David G.'s Profile

Without question, the best vets and staff I've ever dealt with.

From having to put down my six year old with Osteo-Sarcoma to dealing with my other dog's constant, nagging yeast skin infection, they are the best.

Legitimately concerned, very flexible on appointments, not condescending when you're not the world's best pet owner, and very reasonably priced: Dr. Pannier and Dr. Pincus are fantastic. Can't recommend them enough.

Loving this place should be easy. I love good Mexican food. I love that they have Bootleggers beer on tap. I love that PJ's Abbey is gone.  I live within a quarter mile in Old Towne Orange. I can see it from my front door. It should be a perfect storm of gastronomical and proximity satisfaction. Unfortunately, it's not.

Last weekend, on the first night of Street Fair, my wife and I thought it would be fun to order Avila's and chow down on the porch while watching the people walk by on their way to the Plaza. I got the phone number and made a quick call. I am not going to get into the details of the order, but I asked for something specific, but not difficult at all for the first item. It was my wife's and she confirmed it as I was saying it, nodding in affirmation, and the word back from the lady who took my order was what I had said, verbatim.

When my wife got there, they not only screwed up the order, but they refused to make it correct, furthermore, they wanted to charge us $8 additional and gave a load of attitude, telling her, get this, that she was "wrong."

Dear Avila's - the customer may not always be right, few are stupid or naive enough to believe that, but the best thing to do in this situation is avoid having a pissed off customer and correct the order; whether or not you think you made a mistake is irrelevant. This is business, it's not a battle of will and pride against regular customers. We dine out locally 4-6 times a month, have lived here in 10+ years, aren't going anywhere, and between all the birthday parties (our families go out for a sizable meal for -everyone's- birthday) take-away orders and everything else, the 8 bucks and arrogance you refused to swallow just removed any possibility of liberating money from our wallets. Now, when my in-laws, my parents, her grandmother, our friends, people in our neighborhood ask if we want to go for dinner, it unfortunately won't be Avila's. Too bad. You had usurped El Farolito in Placentia as the Mexican spot for us to go, but I am certain we'll be rethinking this. Service always trumps quality of food in the minds of 90% of your patrons. Never forget this.

It's a Dairy Queen. It's calorie-crammed, fried food and a side of diabetes hand-delivered and originating from a kitchen that looks like a vegetable oil and cornmeal warzone.

It's also a place where I spent a lot of time as a child while visiting my Grandparents in Jerome, Idaho. It holds a pretty strong and vivid set of memories of my youth. Namely, playing outside in sprinklers on a hot August day, and going down with my cousins for a Blizzard after. I can remember the route we'd take, how that first bite would taste, and slurping down the Cookie Dough or Oreo treat as we made plans for playing in the backyard or what we'd do that evening. Maybe going over to Kings (which as I understand is no longer there) for squirt guns or other cheap trinkets. SImple stuff.

As busy adults we too often run the risk of conceding our youth to the depths of our psyche. Filing away some of the most important pieces of the puzzle of our development in favor of worrying about our mortgages, car payments, career trajectory etc. Instead, these glimpses provide reasons to remain grounded and think instead about our relationships and probably more importantly, our children. It begs questions about which slivers of their youth will they hold most dear, and how can we inspire them to keep them close, at the ready, so that when life seems daunting or unbearable, they too can recall the moments that were truly joyful and truly important.

Seriously though, Heath Bar Blizzards are damn tasty.

Definitely the sort of place that anyone with a sense of culture can appreciate. I can get my punk rock zine mainline-fix, my socio/political commentary urges can be placated, and my toddler son can get free crackers and peanut butter from the owner. This place is ABSOLUTELY worthy of your patronage. These are the sort of institutions that help keep DTSA alive and well and make it worth a drive from Old Towne Orange to visit. Help keep this fine establishment's doors open by picking up the most recent issue of the Economist, Razorcake, Socialist Workers Quarterly, Tigerbeat, or whatever you fancy.  Rags rules!

I've got bad teeth.

