Adrienne "feed animals FREE @ www.theanimalrescuesite.com" g.'s Profile

Came here before XANADU & were completely impressed!

Drinkys included the Fame for me - anything w/ Elderflower & I'm automatically a fan & this was no exception!  Incredibly delish!

Buddy got something like a Mood Adjuster - it was w/ Rye & she said it was too strong for her....but hello - you just ordered Rye!

There was another Pisco drinky I wanted to try but they forgot to bring it out - but it also wasn't on the tab so no harm, no foul, I guess

Starters included French Onion Soup for Sis & buddy - they loved the stringy cheese & intense onion flavor

I had the Butternut Squash Soup - it had pumpkin seeds & mint oil & at first I was kicking myself for not asking they hold the mint oil but it actually added quite a nice contrast & I didn't taste any mint at all - big score!  It was creamy, dreamy & pumpkinny!

Entrees included Cog Au Vin for buddy - she said it was among the best she's tasted & she even took her leftovers ( which she never does ) so BIG props on this dish

Sis & I shared the Baby Beets w/ Stilton - could have used a bit more cheese but the beets were tender & there was a good variety of colors

We also shared the Market Veggie Platter which had the most scrumptious egg roll thingy.....it was a crispy potato crust surrounding a tender, creamy, parsnip interior - like a a huge twice-baked potato & it was so delish!  There were also some wilty greens (which was all Sis as they make me gag but she totally dug them)

Came with Brussels Sprouts, little dollops of Butternut Squash puree ( more dollops needed here! ) & some frisee

Arrived there too late for dessert but given we can't wait to come back, I have a feeling this error will be soon rectified!

Kuri Squash Cake.....you are MINE!

So if you're looking for good chicken, I'm told this is the place

If you're looking for good falafel, this is not the place

We were having movie night at a buddy's place & she wanted to have takeout from here.  She's a big fan of their Chicken Wrap Sandwich & has ordered it a few times

Their chicken is consistenly good

Sis got the Falafel Plate w/ hummus, tabbouleh, & Falafel.  She really liked the hummus & tabbouleh but the falafel was kind of dry

My Falafel Wrap was the same.  Dry, kind of bland & could have used a huge dousing of Tahini Sauce to give it some spice

Also got a side of their Mac n Cheese & I wasn't a fan at all but Sis liked it okay.  There were no stringy pulls of cheese or even a glooping that I could see.  The merest hint of cheese & a lot of grease covered the noodles & Sis thought the flavor was okay.  As I was looking for more actual cheese & not as much noodle, I left the majority to her

Too bad for us as having good falafel would have been a nice go-to when enjoying movie night

Overall, 2-Stars for the Falafel, 3-Stars for the Mac n Cheese ( since Sis & I were split on this one ) & 4-Stars for the Chicken gives an average 3-Stars

Oh holy frijole - Aziza was that AND a bag of chips

Gathering of buddies to ring out a fab 2011 & welcome a fab 2012, everyone was stoked to try out Aziza

Being the sole veggie of the group, I ruined any chance of a Tasting Menu experience (as you can only get it for the whole table....sorry guys!)

But there were so many choices, the group happily went about perusing the menu

Muddling drinkys are their specialty & boy oh boy were those things gewd!  The bf & I had Cantaloupe & Huckleberry muddled Pisco drinkys

Others in the group got something w/ Grapefruit & Bourbon that was raved over

Appies included the 3-Dips w/ Flatbread....the table couldn't get enough of these dips.  There was a yogurt, a hummus & a red pepper dip all served w/ their soft freshly baked Flatbread

Lentil Soup - completely veggie (props!)  So creamy & savory & delish - I could have had about 3 bowls of this.  Mixed in a tomato base, there were chewy dates & little lentils to give it a nice texture & the flavor was out of this world

Potato somethingorother....I forget what else was included w/ this appie but it was a special of the evening & was declared extremely yummy

Entrees included Lamb for our boys - they can attest it's all that.  Super tender & extremely flavorful (so they say) being mixed w/ cherries & barley

Beef for my girl which she surprisingly luved as she's not really a date lover so when reading the description of it being mixed w/ dates, she was skeptical.  After 1 taste, all doubts were blown away

Scallops for the BF - came w/ green Farro & truffles...how can you go wrong w/ that??

