Mookie "ultramookie" K.'s Profile

When AT&T decided to implement bandwidth caps on their DSL service, I decided to leave AT&T. Not because I am a bandwidth hog (usually, my household of four uses around 60GB of data), but because I don't agree with bandwidth caps in this day and age -- especially with us cutting the cord and starting to use streaming services more.

I have a few friends who have http://Sonic.net and it was recommended to me. In the Bay Area we are lucky enough to have a local ISP and have a choice outside of the duopoly of Telco vs. Cable.

The sign-up process for http://Sonic.net Fusion was dead simple. Go to their webpage, pick Fusion and then punch in your phone number. The page will inform you if you're qualified. If you are, it will inform you of how far you are from the CO (Central Office). The farther out you are, the slower your connection will be from the 20Mbps connection offered. The good thing is that usually, your connection will be faster than what AT&T is offering you.

From the point of entering my information, it took 10 days (including one weekend) for http://Sonic.net to switch me over. They ported my landline number and activated my DSL. The day of the switchover, it took about 20 minutes -- the phone and DSL when dead at 11am and came back around 11:20am for me. After that, everything else was uneventful (good thing).

I contacted http://Sonic.net support for two minor things (one to get a Unix shell account and another to tweak my line), both were (again) uneventful (good). The support team is knowledgeable, friendly and efficient -- and they had my questions answered with in two hours (I emailed both times). The support team is fantastic and worked with me on my level of knowledge, not via some script.

If you do get Fusion, after the install, email support and ask them if they can tweak your line and lower the SNR margin down to 6db. For me, this tweak added an extra 1Mbps to my connection and the connection has been rock solid.  I am around 8000ft from the CO and am getting a 8Mbps connection. Not bad at all.

Another thing about http://Sonic.net is that their CEO is active on forums and twitter -- and most of the time if you ask him something, he will answer personally! Try to get that kind of executive attention from a big corporation like AT&T or Comcast.

Over the last three weeks, the connection to the internet has been solid -- no downtime, no slowdown. My AT&T DSL never went down either, but during the evening there would be slowdown. Not so with http://Sonic.net, they seem to have enough bandwidth for their users.

Also, I want to mention that we are saving $20/mo with our Fusion connection and phone -- and it comes with extras that didn't come with AT&T like caller-id, domestic long distance, and 2Mbps extra bandwidth. The phone service works as it should and that is good. I like having caller-id without paying extra and the domestic long distance being free is a nice addition -- now there is no need for a VOIP setup like OOMA. Oh, yes the phone service is regular POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and not VOIP, so you'll get E911 and also have phone service if the power goes out.

I highly recommend http://Sonic.net. Their service is great, their support is wonderful, and their CEO is a real person who responds to customers. You can't go wrong with http://Sonic.net Fusion. Show owner comment »

Yummy food, great fast service! What else could I ask for? I usually have the New York Omelet which is delicious. The OJ is freshly squeezed and quite a treat. The serving sizes are HUGE and you'll definitely not have room for lunch after having breakfast at Scramblz.

I had lunch here and was not that impressed with either the food nor the service.  The service was rushed and the waiter was no where to be seen for long stretches of time.  After seating us, the waiter took one of the five chairs from the table -- and there were clearly five adults.  And only after prompting did he bring back another chair.

The sun was shining bright on half our table (we were seated outside) and while the waiter nicely asked the table behind us if they wanted an umbrella, there was no such offer for us. My water glass sat empty for half the meal and was only filled after I asked.

I had that Borracho Burger that came with a side of potatoes.  The burger was average. The meat was cooked as I ordered, but the crispy onions and/or BBQ sauce was quite salty. The potatoes were overcooked and had no flavor at all.

I would probably not return to Tower Cafe.

Two hairs in two different dishes. That's enough to make me not come here ever again.

The sushi was not fresh and subpar. The service was not friendly.

The only thing good about this place was that instead of boats, they have trains bringing the food. That was a nice change for the kids.

This place has really gone downhill.  During the last two visits (in a span of maybe two months), this place has been horrible.  I have come during peek lunch time (around 12:30 to 1pm) and 99% of the boats floating have nothing on them!  Come on!  You might as well rip out the sushi bar and put in tables if you're not going to put sushi on the boats during peek lunch hour!  

**If you want to eat sushi don't come here.**

On top of that the speed of hot meals is glacially slow.  My wife ordered fried tofu and it took them almost 20 minutes to get it out to us.  The restaurant was not even that busy.

We both ordered Cokes.  They were fountain drinks, not canned.  When I finished mine, I asked for a refill.  The waiter told me that I'd have to pay for the refill.  I know economic times are hard, but if you're going to charge for refills, then give me a canned drink.  Fountain drinks are cheap.

Sitting at the sushi bar, I kept getting the smell of not-so-fresh fish that really killed my appetite.

I will not be coming here for a sushi fix anymore.  Their service is bad, their food is mediocre, their sushi is horrible, and their food takes too long to get to the table.  Avoid!

What can I say?  This is KFC.  The service here is very good and that's why I keep coming back to this location.  The service at the Blossom Hill location is not as great.  This location is clean, but the seating area is a bit small.  Ordering while the place is busy is a bit of a pain because there's not much of an area to order and wait either.

This place has some good food, especially considering that it is a fast food place.  The prices are a bit high, but worth it as the Korean food served here is authentic and very tasty.  I had the spicy pork over rice and that was an excellent meal.  My wife had the dukboogi and vegitable kimbap.  Those were also very, very tasty.  I particularly liked the kimbap as it tasted like nothing I've had before.  Also cool is the free barley tea.

The sushi at this place was horrible.  The sushi tasted fishy and good sushi should *never* taste fishy.  The hamachi not only tasted fishy, it was also sour.  The maguro tasty fishy and had a stringy, chewy texture to it.  

You cannot order sushi ala carte either.  The "bundles" seem like a deal, but really, with this grade of fish that they are using, it is too expensive.

Avoid this place at all cost if you are looking for sushi.  Terrible, just terrible.

Good service, good haircuts, and the cars are an excellent idea for keeping my son distracted.  The only drawbacks are the price, which is a bit high, and the store being closed on Sundays.  Otherwise, recommended for any parent who wants to get their child a haircut.

The food here is so-so.  The problem is that the food seems to have been sitting around for too long.  There was chicken that was dry and chewy.  The sui mai was like chewing on rubber.  The Mongolian grill cooked up some tasteless stuff.  The sushi bar was a joke.  The price was not too bad, and I am glad that this place hasn't gone too far downhill like other Chinese buffets.  But, there are definitely better places if you are willing to pay a little bit more.