Thanks to a typical conglomeration of various Northern European nationalities and poor tooth genetics immediately preceding me (my parents) my grill is perpetually in bad shape.  I accumulate plaque like rabid, paranoid conspiracy theorists accumulate gold coins.  I've got two broken front teeth from athletic endeavors, and a long jaw accommodating my wisdom teeth (even the cracked one I have to clean thoroughly by hand after every meal).

My last dentist was a bit sketchy, to me.  I really liked the ladies performing my cleanings, but the actual dentist, upon inspection and despite my insistence that I was feeling occasional pain in one of my molars, give me a quick (30 sec) and squeaky clean bill of health.  This never really sat well with me.  Fast forward a couple of years, and I, uh, absentmindedly stopped getting my regular (I have to be cleaned every 3-4 months due to aforementioned crazy plaque hoarding) cleanings, and this last April I was experiencing absolutely intense and brutal pain in that same tooth, the one my previous dentist essentially ignored.  

I live in Old Towne Orange and knew there were a couple of options within walking distance, so I picked these folks first (admittedly, drawn in by the $49 deal, which with my mouth in such bad shape, I knew in advance I didn't really qualify for). They were extremely accommodating in that I was getting 1-2 hours per sleep with the pain and they got me in as soon as possible.  I had just started a brand new job so I was trying not to make any waves.  

Dr. Nguyen is a pretty solid guy.  We're about the same age and went to high schools very near each other.  We got along swimmingly and since going to a new dentist is preordained to be an uncomfortable experience, he made me feel good about my choice almost immediately.  He also shoved a camera in my jaw and told me I had a bad, bad cavity that might need a root canal.  I also had 7 more cavities that he showed me pictures of.  I also needed scaling (deep cleaning) again with more photographic evidence.  He got to work on the cavities.

Turns out, I didn't need a root canal, and he could have EASILY gouged me and charged me for one. He knew I was in serious pain, not sleeping, not able to eat, barely able to function.  I would have whipped out the credit card in a flash to make the pain go away at any price.  He could have taken advantage of me and I wouldn't have known differently.  He didn't though and instead, after digging away (painlessly, I'd like to add, I didn't feel anything from the initial numbing shots to the drilling) he announced ceremoniously "Well David, good news, looks like I got it all and you won't need a root canal."  I mumbled and slurred and drooled a muddled "YES!"

Since then I've gotten the deep cleaning done by a really great hygienist named Sarah that only works on the weekends.  I've recommended Dr. Nguyen to anyone that will listen.  Every time I've come in since he's asked about my job in detail, remembering things I told him about it before.  Pretty impressive.  His staff is pretty great too, as they really have their finger on how much your insurance will pay for specific procedures.  Saturday appointments put this place over the top.  My wife is probably going to be leaving her dentist of almost 30 years to switch to Dr. Nguyen.  This experience has really inspired me to make sure I am consistently getting my cleanings and taking care of my mouth.

As I do with nearly all new establishments in my identity crisis-riddled neighborhood, I caught on to the air of excitement for an entirely independent and seemingly original eatery, coupled with a fondness for the concept.  I spent a few significant days of my life in Belgium, and the name (Bruxelles, Bruxie, etc) along with the foundation of dealings here being a waffle, stoked memories of quite a happy episode of time for me.  Besides, great meals, even the simple ones, have a tendency to jar something within us.  I was hoping for Bruxie to move me in that direction.  After three separate engagements with Bruxie, I can safely say I'd prefer not to return, and not to give them my money.  

I can understand the sentiment that rating an establishment should be primarily about the food and somewhat about the service.  However, I am more of the mind that whatever the things are that catch your eye and affect your experience should be the same notions that move you to review.  

