Kenneth "abettertrip..com" T.'s Profile

You know when you watch one of those restaurant rescue shows and you see the place cutting corners and turning off clients? I got that feeling here.

Too bad, too, as I used to like this place.

I returned there for the 4th or 5th time and have to say the place has really gone downhill.

When we arrived a waiter had to call the greeter to greet us. That's never a good sign, but I shrugged it off.

Outside, there was an A-Frame advertising happy hour sushi from $3.00 when we get our menus, there's nothing that started at $3.00. Closest was $3.50. We asked the waitress about it. She said the pricing was new and the board hadn't been updated. Still, they placed it outside. How long does it take to erase chalk and price it correctly? 50 cents? Meh who cares? I don't like being baited with false advertising, though.

On the happy hour menu they've got a few rolls. We ordered a couple rolls. The california rolls were  not very good. The rice was hard and cold as if they came out of the refrigerator and the rolls had a day-old taste to them.

Off the happy hour menu we ordered the lobster roll. It came with that fake Krab stuff. I asked the waitress if there was any lobster in it, since it was a lobster roll. She responded that the sauce was made of langastinos (google that! they're not really lobsters). More bait and switch? I don't know. Maybe they use real lobsters. Can't tell (and that's the problem) as the rolls themselves are the fake krab stuff. Does it make a difference? It wasn't very good no matter how you slice it.

On the plus side, the chicken karaage was tasty and the waitress was friendly and polite. Not enough to counter the food, though.

As we left, the words came out that I really hate saying "we're not going back there again"

We've been waiting for them to open and try them out. Finally got around to it today. We planned for a 6'ish dinner and got there about 6:10 PM. The big sign was not lit, parking lot was dark, restaurant was pretty dark too. Mixed signals...

The open sign was still on,  so we took a chance and went in. More mixed signals as we see most of the chairs are up, but the kitchen staff is standing behind the counter and the lights are still on there as if...you know...they're open. I had to go back outside and read the hours again and yep, supposed to be open to 7:30. I look at the chairs again (not sure why I wasted so much time on it, but considered my mind kind of blown, as this is a new'ish restaurant and the signals and vibe I'm getting are so weird).

At 6:20, a staff person switched the open sign off (but in the process turned on the big sign, which again was strange), so they were trying to close, I guess.

We order a regular and a cali and they were pretty good. About the same quality but less greasy as The Great Steak @ Serramonte (so good vs not good, up 2 u, but there wasn't anything about the cheesesteak I'd complain about).

The chowder was just okay, had stuff in it, but didn't have a ton of flavor. Kind of starchy, like the potatoes had started to fall apart.

The fries were ok. Typical for skinny fries, my daughter says.

About four sets of customers came in during the period we were there. One seated at a large table and the others looked like they were there for takeout.

I felt bad that we were holding them up from closing up. The cashier was nice and friendly. Everyone else seemed like they were in a rush to close.

This all about an hour before posted closing time. Given all that, the food was decent enough, but I didn't feel like I had a good experience as it seemed that our patronage was just holding them up from being someplace else.

Not sure I'll ever go back. Pity.

I'm new to fishing, and met a very knowledgeable regular at Pacifica pier who made a great recommendation to check out Gus' Discount Fishing Tackle in SF.

At the shop I was surprised by how much is crammed in there. It was wall to wall fishing equipment. The head lady in charge, Stephanie was fantastic, letting me shop but also being very available to answer any questions, and provide help. Service just doesn't get any better.

With lots of gear and great service, the shop really earns every customer it has.  I'll be back again and again!

Please note, my daughter gives SERVICE 4 stars. This rating is for their PARTS department only.

Repair shop scams. Don't fall for it. (and shame on Honda Serramonte btw).
You go in for a $10 part. The parts guy insists that the only way you are going to get that $10 part is to buy a larger package.

In this case, it's a cheap piece of plastic that holds the back door open on a CRV. You can google: STOPPER, OPEN STAY Stock Code: 74827-S10-A00 for the exact part to see how silly this whole thing is.

My daughter & her boyfriend went to go pick it up. The guy insisted that the only way they were going to get it was to buy the shock absorber assembly for a hundred bucks.

Ridiculous! Especially since it's not a part of the shock absorber itself. If it was an integral bushing or something I could see it but not in this case. Double checked online and find it no problem. Call up Palo Alto Honda and they'll have the part for me tomorrow at the slightly higher than internet price of $10 and change +tax (cheaper than online since I'm not paying shipping).
Kudos to Palo Alto for keeping simple things simple.
Shame on Serramonte Honda.

Love The Boiling Crab :)
Reckless, distracted, or just plain tired drivers snaked Southward on the 280 like a wild drunken conga line and we in the middle of it... for one reason. To try The Boiling Crab for the first time.

We got there and I started out feeling "wow was it worth it?" Parked next to the grease trap bin (Why is that out there anyway?) and prepared for a long wait, even though we got there at just after 5pm.

No wait? Awesome! Those people outside were standing there because they weren't ready? Ah! Cool!

And then the fun begins.

I brought the family out for my wife & my 25th Anniversary. Perhaps not as fancy as many would do, but my wife & I are into food, not just dressing up for fun ;-). We were seated quickly (another reason to go right when they open) but I would note that there were only about 4 tables left when we got in.

The waiter was friendly, energetic, and took the time to ask us if we knew how things worked, if it was our first time, etc... He also asked if we needed anything explained on the menu. Thanks for my fellow yelpers, I had a plan and with a quick check around the table we were ready to order.

