Jenny B.'s Profile

When this location first opened, it was great -- very clean, fast service, and great food. A few years later, the food is still good, but it's not very clean, and service is spotty at best. The last couple of times I visited, they ran out of cuban wraps. Huh?!? How does that happen at a fast food joint? Does McDonald's ever run out of Big Macs? I think not. Clearly the place has some management issues. Avoiding.

Definitely the best breakfast place in the area. Nothing fancy, but that's the way I like it, first thing in the morning. Good variety on the menu: omelettes, french toast, pancakes, etc. Some healthy & spicy options too. I ordered hot tea with my meal and was given a generous thermal pitcher with hot water & tea caddy filled with several different kinds of black & herbal teas and single-serve honey. Awesome!! Very clean, pleasant decor, organized & attentive service. Will definitely return next time I'm in the area.

I visited Salon Santiago for the first time yesterday (6/26) for a haircut and brow/lip wax. I can't tell you how amazing I feel just from a simple haircut & wax.

Francesca did my wax and I think it was the gentlest thing I've ever experienced. She used wax for sensitive skin on me and I didn't get red or itchy like I've done in the past with regular wax. I always thought that was just what happens when you get waxed -- skin gets red & irritated -- but Francesca showed me differently, and I'm officially spoiled. :-)

James was my stylist and I must say, I'm nursing a bit of a stylist crush. Within moments of me trying to describe what I wanted (something with lots of texture & edges that works with my short fine hair), he knew exactly what I was trying to get at and was raring to go with a razor cut.

Well, he didn't have to tell me twice, because I LOVE razor cuts and have had a hell of a time trying to get a good one since I moved down here in 2004. James was the first stylist I've met who loves razor cuts as much as I do and enjoys doing them. I love how he just went to town with the razor on my hair, making quick focused cuts all over my head. When he was done cutting, he put some of the salon's own Soy Fix in my hair which made all the texture really come out, and made me nearly squeal with happiness. I've had my short textured look for about 10 years now and James revitalized it for me and made me feel amazing.

When I was done, I felt like I'd been to the spa. That's how happy, relieved, and relaxed I felt afterward. I feel like I've found the Holy Grail of hair salons -- knowledgeable professionals who enjoy what they're doing and do it very well. Francesca & James are great, talented people who are clearly interested in giving customers a great experience and I can't say enough good things about them.

I'll definitely be back in 6 weeks for another cut & wax! Thanks, Salon Santiago!!

This store is not only my favorite yarn shop, it's also the only yarn shop I'll visit in South Florida. Nothing compares to The Knitting Garden.

As another reviewer mentioned, the store is spacious, but it's also a very cozy intimate space where everyone is welcome. Loads of delightful yarns in every color you can imagine line the walls according to weight, which is wonderful for a novice knitter like me. Every time I visit, I carry out an armload of another gorgeous yarn that I can't wait to work with. Prices are beyond reasonable for the artisanal fibers they carry: generally starting at around $10-12 for hand-dyed cotton or wool, all the way up to $30 for silk or wool/silk blends.

Of course, the real magic of the store is not in the stock (which is lovely) but in the people running the place. Virginia & Annie are super helpful, always ready to answer questions or chat. I'm always surprised when they remember me because sometimes it's a few months before I can visit again (I'm a slow knitter and need to use up my last purchase before I return for more). I wish I could either knit faster or had more room for more yarn! These ladies are the best and they make visiting the store the pleasure that it is. They're the reason why I won't go anywhere else for yarn.

Parking is easy -- there are meters right in front of the store, and a metered lot around the corner on Almeria -- just bring change and plan to stay at least 30 mins more than you planned on. Once you get caught up in the yarn, it's very easy to lose track of time.

I also love that they're open well into the evening on weekdays and have great weekend hours.

Because there are no decent Chinese restaurants in South Florida, PF Chang's is as good as it gets.

I've never had a bad meal there, even on busy weekends, but even on a less-busy day, service can be slow. Not good when you're with a hungry child who's dying for lettuce wraps.

