Adrienne "adie beatty" S.'s Profile

For coffee and a quick breakfast, this place is stellar! I LOVE their espresso. Earthy, robust, organic, fair trade. YUM. And I totally AM a coffee snob. A triple iced espresso from here is my favorite summer treat. The place is always bustling and cozy. It's cozy even at 7am (last semester I found this out, but never again)...

The staff is cheerful. They let you sub fruit for a bagel, so you can get a neat little green onion and cheddar scramble instead of an egg bagel sandwich. And the fruit is always good and yummy, with fresh raspberries or strawberries or fresh cut apples. I'm not a big fan of any of the other coffee in town, so this place was a HUGE relief when it opened. The owners are super duper nice as well.

Stop at THIS coffee shop if you are visiting this sweet little town. It has a clean bathroom, great selection of drinks in a refrigerated case, MANY gluten-free baked goods as well as the normal yummy baked goods. They sell crafty greeting cards and journals and such as well. Also, you won't be disappointed if you like good earthy, thick (but not so compressed it's like a tincture) espresso! Old fashioned deliciousness it is!

I don't know what is up with the bad reviews here about Holabird Sports. Maybe I got very lucky but if you google Holabird Sports reviews you will find an almost 5 star rating from thousands of people. And...to previous reviewers... I DO NOT know anyone who works for Holabird, nor had I ever even heard of them before online shoe shopping this past Saturday. I just found a terrific deal thru them and decided to give it a go.

I ordered my new trail shoes on Saturday. I needed them by Wednesday eve at the latest, so I paid 10$ extra for 2 day shipping.  I got a notice Monday morning that my shoes had shipped, from Maryland, mind you, and were headed out to Cali. TODAY (Wednesday morning) they arrived! They are JUST what I ordered, and I got these shoes for 25$ less than anywhere else. I already am wearing them.

I trusted Holabird on a whim and because of a couple of good reviews, but was mortified when I read the bad ones here and on Epinions AFTER I had made my purchase. I thought for sure I wouldn't get these shoes in time. Luckily, however, it seems that Holabird is actually totally on the ball and maybe someone (or two) has a vendetta against them?

So grateful for my prompt shipping and delivery!

I love Pete's. And as time goes by, I love it more and more. The pizza crust is MY FAVE.

They have a great selection of beer  (HUGE PLUS), the place is open later than ANY OTHER PLACE IN TOWN (HUGER PLUS), and mainly nice people work there (good thing). Or, I guess I could put it this way, only the nice people STAY working there.

The pizza is totally delicious and well worth the 5$ a slice. Those slices are like 3 slices put together. I don't like really thick pizza crust or cracker thin pizza crust and, most of the time, Pete's does it just right. I mean, it's a pizza by the slice joint so it's not like you are gonna get some miraculous clone of your last piece every time. But it's damn close 80% of the time. My favorite of all is the "Conomara" but with no chicken and sub pineapple. One of the employees suggested this to me once and I can't shake it. I totally suggest getting slices over getting a small pie. Unless you are with a big ol' group, the slices are the better deal.

The only downer about this place are the annoying people that hang out at the "boardwalk" outside on Commercial. Definitely the kind of peeps that will have your grandma walking the other way. I'm open-minded and all, nevertheless there are WAY too many annoying comments and smells coming from the idle-ers outside Pete's. I wish they'd take that damn boardwalk down already.

Despite that last paragraph, I think I'm gonna go get me some Pete's right now. Cause I ain't no grandma, yet. And when I am one- no dumb hippie is gonna scare me away from getting some DELICIOUS SLICES OF PIZZA.

Wow.

My husband and I went to New Moon spur-of-the-moment style on a Sunday night. It made my week.

This restaurant is an all around 5 star experience. I have heard about it for years, about how wonderful it is, and even STILL my expectations were met. We were greeted by a kind and lovely (and gorgeous) hostess and immediately brought bread and water and a four page list of wine and beers. Ah that list! I could have read it and asked questions about it all night. There were so many beers I have never heard of, and... "I know my beer" :) Because I had been craving wine, though, I decided on a glass of Rock Lobster Zin (I already know and love it) and my husband had a tall Racer 5. A "Big Boy" as they call them there.