One evening while out for a walk with my wife, our son and the dog, we stumbled upon a training course going on at Bruxie.  Walking by slowly and observing the proceedings from the sidewalk, we were approached by an enthusiastic young man asking if we'd like a sample.  We accepted this gracious gesture and realized that there was a serious employee training happening, led by a nice gentleman who extended his thanks for our interested along with a salmon and dill waffle sandwich.  Quite nice.   We strolled home and I recall telling my wife we needed to go back to try it again.  The salmon had the perfect level of smokey flavor and the waffle was crisp, not remotely soggy and while a bit bland, definitely gave the sandwich an original and welcoming texture.  I was intrigued to try more, both by the generally friendly nature of the guy who was conducting the training and gave us the free meal (it was much more than a simple sample) and the reasonably good taste.   Peet's Coffee on the menu (albeit, $2.95 for a large) doesn't hurt either.

Since then I've been back twice.  The second visit was not at all noteworthy.  The waffle fries were more than acceptable, but far from spectacular.  I shared the "grilled cheese" version of their sandwiches with my 19 month old son.  I am sure he enjoyed it more than I did.  I found it cold and rather boring with the cheese being devoid of taste.  I have a panini press that does the same job, better.  My wife had the burger and thought It was good, but again, unremarkable.  The wait (10 minutes to order, 15-20 for product) for food that was only ok was, in my mind, not really acceptable.  

Today, after the rain broke, we decided to celebrate clear skies, cool weather and sunshine with another stab at Bruxie.  This trip was more or less the nail in the coffin for me.  After a couple of experiences with them of my own, reviews I've read, and the times I've been by and seen their line, I knew we were assured an excessive wait.   Surely, it took 20 minutes for them to make waffle fries (granted, they were hot when we received them) and a goat cheese/sun-dried tomato waffle.  However it was what I witnessed during that 20 minutes that has me fairly unlikely to return.  The general petulance and arrogance of some gentleman that I can only assume was the owner as he berated his staff openly, rolled his eyes at them, and just generally acted a bit like a clown while we waited for our food to be finished.  "are we constantly brewing coffee? NO? WHY NOT?!?!" If you want to pretend your Gordon Ramsey, then open a real restaurant and hire a staff capable of handling it, you may then feel free to proceed to blast your sous chef at any and all opportunities.  If you want to renovate a hamburger stand and hire a bunch of kids from Chapman University and Orange High School that are probably stressed out for finals, wondering who is getting kicked off of Dancing with the Stars, or if Billy is going to ask them to Prom, to sell your semi-decent sandwiches, don't walk around in a proper chef's shirt pretending you're doing anything else.  It's embarrassing for you and your staff and definitely doesn't do you any favors with the dozen or so people watching you while waiting for their food.  Perhaps you're merely having a bad day, but unfortunately for you, there are very few businesses where the premiere impression matters so much.  This is why restaurateurs people hire managers, for both their business affairs and their personnel; simply being able to cook a decent meal doesn't give you any insight on how to work with people.  And when the food doesn't speak loudly enough to sway my decision whether or not to eat there, I'm forced to rely on something else, and in this case, that something else nets Bruxie a failing grade.

So glad they're finally open!  An offshoot of the popular Bruery..erm, brewery, in Placentia, this is a Provisions shop featuring quality beers, wines, meats, cheeses, Bruery softgoods (tees, hats, bags etc) and other things to nibble on and enjoy.  Been waiting with considerable anticipation for them to open for some time now.  Luckily we caught them this week in the midst of a "soft" opening, and picked up a bottle of their Saison Rue and a reusable bag.  The store looks and feels excellent and should quite frankly corner the market on craft and rare imported beer.  They have late evening hours on Thurs-Sat and apparently you'll be able to sample some of their beers each of those nights (or possibly every night?).  Received excellent service from a nice young lady.  Living within a 5 minute walk shall prove to be both dangerous, and wonderful.

I'll keep it short and sweet.
Everyone knows about the greatness contained in the beer battered Avocado taco....
...but do they know about the Locals Burrito?

My stomach does, multiple times over.  It is without question my favorite thing to eat right now.  Black beans, cheese, rice, spicy sauce, potato...

gah, so good. so amazing.  need one today!

