David D.'s Profile

As a fan of the Ranchos in North Park, I decided to give this location a try on my most recent visit to San Diego. The vegetarian-friendly menu is the same so far as I can tell, and the interior decor is similar, but the dining room is quite a bit larger. Great, right? Well yes, but I plan on sticking with the North Park location.

While the food here is good, the service is just terrible. Even though they weren't too busy on our Saturday afternoon visit, it took several minutes for my friends and me to have our orders taken. And then it took so long to get water, napkins, chips, and salsa that I actually got up to look for a restaurant employee. Our refill of chips and salsa came out on its own, as did our food and a water refill. But we had to wait several minutes yet again for more salsa once requested. In fact, we had to remind them about it.

When we finished eating, we had to flag somebody down for a to-go container and check, and when that finally came out, it took a while before somebody swung by to pick it up.

Memo to Ranchos: Rather than provide slow, inefficient service, why not abandon the waiter concept altogether and have your customers order at a counter and seat themselves? You'd be able to improve service, save a bundle on staffing, and shave a buck off the menu prices.

If you have the utmost patience, then by all means stop by here to eat. The food is pretty good after all. Just don't come for the service.

Vegetarian-friendly Mexican food in North Park, eh? Excellent! The dining room is a bit small, but the food is pretty good. It's everything I love about Mexican food--cheese, beans, salsa, etc.--and none of the stuff I don't--lard, meat, etc.

I just can't get the satisfaction of a well-rounded plate-style meal in the burrito-obsessed Bay Area, so I try to make it to Ranchos every one or two visits back to San Diego. I've been here four or five times and have thoroughly enjoyed each experience. My friends swear by the shiitake, but not being a mushroom guy personally, I eat just about anything else instead. It's all been good.

My only warning is that I took meat eaters here and they found the regular meat dishes very average. That very well may be the case, so prepare for it just in case. Also prepare for slightly slow service. It isn't especially slow, but one may have to be slightly proactive to get in and out on a strict timeline. Final verdict: Recommended!

My old car died on my recent trip home to San Diego. Whatever was I to do? Get a new car! Because I had attended the auto show in San Francisco less than a month prior, I had a pretty good idea what I wanted: the Hyundai Sonata. It being the end of the year and all, I figured I could find a good deal on an '09 model.

My first stop was Frank Hyundai. They had a couple '09 models but not in my preferred color. The salesman didn't seem particularly interested in discussing prices with me, so I decided I would have to visit at least one other Hyundai dealership.

I stopped by Ball Kia (good guys, but the Optima just didn't do it for me) and then called up a few Hyundai dealerships. Kearny Mesa Hyundai--no good colors. Drew Hyundai--took an act of Congress to get a salesman on the phone. Poway Hyundai--no '09's but boy do we have a deal on the '10's. And they actually did. And they had my top two color picks (khaki green, camel) in stock!

I took a gamble and drove up to Poway (I borrowed my aunt's car) to check them out. The dealership seemed to be 500 miles from the 15, but it was clean, modern, and well organized. The salesman I had spoken with on the phone was there and led me right to the Sonatas. And as it turns out, my two top color picks were parked side-by-side.

After a short test drive, I was back in the dealership and talking numbers. This is the only part where the "typical" car salesman approach was used, as the "basic" car price was not provided alongside the "special" packages including stuff like Lo-Jack. When I was given that basic number, I managed to negotiate a slight discount over the already exceptional sale price.

I arrived at Poway Hyundai owning nothing more than a busted down jalopy and departed the owner of a shiny green new car, which I had bought at a great price. Success!

I experienced unfortunate car trouble on a Friday night drive out of the the Bay Area, but this little shop in Los Banos was able to fix my car on a Saturday morning and get me on my way without taking advantage.

After spending the night at a random motel in Los Banos, the clerk referred me across the street to this shop. They were open on a Saturday! And they could do something about my car! Wonderful! I drove up at 9:30 and drove out at 12:30. I spent nearly two of those hours at the nearby Starbucks, but the remainder was spent shooting the breeze with the shop owner in the waiting room. A five-star hotel lobby it was not, but it was warm and clean and the chairs had (non-torn!) cushions on them.

My pocketbook was a lot lighter when I left, but so it goes with old cars. I paid almost exactly the same as I had a week prior with my regular mechanic; turns out the part he had installed was defective and had to be replaced.

Overall, if you find yourself stranded in Los Banos, this is a good shop to check out. And no, Los Banos is not as bad as its reputation suggests. I have no intention of ever moving there, but my car could have found worse spots to die.