Our server, Pascale, was honestly sparkling with warmth and conviviality. He had a friendly glow in his eyes and a knowledge of the menus that only the most professional, seasoned waiter can have- but totally without the stuffy, bland stiffness you find in other five star restaurants. Also, the musical playlist for the night was awesome as well (Black Keys, Fleet Foxes, etc.) and somehow New Moon has found the magical ideal volume level to make it listenable yet in the background. I also found the Ladies Room immaculate and yet evocative of centuries past. I always scrutinize the cleanliness of restrooms when considering my affections for a restaurant. New Moon gets an A+.

For starters we chose a Goat Gouda & Beet salad that went perfectly with my wine. We continued onto the mouthwateringly DELECTABLE truffle oil and Ricotta raviolis. Holy deliciousness.

We shared a beautiful plate of line-caught wild halibut with Meyer lemon and olive tapenade and perfectly steamed organic vegetables. And perfect is what EVERYTHING was. The halibut was tender and slightly browned and crisped just at the edges, and the portion was much bigger than I expected. The rice was seasoned lightly in a bed beneath the fish and there just enough of it to share with my husbie. Every bite of every single edible item at New Moon seriously made my taste buds swoon and my heart happy (with the knowledge that this restaurant exists in my tiny awesome town).

I finished with an espresso and a smile. Thank you New Moon! I cannot wait to return. In fact, my husband and I discussed ways that, when we grow up and I am no longer just a student, we can fit a weekly New Moon visit into our future. We decided that we can make it possible if we just never have a car payment and rarely buy new clothes (keep it thrift and vintage). Yahoo future dining me!

Hmmm. I never really give two star reviews. And this place wasn't THAT bad... BUT.

First off, the beer is awesome, I'll get that out of the way. If you are going here JUST to drink, maybe go for it. However, you can get their beer at many OTHER establishments, so then we have to deal with the question of "then why eat here?" My answer is... DON'T.

When we first walked in I noticed that despite the bustling atmosphere, the place was kind of cold. I HATE THAT. It's a wintry 38 degree night, and the heat isn't on or is on low? To me that signifies penny-pinching on energy bills, which is not what you do when you want people to feel at home in your restaurant/ bar. It gives me a money-hungry vibe right away... Anyways, at least we were seated promptly and with friendly smiles. Service here was nice. We started off with a yummy caesar salad and a basket of sweet potato fries. Despite still wearing my coat, I was happy at this point. I wish we would have left it at that. But we didn't, cause we came for dinner, not appetizers. We proceeded to order a 15$ entree and a 20$ entree, which - in accordance to my taste and ensuing experience- they should have PAID ME to eat.

The Veggie Napolean was cold and small. There was, like, one roasted bell pepper, one slice of grilled squash, two slices of tomatoes and a bit of avocado on two rounds of cold-ish eggy polenta. Devoid of flavor, bland and weird. NOT WORTH 15$.  

Now... the Seafood Cioppino. DO NOT GET THE SEAFOOD CIOPPINO. This is really the part where they should have paid ME. The sauce/broth was actually really tasty at first. Spicy and yummy. But a found a couple slabs of unidentifiable fish which seemed of a texture of which I am totally unfamiliar. Was it overcooked? Was it raw? Was it previously frozen and therefore rubbery and impossibly to cut with a fork? I'm still not sure, you tell me. But it was SOMETHING alright. Something gross. Something I've never seen before, and I LOVE ALL kinds of fish. And THEN... the mussels. I  usually love mussels. I have eaten hundreds of mussel dishes during my adult life. However, THESE WERE ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. Honestly, I have never been so scared of GETTING FOOD POISONING after choking this thing down. It tasted like bizarre, totally gross CHEMICALS??? Like chemicals that might kill you. EW. It was kind of smoky after the initial gasoline/ toxic flavor, but that didn't help at all, the damage was DONE. I wanted badly to spit it out, but my senses were on overload, confused. Besides, once you go for a mussel, there's no turning back. Needless to say, by the end of our experience, I wasn't really FULL but rather had lost my appetite. I prayed that I wouldn't get sick. I am still totally baffled as to what was up with the mussels. Maybe Liquid Smoke overload or something? I've never had a "bad" mussel, so I was just petrified that this was one. My husband concurred. (In the end neither of us did get sick thank you God.)

In conclusion, DO ORDER a Gold Digger IPA somewhere else, or a PU 240 Imperial Ale. Their beers are delicious, as well as award-winning. But truly, they should know what the heck their food tastes like before serving it. And they definitely should lower their prices. I'd rather have eaten dinner at Mel's Diner. Maybe it was just a one time bad luck thing, but that's 75$ I would have much rather spent at a craft fair or Target or on Amazon.

