Ariela "I Am Ninja" B.'s Profile

Too many Americans don't know what "real bread" is. That Wonder Bread pre-sliced and sugary stuff? Phooey. You haven't had a real meal until you've enjoyed hand-made awesomeness, and The Good Loaf is a fantastic place to begin your dive into higher-quality victuals.

I was introduced to Lynda by my grandmother, who's been a loyal customer even before Lynda opened the shop, and was baking her breads in her own home and selling them to stores. Now with her own business place, her customer base is booming. I was in there when she first opened the current store, when she was just trying out her monster oven and learning all the neat things it could do. Now it's like an assembly line in there, with the amount of goodies she and her staff put out on any given day.

You can always expect something new here. Lynda likes to change it up when she makes her breads - each loaf and batch is just a little different; maybe a different cheese used, or a slightly different spice...it's all about experimentation, which is what gives her bakery such personality. One of my top favorite breads of hers is the cheese loaf. It's the perfect thing to pair with prosciutto and maybe some cucumber for a lovely lunch. You never know what cheese she'll use in the next batch too, which kinda makes it interesting. :) Oh, and if you've never had anise seeds before (they've got a flavor kinda like licorice), definitely give one of her anise loaves a shot.

If I had any suggestions for the place, it'd be to put up signs on her baskets with the names and ingredients of her baked goods (she also makes pastries). But I guess when you change up your ingredients so often, a static list doesn't make much sense. Still, she's happy to tell you what's in stuff if you just ask.

The quality is well worth the price.

No. Just no. Seriously. Save your money. The Met is only 6 streets down, and you can get in there for a friggin' quarter. Don't waste your time or energy buying into the hype for this place. You'll only end up confused, bored, and disappointed. And possibly disoriented.

The architecture is cool and all, but quite honestly the exhibits are mostly crap. The only installation that interested me when I was there was a figure of Pinocchio lying face down in a plexi glass 'pool'. That was pretty much the highlight of my visit. I paid $15 to look at a dead Pinocchio. Woo-hoo.

Sometimes they have a worthy/thought-provoking installation or gallery or two, but overall I would not willingly set foot in there again.

Don't bring your kids here. Hell, don't bring anybody here. I have to disagree with Monica R about the Guggenheim being a good 'first date' place. Not in the least. My date and I were both open-minded art types, yet we were both ready to pull our hair out when we finished looking at everything. Just check out the pictures they put up online - that's pretty much the same quality of ooh and ahh you'd get from being there in person. Plus you won't have to pay $15-$18 for it.

I like diners. They're a good "default" place to go if you can't figure out what sort of food mood you're in. Mexican? Eh, not today. Chinese? Not in the mood. Pizza? Trying to lose weight. Ah screw it, let's go to the diner.

I'd say Hudson View is a good diner option for the Washington Heights area. Their non-specials are a little pricey compared to other neighborhoods, but then again I'm from Brooklyn - we're kinda spoiled when it comes to cheap diners.

Quality-wise, I'm definitely a fan. Their food is good, and pretty consistent from what I've seen so far. The staff is very nice and attentive as well (though the guy who's supposed to refill people's water glasses tends to zone out more often than not).

But yeah. Overall? Good food, clean, and conveniently located right off the 181st Street A train entrance. That makes for a good lunch spot in my book.

My boyfriend and I bumped into this place after an unsuccessful "what shall we have for lunch" walk down St. Nicholas Avenue. We were on the other side of the street, and we both stopped and gawked at the word "smoothies" momentarily before making a gleeful beeline toward the place (thankfully traffic was stopped at a red light at the time). I was happy to find a place that made fruit blends, let alone one that was also a deli.

We spent quite a bit of time perusing their menus. Their shakes and smoothies menus were categorized by health problems (including arthritis and hair loss - see photos), which got a bit of a giggle from me. The frequent "Engrish" and misspellings made some items difficult to decipher (and even more humorous), but we settled on a couple of orders from their "100% Health" menu and a fruit smoothie.

A papaya chocolate smoothie.

Yes, you read right. And they let us add more fruit to it too - we ended up with a papaya, strawberry, kiwi, and chocolate smoothie for around 4 bucks, which was quite good considering how freaking AWESOME it was. There were listings for protein powder and stuff, but we opted for a straight smoothie. I was a little disappointed when I saw they used Swiss Mix powder for the 'chocolate' part of the smoothie, but it turned out great regardless. I may try making my own version at home with real chocolate, but if I'm out and about I'd come back for one of theirs.

The food itself was pretty good. Nicely portioned, fresh ingredients. I just wasn't too thrilled with the amount of time it took for us to get our order, especially when we were the only customers in the shop at the time. Though I guess it can be a credit to them if the time was taken to make things from scratch, but honestly it'd be nice to not have to wait 15-20 minutes for a simple steak sandwich and chicken quesadilla. We were already done with the smoothie by the time the food came out.

