to tell them that he knew what was going on. I'm willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when they insult my intelligence and then try to steal my money right in front of my face it pisses me off. Are other camera users that gullible, or was it just me? This shop is run by either thieves or idiots, I'm not sure which . Either way - they are not people I would trust with a valuable piece of equipment.
Maybe this place is good for film camera problems - but for digital camera repairs STAY AWAY!
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 753-3919
Bistro 9
Categories: American (New), Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
The restaurant is friendly and relaxed, but nice enough for a comfortable second date or get together with family or friends. Nice atmosphere with great service - all in all I couldn't ask for more. A good beer and wine selection. The menu said they had single serving bottles of Chimay - didn't ask but I've never seen that one before. I tried the draft IPA which had a lightly tart hoppy flavor - not bad at all.
For dinner my order was the 4oz rib-eye with couscous and the artichoke. The Israeli couscous was probably the best I've ever had - lightly sweetened with raisins and honey, very moist and soft but large grains. The rib-eye was cut thin, cooked just right to a medium rare, nicely seared with light sauce. The artichoke was steamed and grilled with a lemon butter - again very good.
If you are visiting downtown and are riding BART then it's easy to get to by the transit system. We found it by taking the Judah (N) Muni Train from downtown out to 9th and walking a block north towards the park.
You & whoever can go get a really great sandwich and get a serious buzz on and see a cool car show, all for under $20. What other restaurant boasts that?
F all the haters. Great location, great food, cool atmosphere. I love Suzy Burger!
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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1/29/2008
Been there three times and loved it each time. They are brand spanking new and working out the kinks - I saw big changes between each time I went.
Love the concept, love the decor, loved the food. It is a very fun place. The service was excellent each time I went. I'll be going back whenever I want a burger or a cheesesteak.
A couple comments if anyone from Suzy's is reading this: They need to ink an "M" on their mushroom cheesesteaks - because you can't tell that the diced mushrooms are there until you bite the sandwich - which is a problem if there is one with and one without. Also - one of my kids got a shake that wasn't cold enough - too runny.
I don't know what all the slammers here on Yelp expected - it's a hamburger stand for crying out loud. The carrots are there for the fun of it - give me a break you DRONES that don't get it. Suzie Burger has great hamburgers and cheesesteaks. No they aren't Wendy's - and some people don't want to eat at chain stores!!! Local businesses are a good thing. I'm from Sacramento and I say "bully" to anyone who does a decent start-up here that is in the face of corporate America.
It's a cool set up in a great spot - so much better to see when I pull off the freeway than a defunct TuneUp Masters. I'm not a fan of chain burger places - MD's CJs, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, etc. so I'm very happy to have a good home-town option, aside from Ford's, which I think hasn't kept up over the years and Nationwide Freezer Meats which I never cared for, other than the cool hole-in-the-wall factor.
The best part is the new book search - they finally got a decent search application, and they are tagging and reviewing the books - tag clusters omg! - the system is light-years ahead of where it was.
Check out Link+ if you can't find a book - it's killer.
2 Previous Reviews: Hide »
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2/12/2009
I'm reading my way through the late 1800's in California - and I have seriously tapped out everything worthwhile on the history shelves here in Sacramento.
The Central Library has the "California Room" where a bunch of cool but rare stuff is kept locked away - for library use only. Well I do 99% of my reading at home in bed between 9&11 pm - and they won't let me bring my blanket and pillow for a sleep over - so I pretty much had struck all the really good stuff off my list.
The other day I was digging around the online book reservations and decided to give "California inter pocula" another try for the heck of it. "California inter pocula" means California In Her Cups - or the drunken days of the state - this book is the preeminent California history of the gold rush era - written by the wild and crazy original historian of California, Hubert Bancroft. You can see it on-line at the Gutenberg project and other history sites where they have photocopies of the pages, but reading 828 pages off a computer screen in bed is not a good option either.
Well the search in the Sacramento system came up "Library Use Only" but the I saw a hyperlink "Can't find what you are looking for? Try Link+". I thought inter-system loans were a bit too much trouble, but I tried the link. All of a sudden a database opened up that has every library in the CSU and UC system plus god only knows where else, and "California inter pocula" showed up in the stacks at several universities.
I clicked "request" and it asked me for my library card # and password and then it said, "request made for at Central Library". Three, yes three, days later the library sent it's usual "ready for pick up" email. I went over, and the only difference was the book was behind the desk waiting, rather than on the request shelf.
The librarian gave me a broad smile and said "Wow, that looks old." "Yes" I replied, "it was published 120 years ago." He said back "Don't return it overdue or lose it, it's $1 a day or $115 if lost."
I don't mind paying taxes, I think our government is a pretty good deal usually. But when it comes to this kind of thing I feel like sending a box of chocolates to someone. -
1/30/2008
Okay the homeless patrons in the bathrooms are a bit stinky sometimes...but the library is definitely a treasure. If you haven't gone online and set up an ID you have to do it. Take your time on Amazon or Brothers Judd looking for books, go over to the Sac Library site and reserve some. Drop by the next week and voila - there they are. If you take too much time reading them - don't worry - just go online and renew them.
