Jeff M.'s Profile

I am not a fan of The Sentinel.

Let me explain that more, as that statement might seem to be a stark contradiction to the five star rating. I do not like The Sentinel in the same vein that I do not like the band Pavement or Impressionism.

All of the aforementioned things are revolutionary for what they did, be it using little dots to make a painting or sounding like Wilco ten years before Wilco sounded like Wilco. I just cannot get into it. It is not my thing.

The Sentinel is a top notch lunch spot if you like real(1) good food(2).

I consider The Sentinel to be the Blue Bottle of sandwiches; they have a deep commitment to the art that is sandwich making and it shows in everything - from the bread to the completed sandwich.

This is usually where I would list my favorite items from a particular restaurant but I do not have any favorite items. I mean, I tried an Egg Salad Sammy once but there was excessive amounts of mayo or something. Huge fan of this place but I do not think I could eat another one of their sandwiches...

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1) When I say "real," of course, I mean in a non-preserved fresh sense.
2) I guess this means I don't like real good food?

I think by now I am able to call myself a "Union Square Personality Hotels Connoisseur," as I have stayed at the overwhelming majority their boutique hotels in downtown San Francisco. My first experience with the company was this establishment, Hotel Union Square and it still remains, by far, my best experience.

Yes, the hallways smell like cats + cigarettes + Chinese food but oh well, look past it. This hotel has an amazing central location (just one block up from Powell St. BART station) and wonderful modern décor-two huge pluses for me.

Actually, let me tell you about the décor because I like it that much. Very few hotels seem to be able to pull off the hip contemporary look naturally but Union Square does it. The bed was enormously ginormous and came complete with a padded headboard (!), blue LED lamps, an iPod stereo and the softest absolutely softest down comforter. Still not enough for you? The room (Number 405, for you Death Cab fans) had two full sized sofas and a chair, which were all legitly comfortable! The walls that were not painted in beautiful gun metal gray or wine red were wrapped in windows that looked down onto Powell St. and the Cable Car turn around; while the ceiling was covered with some crazy awesome oversized bubble-wrap texture.

After typing all of that, I just realized this hotel takes the cake for the best hotel I have stayed at in San Francisco, boutique or otherwise.

A Junior Suite for $109/night in a central Union Square location was just too hard to pass up. Plus, the rooms looked very swanky in the photos provided on their website. Upon arrival, the lobby and entrance impressed me, as they were totally playing Ghostbusters on DVD.

However, as I got into the elevator, I could tell something was wrong; the lift kept creaking, cracking and bumping all the way to floor six... a bad omen. Once I got into my room, I could feel the whole building bend and quiver as the elevator retreated to the lobby. The unstable floor actually gave me a massive headache.

I have never really been a stickler on Feng Shui but after my stay at Hotel Diva, I can safely say that it's one of those things you do not notice until it's missing. The room had a half-baked pseudo-industrial chic feel to it, with miscellaneous office supplies and scraps appropriated for furniture. Every piece of décor, from the mirrors to desks, felt haphazardly placed. It was a big room, I will give them that but I think they could have placed the items a little more carefully. Of course, no modern hotel is complete without white walls. However, the blotchy white paint that covers the Diva's walls is often smeared with black streaks from, well, something. All those layers of paint cannot seem to contain the voices in the adjacent rooms, which are suitable as an alarm clock.

The bathroom was very well lit, although there was absolutely no sink space for your whatevers. However, there was mold all up in my shower. Buhhh.

So a quick run down for the lazy people:
* Creaky and wobbly floors
* Thin walls
* Huge comfortable bed
* Terribly arranged rooms
* Reasonable prices
* Moldy showers
* A Starbucks is attached downstairs
* A male desk clerk VERY similar to the one in the hit TV show Gilmore Girls (seriously, 100%)

Would I stay there again? Likely not, unless a superb deal comes around.

I have never been to this place on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday but every other day of week is Loaded Baked Potato Soup Day and that is amazing.

