Nicole "Knockout Niki" M.'s Profile

This place never gets old for me.

This time I went with a close girlfriend of mine. We gabbed over exquisitely executed spicy tuna rolls, beyond epic miso soup, and yummy wine for hours; never being asked to leave our table while the place packed 'em in.

You know our waitress wanted our asses outta there so she could get the turn over she wanted (what server doesn't?), but she never let it show. She filled up our drinks (mostly water by this point) and told us to take our time.

We had the tempura lobster roll (my favorite and probably the richest sushi you will ever have) for "dessert" and about died. I don't know how the chef's do it, but they def do it well.

Hands down my favorite yogurt place within a 10 mile radius of my house - and there are at least 10 I can think of off the top of my head.

They have great flavors, great pricing ( like 32 cents an once or something crazy like that), great promotions, and are conveniently located next to one of my favorite sushi places, too!

As far as I can tell, their fruit  and toppings are always fresh and changed out regularly. The girl that works the counter is really friendly and reminds me when they have promotions coming up. This place is a gem in a very saturated market.

My boyfriend and I went here for Valentines day. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, so if you are in the same boat, go in with a open mind.

If you are in anyway familiar with the Orange County area, this place is very easy to find. Just a few blocks from Disneyland and the new Garden Walk, it is pretty centrally located, ever for people who live by the beach (like me!).

The restaurant itself is pretty small: about 15 tables. It is dimly lit with candles on the table and traditional African music playing in the background. We got there before the usual dinner rush (about 5pm), so the place was empty when we arrived.

As we had no idea what we wanted, we went with the traditional combo (for 2; can go up to 4 or so) and the sambosa appetizer. The traditional combo was amazing. It had 3 meat and 3 veggie dishes served with the traditional bread for serving. I am sure what everything was called, but it is was completely worth the 30 dollar price tag for 2 people.

I also tried the Nibit honey wine. Very, VERY good. I highly recommend it. My boyfriend how the African stout. He said is was delicious as well.

All in all, this place was really great. I was impressed with how everything tasted, how nice the woman who served us was, and how full and satisfied I was by the end. Completely in a food comma.

We went out here last night with a couple of our friends and had a wonderful time. If you have never been here, it is a very hip, in the scene. cuban tapas place. Lots of plantains and awesome salsa.

We had sangrias all around. Both the white and red are wonderful. Lots of fruit and quite strong. A couple of us also ordered tehir famous mojitos. Very good.

We ordered the tuna tartar, calamari, fried avocado slices, and empanadas. All awesome, espeically the tuna tartar. Generally speaking, I am a huge tartar fan, so I was totally jonesing on these. It is served with plantian "crackers". So good. The calamari was not ruberry, which is a plus. Our chicken empanadas had a ton of flavor and a really good salsa that accompanied it. There was mango in it, I think. Finally, and the most interesting, the friend avocado slices. Sounds weird, I know. But they were AWESOME. They are lightly breaded and fried to a golen crisp. When you bite into a slice, the avocado is warm and creamy. So, so, so good. You really need to try it.

The only reason why I am givig this place 4 stars because of the slow service. Everyone is super nice and helpful, but it took really long inbetween ordering for them to get back to us. But all in all, a good experience.

I am pretty sure this place is called Solstice Tanning Company now, but that is not the point. I am a pale girl by genetic programming, so tanning for me is like near impossible. I have the unfortunate situation of going straight from burnt to pasty with no luscious tan middle.

So, when I decided that I wanted to get some color quicker this year, I asked around for a good place to go. To my surprise, my mother suggested this place.

With all the smells and sensations of a traditional tanning salon, the place is sparsely decorated. They have a reception desk and a few chairs in the front and that is it. The girls that work their are SUPER sweet and have really helped me build a good base in the week or so I have been going their. They gave me honest opinions about the products and which beds I should use. They really cleared up some questions I had about tanning and the best way to go about it since I am such a pale kid.

Since I have been going there, I haven't burned once - which is nothing short of a small miracle. All the beds, towels, eye thingies, and the bathroom are impeccably clean. So, if you are searching for that Hawaiian Tropic tan before summer officially starts, go here.