I have yet to venture into the Sacramento room - but some day I'll take the time. I've been reading about the 1800's here Freemont, Kit Carson, Commodore Stockton, Richard Henry Dana, etc. I keep seeing things for library use only in the " Sacramento Room "- when I do I'll come back and add some notes.
Seriously - the wife took in a pair of $80 shoes with a broken strap and he fixed them better than new for ten, yes ten bucks. In one day. What "service" in 2009 can you get for that? A haircut? No. A carwash? No. Your pants hemmed? No. Your dog washed? No.
When she told me about Schroeder's, I said "I have the perfect way to try this guy out!" A nine year old pair of well worn Teva hiking boots - one of the best pairs of shoes I've ever owned. Fit like a glove, feel great, I absolutely loved them from the moment I put them on. They have gone halfway around the planet with me and I'm planning on wearing them at my funeral. I haven't told my wife about that yet. The problem is that I've tortured them; through ankle deep mud, through salt water, through snow, through Red Hot Chili Pepper concerts, through the works. So now the seams are splitting and gunk gets in there on my socks. I had sadly relegated them to yard work, where all good boots and sneakers go to die.
I wire brushed the muck off, gave them a quick scrub in the sink, and took them down to the funky little sand colored shop with the shoe shaped sign. Schroeder (?) took one look and said "ten dolla". I said "Okay." The next morning there they were, my pride and joy back from the land of the dead. Getting in the car I told the wife I couldn't wait to bring every broken leather thing we had in the house to this guy.
Epilogue: Bringing over a belt to shorten a couple inches I decided to look for shoe laces. I wear the usual black leather dress shoes to work, had broken a lace a year ago and had bought three different replacement pairs from Longs, Rite Aide, and the grocery. All of them cost $2.50+ and none of them made me happy. Good selections of shoe laces just aren't stocked in regular stores anymore. Schroeder had a rack of about 100 choices. I found EXACTLY the pair I wanted, and he charged me "two dolla". When I got home I opened them up and there were *two* pair inside. A dollar a pair. I can't believe this guy. The last great deal in Sacramento.
Leaving his shop he looked at my feet and asked me if I liked his job on the boots. I smiled back and nodded. He looked me in the eye and with slow circular motions of his hands whispered "wax on ... wax off..."
San Francisco may think of us as an ugly stepsister, but hey, do they have hundreds of good folks camping along their beautiful river, with Oprah and a hundred other talking heads dying to come for a visit? I think not!
Truckee, CA 96161
(800) 466-6784
Northstar at Tahoe
Categories: Hotels, Ski Resorts
The rest of the park has a few miles of fat trails - much in the blue, some good green areas and black. The blacks aren't advanced, so if you like the thrill of near-death then you'd be better off at Sugar Bowl. All in all it's a great place for an snowboarding, and very good for intermediate skiing.
What I don't like is the rest of the "destination". Northstar is a "village" like Squaw or Whistler up in Canada. What that means is they've incorporated a mall of sorts with restaurants, boutiques, and other assorted ways to pull $$$ out of your wallet.
The parking is also not good. You park a mile away on a hill and ride a bus in - the buses are frequent and the ride is short - but if you want to keep gear or food in the car it's a bitch to get to it - so you get to rent lockers or take care of business on their mall.
The other thing that bugged was my daughter biffed a couple times and got a major headache. The first aid place gave her *one* tylenol and acted like it was major deal. I had to walk 1/4 mile to a cheese and wine store and drop $5 on a couple travel packs just to get something for her head. I've done this before at other resorts and they just gave me few and sent us back out for more glory. What is it with expensive places that make them so cheap on the small stuff???
The tickets are a little pricey, but not that far out of the usual range. I was there right after two days of snow, so the snow was great everywhere. The trials for the X-Games were on that day so it was a great time to see some supersquirrels and rippey flips, but it was a mosh pit on the terrain park lift.
6 Lists
Scandia turned out to be Father's Day Plan B after sitting over an hour in a six mile freeway traffic jam leading to Six-Flags. I figured the lines at the park would be just as bad - so we bailed out. On the way back is the Cordelia Scandia and I haven't ridden the go-carts with my daughter since ever, so this was a good chance for some cheap dad's day thrills.
For $20 each we got enough tickets and tokens for two hours of fun - 25 pitches each at the batting cage, two 10 lap races at the go-carts, a round of laser tag, and a couple quick arcade games.
My (16 year old) daughter had her first try at batting a softball for years - she popped five or six good hits, with one that would have been a home-run. This was my first try at laser tag - it's a workout and was fun, fast, & exciting - plus the staff gave us an extra round for free!! The laser tag arena and gear are in newer shape than the rest of the center. The go-carts are in good shape, the track is windy with plenty of corners to slide through, and fast enough to feel dangerous, without the need for helmets.
I almost give them five stars because they were very helpful in a pinch - while running around like a mad man in laser tag I lost a pair of $100 prescription shades, and they turned on the lights and helped me look afterwards. We didn't find them, but I left my name and number and that evening they called and said they had them waiting for me at the desk.
Of course I have to drive 100 miles there and back - so I called and asked if they could mail the glasses. Guess what - they said no problem and no charge! Great service - thanks Scandia!