- 1lb Shrimp Medium Whole Shebang
- 1 Dungeoness crab XXX Whole Shebang
- 2 Gumbo with Rice
- 5 pc's Corn
- 1 order Catfish platter with Cajun Fries

and drinks for everyone.

We were prepared to get messy (important here!) and were prepared for the plastic bags of food that arrived. We donned the bibs provided and dove right in, devouring the shrimp, which came first.

Everyone was different. Suck first, tear off head with fingers, eat the head (me), crunch, munch, slurp, yum. Excellent. Tasty and for something rated medium, had a nice bite to it.

Corn appeared to be frozen corn (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but they did it well and it was tasty (it's very soft like you get at KFC, which my wife likes so hey all good).

The gumbo came. Hot as napalm (temperature) and seemed to stay that way for quite a while so even though it came out early, we didn't really eat it until later in the meal.

The crab arrived. We gobbled down the legs. The XXX sauce seemed to up the spiciness, but not really add anything to the flavor, leaving us preferring the medium (even though I usually go spicy). When we got to the body, we stopped and decided to pack it home. We were getting full by then, and I didn't know the waiter would have separated it for us. Next time (probably next week with some friends) I'll know better.

Back to the gumbo. Still too hot, ouch. Going to wait some more for that.

Catfish. I am not usually big on eating catfish, but was very impressed. The catfish was cooked PERFECTLY and served straight out of the fry basket. Tender, moist, perfectly cooked and not one speck of it dry. Really two thumbs up on the job they did on this. The cajun fries that it came on had good flavor and good crunch with a nice bit of soft potato within.

Back to the gumbo. It's finally cool enough to eat :) and it's quite good. It's a bit hard, as after eating the shrimp and the crab the gumbo has to really work for a spot on the palette as it's competing with XXX afterburn (the afterburn is not bad, but it's there, ya know?) I come away with a couple impressions. I wish there was just one or two more pieces of sausage in it. The amount of savory/saltiness is just right. and the okra. Oh, so many times I've had okra and it wasn't cooked right and it made me hate okra...they cook it right. it's not slimy, it's cooked tender, it's cooked just right.

I think the best way to enjoy the gumbo is to order it to go and enjoy it separate from the shrimp and crab and other strong flavors =)

All in all,we had a great time at the boiling crab. The food was good and we left full, but not over stuffed. The service was good from both of our servers and seating (with the caveat that we purposely tried to get there right when it opened) was fine for us.

Headed back there with a bunch of the guys next week. Can't wait.

Oh, and it was TOTALLY worth the drive. Cheers!

Warm, fresh Papusa on a cold wet night. What could be better? :) The papusa are really as good as the other reviews have said.

The guacamole appetizer came in a bowl about the size of a rice bowl, so you get roughly half a rice bowl of guac. That's not a whole lot for me & my friend to share, but it was fresh and pretty decent. I prefer a larger serving, and a bit spicier guacamole, but it was ok.

The papusa were freshly made, and service came with a smile from the friendly staff. The steak was what you'd expect for flank (meaning you have to chew), but the flavor was quite good.

I also bought a dozen tamale to go (3 each of the 4 types they sell), as well. My kids will be happy.

Like sneezing at an open hand... it's hit and miss. We stopped in for dinner, and found the reception warm and the view nice (even though without reservations, we had an inside table). Some of the food was pretty decent, some was not so great.

Appetizers - Crab cakes tasty. Artichoke uninspired and tiny.
My main course - BBQ ribs. Tasty. Cooked tender and the sauce was good. The garlic fries were ok too. The cole slaw however, was flavorless. Almost as if they forgot to toss it in dressing or something.
Other - I had a taste of my daughter's pasta. It was ok, nothing special.

Overall I'd say the experience was fine, as the location is nice & service was good, but for food I'd prefer to go elsewhere, especially for the money.

One last thing. I had the circle of beer. My friend also had one. The waitress identified the "start" and the list was supposed to be in order going clockwise. All good, except the colors of his didn't match mine from 3-5 so...one of us wasn't drinking what the list said. No big deal as the beer wasn't that good anyways, lol. If I were to go in for beer the only one I'd get would be the dark one, I forgot the name.

Summary: Service/front end was on the ball, but the food needs some work.

Edit: The desserts were all decent (enough). You can call that 2.5 stars if you want.

I bought my motorcycle here. I brought it in for basic service today. As always service was excellent.

The staff at SFmoto really go out of their way to make you feel like they appreciate your business.

No rubber food here! The squid and scallops were tender and perfectly cooked. The was soy sauce chicken moist and delectable. Every dish was excellent! A kitchen that cares about the food... wow! And on top of that... great service! Not just from one waiter, but the entire staff!

Way to make us feel welcome and leave us well fed and happy!

This is DEFINITELY one of our go-to places for family dinner.

Oh and one more thing. They charge tip for large parties, but make it very clear in English as well as Chinese, the tip charge. I like that!

(note: no AmEx, but Visa/MC ok...learned by experience lol)

This is my first visit here. Grain has gone from noodle bar to Asian fusion taqueria four weeks ago.

Their reasoning was sound, as there wasn't enough room to turn enough tables for a sit down menu and it only makes sense with such a small footprint to have something that emphasizes a to-go menu.

We bought 4 burritos, all regular. We picked one each: Korean bbq, Carnitas, Chicken, and adobo. Service was very pleasant and our food qas made quickly.

We took it to go and reheated it later for dinner.

The consensus was that it was o-kay, but my family didn't go ga-ga for it.

The price was good, but the food itself wasn't very tasty or exciting.

edit: you know... i was just sitting here thinking. stick a couple sausages in that burrito and it'd probably make a hell of a giant breakfast burrito. it'd go with those eggs & hash browns.