Carl "CarlAboutTown" C.'s Profile

I won't write a long review here ... looks like most of the other reviewers hit the nail on the head.  

In short, the food was decent (just decent), our waitress was useless (so freakin slow reading the specials and way too slow on service.)

I had to get up and go to the main desk just to get our check so we could pay and leave.

If you're going here for lunch, you'll have to rush.  Go to J. Alexanders.  They have better and much faster lunch service.  

The only saving grace here is that the wait staff and bar staff are usual very friendly, they get out of the way when customers walk by (part of their training I assume) and most of them smile and say hello.  

If they could just work some on the speed of the service I'd give em 4 stars.

I'm looking at some of the other reviews in here and it just makes me wonder where some of these reviewers are from.

One of the hallmarks of good Southern food is that it isn't overly-spiced.  Good Southern food is cooked in it's own juices, not burried in salt, pepper or hot sauce (hot sauce? .. on southern fried chicken? ... really? .... )  

During out first visit, we ran into a friend who recommended that  we NOT get the fried chicken.  Upon probing, he explained that this grandmother (apparently a Southern cook) made fried chicken but her batter was moist.

Ok, whatever .. even as I listened to his explaination, the thought of moist battered Southern fried chicken made my skin crawl. It also make me wonder about his claim that his grandmother was a Southern cook at all.

True, Southern fried chicken has crispy crispy crispy (you get the point) batter.  When you bite into it, some of the crust should hit your plate.  The part that makes it to your mouth should be crispy, hard and not too spicy.

Needless to say, I got the chicken.  Good!  Crispy! Not burried in salt or pepper like the Publix crap you get around here.  Unfortunately, people in S. Florida are so used to the overly spiced chicken from Publix that they think it's good.  It' s only "good" because Publix burries it is salty/peppery batter.   That is NOT Southern fried chicken.

The sides and other plates are decent:
_Mac an Cheese - ok ..  
_Collards - good.
_Lima Beans - good.
_Carrot Salad with Raisins - a little too much base ( I'm guessing they use cheese) but ok.
_Fried Green tomatoes - a little red but good.
_Biscuits and strawberries desert - good.  
_Chicken Pot Pie - good
_Chicken fried Steak - a bit dry but good flavor.

A side they need:
_Cornbread.  Who the he** runs a Southern Style restaurant and doesn't offer cornbread? What?    

All in all, check it out.  It's worth the trip.

Wow, ... velvet ropes, well dressed bouncers ... and to top it all off "...we charge a $5.00 cover charge per person to enter."

What? Wait!! ...Really?

Our group was there for dinner (tapas).... We usually drink too ... and tip well if the service is decent (based on past experience and other reviews, you'll see that the service is just so so.)  

When I asked the slightly snooty girl "...why the $5 cover..we're all eating dinner?..."  We really didnt' get an explanation. She just repeated herself.

On the bright side:
__We crossed back over the self-engrandizing velvet ropes and went somewhere else.
__The couple behind us also left as a result of our encounter.
__We also overheard a couple at the restaurant we ended up at saying they too had left because they refused to pay $5 cover just to walk in the door.

So ...

__Is Blue Martini a bar? (most decent bars in Ft Lauderdale no longer charge a cover though they may require a minimum.)
__Is Blue Martini a club? (most clubs in Ft Lauderdale no longer charge a cover though they may require a minimum.)
__Is Blue Martini a restaurant?  (I would never pay a cover charge to eat dinner or tapas, even if it involved a band, dancing and/or drinks.

Bottom line: Yes, $5.00 dollars is chump change.... but it's good money we refused to spend just to have dinner/tapas and a drink at a so-so mall location.  There are several, better restaurants/clubs/lounges/whatevers right there in the Galleria or just down the street (either beach-side or on Federal Highway a mile away.)

Premier Martini Lounge?  .... uhm, don't bother.

The 16 year old air conditioning in my house recently began to fail. At the advice of a co- worker, I call Leon at L.J. Air. He had done work at her house and she liked the results.

He told me what was wrong with my old system and installed a new, energy efficient, larger system in half a day.

His crew (3 other guys) were efficient, friendly and worked hard the entire time, which in S Florida, is unheard of.

Leon's quote was about $1500 less than another (and $2500 less than a company that advertises a lot in this area.)  so I took a chance. I'm so glad I did.

When his crew was finished, they cleaned up and doubled checked the system to be sure everything was correct. In short, I was totally impressed.

