Allie "Let Your Freak Flag Fly" A.'s Profile

There's always a sale going on at Kohl's.  If you don't find the item you want on sale this week, you'll find it on sale another week.  Just hang on and wait.

During the summer, I bought a watch at the Kohl's in Carson City.  The battery never seemed to last very long, so I would go back there, they'd cheerfully replace the battery and off I'd go for another month or so.

After the third battery died in as many months, I finally gave up and let the watch collect dust but recently, I thought I'd pop in the store and give a new battery one last try.  Instead, the lady at the jewelry counter suggested I just grab another watch of the same brand and make (they happened to be still in stock).  Five minutes later, I had a brand new watch.  I had no receipt and they only had my words to go by.

SWEET.

Since I occasionally volunteer to help feed the homeless, I've been obsessed with finding items that will help feed 100-150 people.  Surprisingly, Smart & Final had some things I couldn't find elsewhere or had them priced better than I expected.

Need a $5 bag of 1,000 individual packets of salt to go with the 200 hard boiled eggs you just spent a day cooking and for future feeds? Check.

Donating 200 small insulated cups for coffee?  Check.

Looking for 200 sturdy paper plates on sale that won't bend under a mountain of food donated by volunteers?  Check.

I thought the staff was incredibly nice and helpful.  Granted, I came around 11 am on a Sunday morning when it was just me and 37 abuelitas in the store, but the cashier was able to flag down somebody who found the individual salt packets for me.

I am no longer the same having had a Jimmy John's sandwich.  Especially when they are located across the street from my best friend's house. And two seconds off the Mt. Rose Highway which I drive on weekly from Tahoe to Reno.

I think I'm in trouble.

The $5.95 #9 - Italian Night Club - is what I order every damn time.  I can't help it.  It's exactly like the hoagies I grew up with in South Jersey and in Philly.  Down to the bread, which is crusty on the outside, soft on the inside.  And the tart vinaigrette. Love the crispy, heaping, healthy serving of shredded lettuce.  Heaven is calling my name, and it's got a damn Jimmy John's sandwich wrapped up to go in it.

I may have to get my jaws surgically altered in order to easier swallow these fantastic sandwiches.  In my next life, maybe I'll come back as a boa constrictor.

Their branded potato chips are also so good that they're bad for you and so much better than name brands you often see served in other "fast sandwich shops" - yeah, I'm talking about you, Subway, Port of Subs and Quizno's.

NOTE:  Ask for a sandwich card, something I didn't see advertise anywhere but I had to ask them for - 10 sandwiches, 11th free.

Not too long ago, I began volunteering to help feed the homeless.  The rule of thumb is you make it / buy it, you serve it yourself.  It's very gratifying and humbling, so much so that I recently convinced a bunch of my friends and co-workers in helping me do this on a monthly basis.

In December, we held our first ever Team Sparkle feed and for whatever reason, we decided that we'd do hot dogs and side dishes.  After checking out various Wal-marts and other "cheapie" grocery outlet type stores, we found out that this Win-co had by far the best prices, beating over everybody else by a few cents.

And a few cents is a lot when you are buying 300 hot dogs and hot dog buns!

If you want to know what Reno would look like if the world ended and the zombies took over, come here.  Everything around it has been bulldozed down and it's so depressing.  A huge, ugly parking lot where nobody ever parks within the lines.  Most of the time you have to park out in the wastelands, clutch your purse closer to your body, and trek what feels like a mile, only to stand OUTDOORS in line to buy a ticket.  Give me a break.

Finally, coming here means having to put up with 9,374 hormone-fueled teenagers filled with overdramatic exclamations of OMG!  LOL!  How about UGH.

Three stars for just being a decent Asian (catering more towards Filipino food) market.

One star for being in Carson City!

I've passed by this tiny little supermarket more times than I've cared to admit, yet never realized it was a Filipino supermarket.  I finally stopped in on a weekday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised by what I could find inside - Filipino staples like longinesa (sausages), sia pao (steamed buns), lumpia (egg rolls) pan de sal (bread rolls), etc.  

Do note that most of the foods are frozen, obviously brought up from the Bay area, but I'm willing to sacrifice freshness for the fact that I don't have to drive 2 hours to Sacramento to get this stuff.

I'm just a little bit stumped by all the high reviews of this place.  Granted, it's the epitome of Old School Steakhouse, but the service was annoyingly ingratiating and the food was just okay.

For $115 + tip, here is what the 3 of us ordered:

2 avocado / crab salads
1 large prime rib
1 small prime rib
2 soups (lobster or seafood, can't remember)
1 shot of bourbon
1 coffee

We also were given champagne with sorbet to cleanse our palate, and at the end of our meal, the waiter plonked down a small bowl of chocolates that emitted a cloud of dry-ice fog.  It was so funny and unexpected that we all broke out into a fit of giggles.  

For a steakhouse, my prime rib was really pretty bland.  I've had much better elsewhere.  The vegetables served - well, I didn't even touch them, they looked pale and limp and oversteamed.  The Yorkshire pudding that came with the prime rib was chewy and I had to saw at it just to take the one bit I ate out of it.

Meh.

There aren't a whole lot of chain restaurants in Incline, and not very many places that you can sit down with a cup of coffee and just relax in a pretty setting.  The free wifi is nice and so is the fireplace.

It's small, quite nice, and if you avoid peak times (i.e. the morning rush and post-school teen happy hour at 3 pm), it's a good place to waste $4 on an overpriced coffee drink.

This is not the fanciest, most modern veterinary hospital in the world, but they have really nice staff, a great vet (Dr. Montana) and are wonderful with my pets.  I've taken my dogs here for the last 10 years, and each time they come in, they are greeted with such love and compassion.

Prices are on the high side but they are conveniently located, so I save $10 in gas money and time coming here rather than Reno.  

My little guy was recently diagnosed with kennel cough - the visit and all his his meds cost $145 - ouch.  But he also needed to get updated  vaccinations, so they are waiving the doctor's fee on my next visit, which helps my wallet (Dr. Montana prefers not to vaccinate dogs while they are on antibiotics).

This is what $150 for 3 people gets you at this place:

Fabulous sunsets, if your timing is correct (ask for a window seat)

Lots of staff to greet you, seat you, fill your drinks, take your order, serve your food

Freshly baked rustic style bread

A poke appetizer dish with the most divine seeded crackers you will ever eat

a $40+ prime rib, as thick as your thumb, served rare and kicking with a heart-beat

a $40+ seafood broil that comes with a large lobster tail, two King crab legs, scallops, shrimp and a few spartan pieces of vegetables - the ocean is little emptier tonight

an almost $40 dish of perfectly done lamb chops, with an almost too-sweet citrusy sauce

Two coffees

If you are a Diamond level Total Rewards player, complimentary chocolate truffles

Some people came quite dressed up (there was at least one couple there last night who had just gotten married), others looked like they just won at the craps table and were still clutching casino chips and reeked of cigarettes.