gina "7 ate 9" m.'s Profile

Best show ever! The Mister and I watched Point Break LIVE a couple years ago and I've been wanting to go back with a bus full of people since! It's a great show to watch and have fun. Highly recommend this to anyone in the area looking for a group activity.

I was introduced to my stylist, Isabel, by another friend who had been going to her for years now. My girl's always flossin' beautiful bright colors in her hair and i just had to know her stylist. I've been seeing Isabel for about a year now... I go mainly for color... bright, unnatural colors. She does a great job!! I recently had her cut my hair since i was long overdue. i honestly didn't have an idea of how to have my hair cut... just told her to add some layers and make my head light again... and bam, a beautiful cut fit for my face and shape! I may be moving away from Torrance, but I will definitely continue to see Isabel for cut and color b'coz I know she'll do a great job and take good care of me and my hair. ;-)

only stayed here for 2 nights. it was a mediocre experience. the lobby is more up to date than the rooms. and when the a/c wasn't on... there was an odd mold-like smell in the air. yuck.

they have decent tv channels, hgtv, food network, hbo, etc... but it took forever to change the channel...it's like being on dial up.

the beds were ok. the pillows were small, thin, and too soft for me. i needed 3 just to make "one".

i can't really complain tho since our stay was comped... although, i don't think i'd pay more than $100 /nt here. if its under $100... way under... then i'd consider since it's so close to port everglades and they offer shuttle service for $6 /person.

great hawaiian spot. love love LOVE the potato mac salad here... beats out L&L and King's Hawaiian in my book!

my picks: chicken, kalbi, fried shrimp... love any dishes that include any or all of these items.

the menu is a bit pricey, but the portions are big (in my opinion). one meal always ends up becoming two for me.

first time here during my first trip to ft lauderdale. great lil spot in downtown hollywood. we walked by and reviewed the menu and it made our mouths drool... this was the spot we'd have dinner at!

service was super ultra slow.  it took nearly ONE hour for our food to arrive. we should have ordered an appetizer, instead we had complimentary grilled corn to nibble on to pass the time. we finished our carafe of sangria before dinner arrived!

despite the incredibly slow service... when the food arrived... it smelled great! the essence not only filled our noses, but our palate as well. we ordered the following...

chaufa mixto - peruvian fried rice. a heaping dish of rice was served and my jaw dropped. very tasty and went perfectly well combined with other meat dishes.

tallarin verde con bistec - the steak was tender and juicy. seasoned well too... nothing bland about this dish. the pesto sauce was perfect... not too rich or overpowering at all. they didn't drench the pasta with pesto sauce either... plus for me. flavors of the steak and pesto pasta complimented each other very well.

tacu tacu lomo saltado - huge portion!! i barely made a dent! the steak was seasoned so well and was not overcooked. each piece was tender and juicy. the fries were not as "soggy" as i normally like them, but they were not dry, crispy, or overcooked... so i was satisfied. i ate some of the rice which was just as good as the rest, but i mostly combined the steak w/the chaufa mixto. great combo!

the food was absolutely great... good enough that i'd be willing to come back again in hopes the service will be more prompt.

Review of my first experience taking a class.

I signed up for the Knitting 101: Basics class held on Wednesday Nov 16. My entire experience has been one let down after another.

CONS:
1) i registered for myself & 3 friends. when we arrived for class, our names were not on the sign in sheet. fortunately, i had brought my receipt and registration forms for proof of registration.

2) we did not receive our knitting kits (9" needles & yarn) during class. we waited for 15-20 minutes for them, but the person in charge of preparing the kits was apparently nowhere to be found.

3) it's been nearly 2 weeks since the class and i still have not received a status or any communication regarding the knitting kit. i have had to reach out TWICE and still no status as to when the kits will be available.

4) too many students for the instructor... difficult getting her attn for help. (she normally teaches a class of 4-6... there was about 10 students... i blame Con #1)

Summary: this experience was not worth $35. very poorly organized and executed... i'm surprised considering how large of a company jo-ann fabrics is... perhaps its the staff that's causing such a poor reputation. i am disappointed in my first experience and will definitely not be returning for another class.

PROS:
1) instructor fortunately came prepared w/her own needles and yarn.

2) learned the differences in needles and yarn

3) learned how to make a slip knot, cast on, and the knit stitch

4) fortunately, i was also able to learn from one of the more advanced students in class w/the lack of attn the instructor was able to provide since the class size was too big for her.

