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"Good enough is the new perfect"
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Review votes:
608 Useful, 457 Funny, and 556 Cool
Beverly, MA
Yelping SinceJuly 2007
Find Me Incontinual adaptive flux
My HometownWatsonville, CA
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm methodically plotting world domination
Why You Should Read My ReviewsBecause I can have fun in a paper bag
My First ConcertMetallica
My Last Meal On Earthcrow with a side of hat.
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...Sometimes I'm such an ass.
Most Recent DiscoveryLife goes on
DateIpswich, MA 01938
(978) 356-1988
Zumi's Espresso & Ice Cream
Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea
I went there for lunch got the bento box #2 (13.99). . .the sashimi was delicious, the terriyaki salmon may have been the best I ever had, and the dumplings were very very tasty with extra good dipping sauce. Precursors were the standard miso soup, which was fine with plenty of seaweed and tofu, and the de rigueur iceberg lettuce salad with the ginger dressing. The dressing was extra good too. . recognizable as the usual kind, yet there was an extra zing to it - maybe some miso and extra garlic in it?
The Shark's Tooth was good, and very, very strong, as implied above.
Anyway - they are operating according to a tried and true formula, but within that framework, the food was extra good. I'll come back for dinner sometime to see what happens then.
My fortune?
"Take calculated risks". Okey dokey.
They have an assortment of organic, local and carefully chosen imported produce (ripe, perfect figs from Merced, CA today, for instance. . .), a very nice manageable selection of fine cheeses ( I got Epoisses, nice n stinky. . .), some high end cold cuts and a tidy selection of lunchy prepared foods, including sandwiches and patés etc. There is a large selection of good crackers for cheese, as well as olives, some canned fishy things, and natural-ish chips and snacks.
A large shelf of Asian food items and some other ethnic fare graces the back next to the fridge.
Staples are reasonable - eggs, butter, milk. . .oh they have Lurpak Danish butter, but Cabot right next in case you aren't feeling spendy or are just going to use it to grease a pan, if you know what I mean. In the freezer - organic berries, local ice cream, italian ice.
There is good coffee available by the door. . .and today, servings of gazpacho on ice with good bread.
Speaking of bread. . . .they sell that fabulous A&J King stuff, as well as Jessica's Bakery.
I will definitely be back here. It's a perfect place to pack for a picnic, or for a bits and pieces cheese -fruit-n-winey kinda dinner.
Nomnomnomnomnom
So here I go again.
They've redone the entired dining room with acoustics in mind - remember how loud and reverberating it was in there? No longer. Much much nicer.
The spicy cucumber margarita was very very good, though I would have preferred it straight up in a martini or margarita glass with the muddling done ahead of time instead of in a highball glass with ice and the smushed cucumbers still in there to clog up my straw. . .but the taste was excellent. Super spicy to start and then a cool cucumber finish. . .amazing actually.
Service was very slow last night - I think there may have been just one waitress for the whole place. I was brought the wrong drink first. . . .no biggie, but it took a really long time to replace it. The beet salad got rave reviews, the bread and dips platter was tasty. I got a caeser salad with shrimp and avocado, which was good.
The sampler of homemade ice cream had good flavor (the espresso and vanilla varieties were especially intense), but tended toward the ice rather than the cream texture wise - it was ok though. I just prefer really rich ice cream. Cream, that's frozen, with flavors in it. Ice designating temperature, not water content.
All in all a fine experience, much better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick - and now that it's so much quieter in there, it's much more conducive to hanging out and enjoying the space than it once was.
I'd like to come back again on a weekend night and experience a fully staffed in the swing-of-things Soma to really see how they are doing.
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 787-1511
Bazaar On Cambridge
Categories: Grocery, Ethnic Food
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton
Outside was hot, in here was cool, they had cases of things I wanted to eat, packages of things I wanted to eat, rows of things I wanted to eat. In Russian. The prepared foods area is phenomenal, and you can get a pretty amazing lunch here cheap.
I got some fresh prune plums, they were yummy.
I like looking at Russian text.
The Cyrillic alphabet should get a design award.
Maybe it was just the state of mind I was in when I was in there - but I'm giving it 4 stars.
I'll be back to see if the impression holds, perhaps I'll bump up to five.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 786-0812
SwingTimeCafe
Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
They have 7up. And Hansen's strawberry soda. And chips. And the kids figured out pretty quickly that one of the tables has rolly chairs.
Chips and rolly chairs? YEAH. . I guess we'll keep coming here.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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6/27/2008
Very nice little sandwich shop in downtown. Super friendly people and service. They have a bulletin board with community news, and a bookshelf of books to read.
Daily specials - today it was homemade mac and cheese, which was very good. They have 7up. We like that. The Beefeater sandwich was really great, as were the very dangerously good "gerty bars" that we all had at the end - a square of chocolate, coconut, almond, caramelly stuff that made me pretty much want to put my face in the pan.
They claim to use the freshest local ingredients and to bake, grill and roast their own meats in house, and I'd have to say that my sandwich definitely proved that. Very good stuff!
Full range of espresso/coffee drinks and "all drinks served with tapioca pearls upon request". I didn't try any of the scones, but they had a sign claiming that they are award winners at the Santa Cruz County fair, so. . next time. yep.
They cater, and. . . I love it when places like this take ATM and credit cards. Which they do. The bottom of their menu says. . "What doth the lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God." Okey dokey. Give me another one of those Gerty bars, and I think I could do that.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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7/12/2007
I think Kame is reasonable Japanese food - but I think it used to be better. I think that 3 or 4 years ago things seemed a bit fresher and tastier - however, Japanese restaurants are not all that common around here. I like Dabin in Lexington - but that's a little far.
Kame does the job in a pinch.
___________
I'm moving Kame back up to 4 stars - I had some of the best yellowtail sashimi ever there a couple of nights ago. Everything was really good. They are on an upswing!
Good ice cream, nice fresh cones. I like their mint chip especially.
This location also serves burgers dogs and various fried thingies. I steer clear of all that. . . just the ice cream please. Even if I hadn't had dinner, I'd rather make a dinner on ice cream than venture there.
They also sell those nasty popsicles shaped like spongebob that turn little kids mouths weird colors.
Ah well, I know, I know. . .give the people. . .the little people. . .what they want. . . . ..
Is that kind of like, "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV." ?
Probably, but I'm giving a prescription anyway.
Stay here. Do stuff. This place is the bomb. Huge. New. Gorgeous grounds. Beautifully appointed, yet warm and inviting, interior: dark wood coziness. Full service spa. Hiking and views in the surrounding area to satisfy every fitness/adventure level in the summer, and I hear, though have not experienced: amazing skiing and winter adventures to be had.
Next time I'm in Girdwood and not otherwise accomodated. . . .I'm there.
This one struck me as new, clean, organized, cheerful (or, I guess the attendant was cheerful anyway) - and really big for such a little town. So i'll add.. . spacious. I mailed two letters, bought regular stamps and postcards stamp and envelopes.
It went smoothly.
I was the only one in there.
I like it when that happens at the post office.
I forgot to take a picture. Sorry.
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