The Mezzanine rules. I've seen only two shows, but both were two of the most memorable nights of my music-going life, despite what I can't remember :) Seeing M83 and Active Child here melted my LIFE.

The layout of the place is sleek, modern, and RIGHT ON. Classy and swanky, it FEELS like you are in a big city. Or in a movie for that matter. The balcony area has intimidated me both times I've been because not many people head up there (?) perhaps cause it seems like a VIP only section, but upon exploring (both times) I found out otherwise. It's actually only VIP for those who FEEL VIP. There is another bar upstairs. In fact, bars show up around every corner here. I swear the first time I came to the Mezz a bar arose from thin air somewhere mid-show in the middle of the dance floor? Perhaps it's my enjoyment of drink each time I've been, but tiny bars seriously seem to crop up out of nowhere during my music-saturated haze.

The capacity for awesome lighting here is stellar. An intergalactic feeling arises, without drugs. The ambiance is amazing if you are listening to the right kind of music. I can't imagine seeing a folk band here, but for electronic, modern new wave, or other edgy dance or rocking stuff this place hits the nail on the head for a transformative experience.

Drinks on the other hand are RATHER pricey. Luckily, the 'tenders pour well.

Never thought I would even EAT All-You-Can-Eat-Sushi. The idea seems like an oxymoron. Nevertheless, there we arrived, on a Thursday night 8pm or so, after having settled into our Peppermill room.

I don't have the time to go all out here, but I'll just say that the place came recommended by people who have had sushi in Japan and live in LA and New York...so I knew it couldn't be as gross as all my instincts tell me AYCE sushi will be? INSTEAD... they were right on and the fish was totally fresh. I worked in a sushi restaurant with Japanese owners for almost 3 years, so I know when fish is NOT fresh. I learned to tell the difference between quality sushi rice and not so great. I learned what the taste of a truly fresh cut of hamachi should be. THIS PLACE HAS GOT IT!!! I couldn't believe it. Out there- in Reno!

Not only was the food delicious and fresh, but our waitress (who appeared to be no older than 17) was awesome and funny and confident. Also (HUGE PROPS HERE) their style of AYCE is different in that they highly discourage waste and therefore strongly recommend you order LESS than you want and express that they really don't want to throw out good fish.  I totally appreciate this. An international sushi craze has already begun the depletion of our oceans, so why add to the issue by not being able to finish half the sushi you ordered? We still (5 of us) ordered perhaps a bit more than we thought we could handle, but with caution we wouldn't have used if she hadn't given the warning. It turned out to be the PERFECT amount.

The sake was delicious and not high-priced, the food was perfect, the dessert was perfect. Why 4 stars then? Because the place was just a little too college party -esque for my taste, and I really love quiet, pretty places when you are eating sush.

I can't tell you how stoked I am to have this establishment not too far from home. They have a constant variety of WONDERFUL beers. Like- you won't find this good of a selection on tap or as good of pricing ANYWHERE in the foothill or Folsom area. Believe me, I have done my customer experience research. They are extremely knowledgeable about beer here. The local Homebrewers Association have meetings here because the place absolutely PROMOTES love of beer.

This place offers my favorite beer ever as a secret beer. Ask for the mystery beer if you are willing to shell out 5$. It's worth its weight in hops.  I won't elaborate except that my heart is filled with gratitude for the existence of this place. Just a few years back, it was terribly hard to find good beer anywhere in the vicinity of Placerville. I'm not talking about mediocre, OK beer. I am talking about AMAZING beers from all over the west coast from breweries like Russian River, Firestone, Lost Coast, Green Flash,  Mammoth...... it kills me. I adore this place.

The round pizzas are the best! Especially the small ones cause the crust is so very perfect every time. The salads are good, and the happy hour Wednesday snacks and beer are great deals. The only reason this place doesn't get five stars from me is  that I am such an ambience kind of person and think a few more windows and or outdoor seating would do wonders. That's not really the establishment's fault though, they ARE in a strip mall. And in a weird way, I kind of like that.

Ok. Mainly stars because of how refreshing it is to have any bar, much less a nice clean normal bar, anywhere on this side of the mountain. It ain't Vesuvio, but in these woods it might as well be.

