Aparna B.'s Profile

petvet sells single doses of advantage/frontline at extremely competitive prices (ie $13 for one frontline plus for cats and costco sells three doses for $38).  if you don't mind the lack of packaging, you can't find another store or vet office that can beat that.

although the coleslaw here is fantastic, the scalloped potatoes were too oily and the tofu q sandwich wasn't anything that innovative.  unfortunately the baked beans have some kind of beef stock in them so they aren't vegetarian.  i really really wanted to like this place but ended up being disappointed instead.

i really enjoyed the filling on the roasted eggplant sandwich (especially the pickled sweet peppers) although i wasn't wild about the bread.  the levain was tasty, but it started breaking apart after the first bite which got a little bit messy.  the side potato salad was delicious!  it was creamy without having excessive amounts of mayonnaise and the bits of apple provided a nice bit of sweetness and crunch to off-set the mustard.  the prices were a little high but that's like saying cheeseboard pizza is more expensive than pizza hut.

today was sunny and sitting around in the back was awesome.  lots and lots of roses in bloom in the garden right now.

just because a place is "ethnic" doesn't mean it's okay for it to be filthy, sell expired food and have creepy employees who stalk you around the store.  if this was a regular grocery store, everyone in berkeley would be up in arms and the health department would have shut it down already.  there are seriously better places within just a few blocks at which to buy south asian spices and products.  the owners of milan don't deserve anybody's money.

i like coming to chick-o-peas not just because the food is good but also because on two distinct occasions the owner impressed me as a very kindly man who places a high premium on good customer relations.  once, i stopped for a sandwich on a very cold and rainy night and he gave me a small cup of soup for free to warm me up while i waited for my food.  the other time, i just happened to have stopped by for soup (good service brings repeat business!) when KRON was filming their segment for best of the bay.  there was an array of samples that had been prepared for display, and after the filming and photographing was complete, the owner proceeded to hand out free food to all the customers and thank them individually for dining at his restaurant.  the cameras weren't rolling at this point, so i choose to believe that he's just a plain old nice guy which makes me happier to spend my money here over other similar establishments.

my dad was visiting from out of town, and i made the god awful mistake of bringing him here the friday night after souley vegan released their groupon.  the place was PACKED (line out the door), and i don't think the wait staff was comfortable yet with the sudden surge in business.  we ordered around 7:00pm (drinks, $27 everything plate, dessert) and waited and waited and waited.  i'd kept track of who was standing in line around us and by 8:15pm noticed that the group who was behind us had received their plates already.  a few minutes later, i flagged down someone and inquired what happened.  several conversations later, we found out that somehow our ticket had never made it to the kitchen, so they drew up another ticket for us and put it in as a rush order.  we didn't get our food until around 9pm (2 hours after we ordered!!).   the saving graces were that the staff handled a very bad situation about as well as could be expected and that the food was amazing.  the ticket was completed (we got our dessert after dinner), my groupon was pulled and returned to me and the credit card charge for the excess amount was refunded.  in the end, we did enjoy our meal but i'm not sure i would return unless it was on a slower night.

dr kirch has by far been the best vet that i've taken my cat to in my six years of ownership.  during consultations she doesn't seem rushed, listens and genuinely shows interest in what you have to say.  she takes the time to clearly explain what she observes during an exam and her reasoning behind any recommendations she makes.  she and her staff also try their best to find treatment solutions that minimize cost for the client.

on several occasions, i boarded my cat at the office and she always was happy and healthy when i came to pick her up.  the office staff would go above their commitment and let her out of her cubby any time of the day someone was present so she was able to get a lot more exercise and socialization than she would at another kennel.

i sadly had to move from the area since then, and i wish my current vet was even half as awesome as dr kirch.

they pulled the deli counter out to expand the store space so you can't get sandwiches here anymore.

within a day of my last review, i got a note from the owners saying that they had talked to their kitchen staff about not putting too much ginger in the paneer.  i have a lot of respect for people who can take feedback from customers with a positive attitude and improve their business that way.

that being said, i went back and got a wrap with the cholay instead and it was the perfect choice (with tamarind and mint chutney).  the wrap held together well all the way until the end and was really really filling and yummy.

actually just went here yesterday to do laundry again, and the wash was $2.25 (for ~30 mins).  the dryer took .25c for the first 7 mins and then added on in 10 min increments for each additional quarter.