anita "Our Lady of Cheesy Goodness" c.'s Profile

The food is fine -- some of it is very interesting -- as is the service. But I was double-charged for a $145 family meal, so make sure to check your credit-card statements.

The manager says she will take care of it, but I'm annoyed at having to jump through hoops to correct an error on their part. Thank goodness I used a credit card and not a debit card.

Fawn is awesome, and her classes are the best way to get your dog off on the right foot.

Both of our dogs went through her classes and we can't recommend them highly enough! The dogs learn a lot, of course, and have an excellent opportunity to be socialized with other dogs their own age.

But the best part of the classes was learning about how dogs think and interact with other members of their pack -- training ourselves to avoid the typical puppy-training pitfalls.

The space is beautiful, simultaneously contemporary and cozy. It's not large, but it feels expansive thanks to five distinct dining zones: chef's counter, lower dining room, cava bar, upper dining room, and a heated, covered outdoor patio surrounded by herb gardens.

There's jamón from Spain (and Iowa), alongside meat and vegetables from the usual assortment of local farms. Contigo offers an assortment of small pica-pica plates ($8 each, or $21 for three). Hot tapas like crisp patatas bravas and marinated sardines take their place alongside an assortment of Spanish-accented cold small plates like the remojón: salt cod, oranges, and olives atop white radicchio.

We tried a couple of larger platillos as well: juidones a la segovia, a dreamy assortment of pork parts atop creamy butter beans. The chorizo-y txistorra burger was fabulous but very rich; be ready to share it with a friend. For dessert, we made short work of the not-too-sweet almond cake, filled with a dollop of pastry cream and a schmear of olallieberry preserves.

So many boutique hotels are sleek and modern at the expense of comfort; this is NOT a problem at Roger Williams. The rooms are a good size for Manhattan, and the colorful quilt on the bed softens the edges of the otherwise edgy modern design.

It's not brimming with over-the-top luxury, and not especially well-suited to business travelers (tiny safe won't hold laptops, and desks lack convenient power outlets) but it's quiet, well-located, and cute.

Every employee I saw greeted me warmly, and all seemed genuinely interested in whether I was having a good stay. I'd definitely go back!

I don't get the fuss.

The noodles are fabulous -- the best I've had outside Japan -- but the shoyu broth tasted like chemicals and was overloaded with grease.

I'm definitely NOT one of those "ew, this meat has fat on it!" girls; I like fat and rich food, but this was actively greasy.  Even swirling away the grease didn't help. Yuck.

Lisa's Mexican Restaurant looks like a biker bar from the outside, with its microscopic windows, spotlit sign, and daunting burglary bars facing Mission Street.

But when you step inside, you're entering another world. Every surface but the floor is covered with goofy stuff -- photos of old Mexican movie stars, life-size parrots, oversized sombreros, and paintings of big-eyed children. The overall effect is like dining inside some abuela's closet, but somehow it feels cozy, not chaotic. The welcome is friendly, both from the staff and the other patrons. And the food...

Well, honestly, I don't want to oversell it. Lisa's is decidedly -not- gourmet. But if you're a homesick Southern Californian pining for the cheesy combo-plates of your youth, Lisa's will fill your heart and belly in a way that you've never experienced north of the Grapevine.

Their chile relleno sauce is just right (it's the kind with chunks of celery like you see absolutely everywhere in L.A.) and their crispy tacos are dynamite. The best thing we've had at Lisa's -- and I am embarrassed to admit, we've been back almost every week since we discovered it - is their chile verde. Mr C. likes to ask for it in their Lisa's Especial, a football-sized 'wet' burrito stuffed with everything a homesick Angeleño needs to feel right again.

Jamie Boudreau is no longer tending bar here; I see no reason to return

why is a "green" salon using styrofoam cups and disposable flip-flops -- especially when I brought my own sandals?

the only green thing I saw was toxin-free nail polish (which peeled right off in sheets after my first shower). Reading their site, I see they used green construction techniques, but they leave a lot to be desired in day-to-day green-ness.

The setting is nice, and my pedicure is lasting well (2 weeks and counting), but I feel like they're charging extra for the environmental angle that isn't really delivered.

They do have a nice early-bird special: before 4 pm, they offer an Express Mani/Pedi Combo for $35 -- not a bargain, but a nice discount off the regular cost of $45. (You have to make an appointment and you need to ask for the Internet Special.)

This seems to be a one-woman shop, with all the quirks that entails -- one woman seems handle everything, including delivery!

The flowers were really cute, but what a pain in the ass getting them! She called me on my cell on President's Day, asking if I was in the office (um, no) and not understanding why I wasn't, even after I explained that it was a national holiday.

I asked if they could hold onto the flowers and deliver the next day, and she agreed to do that after some back and forth. On the day she re-delivered, she called to say they couldn't find a parking space and could I meet them out front of the building? Sure, that feels really special... and I have nothing better to do. (um, not.)

No other florist that's ever delivered to our building has had a problem. We have a huge loading dock in the back...

The flowers are very cute, though, and definitely fresh.

Here's the short version: We loved working with Andrew. He totally got our space-planning issues; he has a great aesthetic that meshed well with our own; he was terrific communicating with our contractors; he was a pleasure to work with in every way.

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A little more detail:

We started out with a list of 10 or so architects, who we talked with on the phone and by email. Of those, we selected three to interview in person, to review portfolios, and to ask for a quote.

Andrew wasn't the cheapest of the three, and his payment schedule was a little different than the others -- especially during the design phase -- but we really thought he would solve the big space issues we had (he did) and we liked his style.

We also realized that we'd be interacting with whoever we chose for close to 9 months when all was said and done, and we had a strong sense that Andrew would be the person we would most enjoy talking to on an almost daily basis. We had a lot of fun collaborating with him; He made the process interesting and rewarding for us.

I don't usually rave about professionals like this without mentioning the caveats, but there really isn't anything critical I can think of about Andrew. We loved working with him and we'd happily do so again. And we absolutely love the spaces he designed for us.