I had a small dinner at MBar while staying at the InterContinental Montelucia on a Saturday night in September. Specifically, I ordered the burrata salad and a ginger ale. (What can I say... I'm not an alcoholic.)

The burrata salad didn't come quite as I expected, but my waitress suggested a different type of bread to accompany it, and it turned out to be an excellent dish with said addition.

The ginger ale came from a glass bottle, which was perfect. No watered down stuff from a hose or something out of plastic or aluminum. Yes, there is a difference.

Service was punctual and courteous. MBar has a nice ambiance. Bustling but not crowded, clean and tasteful but not overly fancy, comfortable seats, and not too noisy either. Prices were about what I would expect at this type of establishment. Overall, this is a great spot for tapas and a drink.

Wow, another crappy restaurant appears in Central Marin! Yay! I heard about the Counter on the radio a couple months ago and decided to give it a try about a week ago. I had an open mind, but the Counter quickly closed it for me.

I arrived on a sunny day for a late lunch around 1:30. There was a stand set up outside the front door, and I was escorted into the restaurant and told to take a seat wherever I like. So far so good. I sat down at a table and was given the menu and a pencil to fill it out. I already knew what I wanted, thanks to checking the menu on the Web site before leaving the office, and was ready to order in about 0.2 seconds.

Unfortunately the staff felt I needed more time. I started reading the newspaper after a couple minutes, and despite the presence of an unusually high number of employees milling about doing "stuff" (seemingly nothing), nobody came to take my order. I finally got up and tracked down a guy working (actually working, coincidentally) at "the counter" (get it?)...or maybe it was supposed to be a bar.

Anyway, he came over and took my order himself. Grilled cheese trifecta, fries, and a Mr. Fibb. Simple enough! My food arrived in about as much time as I expect a grilled cheese and fries ordered at a restaurant to take, so that was good.

Now about that food... The cheese in my grilled cheese wasn't really melted, and the bread was a crumb or two (but not more) above average. The sandwich was a reasonable size until I remembered how much it cost. The fries were average and the portion size was not particularly remarkable either. I topped off the grilled cheese with some pickles to give it a bit of texture, and the pickles also were average in quality.

After finishing off my decidedly average lunch, I flagged down somebody for my bill. It turns out this meal cost me about $10.50 before tip. And all I had was a crappy grilled cheese sandwich, boring fries, and an overpriced fake Dr. Pepper.

Something seems wrong with the business model here. Crappy service and high prices? Recipe for failure! I'd like to try the veggie burger, but a meal involving one would set me back $15+ and potentially subject me to terrible service once again. I think I'll pass, thanks.

Jazzed from my recent rental experience at a Hertz Local Edition in Phoenix, I decided to give this location a try for a trip at the beginning of the month. The deal at this location was too good to pass up--roughly half the next cheapest car rental outfit in a 10-mile radius. And it's a Hertz, right?

Upon arrival in town, I called for pick-up service at a nearby location and was accommodated within five minutes of my requested time. The young chap who picked me up was friendly enough, so the quick drive to the rental office went smoothly.

That's about where it stopped being good. Even though I had checked in online the day before, it took this guy a full 20 minutes to fill out my forms. And he tried with every ounce in his body and soul to sell me insurance and upgrade me a car level. He really went over the top! What part of "no" don't you get, buddy?!

When he finally got his act together, he announced that I would be getting a Ford Mustang. I had rented a "standard" car and was surprised, and concerned about being able to fit all 6'1" of me inside it, I asked if a sedan was available. Alas, he tried to upsell me again. (No, I don't want no stinkin' Altima!)

He retrieved the car from a distant parking lot and brought it up for me to try. Turns out I do fit inside. Although not thrilled about the mileage (which turned out to be 21 mpg during my rental), I gave it an okay. Hey, this may be my only chance to drive a yellow special anniversary edition Mustang, right?

But wait, there's more. He went to give it a wash and disappeared for a full 10 minutes. He finally returned, and a little over half an hour after I arrived, I was finally out on the road. With a car that had around 30,000 miles on it (no biggy) and only a 1/4 tank of gas (kind of annoying).

And then bam! It hit me! This thing smelled like cigarette smoke. I called to let Young Chap know about the smell so he wouldn't try to charge me for it, and he assured me that he tried to mask the smell with some air freshener earlier that day. Sigh.

Anyway, I returned the car two days later without incident. Drop off took a couple minutes, and at last, I was free of the Hertz Local Edition in the fine suburban metropolis of Ontario. Next time I'm in the area, I'll be sure to rent from somewhere else.

