Ako "A sisyphean maneuver" E.'s Profile

Being indecisive and pressured, I suggested this place for dinner last night. I love Mongolian style stir fry and since the location was convenient that is where we met up.

The store is very well staffed and we were greeted immediately. The interior has accents of red & yellow-gold with several seating areas. Since it was our first visit, the waitress led us to the line and gave the memorized spiel about how to build your bowl. With bowl in hand, we moved down the line: first you pick your protein followed by seasoning, veggies & starch. The proteins included meats, seafood and tofu, I opted for squid, scallops, shrimp & tofu. Since I like my food spicy I added a spoonful of the Dragon Spice. For the veggies I chose green onion, sprouts, water chestnuts, mushrooms and bok choy. Continuing with the spicy theme I chose the Dragon Sauce. There are tiny plastic spoons for you to try a sauce (there are about 15 to choose from). Armed with my bowl of vittles and bowl of sauce I proceeded to the grill counter and chose udon noodles as my starch. The grill area is a large flat surface will several grill "masters" working the hot surface. You can either stay and watch or take a seat and the waitstaff will deliver your food which comes out pretty quickly.

My bowl looked and smelled delicious! The seafood was cooked perfectly, the squid and shrimp tender. The sauce coated the ingredients and man did it have a kick to it. But not so much that it dominated the bowl. I will admit it got spicier as I got towards the bottom. The waitress checked up on us and asked if we wanted some flour tortillas with our meal. What? Since my partner said yes immediately, we were served flour tortillas (the man has to have some sort of bread with every meal). Strange pairing, yet he enjoyed the tortillas with his bowl of chicken, beef, scallops, shrimp, udon noodles and rice (he went with the dragon seasoning also).

In case you do not know what to put in your bowl, there are several suggestions along the ingredient line that will help you out. There are several suggestions with catchy names: Bowl of Seoul, Buddhist Bowl, Firecracker, etc.

So while I enjoyed my dinner, I personally thought that $10 per bowl was a bit steep. For an additional $3 you can do the "all you can eat, bottomless bowl". Good, solid, belly-filling food.

These guys just earned a extra star! We took our BMW to Meszaros yesterday because the engine cover under the car was loose and hanging. As there were a couple screws missing, we figued we would need to purchase a new cover.

The tech took a look at it and 10 minutes later he walked in and told us he fixed it.

Huh? Well, that's awesome!

How much?

Nothing.

Nothing?

Huh? Well, that's awesome!

Zoe's Kitchen recently opened the doors at their new location at San Felipe and Bering. What got me in the place was a coupon I snagged: free sandwich or roll-ups with chips with a $1.99 purchase of a drink in a sports cup.

We arrived after 12:30pm and the line was out the door and all of the tables were taken. I didn't mind the wait (I couldn't decide between the chicken roll-ups or Mediterranean tuna sandwich) and the line did move quickly. The kitchen / counter staff were super busy and it was fun watching their well orchestrated moves. I give the staff kudos for their pleasant attitudes considering the frenetic conditions.

I ordered the chicken roll-ups (the side of salsa for dipping sold me) and was handed one of those sturdy plastic mega cups with durable lid & straw (so that is what a sports cup is). I filled mine with the green tea infused with hibiscus and looked around for a table. I saw a couple of ladies getting ready to leave so I headed over to their booth.

My order was delivered quickly and I dug in. The chicken roll-ups were delicious! Grilled chicken with feta, lettuce, tomato and grilled onions  rolled up in a flour tortilla and grilled. There was plenty of salsa on the side for dipping and it went well with the roll-up.

As I have several coupons stashed in my desk, I will be heading back to Zoe's soon. There are several other things I want to try.

Raising Cane's may have a limited menu but what they serve, they do it well. All white meat chicken tenders (the meat is never frozen and marinated for 24 hours) with nicely proportionate batter, fried crisp. Their fries are curvy, perfect for holding onto ketchup or the Cane's sauce. The Texas toast is buttered on one side and grilled on a flat top, one of my favorite ways to serve bread, toasted on one side.

The employees at RC's are always so happy and helpful. They greet you upon entering the store and will even come by the table and ask how your meal was. When was the last time someone asked you that in a fast food joint? I've also noticed they are always busy whether it is restocking supplies at the beverage /condiment bar, wiping down tables, cleaning the glass on the doors, they are just a busy crew!

The name of this cool place comes from the founder's dog when he was younger. His sister wanted to name the dog Sugar Cane and they finally agreed on Raising Cane.

Hawt on Yelp was a wonderful idea! When the event was posted, I immediately grabbed my calendar and called The Petite Retreat. I scheduled a couples package called "We Are the Bomb" a hour long massage & facial.

The Petite Retreat is located in the Montrose area and the spa itself is located in the back. Walk up the driveway to the back patio and enter the building at the back. The retreat itself is charming and intimate. We were immediately and warmly greeted and shown to our room, where double massage tables waited for our weary bodies. We were instructed which table was for the massage or facial and were left to decide who got what treatment first. There is a closet in the room to store your personal items and it is stocked with soft, comfortable robes.

