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"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."
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Review votes:
130 Useful, 97 Funny, and 117 Cool
San Francisco, CA
Yelping SinceMay 2007
Find Me InThe Mission
My HometownSanta Barbara
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...Working, Eating, Cooking
Why You Should Read My Reviewsi try to be honest and fair. sometimes i make jokes
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I Readthe entire Internet.
My First Concertweezer
My Favorite MovieTan Po Po
My Last Meal On EarthPozole, or the best best Pho in the world (tendon AND rare beef please)
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...i'm Superman
Most Recent Discoveryi'm superman
Current CrushOrange Crush
DateAnaheim, CA 92801
(714) 533-2021
La Palma Chicken Pie Shop
Category: American (Traditional)
Wait was really long. To sit, and then to get water and order. I don't think it's nesc. a bad thing, you just need to know what you're in for. Sometimes a nice long lunch is in order, ya know?
So I ordered the a sandwich that was pastrami and smoked turkey on rye with coleslaw and thousand island. I can't remember the name, but it was one.
THIS THING WAS MONSTROUS. Probably 6 inches tall. It was also MONTROUSLY DELICIOUS. The cole slaw that came with it and on it was also really really good. And finally, the pickles were really good too. No variety, just sort of your average mild dill I think, but crispy and well done.
However, there were some real stinkers too. The Matzo soup I'm almost sure came from a dried packet. Not the matzo ball itself mind you, the broth and the little weird noodles that I think only Lipton puts in it's freeze dried soup. It also had the taste and day-glo yellow tint to the broth to support my slanderous allegations. The matzo ball itself was pretty good though, no real complaint there.
The latkes were not fresh, and you could easily discern they're re-fried nature. When all you have is applesauce to dip (this place is KOSHER, so I guess that means NO dairy as they've chosen meat. I figured you just couldn't mix, I didn't know they couldn't coexist), the ltkes need to stand up on their own. These did not. Someone else ordered a sandwich like mine but without the pastrami, like a turkey club or something. She really liked it.
The potato salad was good, but needed salt, and maybe some mustard, and a little more mayo.
All in a GREAT place to get a sandwich. I can't vouch for anything else though because either it was mediocre, or I didn't get to try it. Sandwiches were a little pricey, but they're also humongous.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 621-1114
Sushi Zone
Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese
Neighborhoods: Hayes Valley, Mission
There are easy ways to screw up coming here and ordering incorrectly. If you know what to order however, you couldn't possibly help but love this place. Every single person I've ever brought here has left pretty much in awe of the experience, the food, and the price.
Hint: don't order like you're at a regular stupid sushi restaurant or get ready to be disappointed.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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10/27/2008
Went here last night with a friend. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but we got there 10 after 5, and ended up waiting literally an hour and 40 minutes to eat. That's why they're losing a star.
Honestly, it would be insanely easy to just buy a few of those vibrating things so since people OBVIOUSLY have to leave to go wait somewhere else for an hour and a half (which isn't a big deal in and of itself), so you don't have to worry about running back all the time to see if you guessed when your table would be ready at the right time. And it's not like they have to staff to support calling people when the table is set up.
Anyway, on to the food:
Thel D and I ordered almost everything on the menu and almost died trying to eat it all:
-Hawaiian #2
+This was one of the highlights of the evening. More things should be eaten with Macadamia nuts.
-Stuffed Jalapenos
+This was really delicious, and not that spicy. Really not very spicy at all. They should serve these at bar snacks, like, everywhere.
-Stuffed Shitakes
+This was also delicious, it had tun and ahi in a mayo kind of thing. Definitely worth a try.
-Halibut with Ponzu
+Good, not exceptional.
-Spider Roll
+I really like this one, but it's an old favorite. The soft shell crab had a very light batter which I loved.
-King Crab CA Roll
+Not a huge revelation, but it should be obvious that a california roll will taste better with king crab instead of fake crab.
Sashimi Platter (yellowtail, tuna, mackerel, salmon, ahi)
+This was all fresh, but not perfect. The mackerel was some of the best I've had, so good! The tuna was tough and stringy. I was disappointed with that. Honestly, when you order an omekase, you should be able to expect non-standard sashimi items, instead we got everything you'd expect. Stick to the menu here I guess.
-Ebi w/ fried heads
+I hate the sweet raw shrimps, but I'll choke them down for the DELICIOUS fried shrimp heads they serve them with, every time. They were so good here too, they had a healthy sprinkle of salt and with a squeeze of lemon they were sublime. I want these served like popcorn at movie theaters!
