Sean F.'s Profile

Hands down the best haircut experience I've ever had - Christopher and his staff (particularly Nicole, my stylist) never let me down. This is now the only place I trust to get my hair in shape, period.

Let me focus in on the word "experience" here: while I always get a great haircut from Nicole, there's so much more to this place than just the wash / cut / style. Everyone who works there cares about what they're doing, and they're committed to making sure you're happy. That extends to doing free touch ups to "fix" stuff you're not happy with after the initial cut, and free trims in between cuts (which helps my budget -- a $50 just haircut isn't something I can splurge on every two weeks) to keep you looking good for a while -- not just days or a week after your appointment. They also acomodate my frenzied schedule, taking me for short notice appointments pretty much whenever I call.

The atmosphere also does a lot to recommend the place. SplitEnds doubles as a local art gallery, so you're surrounded by an ever-changing set of exhibits (paintings, drawings, wall mounted sculptures) by boundary-pushing artists from around LA and OC. The salon hosts parties whenever they change out the exhibits, with free food, booze, music and great company.  This spirit extends to the salon's relationship with surrounding businesses -- there's a real sense that it's part of the same, vibrant arts and food community that includes Memphis, The Rooster, The Crosby and Lola Gaspar.  

To top things off, I'm almost always offered a cold beer or a glass of wine when I sit down for my cut. Can't beat that!

Can't say enough about the place. It's cool, it's friendly, it's generous. I'll go there as long as my bank account and proximity will allow.

Popped in here after a Yelp! event across the way at the Grand Central. Apparently, loading up on free wine and snacks wasn't enough for me!

Anyhow, what a great find -- my wife and I both appreciated the ambiance (the low lighting and cozy space turned a casual walk-in into an impromptu date night), and the service was perfectly attentive (never left wanting, but never felt harassed either).

For eats, we had ourselves a little duck fiesta: duck confit french fries (smothered in cheese and green chili sauce) and some spicy pulled duck tacos.  My wife ate herself nearly ill on the fries and I -- well, I already have a soft spot in my belly for a good tacos. These were perfect -- tender, just spicy enough and explosively flavorful.

Washed it all down with a caipirinha and Lola's take on a old fashioned. and called it a night.  Another great find in downtown SA, which seems to be full of them.

So, I made the same mistake as some other patrons, and ended up at Gloria's when I meant to head into El Toro Bravo. Still, I would classify this as an accidental victory. The tacos here are about the best I've ever had.

Immediate tip-off: I was the only gringo in the place ... this is a true hole-in-the-wall taqueria and bakery, extremely authentic and damned tasty. I grabbed one taco al pastor and two tacos de asada and was, upon eating them, immediately transported to taco heaven (for future visits, I'll stick with the pastor, which is a piece of tender-cooked heaven). The meat absolutely melts in your mouth, and is so well-seasoned that it requires no additional accouterments beyond the chopped cabbage that they apply sparingly to each folded delight. For $1.50 / taco, I defy you to find better eats.

On future ventures, I will absolutely be trying their tamales and some of the bakes goods. Highly recommended.

Extremely knowledgeable staff, incredible selection, and a great overall shopping experience combine to make this place my go-to spot for satisfying any tippling urge. Obscure IPAs? Their beer shop specializes in them (I stop in every other month and stock up on my favorite brands, which they always seem to keep in stock - even if you have to ask the register jockey to pull a few bottles from storage).  That incredible pinot you had at some restaurant on a great date one time? A case of it is in the back. Just looking for a mid-priced sake to go with your homemade stir fry? The staff can recommend two or three.  It's just an overall pleasure to shop here.

I've forsaken BevMo forever. Hi-Times, my heart ... errr ... liver is yours.

My wife and a couple of friends ate here recently as part of a 1-2 punch with a show at Largo ... we grabbed our tickets for the Largo show, and were given a strong recommendation on Ronin (which is right across the street from the Coronet Theater) by the doorman. He wasn't wrong.

Everything everyone on Yelp! has said about this place is true. The decor is slick, the Seven Samurai projection onto the wall amusing, the wait staff attentive. The taco shimi is fantastic, and the other dishes are explosively flavorful (with the lone exception of the mushroom gnocchi, which could've used a little saucin' up). The portions are also too small if you're with a group of 4+, and the cuisine, while billed as "Japanese tapas with a French influence" is, honestly, mostly Western dishes served in a vaguely Japanese atmosphere.  That said, the food is pretty much ALL good -- if it were bad, no one would complain about the small portions, now would they?  Western,. Eastern ... my stomach didn't have a compass last time I checked.  So, one star for small portions (even by tapas standards).

Extra points for being so convenient to Largo@ The Coronet ... if you're catching a show across the street, this is a must-try (definitely come here before walking down to one of the chains attached to the Beverly Center).

Oh, and as far as the parking goes: don't cheap out ... go for either the valet or the garage directly across the street.

I'm dinging these guys for the slow service, the occasional bland / mushy dish (I had such high hopes for the curry rice), and the general lack of imagination on the menu -- there's nothing really challenging or inventive here.