Summary: the class was literally about learning the basics... and for someone like me who had never picked up knitting needles in her life... it was the ideal class. although... i think i'll save my money on classes and peruse How To videos on YouTube.

i love shabu shabu but don't think mitsu e made it on my top 5 go to shabu shabu spots. mediocre food and mediocre service. we had asked for edamame and it was never served. when we rec'vd our shabu shabu order, we asked about the edamame we ordered... it came out half way through our meal. oh yeah... and they don't offer brown rice. nothing stands out or makes this shabu shabu restaurant unique from others. plus, the cost is greater than some locations such as yojie or king shabu shabu.

Review is strictly for sunday brunch buffet.

for a famed seafood restaurant, i had expected a greater selection of seafood dishes. i was surprise to find NO crab legs. some sushi, mini shrimp cocktails, and oysters were provided. a pasta bar with a variety of pasta and toppings to select from... you can even have it stir fried. wide variety of breads, crackers, and cheeses. an assortment of fresh fruit. small cups of caesar salad. typical breakfast items such as bacon and sausage. i was delighted to find eggs benedict! i think that was the highlight of my meal.  pumpkin pancakes were meh... lacked in spice, cinnamon, and pumpkin flavor. jambalaya, clam chowder, fried catfish and other dishes were there for the pickins... i was really disappointed with the prime rib station... the chef sliced 2 slivers off the roast... 4 bites of prime rib. i guess since we're not in Vegas... the portion given was "normal" by Taps standard. the unlimited mimosas were a hit at our table... the champagne kept on flowing.

$36 (adult) for brunch is pretty pricey considering the assortment, or lack thereof. i think Orange Hill still takes home the trophy for best OC brunch spots in my book.

they provide $5 valet if you aren't lucky enough to find parking in the self-parking lot.  i suggest valeting to save yourself time during the football season. between buffalo wild wings and yard house... parking is scarce during sunday football.

I'm definitely coming back!

The ambiance, decor, everything right when you walk in was clean and modern. The service was exceptional!!  5 stars to the service for being prompt, friendly, attentive, and just overall awesome!

Service was on point... they offered us wooden chopsticks when they overheard our conversation about the difficulty of using plastic chopsticks (i know i know... amateur.)... they filled our waters before we could say anything... they noticed we didn't touch the goma (sesame) sauce and asked if we'd like to replace it w/more ponzu sauce... they offered us pure (spice) caps... and gave us more garlic when they saw we used all of ours up.... they did all of this and then some w/o us ever having to ask.  Remarkable and seriously on point! ^5

The boyfriend and I each ordered the large angus ribeye choice ($21). I was really impressed with the cuts of meat... thin and wide cuts full of MEAT... not stringy pieces of meat w/fat. My meat didn't break apart in the bowl... sweet. I felt like I got more bang for my buck.  Our bill came to around $45... not bad at all compared to other shabu shabu spots in the South Bay.

Small lil churrascaria spot in Old Town Torrance. Easy to drive right past it. The ambiance inside is nice and clean. Nothing fancy, just a nice average looking decorated restaurant.

We came here specifically for churrascaria, all you can eat meat buffet!

The variety of meat included... polish sausage, BBQ chicken, pork loin, skirt steak, tri tip and top sirloin.  The sausage, skirt steak, and tri tip were my fav... full of flavor and tender/juicy. The BBQ chicken I had gotten was dry, so I didn't opt for this again when they came back around w/more.

The salad bar was surprisingly packed with a lot to choose from...
pasta, beet, potato, tuna, and eggplant salads, romaine lettuce, coleslaw, cucumbers, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, etc.  The tuna salad tasted great (had chick peas in it. that's new.) as well as their brazilian salad dressing over my 'build your own' salad that i mustered up.

They also have a hot buffet...  garlic & cheese breads, rice, black beans, strogonoff, fried plantains, fried yucca, greens, and spaghetti!  The spaghetti was pretty good... and the garlic bread is to die for.

Between two of us, the bill was about $60.  A lil pricey for a small joint when you compare their menu to the menus of larger churrascarias such as Greenfield or Samba.

Nonetheless, the food was good.  If you're a Torrance local and don't feel like driving far for churrascaria, then this is the place to be.