Mike V.'s Profile

NO COMPLAINTS FOR ROUTINE SIGN JOBS

A few times a year we have Fast Signs make us some polystyrene posters.  Never had a problem with quality of work or turn-around time.  Pretty consistent.  I can't say I've shopped around to compare prices recently so they at minimum merit an A-OK from me.

WEBSITE ENCOURAGES EMAILING BUT DOESN'T REPLY

Found them on the Texas Asphalt Pavement Association website.  Went to the Industrial Asphalt website and their "Estimates" tab.  Clicked on the email and sent my request for parking lot seal and re-striping.  An email came back to me saying the contact person no longer works there and another person's email was given.  Ok.  I forward the other person's email same estimate info.  5 days later (a weekend included) still have not heard back.  Sure I could've picked up the phone and called, but why have a website encouraging you to email if you're not going to reply or name the current contact person?

COULD DO WORSE FOR AN $8 LUNCH BUFFET

Unfortunately working downtown Fresh Choice doesn't get on my lunch rotation as often as I'd like, but I have made it to Fresh Choice at least once a month for a few years now.  While at times an item or two served may not be as 'good' as the last time (i.e. pea soup, corn bread, etc.) the numerous other items I put on my plateS (emphasize on the plural) make for an overall good meal for this vegetarian.  How good is their salad bar you ask?  Well unlike at most restaurants I've been to in Texas they have Thousand Island dressing!

I pretty much go through the same routine each visit whether for lunch or dinner.  I'm going to pick one of the three big salads offered (2 usually without chicken/fish), throw on some individual cucumbers, some broccoli obsession (I admit has lived up to it's name with me in the past), and potato salad and/or cole slaw.  (While gluttony is not a crime I must disclose these are just "little scoops" on my plate!)  
I then proceed to try one bowl of the four soups offered (at least 1 is vegetarian), pass the pasta aisle (I can live without mac & cheese and pizza for one meal), and gorge...err, "help myself" to a few pieces of the bread, rolls, and cornbread with honey maple butter.  Oh and I wash it down with water.  All of this for less than $8!  ($7.53 to be exact if you take their short survey from the receipt and use the 15% off next meal coupon)

Ok full disclosure...I MAY go back for another bowl of soup or some broccoli obsession if the mood strikes me.  It is called a "buffet" right?  I will DEFINITELY go back for a chocolate muffin with melted chocolate chips in them.  Mmmmmmm yummy!!  If I THINK I'm going to "work out" later in the day (and I use that term loosely) I will scoop out the middle of the muffin, add some chocolate syrup in the middle, top it with soft serve ice cream, add more syrup and whip cream (my version of a chocolate volcano!).  And there you have it...how to gain a few pounds in one meal at less than $8!!  Oh and all of this "healthy" of course.

So carnivores, vegetarians and everyone in-between you can enjoy a meal at the only buffet I frequent.  There are definitely far worst choices (like Souper Salad) than this Fresh Choice!

PROMPT AND PROFESSIONAL!

We used Thunderbird Plumbing services back in September.  Our office upgraded our two toilets from "lotsa-flow" to "low-flow".  I emailed on a Friday evening and Jeff quickly replied to my questions.  We decided on the toilets we were buying on a Tuesday and they were quickly installed two days later.

We found the toilets we wanted online at Lowe's.  Jeff was kind enough to pick up the toilets for us at Lowe's (even used our 10% off Lowe's coupon we sent him) and saved us a trip picking up heavy toilets.  He just added the Lowe's bill to our invoice.

The day of installation Jeff and Ted arrived at the time they said and completed the job quickly.  Months later we are very satisfied with the quality of their work and would not hesitate to use them again.  If you're looking for a prompt and professional job you won't regret contacting Thunderbird Plumbing!

COMFORTABLE, QUIET STAY NEAR TIMES SQUARE & BROADWAY!

I booked a two night stay beginning on new year's day.  No regrets!  I made reservations on the hotel website to take advantage of the pre-paid discounted rate.  We arrived at the hotel around 1pm after checking out of our previous hotel.  With no one at the check-in desk at the time I thought we would need to have the hotel hold our bags until a room was ready, but we were pleasantly surprised to find our room was ready!  The check-in was smooth and the lady helping was pleasant. With four elevators available we never experienced a problem waiting.