To be honest, I haven't had much else there other than the aforementioned amazing soup in a crater-sized bread bowl (cue terrible memories of family vacations in New Mexico's crater chain).

=(

But I digress.

Compared to Boudins in Fashion Valley, Corner Bakery is not only cheaper (the bread bowl lands around $7.00) but the bread is considerably more soft and fresh. So when you inevitably end up here on a cloudy cold day, you rate this review as "Useful" (funny, crazy, sexy, cool, whatev) using their free WiFi!

But good luck finding a power outlet for your laptop.

In one word, "fresh."

Pizza Fusion has positioned itself as my favorite pizza "joint" in San Diego due to their fresh ingredients, good atmosphere and low prices.

They have a large array of pizzas on the menu but what gets me every time is the "Create a Pizza" section. Figuratively rolling my own allows me to get a good sized pizza with Mozzarella, Feta, Basil, Pesto and Garlic for only $8.50! Sayyyy whattt!? $8.50!

Also, if beer is your thing, I believe they have a pretty good selection of local and craft brews.

Okay, I am done, just go and you will thank me!

The first time I walked into this house-eatery hybrid, I immediately turned around and ran out the door... I got nervous =(

I know it is super weird to get nervous at a sandwich shop but this place feels more like a secret club (sandwich pun intended) than a restaurant, as it is located in a housing duplex and has no front-facing menu.

For newbies (read: virgins, n00bs, first-timers), there is a stack of paper menus located in a basket on the counter. But you won't even need one if you follow this simple direction: TBC. Secret Sandwich Club Code (SSCC) for Turkey Bacon Cheese(?).

While the TBC is my favorite, Hillcrest Sandwich Company offers many more great homemade style sandwiches, which are all a far-cry from Subway or WichWich (one block north). The staff will gladly prepare anything from a club sandwich to an egg salad sandwich to a BBQ pork sub, all with a happy smile and a cute Eastern European accent. This place cannot be beat!

Pizzicato is a great little pizza place in a fantastic area of Bankers Hill. Their pizza is fresh and not laden with grease, which is hard to find by the slice. Also, their staff is extremely helpful, polite and overall friendly.

Though it might not be as fresh as Hillcrest's Pizza Fusion, Pizzicato is a great place to grab a quick bite to eat.

It is hard to find a burrito in San Diego that isn't smothered with lard, trust me. Chipotle has proven itself to be one of the few Mexican places that doesn't make me feel like I am one foot in the grave after eating a burrito.

The ingredients seem to be very fresh but I generally keep it simple: beans, rice and cheese. Those simple ingredients make for a very tasty meal, although it is fairly expensive (~$6.00)... they should really start pricing by weight.

A very important side note for those who care, last time I was at this location, they were playing Radiohead's Gagging Order. Prettyyy impressive!

Update: I went back to this location yesterday and they were still playing Radiohead; this time it was of the In Rainbows flavor. Keep it up, guys! Update again: One month later and they were playing Grizzly Bear's Horn of Plenty!

Short and simple, Maggie Moo's has the best ice cream in San Diego. Their flavors taste almost too real, actually, I think a line from Willy Wonka was inspired by this place:

"THE SNOZBERRIES TASTE LIKE SNOZBERRIES"

But I might be wrong, I can't remember.

Anyways, cheesecake, cinnamon, brownie batter, apple strudel all taste exactly like their namesakes. However, the bright blue Cotton Candy always wins my heart. Eat it up and party with a blue mouth.

I hate bars. They are always too crowded to move and too loud to have a normal conversation in.

With that said, I love Small Bar.
After my first visit, this bar has become my favorite in San Diego, I will tell you four simple reasons why:

1) Their amazingly seasoned Small Cheeseburger for $8.50
2) The decor makes me feel like Bam Margera.
3) They have a huge selection of craft beer, which is cool if you are into that
4) The bouncer was incredibly nice and looked far too much like Dimebag Darrel.

To take this place over the top, they have Elliott Smith in their jukebox, so, you know...