I rented a car at the Hertz on West Indian School Road at the end of September. I picked this location because it was just a block from a light rail station, which made it easy to reach from the airport. Car rental rates on the airport premises are stratospheric!

I checked in online the day before and arrived without incident. The only tricky part of this rental location is its location--in a trailer behind a car dealership rather than on the street. Turns out it's easier to access the trailer from the light rail station by walking south along 2nd Avenue instead of going all the way around the building on 3rd Avenue. Live and learn.

Although staffed by just one person, I was signed in and on the road in five minutes flat. I rented a mid-size car and was given a 2010 Toyota Corolla with 1,300 miles on it and a full tank of gas. I'm not sure why Hertz thinks a Corolla is a mid-size car, but considering it was just me traveling, I welcomed the excellent fuel economy and new car smell. Turns out I wouldn't want to buy myself a Corolla, but it worked well enough for my four days on the road.

Car return was a cinch. Dropped off the car a little before my scheduled arrival and was signed out and on my way back to the airport in no time. Car rental success!

Symphonie deserves 3.5 stars, but it would earn 4 solid stars were it located in BFE (or at least Marin County) where vegetarian/vegan cuisine is hard to find. Yelp doesn't allow those pesky half ratings, though, so 4 stars will have to do.

I stumbled upon this Pt. Richmond oddity while exploring the near-deserted neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon. Seems Pt. Richmond has a mere four restaurants open at that time: Two Chinese places, the Hotel Mac, and this place. Seeing as I'm vegetarian, the choice was obvious.

Front door said the restaurant was closed between 4 and 5 PM, but I came in at 4:30 and was seated right away. One other party was in the cavernous dining room at the time, so it felt as deserted inside as it was outside. Decor was pleasing, and limited lighting/windows made it feel later than it actually was. The restrooms were downstairs, which was different. Makes me wonder what was here before.

I ordered the Pad Thai. A couple of the lunch specials looked good but were a little pricey. (Lunch specials are served all day, but after 4 PM they are $2 additional and don't come with rice.) I didn't mind the higher price so much when I found out my dish came with a little salad and soup.

The salad consisted mostly of cabbage but was topped with an absolutely delicious, slightly creamy dressing. The soup was just average. Pad Thai was good, in fact comparable to Bangkok Palace in Oakland or a "good day" at Cha-Am in Berkeley. Portion was generous and came with a slice of lemon. The tofu pieces were just right. Service was quick and friendly.

Symphonie has good food and good service with prices that are slightly above average. There is competition in the East Bay vegetarian/vegan restaurant market and this place doesn't offer anything new or exciting besides its unique location. I'd go here for lunch now and then if it were in San Rafael, but alas, it is not.

When the desire to visit a café strikes me, I normally exit my humble North/West Berkeley apartment and head east to imbibe a warm beverage somewhere along Shattuck Avenue. Finally, I have a reason to head west: Local 123.

Don't let the union headquarters name fool you: This café brews joe, makes those fancy coffee-related drinks without those silly Starbucks faux-fancy names, and has a good pastry selection. There are even sandwiches if you want to get your lunch on. All served by friendly staff in an unpretentious atmosphere.

What really makes this place charming is its ambiance. Despite being situated on San Pablo right by University, the place is pretty attractive looking. The decor evokes a soft-edged modernism that isn't too austere or too frilly. (The café's interior decorator should be proud!) Likewise, the menu is just simple enough to offer choice without going over the top.

The front opens up onto the street, which keeps the place from feeling claustrophobic. There is every conceivable seating arrangement inside: tables with chairs, a bar with stools, and plush leather sofas in back. The real gem is the back patio, which offers a sunny (or not) place to chill out on a bench at a long table, or at one of the petite round tables with chairs. You'll probably see the resident cat hanging out on the back patio, too. He's a pretty mellow kitty.

Fellow patrons are pretty mellow, too. This is a nice place to catch up on reading or have a conversation with friends. I really like that this café hasn't been discovered by those uptight Berkeley "intellectuals" and laptop-sporting students/yuppies. This place does offer free wi-fi, but I'd be happy to see the wi-fi go away if it means keeping those laptop folks from invading yet another Berkeley café.

The coffee is a bit strong for my regular consumption, but it's still better than that swill served at Peet's. Plus there's the obligatory chai and hot cocoa to keep me coming back. I only wish this place had late evening hours so I could come here with my friends after a long day. Here's to the future, Local 123!