Robert "thinks anyone non-Elite is a troll" P.'s Profile

OK, so here's the deal: I am not a fan of waiting for tables. Not my style, never has been. I like to have reservations, walk up and give my name and be seated. Waiting for tables reminds me of Friday nights at the local Chili's in Southern California...definitely not a Thursday night in San Francisco. But, I also understand that some restaurants just don't take reservations.

Fine.
I understand.

What I don't understand is advertising on your website that you can "call in up to 45 minutes in advance to put your name on the waitlist" and do just that...walk in 45 minutes later behind someone coming in off the street who is told it will be 30 minutes to be seated, and then get told the same thing. What am I missing here?? What was the point of calling in?

It really is a shame because I like the food here, and the service is great...but what's the deal with acting like I'm trying to eat at Gary Danko?

Finally, a 5 star!

After getting tired of walking all the way  to Starbucks, only to be greeted by a half-retarded staff and a line that only an idiot (read: me) would stand in, I knew I needed a change. Thanks to Gregor G., farm:table was recommended and it only took me 3 weeks to actually try it out.

Wow.

I asked if they could make an iced latte, and was told no, BUT, they could make me an iced coffee w/cream and sugar and I figured what the hell. And can I be any happier that I did? I think not. It's delicious and only $3.50 and I was in and out within 4 minutes. Now THIS is what a morning coffee run is supposed to be like.

Oh, and the workers? Pretty easy on the eyes. Ha.

Went here for lunch today (since I now work in the neighborhood,) and can confidently report that I won't be returning.

$19 pre-tip got me carnitas that were pretty much everything they are not supposed to be: huge pieces of fatty pork, not browned, zero flavor, and hands down the worst I've ever eaten. I also had a small side of mediocre Mexican rice and a Coke which I had to ask to be refilled. So unimpressed. I know I've gotten spoiled with the carnitas at Mexico DF, but I'd even take the so-so ones at Tres Agaves over these! Yeah, their tortillas are fresh and good, but what good does that do me if the filler sucks this bad? Exactly.

I won't be wasting my time or my hard-earned money coming back here.

Yeah, no. Food is bland, greasy and WAY overpriced. Plus, I don't know about you, but I don't like to walk into a joint and seeing my cook and server eating...grosses me out. I don't believe I will be returning here.

Liked: The service. Great for the most part. Friendly and informative without being intrusive.

Disliked: People who don't understand the concept of a nicer restaurant and think it's ok to wear torn jeans and baseball hats.

Liked: The massive loaf of onion bread to snack on while you wait for salad.

Disliked: That we paid $120 for a bottle of bubbly that I saw at Whole Foods the next day for $34. I understand mark-up, but...

Liked: The massive globs of sour cream and butter plopped on my baked potato. Bring on the calories!!!

Disliked: The piece of crab shell in my crab cake.

Liked: How it was switched out for scallops wrapped in bacon with no problem.

Disliked: My fillet. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty, and I put a good dent in it...but it wasn't incredibly flavorful and didn't WOW me by any means.

LIKED: THE CHEF. I had a view of him all night and it was so worth the money we paid.

Will I go back? No. But I don't regret it either. Plus, the company was lovely.

The good:

---Awesome location.
---Patio seating where you can hear the water splashing around underneath you.
---HUGE prawns w/their Prawn Cocktail appetizer. These suckers were seriously massive.
---Probably the best Fish 'n Chips I've ever had. Super fresh and just the right amount of breading.

The bad:

---Snooty bartender who thought very highly of himself. I mean I get it, tattooed kid wearing t-shirt, but still...my money is just as green as anyone else's.
---Polite server, but not very good. Never asked if we wanted refills; if everything tasted good; if we wanted dessert. Nothing. Needless to say, his tip was also minimal, to match his service.
---If I am specifically saying "no coleslaw on my plate" because the thought of mayo anywhere near my food is enough to make me want to vomit, at the very least: WRITE IT DOWN WITH THE ORDER. And don't follow it up with coleslaw on my plate. This does not make me happy.

The humorous:

---I swear that "Weiner Dog!" from Welcome to the Dollhouse was in the bar area too. Even though my date assured me it wasn't, I am going to continue pretending it was. Which is almost as cool as the time Gregor G. and I saw Hatchet-Face from Cry Baby at Midnight Sun! And that one was for reals!

So back in April of 2008, after reading Skinny Bitch and Fast Food Nation, I stopped eating all meat (excluding fish.) I also gave up caffeine, milk and soda. Somewhere between then and now, caffeine, milk, pork and beef (some,) crept back into my diet; chicken and turkey however, still on the no-no list. With that said, after having being promised "some of the best veggie Chinese food ever," I must say, they weren't kidding. I had the Tofu Fried Rice, the Spicy "Chicken" and the "Beef" w/Broccoli, and hot damn if it didn't leave me wanting more. The "chicken" was very realistic not only in flavor but in texture too! The "beef," although good, didn't taste too beef-like. Needless to say, I was an instant fan of Golden Era. I highly recommend this place to anyone who thinks "they could never give up meat" (oh, how I've heard that one too many times.) And if you can get someone to pick it up and bring it to your place, as was the case for my experience, even better!

Suit shopping is not fun. I know this because over the holiday break I spent two full days dragging my ass (and another ass as well) all throughout Union Square looking for a new suit that was much needed for work. I was grumpy, cold and had fifty other things on my mind I could think of that were better to be doing than shopping...but I had no choice. I was on a mission and refused to get defeated.

When I set my sights on a super cool suit at Ben Sherman, I was helped by the most wonderful salesperson named Faith who made this particular Ben Sherman shopping experience more than stellar. She was friendly, attentive, informative and quite honestly, acted like she genuinely cared about my suit dilemma. Even when it was apparent that what was available wasn't going to work, and that I would probably have to order on-line, she still suggested I try things on so that I knew what size to wear. She offered alternatives and was not annoyed by me in the least bit (well, at least she didn't show it).

So, I can guarantee you that I will definitely be back to this store in the very near future. Plus, the clothes are super hot and very reasonably priced for the quality. Ben Sherman is officially a friend of mine.

Bitchy queens in the Castro? Surprise, surprise.

Clothes were decent, but workers were assholes. With the economy being what it is, you have to actually *try* and pretend to like the customers...a smile will go a long way.

I give this store another three months and then it will be shut down like the rest of 'em.

Gross.

I had to come home and shower before I was able to log-on and share my thoughts on Burlington Coat Factory. And then it dawned on me that I can just show you what I felt like:

(Skip to 5:30)

http://www.youtube.com...

Never, ever again.