Shawn "Shawnblog (dotcom)" H.'s Profile

So, I'm shopping. Everyone is walking around the mall. It's the holly daze.

Up ahead of the 373 other shoppers that seem to not really know exactly where they're going next, I see the Teavana logo. I need tea. Now.

The store is surprisingly uncrowded in the midst of the zombie-like crowd of shoppers I was just part of outside the store as I crossed the threshold of the store. I usually grab a sample, but they were out of the little plastic sample cups.

No big deal, I thought... I was in for a very necessary cup of something green. I was still fighting the last part of a nasty cold and my energy was very low after only a short time at the mall. I'm not a shopper, I'm a getter. The mall is NOT a place I want to be--ever.

As I approached the counter, a serious Teavana employee greeted me with an immediately disappointing response to my request. During the holiday shopping season, they don't serve cups of tea. I guess I can understand this. I mean, they make more money selling loose tea and accessories.

Cups of tea are really just a nice touch on the Teavana "experience" that is, while wonderful and classy, simply cuts into the bottom line during a consumerist feeding frenzy/holiday season. So, they decided to cut it out. Classy? Nice? Wonderful? Yeah, whatever... Not until December 26th (according to the clerk that sent me to Starbucks for my tea). I'm no fan of the buck either, but I sure won't think of Teavana for loose tea or a cup anytime soon.

Blueberries inside and on top of the pancakes.

Real maple syrup.

Actual corned beef with those fried potatoes.

I'm not sure I can say much more without going back to New York.

Kubo is awesome. You can get a lot of great Filipino groceries here. On one trip to Kubo, we  got a big Goldielocks "Sansrival" (without rival) cake that was absolutely delicious. We've gotten a lot of other great stuff. If you love Filipino foods, this is your spot.

This place couldn't be much cooler. I love the plush, leather seating near the bar. The food is very good and the people working there are really friendly. If you're in the area, it's worth stopping for coffee or food.

I was down in this part of the world on business recently. Realizing that I was close to the water, I figured there might be some good seafood nearby that I could take home to cook. I looked on my iPhone Yelp app for Seafood Markets and found this dump.

There was barely any fish in the case at all. I understand they may have been stocking up, but nobody came out from the back to enlighten me on the situation.

I left after a minute. Don't bother stopping in here unless you're looking for solitude.

Fresh and fantastic are the words I'd use if someone asked me about my experience here. I wanted to get a quick snack before a long drive and ended up sitting down for a sandwich and taking home dinner... and several desserts!

The little square apple pies are really scrumptious. The donuts are among the best I've ever had. I wanted to try the whoopie pies, but with donuts and pies... really? Oh, we got a fresh strawberry/rhubarb pie to enjoy after the chicken and vegetable pot pie. These were all truly marvelous.

Ok, so "fresh and fantastic" doesn't even come close to saying it all. Neither does my "review" here. You have to get in there and give the place a try. If you don't, you're really missing out on the finer things in life!

There's another listing of "Al's Seafood Restaurant" here on Yelp because these are two totally separate (yet the same) places. There's a beer store in between the restaurant and the carry out. I have to say, my experience at the carry out side was fantastic.

My only problem was not ordering the more expensive of the two available crab cake options. The lower priced crab cake was excellent, but not as big and not all lump crab meat, so I felt like I had really missed the boat. Of course, I had to look at them both after paying for my sandwich as I turned to head toward the door. If I hadn't looked, I wouldn't probably have thought about it the whole time I was eating, right?

So, if you're over in that part of the world for some reason, I'm sorry... but stop at Al's Seafood Carry Out to make it a better day - or at least a great lunch!

PRO TIP: Park around back in the hotel parking lot and walk to the front if there's no parking right out front.

Red Hot & Blue used to be awesome. Maybe it still rocks at another location, but my experience on Saturday night at the one on Crabbs Branch makes me never want to walk into Red Hot & Blue again. The service was weak and the food was dried out so badly that our ribs were barely even chewable. If there was a manager working, they're in the wrong business.

