Kathleen H.'s Profile

I've had excellent experiences with New Meadows Service, which is now my go-to shop for the care of my persnickety truck.

My 9 year old ford with 110K miles on it is starting to turn into Der Lepervagon, (little parts falling off, strange noises, moments of possession. . )

And they've consistently checked it out, called with a detailed and prioritized description of what they've found, asked what I'd like done on the priority list, done it, and charged me reasonably for it. All this, and in a very timely manner - I work nearby, and they're great about giving me a realistic time estimate so I know how to plan my rides and comings and goings.

Last project - I required new wheels. The dealership quoted me a price that made me want to sell my faithful truck for a new hyundai. I went here, and they got it done for half the price.

The mechanic called around for prices on wheels with me right there listening, wrote down the prices for  me to see, and explained the differences between what was available for each price.

I like that.

Went in for a glass of wine - it was Christmacated and lit up like a tree at the time I was there, which I find rather cozy.
Nice wooden bar with plenty of seats and friendly service.

They had complimentary crackers and this delicious cheese dip that I found myself eating like a meal. . .(oops, can you take this away from me please?)

I haven't had food here in years, but the bar experience made me think I'll come back and try again soon. And review that.

We went for lunch. Very nice interior, classy. There were 3 other tables full at the restaurant.

The food was really good.
Seared scallops - amazing, delish.
Pours of wine -  generous.
The marsala sauce was fantastic

Why two stars?
Well. . .Service was good. . for the first 20 minutes.

After we received our appetizers, the service all but disappeared. Water glasses empty. . our entrees were delivered. Delicious. We sat. Water glasses empty, looked around. . .there was a table of 4 having a birthday party, was this the reason?
A party of 8 had come in after us. . and. . they left before us. Understaffed? Perhaps.

Eventually, the server returned. With our check. At which point we were hurriedly asked, oh. . did we want coffee or dessert? Yeah, no. We've lost that loving feeling.

GGF gave her credit card and printed out groupon. "We don't take these for lunch." Well, interestingly, it didn't say that anywhere on the groupon. We heard a story about  how that was groupon's fault. . .etc. etc. OK, but.. . . work that out with groupon, ok?
"Groupon sent out a mass email to everyone who had this coupon telling them about the mistake and  specifications"
No, they didn't. All email history was checked until the beginning of human history (ok, the past year)
Did Groupon SAY they did? To the restaurant? I know not.
But again - work that out with Groupon for ef's sake. Why are we listening to this?
If you have a problem with another business, doesn't seem quite right to take it out on the customer.  . .um. . .does it?

There was no specification about dinner only.
Our bill was $98 and change. Which, with the groupon, we paid $78 for:
two glasses of wine, a salad, an appetizer and two entrees, at lunch.

We hadn't exactly come in and ordered water, a salad, and eaten the free bread. But y'know. . . if you give someone a coupon, they can use it damn well however they like unless specified otherwise. It's the risk one takes as a business person, yes?

A manager was called. Then someone else and evidently this person approved the groupon.
Thx.

Friend called later to talk with manager (whichever one) about the experience. She was yelled at an hung up on.

There was finally a civilized conversation with an owner.

Okey dokey.

sigh.

Really?
Ok.

I won't be back.

Great little (small indeed) gift shop, with unusual, one of a kind, local artist/artisan made stuff. I loved it, got a bunch of Christmas shopping done there. A lot of it for myself.

It smells good, is lit cozily, and they have great music playing. I just wanted to hang out.

My favorite gift to me was a wooden mortar and pestle shaped like a chicken. I smile every day when I look at it on my kitchen window sill.

Also got a beautiful necklace and a nice scarf for some other people, and lots of cute and cool stocking stuffers.

They have recently moved, so I don't believe the address given here is correct. Stay tuned for the update.

Shiny happy people with matching T shirts and technology all over them help you out. I've never been ignored.
Sometimes the back of the store it becomes a cattle herding area as people wait for their "genius bar" appointments.

I received lots of helpful advice on how to get the info from my old dead computer onto my new live computer. They took it, and performed the magic. But then I got home to find the thing I really wanted the most. . .the photos. . .had not been transferred. At least not that I've been able to find.

So. . .I'll go back to the mall, and try again. . . .and someone will at least make a good show of trying to help me. And I may also actually be helped.

But hey, I got this awesome cover for my computer that looks like a book. A book-book. For my MacBook. I put in on my bookshelf, and it disappears with it's ingenious camouflage.

This tickles me. teehee.

(didn't buy it at the store, ordered it online from my iPhone while waiting for my genius bar appointment. But you know, location association)

The manager of the restaurant wrote to me and apologized for the long black hair, and offered a free lunch. Will most certainly try again.

Awesome pizza. They serve pizza. Pizza; it's what they service. Serve Pizza, they do.