No complaints about room space as we had enough space to place our luggage against the wall and still walk around. The bed was VERY comfortable, bathroom amenities plentiful, water pressure and temperature great, room spotless, and we never heard housekeeping during our stay.  We didn't need to use the closet space staying only two nights.  The Bose sound system is a nice amenity we enjoyed that I find very few hotels offer.  Our room view on the 17th floor wasn't anything spectacular overlooking a quiet street, but I wasn't specifically looking for a view during this stay.  This made for very quiet nights where I don't recall hearing a sound.  The hotel is within 2 blocks (the short ones lol) of subway lines that will get you anywhere and 2 blocks (the big ones!) from the Imperial Theater where we watched Billy Elliot.  Housekeeping turndown service included coming home to our room with classical music playing. A wonderful way to welcome you back to your cozy room after a long day in The City!

The Sofitel New York gave us a quiet area within walking distance to Times Square, Broadway shows and subway lines.  With a comfortable bed, spotless room and attentive service added our overall experience was a very solid 4 star hotel stay!  Would definitely stay there again.

BEST WAY TO SPEND A FEW HOURS RAIN, SNOW OR SHINE!

With nothing but 5 star reviews over the past few years I really don't have anything new to add to Scott's Pizza Tours.  To say Scott is knowledgeable about pizza is an understatement.  His enthusiasm for what he does transcends to everyone on his tour.  We took his walking tour on new year's eve and I can't think of a better way to end 2009 than with some of the best pizza in NYC!

We booked tickets via his website, met him at the pre-determined location and given a pizza journal and goody bag.  During the next 3 hours - in wet snow - Scott explained in detail the history and art of making pizza.  The three stops we made to eat a slice of cheese pizza were timed perfectly where you didn't feel too full from eating a slice at the previous stop. I personally thought the cold weather made the stops even more welcoming.  Since his bus tours are currently only on Sundays I will need to make sure I stay on a Sunday my next visit to NYC.  

As if the tour alone wasn't enough Scott even recommended pizza places in Austin, TX.  Now that's what I call knowing your business!  So whether you just like or loooooove (as I do) pizza, I highly recommend taking Scott's NYC Pizza Walk.  I guarantee it's a great way to spend any day of the year!

THE BEST WEEKLY LIVE MUSIC SHOW IN TOWN!!

My friend and I caught Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big Band (BBB) on the first day of 2010.  While I won't claim to be a jazz and/or big band 'expert' I believe I have standards high enough to know great music when I hear it.  At the Friday night show I, along with dozens of others in the audience, enthusiastically cheered on a group of Musicians with a capital "M"!  There was not one moment in their almost two hours of playing that did not disappoint.

I made reservations well in advance and knew it was first-come, first-serve seating.  I planned on lining up one-hour before seating, but thought the cold January day would keep the line short.  Even with a crowd we still managed to get pretty good seats (although the place is small enough where there really isn't a bad seat) with Tommy and his drums in plain view.  As if Tommy and the BBB were not enough the evening we attended we were also treated to special guest Cuban percussionist extraordinaire Pedrito Martinez!

There is a $20 music charge and a $10 per person food/drink minimum.  As a vegetarian I was nicely surprised by the tasty Birdland Vegetarian Burger while my friend enjoyed his Grilled Free Range Chicken Sandwich.  The service was excellent as we were never bothered while the show was going on and did not run out of beverages.  

Overall our experience at Friday's Tommy Igoe and The BBB was a trip highlight and well worth the music and food charge- in fact, quite a bargain in my book.  With the rotation of guest musicians and songs you can request to be played (via http://www.tommyigoe.c... website) each show is unique and sure to give you the best weekly live music show in town!  With Tommy Igoe and The BBB playing you won't regret spending two hours of your Friday evenings at Birdland!

AN EARLY AM DELIVERY TREAT!

