Brian M.'s Profile

YIKES -- 20% PRICE INCREASE!

Tai Chi Restaurant has been my go to takeout restaurant for years now and I order from Tai Chi at least twice a week. I've always appreciated the good food and reasonable prices. No longer.

I had quite a shock tonight picking up my order -- Tai Chi has increased prices 20% across the board -- a major jump. A 5% or 10% increase to keep up with the cost of living I can understand. But 20%? That's too much. It's too bad. I predict this will cost them an equal amount of business. Time to find another restaurant for takeout.

Just wanted to add another 5-star review for Secure Eco Shred. I had 97 lbs. of old documents to shred. I found SES on Yelp, drove to the location, and was out the door in 5 minutes. It could not have been easier.

Just had a very bad experience trying to book a room at the Mark Hopkins. Between waiting, setting up a reservation, and calling back to confirm I spent more than 30 minutes on the phone. I was guaranteed a standard room with two beds. When I called back to confirm and provide credit card information, the second operator pulled a bait and switch on me. He said they could not guarantee any sleeping arrangement...unless...I would "pay $50 more per night...." What?? I could not believe what I was hearing. Not only was I guaranteed a bed arrangement -- or else I would not have wasted my time in the first place -- but the operator sneered and suggested the only way to solve the situation was to charge $50 more per night -- for same room. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, MARK HOPKINS? I then mentioned the original rate was available online, with a guarantee of beds, so he said, "Go ahead and book online, we get the money just the same," and cancelled the reservation! I picked the Mark Hopkins for service -- I guess The Mark Hopkins doesn't believe in or stand for good service anymore. The hotel has gone downhill people. You may as well stay at the Best Western in Fisherman's Wharf.

I agree with the last review -- the instructor is fun and full of energy and the classes are never boring. I'm going tonight and will continue to go. I do however think the beginner class is far too crowded, and for several months running there have been significantly more men (leaders) than women (followers). The end result is there's a lot of sloppy dancing happening, and being reinforced in beginners, because the instructors simply cannot watch and help everyone in the large class. The space is very crowded and if you're a guy you'll end up standing around for a good part of the class without a partner.

Salsa Crazy has the right idea -- it's a fun class and the instructors are great. If they would limit class size, or at least break up the beginner class into two smaller classes, spend more time correcting beginner technique, and attempt to find more follows, it would be that much better.

Nicole's review below is enough for me. SF is a small community. There's no room for businesses that treat locals so poorly. Needless to say, won't be going back. Glad Yelp exists to share these stories.

Have twice called DeSoto for rides to the airport. Both times have been no shows. Don't use DeSoto if it's important that they show up or are on time.

Love Chameleon. I've been going for years and, unlike last review, have always had good/fast service. The owners, Melody and Brad, are super friendly and will get to know you by name. Chameleon has free Wi-Fi and they just installed a new Apple Extreme router so the networking is perfect. It can get a bit crowded on Saturday morning but you can almost always get a large table to yourself during the week. They also just instituted a DIY coffee punch card system -- punch your own "free coffee" card each time you get a coffee or drink and tape it next to the register. No need to carry around a coffee card in your wallet, it's always there waiting for you. Chameleon is a nice neighborhood coffee spot to escape to from the large chain stores on Polk Street. Give it a try.

Discovered Hank's Eats on the way home from 24 Hour Fitness today. Either Hank's is new or I don't go to the gym enough! Yummy sandwiches and great service. Be sure to try Hank's Hot Sauce on whatever you order; bottles are located in the center of the restaurant. Looking forward to trying the "Hank's Homemade Kick Yo' Ass Watermelon Sangria" on the next trip!

Pros:
- Comfortable overstuffed chairs
- Free Wi-Fi
- Long business hours -- open until 11pm Mon. - Sat.

Cons:
- Can get hot/stuffy during the day
- Sometimes tough to find a table during work hours

It's a Grind is an ideal place to cozy up with a book or surf the net on a weeknight after dinner.

When did Midpoint open?? Just walked past it tonight on the way home from an event, peeked in and took a picture of the outside. The atmosphere is dark, sultry, classy, comfortable and spacious. Am very much looking forward to coming back on a Friday or Saturday night to see what the crowd is like. Midpoint looks like a winner!