And because that's all they serve, it's possible that they'll do it very well. You know, because of lots of practice.

And they do indeed do it well. Thin crispy/chewy crust, delicious ingredients. . .a homey boothy atmosphere, everyone an their cousin from Ipswich is in there -

I work nearby, can't believe I never tried it before. Probably because they're only open for dinner, and I try to be gone by then.

I might be adjusting my schedule to take advantage of and aprés -work pizza pie now an again, now that I know about this Ipswich townie gem.

Pizza and Beer. . . it's what's for dinner.

Is it really possible that this restaurant has not yet been reviewed?

Well, I had a Groupon. I like getting the Groupons to local places I've never been to, because then I make the effort to get out of my rut and go.

And then I wait until the last minute before they expire. Procrastination. I'd talk about that, but I'm sure I can find something else to do first.
Stay tuned for the review.

My Groupon Girlfriend and I had 7:45 reservations. The place was almost full, but there was our little table.

The atmosphere at G Bar and Kitchen is intimate - there is an L shaped bar that seats probably 12, and about 12 tables. The walls are cloth covered, the light fixtures look like big futuristic hydrangeas. Cool yet cozy.

There was an atmosphere of animated conversation - enough activity to not seem like my animated conversation would be overheard, but more than quiet enough to have a good talk. The amount of hot air generated at the table was apparent, as I accidentally blew out our candle twice.

We started with cocktails.
The Go Green was good, a really bright, fresh mix of gin and white grapefruit juice, muddled with basil.
The White grape was simple and tasty.

The G Happy Meal was a selection of 4 small bites. They were all completely delicious. Really, really good. Amazingly varied and subtle flavors. 2 were spicy, 2 were not. All memorable. The crispy shrimp. . wow.

We also shared the Tomato Avocado Maytag salad. Maytag as in blue cheese, not as in lonely repairman. The plate was beautifully arranged, and the fig balsamic syrup really did the tomato justice. Good tomatoes too.

They have a great selection of reasonably priced wine.
I had a nice Riesling that perfectly complemented the Chef's Boat of the day, which was Sheepshead (A fish that resembles red snapper) sort of pho. . .well. . it was an intensely flavored and spicy broth with thin vermicelli type noodles, the generous filet of fish crispy and laid on top. . .it's actually hard to describe but I ate every scrap and drop.

GGF had the petit filet - possibly the best filet I've ever tasted. And i've tasted quite a few. Perfectly rare and tender, and accompanied by the cutest itty bitty baby brussels sprouts.

We finished with cappuccino (great), accompanied by a little amaretto cookie, and the black and white bread pudding. Friend commented that "bread pudding usually sucks, but what the hell. . ." And it didn't suck, at all. It was rich and delicious.

We wrote "yum" in the bottom of the plate with a finger. Chef gave me a thumbs up.

It was just so good: such a nice, unpretentious and casual atmosphere. . .the service was super and unobtrusive; and the food was clearly the product of someone who was having a lot of fun in the kitchen. Unusual, complex flavors, creative and beautiful platings - but never "trying to hard". It was just delicious.

I will definitely be back. I hope soon.

We closed the place, and they had a funny 70s-80s mix playing at the end. My Sharona.

HA!

A small place down in the food packing district -The food was great.
Classic diner breakfast, with a California flair, and a step up I'd say from the average.
Regulars came and went - old guys in trucker caps who greeted each other with a pat on the back and said "well there you are you S.O.B. . heh heh" and nursed a cup of coffee while gossiping. Oh wait, that's what the old ladies did. The old guys 'catch up on current events".

I had the huevos rancheros - It was delicious, fresh, and portions were huge.
Very good coffee.

My mom had the bacon waffles, which were great. How COULD that be bad.

Also at the table, pancakes (pronounced delicious and tender), an omelette that was delicious and full of stuff, and a cheeseburger.
Yes, you can have a cheeseburger for breakfast.

So glad Watsonville has this - there are several good places to get a hearty breakfast around here now.

We'll be back, I have no doubt.

You know - it's just G***D*** expensive.
(I suddenly became my mother - geez who even blanks that out anymore.)

And I can say that I've had teas from here that are exceptionally delicious, amazing and worth every penny.
Recently, I spend 30 bucks on some blueberry white tea that was tannic, bitter, and didn't make me happy - even after brewing precisely as prescribed. So. . . hmm. The saleslady was enthusiastic, and showed me how beautiful the tea was and I said.. OOO, I want. . .
meh

I dunno. It's good, occasionally.
For the moment, with my current life, I'll mostly be using tea bags and not worrying so much about brewing temperature and exact steeping time. But for those Sunday mornings when you want a really exceptional cup of tea. . .go for it.

(Don't forget the pots, strainers, cozies, cups and travel carafes. it's a rule, you must spend $50 every time you set foot in there)