I live in this tiny town. I have lived here almost a year, in a magical wooden cabin in a forested neighborhood, and for the most part I love the truly old-school almost midwestern feel of this odd community. But I had yet to get up the gall to get mine and my husbie's patooties into any local tavern as there can be some darned scary people in the vicinity. Especially on Pony Express Trail things can seem, well, rather....backwoods. I'd heard some pretty freak-a-deak stories about the bar that stood here before it was the Rusty Nail (it was called Magoon's Saloon), and I'd always felt a chill whilst passing the Pine Lodge (another tavern on the same street). These were the kinds of stories where barstools go flying and so does a lot of blood. Eek. And since me and my kind aren't the most conservative kids in town but this town is  chock full of the like and it can be hard to ignore the death stares coming from rednecks at my husband's skinny jeans or towards my blue streaks o' hair.

So it was to my complete surprise that the Rusty Nail made me feel ENTIRELY at home and thankful to be so. El Dorado County has a REAL shortage of bars these days, besides Poor Reds which is about 25 miles from this location. Even in the town of Placerville there is only one real bar left and it's basically a mekka for ......tweakers?(sorry...to put it bluntly) But the Rusty Nail is awesome! Outside it appears as a vision in the night, a log cabin tavern to boot, a wet nurse fairy godmother on the particular night last week that my husband and I decided to pursue Pollock Pines bars out of end-of-the-eve desperation and our own final unkept curiosity. What a relief! This place turned out to be my new favorite spot! It's totally clean inside, looks as though it has been completely remodeled, has CLEAN, cute bathrooms and nice new pool tables. And, from what I remember ;)- the jukebox was superfun. The bar even sort of sparkled as we walked in. There was a totally exciting variety of people, old logger/miner types and an assortment of 20-somethings, and we all got along fabulously. Honestly, I can't believe I waited so long! If you want to try something different on your way out of (or into) town, do stop here. Anyone who claims the drink prices are high has never set foot in a bar in San Francisco or Sacramento for that matter! The prices were completely normal, the bartender was pretty and nice, and I am so relieved that when my ubercool friends from the city -or Nevada City- visit me here and I can sigh a big breath of relief knowing I ACTUALLY have a place to take them after 10pm.

If you have any real interest in old time tried and true taverns, then you have no excuse not to get to Poor Red's immediately. As soon as those saloon doors swing open, there are old ghosts, tall tales of murder and vengeance, gold coins, and signature cocktails ready to haunt you forevermore. You WILL be back. Honestly. I don't think there's any other bar west of the Sierras with so much lore wrapped up in it's history or flowing from the mouths of it's long time regulars and bartenders. The place is pretty famous and I could go to lengths to decipher what is real and what is myth, but I like to leave this gem shrouded in its well deserved mystery.  (So maybe it's only MY experience, maybe others come away from Reds only remembering wild young cowgirls and their steak dinner, but keep your eyes and ears open...and you will find much more.)

First off, I might recommend that for your first try at Reds you come on a, say, Wednesday or Thursday night. The place gets awfully packed on a Friday or Saturday eve, often with alot of out-of-towners, so there's the possibility of its authentic airs getting drowned out by the roar. And it's not quite as terrific if you can't find a seat. Also, since I am a pescatarian, I can't really nor do I want to rate the steaks.....but.....I've heard that people really love the dinner here and I can't wait to try the lobster some time. But in the past I have loved the one dollar salad and a side of a baked potato. Mind you we are talking a 1960s style salad here, iceberg with dressing. That's cool by me as I am oft overwhelmed by the millions of choices offered not only when eating out these days, but even when picking out a simple bag of chips at the gas station. Reds also serves up a WICKED DELICIOUS basket of bleu cheese fries or garlic fries...or a combo. With truly giant heaps of bleu crumbles or sauteed garlic....yum.

If you are out in search of breweries and/or beer on tap, Poor Reds really isn't the place to go. Their beer selection is as simple as their salad, but that's OK because that's how the miners did it . So order a whiskey neat or a Bourbon Press or a Golden Cadillac instead, a frothy creamy drink that's just rightly sweet and ends with a hint of black licorice. It's not too hard to make friends here either, as the entire room is designed as a circular seating area around the circular bar, perfect for people watching or listening in on cowboy tales. If you hear of a live music night at Poor Reds, particularly on a Sunday evening, I would also recommend visiting on one of these nights. And there's one fellow you don't want to miss, if'n he ever comes back to Reds. Sourdough Slim. What with the bar's old tyme feel, Sourdough's vaudeville cowboy act, and one sip of a Golden Cadillac - you've actually got the ingredients to the recipe of an old magic spell, the kind that's capable of sending one back to the days when the miners were a'singing, the sheriff was a'drinkin', and the bad boys just rode into town to do some gunslinging.