-Uni nigiri
+Very fresh Uni, but I hate eating it with the Nori, I think it ruins the complex flavors in the Uni. And there was a little bit too much shiso leaf, it overpowered slightly.
-Unagi with Papaya roll
+I had high hopes for this, and it was good. However, with the Unagi being sweet to begin with, the papaya put it a little over the top. Maybe with a chili paste, and/or vinegar of some sort to balance it a little more this would have been a little more remarkable.
-Something with mango that wasn't the Hawaiian #2 and I don't think it was the #1 either
+I just know we ordered it. I was drunk at this point and SO full that I couldn't have been discerning anyway. I'm sure it was delicious.
Overall, there were some really fantastic items here. And it's true, it's really cheap. 160$ with tip to get drunk and so full I literally had trouble walking home. It was uncomfortable; we could have fed 4 with what we ordered. But after waiting for 2 hours, it seemed like the only thing to do.
I really think they could easily improve the waiting problem significantly just by creating some way of communicating with people that their table is ready, so they can comfortably go somewhere to do so without fear of losing their spot on the list.
San Francisco, CA 94109
Myles Solomon
Category: Adult Entertainment
Neighborhood: Russian Hill
San Francisco, CA 94103
Yelp Elite Event @ Bloodhound
Categories: Local Flavor, Beer, Wine & Spirits
Neighborhood: SOMA
Pros:
1. The pork that came out and I got to try was really really good.
2. The free drinks were really good (while they lasted)
3. Got some nice free pins
4. The chicharronnes were delish
Cons:
1. It was WAY too hard to get the pork. People would stand there, get a piece and then keep standing there for the next plate. It really was a clusterfu*ck to get to try any. I felt bad for the less aggressive people.
2. The bartenders were pouring 75% into the mixed drinks all night, and yet they still "ran out" by like, 7. I don't know who's fault that was, Yelp's or the bars, but it was lame. Especially when you consider Yelp brought all those people on a Tuesday night, many of whom stayed past the event drinking...how busy is Bloodhound usually on a Tuesday night? It felt cheap, or like we weren't welcome.
3. Spotted Calf made a nice showing with the old school slicer, but frankly both of the meats were bland and uninspired. Since when doesn't salt go into salumi?
This even had lots of potential, but between the stingy drink pours (or lack thereof) and the battle to get the food, I wasn't terribly impressed with my first Elite event. This didn't seem to quite live up to the stories I've been told by older Yelpers of elite events of yore.
Sorry guys, just calling it how I see it.
anyway, its nice to get recognized i guess, i must love the attention. whatever, its probably not even that much more attention.
this is coming off a lot more negative than i was going for. i think thats directly attributable to my starting whats known as a ketogenic diet today. whats that, you didnt ask? well thats when you eat more fat than protein and more protein than carbs. its like the atkins diet: caveman edition.
needless to say my blood sugar is probably a lot lower than usual, making me come across as belligerent. or i guess more than usual.
my name is jake, and i guess technically i approved of this message, since they emailed me to ask if i wanted to be elite.
also, i hear yelp girls are easy at elite events. mazal-tov!
the land was beautiful, they put down a deposit, and the details of my parents impromptu manifest destiny will be omitted.
No, it's the work of the strange little Swiss real estate agent dressed like a cowboy who made this story possible. "Stop een Villanueva, 1 exeet ahfturr Laz Vegaz, then follow the signs to La Risa. Best food in New Mexico"
Sure frogman, just keep my parents money out of your weird, untraceable Swiss bank account.
It turns out the exit for Villanueva is many miles down the road from Las Vegas, and yet still the next after Las Vegas. There really isn't much out there.
When we found La Risa it was just getting dark, and the outside was a pleasant shade of Navajo/New Mexico blue. This place is small, cozy, and apparently Val Kilmers favorite restaurant in the area. Just search for Val Kilmer and Riberra and/or La Risa.
Anyway, the menu looks like pretty typical southwestern, with some unexpected twists, and things like hamburgers thrown in for fun.
My mother had the hamburger and it was delicious! It held together, was juicy and beefy, and the bun was toasted in butter making it crispy and and more greasy delicious at the same time: 11/10.
I had a trout stuffed with mushrooms and herbs (very out of place on the menu) and it was really good, but slighly overcooked. I don't know if it's consistently overcooked, or if it was a fluke.
My dad and brother had a stewed pork dish that was also delicious and came with a coupel sides (posole, red or greeen chile, rice, etc.).
Dessert blew us all away because it was all homemade pies and cakes. The owners wife makes them and they were phenomenal! We had blackberry peach, cherry, and something other one with the word "mom" in it which was cake. It was honestly among the top 5 (fruit) pies I've ever eaten.