Friends of mine on Yelp (and frankly, in real life as well) know that when it comes to reviews, I am prone to lengthy diatribes, pontificating on everything from how a particular hostess looked at me and my family, to a specific, relatively innocuous ingredient in something as normally inoffensive as mac and cheese.

I am going to refrain from doing that here, as I have had exactly one experience with them, which was tonight on the day of their official grand opening.  

I will say this, after spending 15 minutes or so browsing their gluten-free and health oriented products and chatting from one family to the other, both with sons named Max no less, we took away personal feelings of wanting them to succeed, and that doesn't allow room for the sorts of reviews I like to write.  I'll kick off their Yelp existence with a five-star review, based entirely off my personal experience and my longing for them to stick it out in our neighborhood for the long-term and become as prominent, recognized, and cherished as much as Rod's, O'Haras, Watsons etc.  We bought about $15 bucks worth of stuff, but we gleaned much more value in the discussion and the "getting-to-know-you" opportunity we had with their family, without a smidgen of arrogance or misanthropic demeanor.

Like all new businesses, especially those of the retail variety in this area, they'll face kinks, bumps, and challenges, but here's to overcoming it all, and carving out your niche in our local scene.  Best of luck, Bite.  We will put some money aside for you in our grocery fund from here on out.  It's a chance to do something we should all work a little harder to do; support our local businesses.

The barometric-gauge monitoring my opinion of Haven has dropped precipitously with each of my recent experiences.

I had an odd interaction with their publicist over a Tweet I made regarding ordering (for take-away)  two burgers medium and having them served to my wife and I completely raw.  The overall tone of the exchange was somewhere between "we never make mistakes, so this is new territory to us" and "you're wrong, horribly mistaken, and/or confused" with the predictable "we hope you visit again soon." and a couple of "sorrys" worked in for good measure.  No, really, the burgers were raw enough to require me turning on the grill in my backyard to finish cooking them in order to be made edible.  "Rare" is not the same as "medium," I don't give a shit which culinary school you went to or in which gastronomic capital city you trained in.  

I visited yesterday with the intentions of having a nice send-off for a friend as he prepares for a new stage of his life in a different city.  I joined the group two hours late, and at the tail-end of their meal, at which point they were deciding on desserts.  I asked for a separate check and in total drank two beers.  I had the "party of 6 or more, 18% gratuity" tacked on to my bill.  I found the notion that I, someone arriving two hours after the party had originally been seated, and not having anything other than two beers, having a mandatory gratuity added was deceptive and quite frankly, a bit insulting.  Typically if I am picking up the bill on a party of six or more and this mandated-gratuity is attached, I'll add some more for good measure provided the services was above par or excellent, so as a general rule, the practice of automatic gratuity is not something I have an issue with, provided its appropriate.  This most certainly was not.  Also, for the waiters information, a beer that was added to the list a week ago anywhere else on the planet is still "new," so please don't take exception to my asking if a beer IS new by saying "not really, we've had it for a week or so."  Spare me the embarrassing corresponding discourse resulting from a simple, honest question.

That brings me to the third point; arrogance.   I get the sense that Haven has grown up a little too fast in it's debut year.  Whereas my first experience was very warm and inviting and had a fair amount of interaction with one of the owners (at the time actually serving tables) it seems now that the place has gotten a bit too big for it's britches both in the public perception realm (press, etc) and my recent interactions.   The Circle has become an excessively competitive place to serve food and beverages; I get and respect that.   The function of a pub (the latter part of "gastropub") is to be a neighborly, hospitable place where one can duck in for a drink and go about their day, not be treated as though they don't have the pre-approved notion of "coolness" required to receive friendly, attentive service.   I also get that you're the hot flavor-of-the-now locally, and that because of this, you'll attract a crowd of people that want to be a part of that.  Be here to be seen, or whatever.  At the end of the day, the only thing I am interested in is my experience.  My interaction.  My food, my beer, my family, and how it's affected me and my pocketbook.  Lately, Haven has been a mammoth disappointment.  While the fiscal bottom-line likely doesn't reflect it, I am starting to feel as though this is a hugely wasted opportunity in Orange.