Kimberlee "Kymlee Is Awesome" M.'s Profile

I found this shop near my favorite local bike shop and after a little waffling, I decided to go in check it out. I actually visited 3 times and I looked at all the books. When I found out that I'd be moving soon, I decided to bite the bullet. Max was a the desk the second and third time I went in and greeted me with a smile. I told him what I wanted, showed him a couple pictures, asked a couple questions and he gave me a really good quote.

There may be some more experienced artists in the shop, but Max is definitely amazing. I love how he took the pictures I showed him and reinterpreted it in his own way. He also considered all of my concerns, advised me about color and even engaged me in conversation while he worked. The end result was so much better than what I had pictured in my head. The tattoo is feminine and pretty, simple but definitely not plain. I love it! Well done Max! And free touch-ups to boot.

I definitely recommend Max and Eighth Element. I might even come back, just for Max to do my next tattoo, because it was just that pleasant an experience.

It's not that the experience was bad, but it wasn't good either. Aside from the sit anywhere you want policy and all the tables being packed and none of the wait staff noticing or acknowledging me despite the lost look on my face, I waited patiently and snagged the first table that became available. Then I had to wait for someone to clean it up. Suffice it to say that even on a busy Sunday, this was not the right way to start the experience. Later there was lots of waiting around as more people came in for Sunday breakfast.

I ordered the Greek omelet and coffee. Neither of which really tasted like...well anything to rave about. The coffee was just coffee and the omelet tasted like eggs with tomato and feta. Sure that's what they were respectively, but it was all very bland. Nothing had any flavor. I may as well have been drinking water and eating plain old scrambled eggs. My son, with whom I was dining, didn't even like his hot chocolate. How do you mess up hot chocolate?!

I don't think I'll be rushing back to give this place another try. I can make better, coffee and eggs at home.

The first thing you'll notice about bicycle discovery is that these guys LOVE bikes. My first time visiting this shop was when my son crashed into the back of my (only 6 month old!) bike at full speed. Suffice it to say that my back wheel was ruined. I went into Bicycle Discovery, got a quote and ended up paying less than expected. There was no hard up-sale, the guys asked me what I needed and returned my bike in excellent condition...except for the brakes being a little looser than I prefer (an easy fix at no additional charge).

I've returned several times since then and every time I've gotten excellent service at a reasonable price. They have a huge selection of Treks, but took great care of my Specialized commuter bike. There are several other (fancier) bike shops in my area, but I choose Bicycle Discovery over them all day every day.

I've visited Orange Cycle several times over the last year. It's a family run operation and they get very VERY busy in the evening and on the weekends. I'll detail several visits for you below:

1st visit: mid-week, sort of slow. I was new to bicycling and this was literally my first time in a bicycle shop. I went in for a basket for my beach cruiser and a helmet. I quizzed the clerk about cycling for a half-hour and he answered all of my questions patiently before putting the basket on my bike.

2nd visit: a few months later I realized that the cruiser was entirely too heavy for regular commuting and I was shopping for a commuter bike. Some thing fast and light. A friend recommended the Vienna series from Specialized. To my surprise Orange Cycle several Vienna series bikes and all at much lower prices than on the Specialized website. The red bearded, tattoo'd, pierced guy (I wish I knew his name) was helpful and friendly and let me ask a ton of questions and test out a couple bikes.

3rd visit: Memorial day weekend 2010. I was fed up with my cruiser and I was there to make a purchase. It was a Saturday and they opened late, but when they opened the doors, it was like opening the flood gates. Luckily I was there waiting and they helped me right away. I tested a couple bikes before deciding to purchase the Globe Vienna (from Specialized), with attentive customer service throughout the process. There were a lot of people waiting around, but as I said, it was a Saturday and the shop was slammed with customers and I had heard the owner (little old lady who usually works the register) call for more hands.

Overall: Orange Cycle is completely family run and on the weekends, there's no way they could staff enough people to provide immediate attentive service to everyone who comes through the doors. Patience is a must if you're going to go here during peek hours. If you don't want to wait, don't go on weekends. But if you do and you wait, you will most certainly get personal service, have any questions you have answered and you won't get gouged on price (like some other shops I've visited).

Sushi West is some of the best sushi you can get in Long Beach. When you include that its "fast food" Japanese. When I lived in LB I went here all the time. There's something for people who arent so sure about eating sushi and for people who love sushi. Its not a sushi bar, there's no fine dining experience. Just good, fresh food.

I've stopped here the last couple times I was in Long Beach and craving Sushi. Must say, Yen is quite delicious. Happy hour starting at 11 am, attentive service, make-you-breathe-fire wasabi, fantastic tempura, rolls and sashimi...Ding ding ding ding ding. Yen is a winner.

Tried to check this place out this afternoon, but it appeared to be no more...

Went back recently and so much was left to be desired. My son ordered scrambled eggs, and the guy walked away for a good minute and burned them. When he was making my omlette, the pan was on fire the whole time. Either one or both were happening: either the fire was too high or there was too much oil in the pan. Either way, he fucked the omlette.

My boyfriend ordered tea (because he is European, but still), which he was given, but he also had to ask for sugar and cream.

The spicy potatoes were spicy without being flavorful....

So much of everything was mediocre, bland and disappointing.

I'm sure there are better brunches in HB, I just have to find one.

Try OC Mining Co. instead. It's cheaper and a much better experience.

My search for a local authentic Chinese restaurant I can frequent is over! Maybe not...but Gongs is really really good. It's not as good as my favorite place in Long Beach (see my review of Le Yen) but its better than everything I've tried thus far. I don't like chow mein but theirs was tasty. So was the chop suey. The fried rice wasn't great, but there was white meat chicken, which I appreciated. I'm fairly certain the egg rolls were frozen, so I won't order those again. All in all, it was a good meal and I'd go back.

I hate starbucks, so when I move (which has been frequently over the last few years), I always look for a local, indie coffee shop. I lucked out with Sweet Elle. The service is fantastic, the coffee is fresh, the oatmeal is yummy, its kid friendly...There's a library, games. Seriously, there is so much to do. I almost always order oatmeal and coffee and a smoothie for the kid. I wouldn't say the food is great (hence the 4 stars) but the things they do well, they do REALLY well. You can't go wrong with a bagel or the awesome frozen hot chocolate (how's that for an oxymoron?), or the oatmeal with all sorts of yummy add ons. Best of all, if you like independent cafes with great coffee, Elle has the best coffee in the neighborhood.