If you ever find yourself around Las Vegas New Mexico, and you're hungry, drive the 15 minutes to La Risa. I promise you won't regret it!
ps: the bathrooms are all muraled and they're really beautiful.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 255-7505
Zeitgeist
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
The patio in the back is a fantastic social opportunity, and people come to zeigeist expecting to talk to strangers, which is extremely rare. People are just very approachable. Unless they're saving a spot at their table for friends.
Despite the abuse and the focus on not having great customer service, I love zeigeist, and always will.
They lose a star because the jukebox is a joke. Someone has a hard-on for extremely obscure (and not very talented) bands that make it really difficult to use it if you're not on that train with that guy who stocks the jukebox. I'm pretty over that. They have a very diverse crowd, the music choices should reflect that, or they should just play the music they want to hear and not pretend like we have a choice.
Also, the other day, probably my 76th time in the bar, the bouncer actually accused me of having a fake CA drivers license. I'm sorry, but if a legit, over 21 style CA drivers license can throw your ass for a loop as a BOUNCER (ie all you do is look at them all day), you really should look into a different line of work. He ended up calling over someone else that works there and wasting like 5 minutes of my time being an idiot. My drivers license is IDENTICAL to every other legal CA drivers license in the world.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 252-1575
Keetsa Mattress
Category: Mattresses
Neighborhood: SOMA
They're totally right.
I went in, was served green tea, was educated (but not pressured), and happily bought a really expensive memory foam mattress (the Cloud).
My mattress is wonderful (though a little more firm than I thought it would be at the store, but maybe that's a matter of the floor model being slightly more broken in?), it was a breeze to take it home myself (in a box in my little 4 door!), and frankly I just all around love it.
Plus, unless Keetsa is lying, I can feel good about sleeping on a green, friendly piece of foam that didn't hurt any woodland creatures in it's creation.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay me! And yay, Keetsa.
I've never been to Google's caf, but I spent a lot of time at Genentech's caf so that will be my contrast for this review.
Quality: I think it's generally pretty good here. It's not the best of the best. It's probably not even the best. I would just say very good. Genentech would occsionaly have REALLY high quality stuff. The sushi for example, was GREAT. No such thing exists at Yahoo!. I would say that Yahoo has more Indian and pedestrian selections.
Selection: Good. But I should qualify this, there are a fair number of things to choose from each day, but they are largely these same day to day. There are 4 or 5 stations that have rotating daily specials, which is nice. The oven sandwiches are pretty sweet. The new the pizza (thinner crust, less cheese, more sauce) is much better than the old pizza. It still needs a tangier sauce and better cheese to be great pizza. But I digress.
Price: It ain't free like google, but that won't last too long I don't think with Google. The prices you do pay at Yahoo! are very reasonable, usually no more than 6 dollars for a large, cooked, balanced lunch. Drinks are free from the soda fountain.
Seating: Generally excellent, and lots of outdoor selection, which is pretty nice actually.
No Lists
jake hasn't made any lists yet.
This place is a gem. It's totally a historic landmark, from it's neon signs and facade outside, to the fake wood paneling, ANCIENT waitstaff, silly 60's light fixtures. For these things alone it should be considered for preservation and historical relevance to a time long gone.
Now, lets talk about the food. First of all, it was like 7 dollars for soup and salad, and entree, and and a piece of pie. This is an extraordinary deal. Just in case you missed that: THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY DEAL.
Ok, but, the soup is chicken noodle, but it's too thick with cornstarch and sort of gluey. It's bland too. The salad is literally only iceberg. No lonely cherry tomato, no dessicated onion slices, not even a grated carrot or two. Just iceberg. Sort of a let down.
I ordered the chicken pie dinner because, it is the namesake right? It was really good; flaky crust, nice pieces of fresh chicken, combining the cosmic duality of both light and dark (meat). Very few places put dark meat into the pot pie, they always just do boneless skinless breast. BORING. This one had it all though, which was great. They put a sort of flavorless gravy on it though, and the mashed potatoes were fine, just nothing special.
The pie was good, thought the pieces are about half the size you're expecting, which for us fat ass Americans, may have been this places saving grace.
I wanted to give this place 4 or 5 stars, and maybe it deserves 3.5, since the chicken pie was pretty good. I love the decor and authenticity this place has, but nothing else we ate was very good. So how many can I give it? 4 would be lying to you, even if 3 is stingy, I'd rather be honest and stingy than be a liar.
Check it out though, it's a real trip.