Jenn "More costumes than Bugs Bunny" N.'s Profile

A higher power was looking over my first visit to Zachary's. I did my research. Upon arrival, I was all prepared for a long wait and a chaotic atmosphere. We were greeted with a smile and menus seemed to magically appear in our hands. "Sit wherever you would like."

Come again?

I cleaned my ears. I couldn't have heard that right.

As if pizza Moses had parted the red sauce, we were pointed to a nearly empty dining room.

I chose a little table by the window, ordered up a glass of the Tractor Shed Red wine and marveled at our luck.  We ordered the traditional spinach & mushroom pizza.  We were warned that it would take 35-40 minutes. We had time (I had prepared to wait 30 minutes to get a seat) and I'm all about people watching. As we sipped and chatted, the tables around us filled up. Then a party of 40 arrived. Suddenly, I was having a tough time hearing what my date was trying to say..

Now this, is what I was expecting!

By then, our pizza arrived.  The sauce is great, it reminds me of pizza home. Nothing but quality ingredients, infused with loving care. Our server was friendly and attentive.

The proximity to Rockrdige Bart, which just happens to be my favorite stop on the line, is fabulous.

I love that they have Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum on their sign.Strange all this Difference should be - 'Twixt Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee!

Something soft lit and billowy, imagine yourself surrounded by thousands of tiny sea horses...Nique's Bubbles and Baubles event transformed my dreary Monday into a tranquil and entertaining evening of fun.

I will get my hands one one of these Fast Track game boards by Blue Orange:

http://www.blueorangeg...

All the games were fun but this one captured my heart. If you heard random cheering and victory shouts around the room, this was the instigator.

We ate right before we showed up and ended up regretting that decision.  The bites they were serving up were not only beautiful but abundant. They smelled amazing. The staff was constantly buzzing around, cleaning up glasses and presenting new trays.

The decor is soothing and simple. I like that you can tell they are adding special touches here and there as they grow (look up at the cork display in process). The dark walls and soft lights made my already sparkly dress and shoes shine.

Thank you Toast Wine Lounge. Thank you Anderson Valley Wine Growers Association.  Thank you Blue Orange.  

This event was the perfect size. It was buzzing and friendly but there was always a place to sit if you needed one and a glass to grab if you found your vessel empty. All the vendors may as well have been old friends of mine.

Thank you Nique!

Nob Hill carries a ton of the more unique items I look for. The cashiers are always friendly. They will compliment me if I'm dressed for success and that makes my day.

Most self-indulgently, I go here for the deli counter. More specifically, for the super women behind the counter and their panini sandwich making skills. I'm pretty sure I have tried every style that they offer. They're all good. I dare you to try any of them. Double dog dare ya.

Back to Holiday Hangover 2, back to Holiday Hangover 2, to prove to Yelp that I'm not a fool. I got my camera strapped on, my heels buckled tight, hope I don't get in a fight.

According to the Bart website, this event was 1.2 miles from the 16th Street Bart. Maybe it was the shoes but that 1.2 miles felt more like 5. After an under wire mishap, a broken dress strap and Bart delays (crap!), I wondered if I was ever meant to attend this event at all.

When we did arrive there was absolutely no line to get in, and that's quacktastic.

Between the melodic rhythm of the steel drum, the sea of people and beach attire, I felt like I should be playing marco polo. Marco!

I think Ruggy fell asleep by the pool for a few hours. Luckily, he was armed and ready with the SPF. Ultraviolet rays bad. Lotion good.

Nudie magazine day! All the bigger than life art strung about was pretty cool. There was everything from James Bond with all of his clothes - to lotsa people without any clothes.

We grabbed a fruity drink (compliments of Rye on the Road) that was ridiculously delicious and garnished with freshly grated nutmeg + cute little umbrella. As we were waiting for the couple in front of us to finish up in the snap fiesta photo booth, Ike's was serving up healthy sized portions of their awesome sandwiches. I got a bit distracted and missed out...but the Mr. said they were delicious. Well, "sorry" doesn't put the Triscuit crackers in my stomach now, does it Carl?

The guys at snap fiesta were awesome. Give the subject fun props & control of the camera trigger? What a super cool/fun idea.

Sonoma's Eric Kent Wines generously provided us with a wonderful Chardonnay and an excellent Sirah. After making our way past the gigantic dancing parrot, we turned around and woahh..