I've eaten at this location a number of times in the past and it was always good. I was shocked and dismayed by the time it took to get service (it was SLOW when we walked in at around 9:30pm) and even more by the quality of the food we received.

Not one item on our meat sampler platter (whatever it's called) was freshly cooked or good. The chicken had an actual foul taste (not like chicken though) and the pulled pork tasted like it had been cooked a few days before. The brisket was drier than leather. It was still soft, but flavorless. The ribs were so dry, the outside wasn't even chewable. The sausage was not dried out or overcooked... it just wasn't warm.

When I mentioned to our server that I thought everything tasted like it had been sitting under a hot light for the entire evening, he feigned the apology and offered more meat. I immediately replied, well if it's the same overcooked, dried out meat, I've already lost my appetite for that. he didn't have a reply, so he came back a minute later (presumably after having spoken with a manager) and offered a dessert "on the house"...

Okay, so I had completely lost my appetite and certainly didn't want dessert. I mean, that makes sense at this point, doesn't it? I really should have just refused to pay, but that's petty right? I just won't go back.

We took our chances and lost. I drafted this review a full SEVENTY MINUTES after placing the order by phone, so you already know the story here. Take heed of this and the other reviews here. Your food will take a very, very, VERY long time.

When I called in our order, I asked for an approximate delivery time. I should have known right when the response went from 15 to 45 minutes with a sort of long hesitation. I mean, just tell me 45 minutes if it's busy. Show some damn confidence! Manage your business! Do NOT start our business relationship with a LIE!

When I checked in after an hour, they assured me the food would arrive "very soon" but would not respond with even an approximate time when I repeatedly asked "WHAT TIME will the food be here" (LIKE THAT). Then I hung up the phone and drafted this review.

I'm now very glad I can't tell you how the food was. About 20 minutes after that call, we decided it might be best to cancel the order and go get some good old late night Mickey D's. What was even more ridiculous and insulting, was the the lady hung up on me as I called and suggested I might cancel, so they really canceled the order for us!

I just wish I had take heed of the other reviews, so let me be clear...

DO NOT PLACE AN ORDER HERE IN THE DINNER HOUR. YOU COULD END UP WAITING ALL NIGHT FOR NOTHING.

First, there are two entries for Harris Seafood Co here on Yelp and this one is the correctly geo-located of those two. I discovered this on a recent visit for lunch while attempting to check in, where I received the error message that I was "too far away to check in here" (even though I was sitting at a table inside the restaurant). My quick search for "Harris" on Yelp listed this and the other entry. This one had nothing, but was the actual address, both according to location on iPhone and by the street address listed on the menu. The other entry is the one with a bunch of reviews, pics, and quick tips.

I guess someone at Yelp could somehow magically merge the two of these, but I'm not hopeful, nor am I all that concerned. Okay, it's really been driving me nuts ALL DAY LONG...

Just kidding.

Anyway, my oyster sandwich was at least a notch above okay. I love some fried oysters and I've had a lot more than a few. These measured up somewhere above maybe the 75% range, which is pretty awesome considering how picky I can be about fried oysters. The sauce was really good, but it came in a to go plastic cup, which I don't like. If I'm eating in, give me a ceramic or metal ramekin or some kind of dish that makes me thing the sauce was served up just for my meal. The plastic carry-out cup with the lid? Seriously, I'm already here and I'm dining in today. Think about it!

Now, a very important word about Ketchup:

Heinz.

The tomatoes on my sandwich were quite red, fresh and juicy. The private label ketchup was runny and needed salt. It came in a convenient plastic squeeze bottle and it had a really nice looking label, but it was missing the name Heinz.

Lesson learned:

Harris Seafood Co has some awesome fries - and runny ketchup.

What else? Well, the men's bathroom was nice and clean. The people were friendly enough. The view was quite nice. The whole place had the feel of a great spot for a party or big dinner.

I'll probably go again sometime. I hope they decide to ditch that bad ketchup though. Little things... I know. But it's Heinz... you know?