Restaurant is crammed with tables and banquette-style seating, so if you're disabled, physically impaired, or have kids with tiny bladders, you'll have issues getting around to go to the bathroom.

The sizable appetizer menu is great for kids because of the smaller portions, but there are no kid-friendly alternatives to the Asian fare (e.g., no hamburgers or chicken fingers). If you bring kids, make sure they can handle themselves in public and have a semi-adventurous palate. Or at least bring a good lunchbox meal from home.

Ambient noise level can be high on busy nights. If you want to have intimate conversations with your dinner partner, sit close together at one of the banquette tables; else you'll be shouting at each other the whole time.

There are several Thai places in South Florida, but Siam Cuisine is consistently the best. Even my 60+ parents really like it, and they're not much for Asian cuisine as a rule.

I love coming here with my school-age daughter. Although a full entree is much too big for her, a set of about 4 appetizers are perfect. She gets to pick the flavors she enjoys most and there's no waste or doggy-bagging.

Siam Cuisine is not exactly "kid-friendly" per se. For example, there's no "kids menu." As well, it's a Real Restaurant(tm) so kids and their parents need to behave and be respectful of the other patrons. Lastly, Siam Cuisine is located in Wilton Manors, which is a largely gay neighborhood. If you need your cuisine to align with your red-state politics (or, you simply don't want to see men act emotionally intimate with each other in public), then go elsewhere (please!). For myself, I don't mind my daughter seeing men holding hands or hugging or whatnot because it gives us opps to discuss, among other things.

We usually come early (before 7pm) so we've never had a parking issue or had to wait for a table, even on weekends. After 7pm, when it starts getting busy, it does get a bit noisy. Not a problem, really, but if you intend on having intimate conversations with your dinner partner, you should probably get everything to go and dine in the park or something.

Like another poster, service can be a little slow, especially when taking care of the check. But I think that's just a matter of perception. It's nice not to be pushed out the door in favor of table turnover, for a change. Indeed, the only time I get antsy to leave is when I feel I'm being ignored, and I've never felt like that at Siam Cuisine.

Prices are very reasonable considering the quality. Actually, the prices are pretty typical of most establishments that go beyond simple take-out. If you want frugal Thai, go home and make your own (it's not hard). If on the other hand you want great Thai in a beautiful environment, then Siam Cuisine is the place.

This sales and repair shop in Pompano Beach is either on the brink of bankruptcy or doing very well -- I wouldn't know either way since it was completely deserted when I visited on a late afternoon one very recent Saturday. Yes, that's right -- the door was open, the shop was crammed full of completed and in-progress repair jobs and display machines, but the only voices I heard were the half-static ones coming from the junky transistor radio in the back of the shop (and the one in my head, disgusted once again at the lackadaisical way of doing business so very typical in South Florida).

I had visited this shop because my daughter is getting interested in sewing and, since I don't have room in my apartment to permanently store a sewing machine and all its accessories, this shop was the only one I could find that rents sewing machines. I like to test-drive sewing machines in the store before I rent or buy, so we went to do just that.

Well, it's awfully hard to rent (or sell) anything when the shop is deserted. And too, I would say it's even harder to buy anything when the already smallish shop is dirty-looking and excessively cluttered. It was like the entire shop was one big repair room. My daughter also mentioned that it was a bit smelly. Clearly, whoever runs the shop does not expect real customers to come in. The location of the shop, just west of Dixie Hwy on Sample Rd, is a bit dodgy as well.

My daughter and I meandered about the shop, looking in the wide open stock room and repair areas to see if anyone was lying around sleeping or dead. We hung around for about 15 minutes to see if anyone showed up. No such luck on both counts. I'm sure there was a good reason why the place was deserted; I just can't imagine what it could be and I won't be returning to find out.

I also won't be ordering anything from their online store. It's pretty obvious it's a front for some collection of drop-shippers. It's interesting that there are few machines on the site with actual pricing info; you have to call instead. So, I wonder who you actually get when you do call -- an answering machine? Doesn't seem very conducive to doing business or earning trust from new customers.

At any rate, I'll be avoiding this store and recommending others do the same.