Cauliflower couscous for me - wow was this all kinds of good.  Spicy & tender Cauliflower on a flavorful bed of the most tender couscous.  Even the carnivores were jealous over this dish

Desserts had to be shared since we were already SO full but couldn't resist...

Chocolate Mousse for BF & me - came w/ this Hazelnut cake & the sweetest Pumpkin Ganache.  I luv the combo of pumpkin & chocolate & add in the hazelnut & we're talking a whole new level of delish!

The boys shared the Walnut Tart & loved the pairing of cranberries & especially the Black Sesame Ice Cream

Let's just end this all w/ saying by the end of our meal, *someone* bought the cookbook & had it autographed.....he was THAT impressed

And there's already talk of coming back post haste!

Brought a London buddy to Woodward's Garden to celebrate his new job & the fact we just might see him more often in SF

Everyone had the glass of Pino & declared it tasty

Starters included Persimmon Salads for Sis & me - the sweetness of the persimmons was mixed w/ sweet pistachios & an orange blossom dressing but nicely offset by tart pomegranate & sour chicories.....a lovely combination

House Salad for London buddy - included radishes, Blue Cheese & a nice shallot dressing  

Country Pate for buddy - she cleaned that plate in no time flat.  The gherkins & meaty meat was just what she was craving

Entrees included Duck for buddy - mixed w/ cherries on a bed of polenta & we're talking total inhalation...her dish was so tasty

London buddy, Sis & I got the Farro Risotto w/ Kabocha Squash, Mushrooms & Truffles.  The Farro was a nice texture contrast w/ its very chewy, toothsome quality & was def not the creamy risotto experience we're used to.  A nice diversion.....add that to the tender squash cubes & wild mushrooms & we were again impressed w/ the contrasting yet complimenting combo

Desserts included the Lemon Tart for London buddy - nice & lemonny w/ a chocolate layer & shortbread crust

Sis & I got the Butterscotch Pudding w/ salted caramel sauce & it was outstanding

Buddy for the Apple Crumble & this was likewise outstanding - I had a taste & it was cinnamonny, the apples were nice & tender & the crumble topping was chewy - just delish!

Can't wait to come back & try other delights!

Nice Staycation in Santa Cruz found us in need of a last min dinner spot that didn't have a 2-hr wait.....enter Cafe Mare

Started out w/ their Assorted Italian Cheeses & I remember them being good but nothing that made us stand up & take note

Butternut Squash Crepes - creamy squash totally plumps up the crepes & added the "bruleed" butter-sage sauce & we're talking over the top gooood!

BF got the Walnut Filled Ravioli w/ Gorgonzola sauce.  Very good & very rich.  The crepes were better

Also - just saying....Santa Cruz Merlot - you want to order this

Shared the Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert & it was meh.  Not a bittersweet chocolate fan but other than that, the consistency & molten-cake ratio was perfect

When we first entered the restaurant, the place was empty but I think we had just beaten the flood gates b/c not even 5 min later the whole place was PACKED.  Just goes to show, sometimes, you don't want to let an empty restaurant fool you.....

It is now after 8:30pm in Germany and I just confirmed with the recipient there was no delivery of my order ( again ).  The recipient is leaving the country first thing tomorrow morning so today was the absolute last window of opportunity for delivery.....and you blew it

I have to say this has been an extremely disappointing experience from start to finish.  Overall I have found your company to be unreliable and your staff unresponsive.  Placing the order was extremely easy and I had the utmost confidence from the salesperson that my order would be fulfilled and delivered on the date I was quoted.  Things unfortunately spiraled downward from there

The following day, I noticed a change in address was needed so I called back & was informed that there would not be a problem & again I was assured my order would be delivered on Jan 17th.  I never received a confirmation of my changes which left me to assume all had been accomplished & I was to expect timely delivery

Turns out the appropriate "international" department had not been contacted with my changes and therefore the order had not gone out.....which led me to believe the original order never went out because I received no notification of an unsuccessful delivery attempt.  Shouldn't there have been *some* kind of delivery attempt on Jan 17.....AS PROMISED??

Subsequent calls and emails ( all initiated by me ) have resulted in someone placing a "note" on my account, with a promise to call me back.  Not once did I receive an immediate answer to my questions and there have been a multitude of phone calls not returned and emailed requests for updates that have gone unanswered.  At no time did I ever receive any form of status update with your company and it is only through the recipient that I have confirmed delivery has not taken place.  