Another thing I wasn't too happy about was how difficult it was to try and actually get our order taken. The guy behind the counter and his mom (I'm assuming), didn't seem to understand some English orders from their own menu (it was half English half Spanish), and I had a VERY hard time understanding either of them when they asked for clarification about order details - even with two years of Spanish under my belt. But I guess no matter how fluent you are, if your accent makes your English sound like you've got boiling water in your mouth, there's gonna be some miscommunication going on.

Long story short: I'd go back. :)

Not much has changed in 2 years. I still wouldn't buy my produce here. The empty lot next door it still a gross collection of rusty shelves, dead trees/plants, and planks of rotting wood. Not a very pretty sight, to say the least.

Though they have been "specializing" in flowers and shrubs and things more in the last couple of years. It's at the point where it looks like they're trying to rival Tamilio's in the flower market. The flowers look decent, and it's kind of nice sometimes to walk down the block when they're lining both sides of the sidewalk...but that's probably the only saving grace of MPFM these days.

I remember when I first realized this place existed. "Scuba diving? In Brooklyn? Oh yeah, we live by the water. But scuba? A store for scuba divers? Dude." It was a passing amusement for a while, and then I finally had the chance to go in and browse when I needed a good pair of ear and nose plugs for swimming at the local YMHA.

They are SO relaxed and nice here. They're eager and ready to help you and offer any information you could possibly want about gear and equipment, or even offer advice or suggestions about diving, or swimming in general.

The prices are very good, and the owner actually let me have a pair of earplugs for free, because they were a new kind and she wanted feedback about them.

So yeah. If you need scuba or swimming gear in Brooklyn, this is the place. Well, it's the ONLY place, at least to my knowledge. But the only place being a good place is always a good combination. :)

I had no idea so many things could be piled on top of a pizza. I mean, seriously. I love artichokes, but artichokes on pizza? Caesar salad on pizza? Avocado? Yes please. :D And with their "build-your-own ___" menu, you can custom order your favorites, or just get half and half. Yum.

I love the decor. Very hippy-ish and colorful. Even the bathroom signs are cute. Seating is a little cramped, but that's not a biggie once you get the food.

Bear in mind, Mellow Mushroom isn't for those watching their weight. I know I could only have so much of the salad pizza before feeling overly full, and while their pretzels are awesome, they're pretty saturated with oil. Not a big fan of the hoagies, but I guess you have to be in the mood for one of those.

I'd recommend coming here with a group, because you are NOT gonna finish one of their pies alone.

It's tough when you come down with a horrible cold while far from home. I'm from NYC, and was staying in Columbus for a few days before heading to Savannah, and I came down with a combination of bronchitis and a bad sinus infection. MedCare was the earliest clinic open, so I stopped in and hoped they took walk-ins without an issue. They do.

The wait wasn't too bad, but as they didn't take my insurance I had to pay $100 up-front. But I got $25 back after I was seen, though I'm not sure why.

I was examined by Dr. Ditaranto, who was very kind and straightforward. Out of the 4 medications he prescribed for me, two of them he found samples of in the back so I wouldn't have to spend as much money at the pharmacy.

I can't exactly say "go here", since I don't wish anyone to be sick enough to need it, but if you do require medical attention that's not quite hospital-worthy, this is a good place to go.

This place is a gas station? Wow, I'm a retard. All I noticed was the supermarketish health food options.

Anyway. Would you believe that this is the only freaking place in Savannah where one can find decent yogurt? Some hotels offer dinky yogurts for their continental breakfasts, but I mean real yogurt. I can't tell you how many blocks back and forth I walked to find some. But yeah, Parker's came through.

Their pastries look great, but I'd personally stay away from the deli section. None of those sandwiches looked very appetizing at all. The rest of their selection of products look very nice. The store is also clean, well lighted, and stuff is (mostly) clearly marked.

What I didn't like however, was how friggin' expensive everything was. Not my cup of tea. But you're kinda cornered into paying the prices when they're the only place that carries certain things. Oh well.

[NOTE: You can't get an "early" lunch here on weekdays, because they open at 4pm. They do stay open quite late however, when the rest of the restaurants have already been closed for hours.]

The hotel clerk wasn't kidding when he said Vinnie's was the best pizza in town. And not only is the pizza good, but their topping options are even better. Mix and match what you want on your slice - it's all good. The slices are HUGE, too. I wouldn't order more than one at a time, because one (plus toppings) may just fill you up.

Be warned though, the place gets rather crowded on any given day, the inside is dingy and cramped, and the bathroom is gross (the women's room doesn't even lock). I'd still say the pizza is worth it though. Just try not to drop any on the floor.