I opted for the facial first. With an emphasis on relaxation, I was treated to a very soothing facial which left my skin soft and glowing. The esthetician also loosened my neck as she noticed that it was a bit tight (she even massaged my ears & feet). My journey to total relaxation was followed by a massage which I was asked if there was any area of concern and if medium pressure was OK. The massage, like the facial was very soothing and the combination of the two was fully calming and left me feeling zen-like. When our time was up and we were left lying in the dark, I turned my head to look at my partner and said "What if we refuse to leave?"

The staff at PR are awesome! Even though there was another couple in the waiting room we were not rushed out the door. We had several questions which were promplty answered and we were given several brochures. We have already recommended several friends to try any of the couples packages. I really recommend this place for anyone who needs to de-stress or relax before a 'big' day / event (I'm definitely going to PR the day before my wedding!).

Thanks Farrah for putting H.O.Y. together and introducing me to Petite Retreat!

Great place & location even though the parking sucks. I love ice houses and this place is the coolest I've been to. The weather on Friday night was perfect for a get together with other Yelpers and to meet Nish.

There were plenty of picnic tables, a live band, hot dogs on the grill and a couple walking around selling homemade tamales. 2 out of the 3 bartenders were on the ball (the dude had a tendency to ignore you and couldn't for the life of him multi-task). Kid and dog friendly, the crowd was eclectic and having a good time.

The bathrooms were clean and don't be surprised if a small dog visits if you use the bathrooms at the back of the property. Yep, a cute energetic dog ran under the stall door and put his paws on my knees. Hey little fella, how about some privacy?

I had a lapse of judgement, insane moment when I let my coworkers talk me into going to this place for lunch. For $9.75 it is not worth it. The crust was soggy on most of the pizzas except the cracker crust. However the toppings were plentiful and they used fresh mushrooms (and other veggies).

The booth seats are all messed up. They have a slant to them which left my feet dangling about 3 inches off of the floor making me feel like Edith Ann......and that's the truth. Phlllllllllllllllllllt.

I recently paid a visit to Abdallah's for the 28th Lunch Bunch. This little Lebanese eatery serves it up cafeteria style and everything looked tempting (especially the lamb shank).  I ordered the falafel plate which included a side of hummus & salad. I added a glass of ice tea and my total came close to $10 which I thought was a bit pricey.

The falafel was very tasty, but I was disappointed that it was cold due to the long wait I experienced while in line to pay for my meal. The cashier was very friendly but slow due to the credit / debit machine taking forever and the fact that while she spoke briefly on the phone she was incapable of doing other tasks. So cold, tasty falafel with a very delicious side of hummus and a not so great salad. The whole wheat pita was fresh but on the firm side perfect for scooping up the hummus.

I tried some fried concoction that Gretchen was eating and it was amazing as was the flan-like dessert. Eva's lunch consisted of several pastries that she generously shared, all were delicious.

****After reading Gretchen's review, I realized I was supposed to get one of those yummy fried concoction-thingies! Shame on you, line-server dude! I hate you. (well not really hate but close to it)*****

Once again Farrah (et al) has proven that she can organize one heck of a par-tay! Kudos to you Farrah, your hard word shined and the event was a huge success.

The venue for the EaDo Palooza was held at the Francisco Studios, a warehouse located in a questionable neighborhood. We checked in and hoofed it up to the top floor sparking a thought in my head "maybe I shouldn't have worn these shoes". Once at the top we grabbed a drink and started our tour. I really enjoyed visiting each studio and chatting with the "resident" artist. I think I even managed to miss a room or two. Thanks to Calliope, Lucky's, Hyunh, St Arnold's (thx Farrah) and Rain Organics Vodka for the great eats and drinks!  A variety of DJ's provided great sound for us tap our toes to. Seeing familiar faces guaranteed a great time and it was nice meeting a couple of the unfamiliar ones.

I ask you, dear reader, when was the last time you sat down for lunch and everything you ordered exceeded your expectations? There have been many a time that I have experienced less at this particular eatery, but today we hit the jackpot.

We had a 10 minute wait at 2:30pm this fine day which was surprising since we thought we had missed the church crowd. Once seated our server Vyara immediately came to the table and we proceeded to order drinks and the fried pickle appetizer. She was patient while we perused the menu and was helpful when we asked questions about the lunch special which runs every day. We decided to split a pastrami sandwich on rye with a side of coleslaw (which is free). Our fried pickles were delivered and I must admit they were the best I've had. Kosher dill pickle spears battered and fried superbly, served with one of the best ranch dressings around. Our sandwich arrived, split as requested with the shared side of coleslaw. The 1/2 sandwich itself was thick, hearty and proved to be the best pastrami I've had in years. A beautiful shade of red, the pastrami was shaved thin and piled high. The rye bread was sliced thick and very fresh, a perfect compliment for the pastrami. The cabbage in the slaw was cut into chunks as opposed to julienne shreds we find common in most coleslaws. I found Katz' slaw offering a delightful version of what we consider "norm" and much better than others. The cabbage was crunchy and the non-creamy dressing was kissed with sweetness.

On our way out we ordered a chocolate macaroon cookie as I am ca-razy for coconut. Once at the casa we split the macaroon and it proved to be one of the most delightful combinations of coconut and chocolate.

I have no idea why I deserved such a delightful experience. Perhaps it was all of those "good" karma chips I had been collecting all these years?