Richard "FearlessMe" G.'s Profile

I love movies.
I hate going to the theater.
This place has given me a reason to go see movies in the theater again.  And enjoy it.

Having the ability to reserve seats in the 21 and over balcony section is great.  Big seats, with armrests that you don't have to fight for space over and cubbyholes for your coat, gloves, and scarf make these seats even better.  Add a nice cold drink (in a glass no less) in the drink holder, and we were set.

$20 for a reserved balcony seat doesn't bother me since I no longer felt like just another part of the herd being led to the movie trough.  I suspect that price will go up as the place becomes more popular.  We'll see how the place holds up.  I'm giving it five stars even though I'm sure there are better movie experiences out there (Big Picture in the Seattle area being one), but this rates at the top of theaters in my lifetime.

Visiting Fort Myers to see relatives, they decided we should have dinner at Jacaranda. This is a nice restaurant. Good seafood. The drinks are a little stingy. And make sure you avoid the annoying (as in sickeningly saccharin sweet)  Russian (Georgian) waitron. Other than laughing at her schtick and the small cocktails, we really enjoyed the food.

One of my favorite restaurants in the city.

Consistently incredibly delicious.

1. Michael is just an incredibly nice, friendly and informative guy.
2. His chocolates are incredible!
3. Pomegranate and cherry filled chocolate - OH MY GOD!

Nice space, decent food.  Nothing to rave about.
Took the in-laws to dinner for their annual holiday foray into the city.
All in all, a very enjoyable dinner.  

Negatives:
The waiter was difficult to understand.  Each time he left the table we had to consult amongst ourselves to figure out what he told us.
Mom ordered the free range chicken.  Dry.
Dad had the salmon.  Dry as well.
Goat cheese appetizer/salad. Pretty underwhelming, and I love goat cheese. This goat cheese was fairly tasteless.  How can that happen?

Positives:
3 out of 4 appetizers were quite good.  The mussels, the deconstructed buffalo chicken, and the oysters on the half shell were very good.  See "negatives" for the 4th appetizer.
The boar main course got rave reviews and the fillet mignon was really good, and had a very nice crust on it.  
The other 2 main courses didn't get such a positive response.

Desserts were universally enjoyed.

I expect more for a $100 per person dinner.  But, all in all, we had a nice time and The Palmer House has done a very nice job of renovating things.

The fact that the sidewalk in front of Citizen is still covered with snow and ice says everything you need to know about how this place is managed:  poorly.

This is where I take people from out of town who want to have a good time, hear some good music and drink, without the pretensions, expense or bother of other places.

The place is dingy, dark and crowded.  Usually smoke-filled, but I haven't been there yet this year with the smoking ban in place... it will be a completely different place, and, although I am a nonsmoker and hate to breathe in other people's smoke, the place would seem wrong without the smoke.

Best memory of the place:  
I attended a skin cancer symposium (malignant melanoma took my sister and we had made friends with several people dealing with the disease).  After the symposium was over, a small group, all of them from out of town, wanted me to bring them somewhere fun to go.  I picked the Wonder Bar.  I think they were a bit apprehensive as we descended the steps into the hole in the wall.  Once Lonnie and the band got started, though, we were rockin.  

One lady, who had lost her son to melanoma months before, had been despondent since her son had died.  This place, and the sense of comfort and belonging and fun it can engender, got her up and dancing on the miniscule dance floor.  Her husband thanked me again and again afterwards because it was the first time she had had anything resembling a good time in months.

I have been to the Wonder Bar many times, but it is this particular visit that has earned it a very special place with me.

I really want to give this place a higher rating.  
Decor?  Well done.  I'm not a big Chihuly fan, but that's just me.
Ambiance?  Not bad.  Clientele is a bit wannabe, at least on a recent Saturday night.
Service?  Impeccable.  Our head waiter was informative, helpful, attentive, and efficient.
View?  Not bad.
The food? Meh.  It's good.. but it's not "Wow, that was incredible" good.  It's all presented nicely, but in an almost textbook nouveau fashion.  There is no true spark of creativity.  The food bored me, to be honest.  Nice flavors, but that's the best adjective I can come up with: nice.

I had the lunch buffet today.  I have been to several Indian restaurant lunch buffets in the city, and this is by far the best one of the ones I have tried.  The food is hot and fresh, the naan is tasty (although I prefer cripsier naan), and the selection is varied.  There are plenty of vegetarian choices as well.

The service is fairly attentive once you are seated, but the people running the place aren't the most affable.  I would not call them rude, as did another review, but it has been my experience that when you walk in you are met with blank stares and a seemingly apathetic attitude toward the fact that you have arrived.  Perhaps a cultural thing, or they expect the business suit crowd (of which I am not a member)....  After lunch there, today, my lunch companion left his hat at his seat and the server was at the door with it as we were walking away from the restaurant, so they are paying attention.

I plan on checking the place out for dinner in the near future.  I have been to Gaylord for dinner but it has been many, many years.