Ali P.'s Profile

As others have said, New York Bagels is run by a pack of teenagers and young adults who seemed a little carefree when we visited. However, they still took our orders and promptly made our food, which was more than I expected after reading many of this place's reviews.

We ordered a bagels-and-lox, which came with red onions, tomatoes, capers, lox, and cream cheese, as well as a roast beef sandwich. Both were divine, and we scarfed them down after spending our morning hours atop Doe Mountain. The portions were just right here and man were the sandwiches loaded with veggies (hard to find when traveling!). The fresh taste and quality of ingredients were just what we were looking for.

Pitting it against Wildflower Bread Company, I am not sure where I'd go back to if I only had one choice, but I know that if I am craving a fresh deli sandwich, New York Bagels is definitely the place to eat at!

I really wanted to try Thai Palace Uptown after reading its reviews on Yelp. So, we came here on New Year's Eve to enjoy their good food, which we'd also heard about at the Sedona Chamber of Commerce.

Overall, the food here was very good. The flavors were awesome, the meats were done just right, and the presentation was great.

However, for the prices, the portions are a little small. When getting a big bowl of curry, for example, you need more than just a scoop of brown rice to go with it. Plus, rice is so inexpensive! I doubt it would be too much to serve just a little more.

Also, in terms of their one-to-five spice scale, with five being the spiciest, even a one or two were quite zesty. I'll definitely have to take that into consideration next time so I can enjoy my food a little more.

Staff here are friendly but not terribly attentive; we had to fetch our own silverware from neighboring tables, but given the crowds that night, I am sure that was just an anomaly. Would I return? Maybe. I have heard that there are other Thai places in town, so I might try those first, but on the other hand at least I know there's a safe bet in Uptown.

Wildflower Bread Company is just purely awesome. It really hit the spot after a strenuous hike up to Cathedral Rock saddle earlier that morning.

For those who are familiar, this place is kind of like Panera. However, their sandwiches seem a little more refined in flavor and in offerings, with nice breads and cheeses, such as the turkey and brie on what seemed to be sprouted wheat bread. Or, take their pesto and feta turkey sandwich on ciabatta, which was divine.

The staff here are super friendly and knowledgeable of the area, which is refreshing. And who could beat the lovely artwork inside and fantastic views from outside? The prices here are also reasonable, considering it's Sedona and things tend to be marked up a bit in general.

I would definitely go back to Wildflower Bread the next time I visit!

This Starbucks has an amazing view of Sedona's red rocks and canyons from its outdoor patios. Plus, staff are really friendly here. However, my own experience is that the pace here is a little slower than at most other Starbucks locations.

We came here twice for morning coffee and tea and waited a little longer than normal because of mistakes with other customers' orders and because the staff just didn't seem prepared to handle more than 3 or 4 people in line at a time. Again, they are very friendly but just be prepared to wait a little longer here if you are looking to grab your food and hit the trails.

Overall, I would definitely come back here because of the fine views but I'll plan my time a little better in the future.

Poco Diablo Resort is a solid bet if staying in Sedona. I have my own reasons for giving it three stars, so I'll try to list out the goods and some drawbacks, below.

The good: The resort is in Sedona, not too far from the action. The prices are reasonable, the grounds are beautiful and quiet, the WiFi is dependable, rooms are large and full of amenities, and the staff are very friendly.

Needs improvement: The exterior look of the buildings could use some touching up. This place looks a little outdated. Also, the beds are the "Sleep Number" kind, but no matter what I did, I could find a comfortable setting. Finally, while the hotel is in Sedona and is peaceful, it still requires a drive to get pretty much anywhere.

Overall, I am not sure if I would stay here again. I did book it through Hotwire, so I did not know what I would be getting in terms of the specific location. If I were to use Hotwire again and were matched to Poco Diablo, I wouldn't mind, but I think I would like to try other places if I did my own bookings next time.