And your offer to me after this latest frustrating call was to contact THE RECIPIENT to see if the order had been received....NOT THE FLORIST.  

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  

I can tell you, I'm in constant contact w/ the recipient so I KNOW the order wasn't received!  I was looking for a STATUS FROM *YOU* THE FLORIST!!

I should not have to tell you the status of my own order.....this is an absolutely horrible customer experience

It is unfortunate that we were unable to work together for this order.  Your company promoted local florists, appeared to offer a variety of diverse international stock options, and prompt delivery yet none of this was realized.  I will certainly look elsewhere when sending flowers in the future.

Pretty decent venture into Ethiopian cuisine with Cafe Ethiopia.

Ordering takeout when thoughts of something we hadn't had in a while plagued us.... how about some Ethiopian?

Nice spice on the Split Lentils & the Potatoes were tasty & mild.  Portions were a tad on the small side - esp for the Lentils but given we ordered 3 dishes & weren't all that hungry to begin with, we were more than stuffed & had leftovers to boot

BF said his Chicken & Mushrooms was super hot & he loved it

Injera was spongy & a bit lemonny but mopped up the goodies just as it should have & glad we had ordered extras

Would totally consider this place again for Ethiopian takeout - A-OK!

In keeping the tradition of going to The Independent after xmas to see CRACKER / CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN, we needed a yummy pre-Cracker dinner & Uva Enoteca was calling our names

Drinkys included some chili / basil / prosecco thingy & boy was it SPICY.....and gewd!  Totally loved it!

Started out w/ the Cheese Course & had:
Truffled Pecorino - OMG this was delish!
Some CA goat cheese that was creamy, soft, spreadable & very mild - it was outstanding
Tallegio - soft & mild - another winner

We each couldn't decide on one entree, so we decided to share the following:
Wild Mushrooms w/ Goat Cheese & thick spaghetti noodles - too much basil for my taste but the bf absolutely loved it

Pasta w/ Pumpkin Seeds & Butternut Squash Sauce - this was my absolute fav!  Super light & pumpkinny but not overpowering the pasta

Dessert was the Pear / Pecan Pie - they lost me on the Orange-infused ice cream but bf liked it a lot

Music in there was absolutely incredible w/ lots of Cure, Smiths, Depeche Mode.....etc.....& I'm a 80s girl all the way, they completely won my heart that night.  This could be a pre-Independent trend starting...

Beeeee-utiful surroundings for the Monarch Butterflies who make this an annual stop while migrating

Little tidbits about these butterflies, their migratory patterns, lifespan, how to tell the males from the females etc... SO much to learn about these little guys!  Like did you know they can fly up to 60 MILES in ONE day?!  And they really can't move around all that great in temps below 45F?

Look up, look down, look all around - they're everywhere!  All nestled in the trees, huddled together & adorable.  Hanging out on the boardwalk, on railings, on random stones.....be careful where you walk!!!

Nice boardwalk-like walkway down to the grove to see the butterflies & nicely laid out path to take you around the woods, to the beach where you'll come upon the glorious Natural Bridge.....nice sandy beach, beautiful houses, surfers, families playing on the beach & in the water, picnic tables everywhere....this place is totally setup for a grand day at the beach

Enjoy the weather & nature & see some butterflies.....perfect day!!

Just finished visiting the Butterfly Preserve at Natural Bridges when hunger pangs set in

We were just looking for something as a snack as we knew we had dinner rezzies that evening - Cafe Iveta pops into view

OMG is this place super-scrumptious

Staff was nice as could be & they seemed genuinely happy to see us, happy to be there & happy about their delish treats

BF got the Roast Beef Sandwich & it was eye-roll-inducingly good.  He got it w/ the hot peppers & they were super hot & super gewd.  He really liked the overall combination & said the flavors were outstanding - sandwich scarfed!

I chose the Hummus Bagel ( on a Sea Salt Bagel ) & it was some of the best tasting homemade hummus I've ever had.  The freshness of the cool cucumbers & sprouts, combined w/ the HUGE pile of humus made this a treat I couldn't stop eating

I'd totally make this a must-stop when in Santa Cruz & would more especially look forward to trying out their pastries as they looked out of this world!

Bread Pudding ......you're mine!!!