So what are you supposed to do when you need to eat by 7am on the 47th floor of the Millenium Hilton and don't want to pay for an overpriced room-service breakfast?  Champs Gourmet Deli will save your early morning breakfast needs to start off an action packed day!

I knew our first morning in NYC we'd need to have an early breakfast where eating in the hotel or eating out of packages were options we didn't want to use.  With the help of yelp I found Champs Gourmet Deli.  I originally planned to pre-order online, but by the time I remembered on our travel day it was too late.  I called them when they opened at 6am and asked if they delivered to our hotel.  The person on the line didn't know the hotel proximity by name (strange since it's one of the three largest hotels within blocks) so after giving the address we were cleared for delivery.  All we wanted were a couple of spinach and mushroom omelettes.  The prices are so inexpensive that it didn't even get to the $10 minimum delivery requirement.  I didn't want to waste any food so we were fine paying that much for two items.  

About 20 minutes later I was called by the front desk to meet the delivery guy in the lobby.  It was well worth the early morning elevator ride.  The omelettes were not only delicious, but huge in portion.  We also received home fries and toast with it.  A great value for the price of $14 with delivery tip.  At the hotel restaurant we would've paid the same amount for two small glasses of orange juice alone!  Phone order by 610am and finished eating by 7am.  I couldn't ask for a better start to a long day.  I don't have another business I used to compare this too so I'm go with an unorthodox rating:
4 stars for the food + 1 star for the delivery, convenience and value = 5 stars Woohoo! As good as it gets for me!

So when staying in a Financial District hotel and you don't want to be robbed (leave that to the rest of Wall Street) by hotel restaurant prices, I highly recommend you give Champs Gourmet Deli a call- or online order.  You won't be disappointed by the early morning delivery treat!

RESCUED MY NEW YEAR'S EVE!

With over 300 reviews I'm not sure I will add anything new that can be said about the pizza.  I will say that Bleecker Street Pizza saved my new year's eve from being a disaster.  There...that's probably something new!

After taking the well worth Scott's Pizza Tour (http://www.scottspizza...) earlier in the day I had no plans on eating pizza as my last meal for 2009.  Quite the contrary.  I planned on eating at Antica Venezia but they decided to be shitty to people that made reservations and overbook (more on that in another review) so I left at 1115pm happy to just get back to the hotel before midnight. Knowing we were looking for food our cab driver passed by Bleecker Street Pizza where I picked up some slices to go.  All in time before the ball in Times Square was raised!

I didn't plan on having an all-day pizza fest the last day of 2009, but hey if you're going to do it anywhere in the world it might as well be in NYC!  Besides this place was "Scott approved" earlier in the day so I felt I was just carrying on the great pizza eating mantra.  Thank you Bleecker Street Pizza for your tasty Nonna Maria slices to go- and for saving my new year's eve!

Ditto to the New Year's Eve 2009 disappointment!  Except Joseph W. actually got to eat that night!  Trying to plan that "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to NYC for the new year's from out-of-state, I relied on yelp and opentable to lead me to a memorable dining experience on what should be a special night.  It was memorable all right, but for the wrong reasons.

I arrived at 10pm for what was supposed to be 1015pm reservations for two.  I should've been tipped that the night was probably not going to go well when there were people standing in every square foot of the restaurant with servers squeezing in between.  It took me at least 20 minutes to even find the hostess.  When I told her about my reservations she replied "it will be about another 45 minutes to be seated".  I then asked her how will she remember me in the big waiting crowd she replied "I will remember...you are only two people".  Ok.  I'll take your word on that considering I already wasted about 30 minutes.  Well come 1115pm and we didn't seem to get closer to being seated judging by the people that have left since.  It was then I decided to just take a cab back to the hotel, grab some Bleecker Street Pizza (thank you for slices to go!) and ring in the new year in a warm hotel room overlooking the Hudson River.

Why use the Open Table online reservation system if you're not going to honor the reservations?  While my new year's eve turned up just fine (in the end it's about the company right?) thanks to a poor customer-service decision of overbooking I can only wonder now how the food at Antica Venezia would have tasted.  A one star experience because zero isn't an option on yelp!