The restaurant at this Tommy Bahama was definitely a pleasant surprise. We'd received a gift card from a friend to use at any of their restaurant locations, so we debated between going to the Newport location or this one in Laguna. The menu here is a little more extensive than the one in Newport, so we decided to give it a go.

First off, I can't believe how many times I've walked past this place without even noticing that it exists! It's a little odd once you step inside in that the store just kind of blends into the restaurant, but nonetheless, you get used to it after a while and feel like it's a normal restaurant.

We ordered the chicken brie sandwich and the daily special, which was a French dip, a Coke, and two beers, with our total coming to about $45. Not bad! The food here is definitely a little more expensive, but given its location right on Pacific Coast Highway, it's to be expected.

All in all, the food was really good. The flavors were there and the service from staff was above par. My only issue was that everything seemed and felt really oily, which meant that it probably wasn't too healthy. However, the food was good and I didn't come here expecting to eat healthily in the first place.

Would I return? With friends, yes. The location is nice and overall, it's a good surprise.

Polly's Pies might be famous for their pies, which I wouldn't know. Instead, I came here for breakfast with some coworkers.

We all received really great service and had our own little nook towards the back and had 2 or 3 staff waiting on us (we were a group of about 10). All of us seemed pleased with our food, but none of us were wowed either.

I ordered one of the breakfast special, which came with tea (or coffee), two eggs, and toast (which I'd substituted for meats). It also came with pancakes. While the eggs and toast were good, the pancakes did not seem fresh at all. They almost tasted like they'd been frozen and then reheated, but I guess I won't know for sure. Others had similar comments about their food.  

Overall, for the friendly staff and the good prices, I'd give Polly's Pies three stars, but the breakfast here leaves a little bit to be desired. Still, I think I would go back to try their pies, which seem to receive lots of attention.

I came to Mediterranean Express Grill this afternoon with a coworker and was pleasantly surprised. The food was pretty good for mall food and the prices were about right.

I ordered the chicken kabob sandwich, which came with garlic fries, and my coworker had the falafels, hummus, and tabbouleh. My sandwich was good, but it was so small! I felt like I had ogre hands just holding the sandwich. Plenty of fries, but still, I feel like for the price I paid I could have had a few more pieces of chicken in there.

My coworker liked his food but said the falafels were a little too fried for his taste. Also, same complaint about the miniature portions.

My last qualm is with the photos of their combos, which show a soft drink in the background. However, it should be noted that the combos do not come with drinks, only the main entree and a salad or fries.

I must say that this place is good for being mall food, but in terms of the size of food, they could do a little improving.

I was looking for some good desserts to celebrate an accomplishment with some friends, so after looking at Yelp reviews I decided to stop by Layer Cake Bakery on a very cold, windy, and rainy night.

I was a little taken aback by their cake slice prices: $4.95 each! But, each slice is pretty thick and could feed two normal, healthy adults. Instead, though, I opted for 6 cupcakes: two red velvet, two strawberry, and two chocolate ones.

Everyone thought they tasted really good. There's sweet, and then there's Layer Cake sweet, which was just the right amount, not the headache-inducing, heartburn-feeling after eating a traditional store-bought cake. Plus, each cupcake was under $3, which made my trip here totally worth it.

To be honest, I was expecting more selection and variety. However, as is true most of the time, their limited menu indicates that they hit the nail on the head with what they do offer. I was really pleased and will definitely come back whenever I need to get more cupcakes for a social event!

I normally try to stay away from most office supply stores because of their slightly higher-than-average prices and because staff are normally so hard to find for good advice. But this Office Depot off Alton and Jeffrey seems to be an exception!

I started coming here more and more after moving to Irvine because I got more and more tired of wading through crowds at the 4,000 Targets in the city. Every time I come to this Office Depot, it's so easy to not only find what I want, but also someone to help me. Not to mention the fact that everyone actually wants to help you--what an exception!

You'll pay maybe 5-10% more for your items here than if you went to a discount store, but I'd gladly pay that to not have to deal with crowds and attitude (or lack of basic technology knowledge) at other places.