I am kind of leery of sandwich places like this anyway (Subway or Quiznos fall into this category as well).  So, against my better judgment, I decided to give it one more shot. I generally hear that Togos is the best of the convenient sandwich tycoons, and one just so happened to be in the center I was in. So, let the hilarity of my experience ensue.

The service: Me and my roommate were the only people in the place and 5 people (that we saw) were working. We walked up to the counter and one of the girls told us it would be one minute. So, about 7 minutes later, another came over and asked me what I wanted. I told her I wanted their 6" roast beef sandwich on onion bread. She starts making it, looks up at me and says "what type of bread and is this for here or to go?" So, I tell her onion again and that it is to go. She continues to make the sandwich. After she is done (no joke, 10 minutes), she asks me if I want anything else. I tell her I want a 1/2 and 1/2 combo with an avocado and cucumber sandwich and the farmers market salad. She makes the salad first, then comes back and asks what kind of sandwich again and if it is for here or to go.

I just could believe it. Then she starts ringing up our order and completely ignored my roommate who was standing right next to me. I had to tell her we weren't done. But she didn't hear me because another one of the employee started vacuuming (the loudest vacuum I have ever heard) as I started talking - so I had to yell. She was like "what? what? i can't hear you over the vacuum." WOW. Needless to say it was another 20 minutes before she completed my roommate's order.

It was just ridiculous service. I won't go here again. The only reason I gave them 2 stars is because the food was decent.

I love this place. Lets describe the decor: a very retro, craftsman style set up. The main focus is the wrap around bar that sits right in the middle of the place. The have a sort of open kitchen that is completely surrounded by glass to muffle the noise. It is a really beautifully lit place, too. Ambiance lighting is always good.

The food is delicious. While they have a very limited menu, all of the choices are killer - especially the Rubenesque Sandwich. Really thin corned beef with even thinner rye bread, grilled to a crisp wonderfulness. So delicious. Also, the deviled eggs and warm potato salad are awesome. I also have recently come to love the tuna tartar.

This place is definitely a date place. Service is great. They will help you if you have any questions and are really warm people. Plate presentations are beautiful - which makes me more hungry when I go there. Also, when you ask for hot tea, you will get it in a cast iron tea pot - not something you see at your corner cafe.

I love this place. The only reason I am giving it 4 stars and not 5 stars is because it is located in a mall - Fashion Island.

Okay, so keep in mind I went here like over a year ago, but the experience is still with me. I rave about this place. Seriously. Some of the best food and service I have ever had.

This is a definite fine dining establishment. Save your pennies before you go. There was 4 of us and we waited about 5 minutes to get seated. The patio was so nice at night. Moving on. We ordered wine and some apps. I don't remember what they apps were because I was to busy raving about my favorite wine - La Creme Pino Nior Sanoma Coast - it was exceptional with our meal. For my entree, I ordered the veal osso buco (OMG - no words to describe) and my friend order the seared ahi tuna - another show stopper. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.

For dessert, we ordered a take on a lava cake. Goooood God. So velvety and wonderful, my mouth is just watering thinking about it.

Definitely an awesome dining experience. On the weekends, they have a live jazz band that plays, too!

I really can't believe all the bad reviews of this place. The service was stellar, the food incredible, and the atmosphere comforting. I would suggest this place to my mother, and I love my mother. But remember, save your pennies.

I had no idea what this place was until they opened one right by my old work. A co-worker and I decided to go by and have a drink after our shift. They have a small selection of beer and wine, which was kind of a downer for me. I guess I expected more. Plus the bar tender was a little on the rude side. So, by default, I am giving this place a 3 star just based on service. But, I moved on.

We ordered their burgers in a bowl. Not bad. I had the turkey burger with grilled peppers, provolone cheese, corn salsa, veggies, and garlic aioli. I loved it. Everything was cooked perfectly. Oh, and the sweet potato fries were to die for. I wanted to eat them by the truck load, but that would have been gross and entirely inappropriate for a lady. But, in the end, I ordered some mini burgers to-go for the boyfriend and saved from of the sweet potato fries. After  the 45 minute drive home, he inhaled the mini burgers and sweet potato fries and said they were the best he had ever had. Hence, my review,

I do plan to go back one day - and maybe my view will change on the service. But go for the food - you won't be disappointed.

I just posted a review under the new salons name - the Style Lounge. The salon is newly remodeled and changed their name in the process.... check out the review!