Kurt B.'s Profile

No 6th star available?  I would add one.  Grady showed up promptly for his 8am appointment.  Gave me a ring just prior.  I love finding good service people.  Hire Grady hands down.  Great guy, did a great job.  Very professional and covered all the areas that could get dirty.

Also he's a grandfather and got along great with my 3 year old.  Could be scary for a masked man with a loud vacuum in your home at 8am.  Don't let the grandfather comment fool you though, he's full of energy.  He runs and does triathlons so we had a fun chat about sharing those experiences.  Took the time to share a cup of coffee and talk about fireplace burning and woods to use, etc.

I know who i'll call in a couple of years....

Hire Steve.  Simple as that.  Other review sites have mentioned that he's a little short or cuts people off on the phone.  I saw why today.  He answers his cell phone while working to fill his schedule with Service Calls.  He can't fix your appliance over the phone so call Steve, give him some basic info, schedule an appointment,  pay the $65 service fee and have him recommend a solution.

He was super fast in fixing our dishwasher which made for a happy wife.  So as the husband who tried all I could to fix it on my own this was the way to go.  Happy wife = happy life.  Definately hire Steve.

Before Sergei I just went to a barber shop and ended up with the same hair cut for oh about 12 years.  I wanted to find someone who was good with up to date men's styles so I actually started going to him at MBS.  

I think it's great he started his own shop in downtown Pleasanton and it is definately my kind of place.  Modern style, local paintings and Pandora pumping through the speakers.  

Sergei is a good guy and has a great sense of style/ideas.  I'm confident I can just go in there and say "whatever, you decide" and I'll come out happy.  All of that and plus he struck out and started his own thing so I definately want to support it's success.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to drop a star off of Tully's.  The last time I was in there the staff was just a bit out of sorts.  There were people's relatives behind the counter, the barista made a comment that people just need to wait as two espresso shots take longer than one, etc etc.  I think management changed recently and it is definately a step back as far as cleanliness and customer service goes.

I'm a younger guy so usually I get crap service from everywhere that's not just serving up a coffee or burger.  I was extremely HAPPY with the initial service I've recieved from SAS.

My situation is I'm pretty handy with a car and can handle 99% of the recommended inspection items on my BMW330i.  Everything except for the darn warning, inspection lights and resets.

A guy named Rob I think it was walked me through their prices for all the inspections and then suggested a solution that would work for me.

I'll do the inspection etc on my own and then bring the car in for just the Oil Change service which includes resetting the warning lights etc.

Pricing:  Seemed reasonable and honest.  I DON'T EVEN CARE if they are 10-25% more than Jiffy Lube or other places because to me it's all about CUSTOMER SERVICE and piece of mind.  I like that someone reviewed their pricing as a FAIR price.  That's all I need.  Doesn't need to be cheapest just fair.

I've become really jaded with people who only look for rock bottom prices.  I'm an economical person but I am one to definately pay for personal service.  In the end it probably all evens out anyway.  Looking at the other reviews I know if I need to ask a quick question to the guys over at SAS they're not going to drag me over the coals or give me some crap runaround and in the car mechanic world that's something you can dearly pay for.

Recently I had some collegues in from out of town.  They wanted to meet for dinner and I opted for what else...?  Downtown Pleasanton.  This resturant is perfect for when you want something kind of upscale but not afraid to go in wearing jeans.

I'm a Risotto fan so I usually get the "Risotto of the Day" or the Chipotle Shrimp I think it's called.

4 of us went and everyone committed on how great a time it was.  Those comments could be about....1) The Food 2) The Location 3) The atmosphere.  I'm not sure any one thing jumps out at you as stellar but it is definately a great place to go.

Still looking for that good Chinese in Pleasanton.  Granted this is the first place I've tried other than Uncle Yu's in Livermore (which is great) and PF Changs which is always decent.

The food was pretty much blah.

Honey Walnut Prawns - Agree with Kaite T.  Definately earned them a star.

Mongolian Beef - This is what took the review down.  It was really spicy and not the oniony/salty type taste I like in my MB.

SS Pork, Orange Chicken - Honestly very little taste.

The other star was for prompt service and a great overall non-food experience from ordering through to delivery.

Downtown Pleasanton has great places for Mexican, Italian, Sushi, etc but was missing a place to grab some grill type food and a brew.

Overall the food is pretty good but just be sure to ask for sauce.  Meaning I had the Chicken and Bacon sandwhich but it came with no dressing.  A little dijon from the back took care of that.

They have Newcastle on Tap so I'm pretty much sold.  The bar is a little small and for "going out" it's probably not the happening spot.

I've eaten there twice with two groups of friends and we had a great time just hanging out and grabbing a bite.

My bro turned 29 this last weekend and we had a GREAT time.  We had reservations for a large party so I can't comment on the wait time etc.  Overall the food was VERY good and VERY rich.  Don't plan on going for a light mexican meal.

The margaritas were good - nothing to rave about but good nonetheless.  It was definately a buzzing place on a Saturday night and a good place to start your night out.

The wife and I like to eat in downtown Pleasanton as it's nice to support the local downtown.  For our Mexican food fix we always go to Alberto's.  I agree with some of the reviews that the service is not that great.  That said the food is pretty good and based on the weather it's nice to sit outside.

There is a place called Fernando's I believe which is around the corner but I feel they use a whole stick of butter in every plate.

Personally at Alberto's I usually get the Steak Fajitas which I split with my wife.   There is plenty of food with each serving so share a plate and enjoy some chips and salsa.