Jim "aheyheynow" A.'s Profile

My homegirl Saundra and I left our normal Oakland and Richmond stomping grounds for the suburb of Fremont in search of what we had read was one of the best fried Twinkies on the planet today.  We had first encountered deep fried Twinkie bliss at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton this past summer right before the Solange Knowles concert, and loved it so much that a great review of this spot caught both our eyes.  We promised each other we would pay a visit one day soon.  So this morning, after several false starts involving Amoeba Records, Peets Coffee, acupuncture and a mischievous GPS, we finally pulled into a Valero service station on Mowry.  The big sign in front of the Food Mart proclaimed we had reached our destination.  We did not hesitate.  We marched in, read the menu for about 30 seconds and placed our orders.  A pastrami sandwich.  A cheesesteak sandwich.  A fried Twinkie.  And four Deep Fried Oreos.

The owner, the congenial and loquacious Steve, and his lovely daughter, prepared our food and brought them to our diner style table inside the Food Mart (there is alfresco dining available also if you are so inclined).  I immediately fell in deep love with the cheesesteak, made with still moist and tender ribeye, grilled onions and house cheese whiz on a roll that was soft as a pillow yet still delicious.  The pastrami sandwich lived up to its reputation.  How Steve manages to keep the pastrami so juicy is beyond me.  Saundra was so totally caught off guard by how good the deep fried Oreos were that she almost didn't have room for the Krispy Kreme glazed a few hours later.  And how about that Deep Fried Twinkie? OMG what can I say?  If I could have found the room I would have eaten 10 of them.

Hats off to the ambitious Steve and his family-run one-of-a-kind restaurant.  There's nothing remotely like it anywhere in the Bay Area and if there's any justice, it will expand into other areas besides Fremont. Do yourself a favor.  Forget the calories, the cholesterol, the drive and check out this spot.  You will not regret it.

Me and Saundra?  We'll be back - Saundra for the Deep Fried PB&J, me to try Steve's new creation, The Mutt, as well as at least one more deep fried Twinkie - can't get enough man!

Yes, there really is honest, reliable, reasonable auto repair service, and it's right here in Oakland, one block from my current crib.  Having been burnt way more than once (haven't most of us?) by car dealer maintenance departments & shyster car shops, I am amazed at the honesty, fast service, and decent prices offered by Danny, Andy and their jammin' crew.  On two occasions when I took the car in, I received calls telling me I didn't really need that particular service, and once they noted that I was still under warranty so the dealer would do it for free.  Unheard of!  They have my business for life!!

Reliable, always good, reasonable Mexican food at Bay Street you can get to go, eat on premises, or take with you into the movies to savor one flight up.   Love the beer battered fish tacos and tonight we tried the new gourmet grilled steak, chicken and shrimp tacos with avocado, salsa, sauce, etc. and they were off the chain!  Each one had its own unique flavors different from the others and they were packed full of meat or shrimp.  When I'm at Bay Street and I'm hungry, I eat here more often than not.  Recommended.

My mother was moved from Kaiser SSF to her home in SSF.  They didn't provide an invoice.  They weren't notified of all the costs in advance.  The total cost changed several times. The driver didn't have a receipt in the transport.

I'm taking a nap before work, my frameless glasses slide off my face and I roll over on them and break them.  Sears tells me they can't fix it and refers me here.  I'm in Oakland so I try a nearby shop which informs me they cannot be fixed.  I drive to Hayward to this small house with its own parking lot.  The bodybuilder working there tells me they'll be fixed in less than an hour and for only $32.  Unbelievable!  And true!!  I am now officially recommending All American Eyeglass Repair to everyone I know.

Fun place, comfortable, friendly.  Went there Sat nite to get our dance on & the DJ played Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga, Madonna, very easy to groove to.  Nice and dim.  I would give it 5 stars but the bartender in the dance area acted like he didn't want to serve us even tho it wasn't crowded and when he finally did, as soon as we turned our backs and leaned against the bar tocwatch the dancers, he snatched my water and tossed it.  We laughed so hard about that.  Loser LOL!  Will def be back, too much fun not to.

Long is the best barber I have ever been to.  He shaves my head to perfection, always comes up with new ways to make my facial hair look good and current, his prices are great, and his kindness and personal charm are evident.  It's a pleasure to get what hair I have cut at Long's Hair Salon!

Love KFC, all of it, and right now am crazy for the grilled chicken.  It looks so dry and zilch, and then you taste it...delish!  I usually go to this KFC because it's always on my route to and from whatever I'm doing in Oakland on any given day.  Today I got the 4 piece grilled chicken dinner, breast and wings,  scrumptious.  I was disappointed, though, they did not ask me what two sides I wanted, just gave me mashed potatoes and slaw, and they didn't include fork, knife, spoon, salt, honey....I'll still go back, though, just pay attention to what dude is doing more than how he looks LOL...

Always good, Bellanico is a real addition to the Glenview neighborhood.  I've been here three times and never been disappointed.  The Italian food they serve is straight up luscious, and the blend of flavors is off the chain and beautifully prepared and presented.  I have to admit I am stuck on the pork confit panini - it's ridiculous good - but everything I've had here, from the gorgonzola panna cotta with asparagus to the prosciutto frittata, is so good you want to linger over the food and take your time to savor.  The desserts are great, too.  Today I had the warm chocolate bread pudding with vanilla gelato which I shared and it was awesome.  The atmosphere is real mellow and cool, and it doesn't hurt a bit that our waiter, Eddie, was friendly and good looking either!

The fish tacos are off the chain.  Big, phat and cheap.  Two are superfilling.  And on Mondays, they're only 99 cents each!  Cannot beat that....the shrimp tacos and combo plates are delish too.