But they deserve points for the stuff that works (a really bold pepper chicken, and calamari salad with the most tender calamari I think I've ever eaten). This could be labeled Asian comfort food; picture The Yardhouse done with Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisine instead of American fare, sake instead of beer.

Also, high marks for the decor / vibe ... definitely a classier sort of joint than you expect to find in chain-heavy OC (especially in Irvine) -- and the price, thanks to the family-style delivery, is unbeatable for the quality of food & experience you have.

Reviewed strictly on the strength of two appetizers and some Sangria (so I reserve the right to edit / expand this review after I return for dinner).  My wife, her aunt, some friends and I hit Jason's as part of a downtown Santa Ana pub crawl one weekend, and it quickly shot to the top of our lists as the best place we visited during the night. Located down at the "end of the world" (the owner's words) across from the Reagan federal building, Jason's is a bit off the beaten path, but worth the very short trek.

Granted, it helped that the proprietor was hanging out on the front patio when we strolled up, and sat & talked with us for several minutes as we ate, making us feel exceptionally welcome.  But, beyond that, the quality of the food & drink was top notch.  

We ordered a round of red sangria, which was delicious (although I'm anxious to return and work through their actual wine list), especially on a warm August night.   This accompanied two appetizers: a seared ahi wonton, and some kalbi (NOT Kobe, note) beef skewers.  Both were explosively flavorful, sweet and tender.  If this is any indication of what's in store for us at dinner, then my mouth is already watering.

Swung through here as part of a pub crawl around the Santorum / Santago St. Lofts area one Saturday night, and had an absolute blast. It was easily one of the best stops on the crawl.  

The Crosby has at least 4 things working strongly in its favor:

1) The decor: yes, reaching desperately for utter hipness, what with the Shepherd Fairey mural over the door and the giant boobox museum display on the back wall -- but it works. The atmosphere manages to be very welcoming.

2) The booze: no hard stuff, but they have both Stella and Chimay on tap. Can't eff with that!

3) The food: we snacked on some sweet potato fries.  First off, bonus for just having them on the menu in the first place. Second, the slightly spicy dipping sauce they serve alongside is THE BEST.   Definitely want to return for lunch some day soon.

4) The tunes: The DJ here kicked the crap out of the hack who was spinning down the street at Proof, and that place bills itself as an actual dance club.  Great mix of dance rock, old school hip-hop and rare soul gems.  

I am now wishing that I lived in the Santiago St. lofts so that I could walk here (and stumble home) often.

I came across this place on the recommendation of a bartender at the Monaco Hotel.  Some co-workers and I were looking for a good place in Belltown (or nearby) to grab some wine and dinner, and she tipped us to this place.

It's a "small plate" restaurant (and the aforementioned bartender did qualify her recommendation by saying, "Yeah, I know -- small plates are the thing right now -- but it's really pretty good), but totally lacks most of the culinary pretension you'd expect from a restaurant grabbing onto a trend.  The plates are actually quite fulsome -- definitely meant for sharing -- and tend to fall more on the comfort food side of the fence than on the fusion or experimental side (although they DO take a few risks).  

The vibe is VERY relaxed (maybe it's uptight for Seattle, but I'm used to  Orange County, so these folks all seemed intensely down-to-earth), and the wine list excellent (go on, try a Malbec!). Looking forward to returning.  Awesome date place, I imagine -- safe food choices all over the menu, great booze, low-key music and dim lighting.

Props to Yelp! for turning me on to Greenblatt's.

My wife-to-be, some friends and I stopped here on my 33rd birthday for take-out en route to a show at the Hollywood Bowl, after spending a day in H-Town record shopping, eating at Roscoe's and being barflies. We always like to take food IN to the Bowl, rather than scarf down their overpriced eats, and so were on the lookout for a quality deli in the nearby vicinity where we could grab excellent (it WAS my birthday, after all) sandwiches and run.  Yelp! came back with Greenblatt's. We gave it a go. We couldn't have been happier.

Sure, it's a tad pricey -- but, as other Yelpers have pointed out, it's WeHo. And at least the place earns it.  I snagged a pastrami on rye, and it was easily one of the finer examples of the sandwich that I've ever eaten. No hyperbole - just tender meat, fresh bread, swiss cheese, a smear of russian dressing and a small pile of homemade coleslaw for texture -- unbeatable.  I coupled it with a little potato salad, and chased it with one of my S.O.'s chocolate cupcakes (made that morning).

We also grabbed one of the bottles of wine (an Orin Swift 2006 "The Prisoner" red: http://www.orinswift.c...) on recommendation from the in-house wine shop, and it completely rocked my admittedly amateur palette.  They're not kidding about the "fine wine" in the place's name.  I took a walk through, and there didn't seem to be a bad bottle in the bunch. No big wineries at all, and selections for every price range ($9 to, I kid you not. $1400 ... $1400 wine AT A DELI - sweet fancy moses!). Anyhow, highly recommended if you're searching for fixins for a high-end picnic.