That Veronica Vauhn is one piece of ace...Uh, there was a hot blond in a tight little island number that received the raised eyebrow approval..from like, everyone. She was shaking her thing on the dance floor and a crowd of peeps gathered, just staring. It was..awesome.  Touch her boobs? That's assault brotha. You double dare me?

By that time, I realized that I had better head towards the restroom...are you in love with the wall or something? No, and peeing your pants isn't cool. One restroom.. one stall.. for everyone.  I tried to crack a joke in line, to break the silent tension but all I got back was crickets. I think everyone was concentrating on not creating a puddle problem.

On the way out, I saw the outhouses. So that's where the other bathrooms were!

Learning our lesson from the less than fantastic hike on the way to the event, we jumped on the 22 on the way back...

Everybody on? Good, great, grand, wonderful!

Thank you so much Ruggy and all of the Yelp crew involved.

I can't even imagine what it takes to put on multiple events of this scale. You rock it bigger and better than a Billy Madison graduation party.

Our weeks have a permanent "Tamale Tuesday" etched in them because of this place.  That warrants a shiny 5 star review in my book. I don't even know the story behind the foundation but the pride and passion is evident. The owner is attentive, patient and personable. The food is thoughtfully prepared and packaged.

The salsa is unique and addictive.  About halfway through the meal, I realized that I was taking bites of the salsa by itself...for a reason, it's that good!

You can mix and match your tamales with the family meals. How fun is that? It means that everyone will be happy.  If you get it to go, everything will still be piping hot when you get it home (trust me).

Thank you for brightening up my Tuesdays.

Maybe I ordered the right thing..

Maybe I am just overly excited to have found my long lost pork nacho fix..

Maybe I don't care that it's served on plastic plates, with plastic silverware..

Maybe I don't care that you have to stand in a line and order at the counter..

It's good, quick and inexpensive. The girls that work behind the counter are beautiful and sweet.  All of this makes me happy.

All I wanted for my birthday was Trader Vic's.  

I was not disappointed.  The location is lovely. I can not wait to return and snag a window seat.  Our waiter was wonderful. The Mai Tai was a bit sweet for me but I ordered the newest version.  The 1944 would probably be just to my taste. The E'ville Awa was excellent and my husband's suffering bastard was delicious.

He ordered the beef & reef.  He was almost reluctant to share...and he's never reluctant to share! I could tell he was really enjoying it, so I kept my bite stealing to a minimum.  My half chicken "Kung Pao" from the wood fired oven was incredible.  We tried the calamari appetizer and in retrospect, I wish we would have ordered the cosmos tidbits.  Next time...

All in all, it was a wonderful experience.  We were there during happy hour but were charged full price, perhaps that only applies in the bar/lounge area?

When you have a teenage daughter that seems to be allergic to wearing anything more than once, this place is a life saver.

We looked at a few stores around Union Square and my daughter was disgusted with the price tags. She finally gave up and said, "Can we please just go to Ross?"

I was confused by the layout, my daughter was not. I thought I had lost her..then myself, at least twice. She was buzzing around like a bee looking for honey. Up the escalator, down the escalator, one arm full, two arms full..I took a look at her stack and told her to cut the fat (one can only go so far with the "wrap it up for Christmas" scheme).

In the end we walked out with approximately 12 items of clothing for under $60. She's not that spoiled, some of the items were for her sister.  At least, that's what she says.

After being utterly disappointed with the fabric selection in suburbia, I grabbed my daughter's hand and headed for the city. She is twelve and has an incredible fashion sense, plus the desire to create all the wonderful things that her mind can dream up.  When she asked for a dress form for Christmas, I knew it was time to get serious.

Britex has nothing near the warehouse feel of a large fabric store. It has tight quarters and tons of creative nooks & crannies. It didn't take my daughter long to find a beautiful 100% cotton print from Japan, for the dress she is making. We also found a fabric remnant on the top floor, that's perfect for another pattern she has tucked away.

We opted out of button alley, simply because the service line was just overwhelming. The staff wasn't super nice but they were not rude either, just busy and focused.

It is somewhat pricey. but you are in Union Square...

This place is such a breath of fresh air compared to a couple of other stores in the area. No heavy perfumes, no overly loud music, and the staff is very sweet and helpful.

There are very few stores where I am able to shop for both of my girls (their tastes are polar opposite).  I found quite a few treasures for both my girls, at great prices. We're talking everything from black retro t-shirts

(skinny jeans
converse
funky skirts
green nail polish
sequined boots
sweater wraps
jewlery
winter jackets)

to pink party dresses.

For the cherry on top, the cashier handed me a $10 gift card at checkout.