I won't write a long review ... Looks like most others have hit the nail on the head by saying "excellent view and ok food".

I'd never been to the pier and the Columbia was recommended.

Though I'd probably visit again, this wasn't the best food in St.Petersburg.

Fun place but dirty rooms, horrible service and several property issues.

We checked into Flamingo based on previous reviews that indicated it was an "okay" place to stay.

All I can say is some people must have low expectations of what a gay resort should be. Don't get me wrong, this place had some pluses, but the cons made us decide we would never stay here again.

Pros:
--Cabana Bar - decent drinks with good bartenders
--The Pool - Large with relatively clean water except for some bird-feces. See cons below.
--Bars - The property had several small bars with friendly bartenders and decent drinks
--The staff - Most of the staff was friendly and helpful. See cons below.
--Reasonable price (though more was expected even at the price).

Cons
--The rooms - Terribly outdated with dirty furniture, older TVs, and outdated wiring that worked when it wanted to. The adjoining door barely locked. The room needed painting, new carpet. The air conditioner struggled to keep the room cool. The solution was a fan from the local Walmart.
--The room-service - Completely Useless!  We made repeated calls to the front desk for towels and toilette paper. When we were lucky enough to catch the maid on our floor, her idea of good room-service was giving us a stack of towels. Our maid entered our room, but NEVER cleaned the sinks, tub or toilette and never changed sheets or made up the bed. I'm still not sure why she entered the room, except maybe to check our room number off her list?
--The plumbing -Our tub remained semi-clogged the entire time we were there, despite repeated complaints.
--The room safe - Didn't lock. Useless.
--Cleanliness- Though the building walls had been painted, all of the property's passageways, stairways, and porches needed sandblasting and painting badly. Every surface was filthy with black stains, peeling paint, wads of gum and trash everywhere.
--The courtyard - We watched the maintenance guy sweep every morning, but he left as much trash and cigarette butts on the ground as he picked up. Between the buildings and the courtyard, going barefoot was a bad idea!
--The outside restaurant -After trying for 20 minutes to be waited on by two separate waiters, we gave up, went to our room, and ordered pizza.
--The entertainment complex - The property has a lot of space, which they've divided into several tiny bars. As a result, they're trying too hard to be "everything to everyone". The space could be better used if it were divided into one or two large video bars with larger dance floors and themed nights. Currently the bars tend to compete with each other with music from one bar drowning out the music from another, at least while we were there.
--The roof - Apparently the flat roof on one of the wings fills with water every time it rains. This accumulated water attracts 100s of local seagulls. Unfortunately, these seagulls leave their feces everywhere on the property, in the courtyard, on tables and chairs, on guests (including us) , in drinks, in the pool and on over half of the parked cars on that side of the property. Any intelligent manager or owner could easily note this as a health and appearance issue and take easy steps to either drain the water using a flat roof drain or pump and/or "scare-crow" the birds.
--Unsecure property - Because the Flamingo is apparently a local hangout, the motel property is treated more like an outdoor bar. As a result, the property is completely unsecure with no control over who enters the property.

Briefly, this property has tons of potential but is either poorly managed or is owned by someone who has set the quality bar very low with no sense of cleanliness, quality, or customer service. The number of issues we observed makes it impossible to believe that other guests didn't have issues as well. After speaking to a couple of out-of-town guests, we discovered we were right.

All of this said, we had a good time and made the best of it by touring the Tampa Bay area, visiting St Petersburg, hitting some local sites and bars, meeting guests and enjoying the one relatively clean part of the complex, the pool.

I'm not going to waste my time or yours by writing a long review here, so I'll just get to the point...

Don't bother going here .

A once great restaurant has turned into a stage for the owner's poor attitude. Unfortunately his bad attitude has rubbed off on his looser, slow, full-of-attitude staff.

The owner clearly has no idea that "customers come first".

So, in a nutshell ;

--slow service
--poor attention to detail
--unwilling to alter orders at all
--poor wait staff
--nothing but excuses

It made it very convenient that Laurie's Skin Care was at the same location that I get my hair cut (Salon Oggi in Fort Lauderdale).  The setting was relaxing and tastefully decorated, with soft music and awesome scents.  

Update: Laurie has moved to a more private location effective November 2011, but her number is the same  

I guess I don't pamper myself enough (ok, it's a "guy" thing) but this time, I'm glad I did.

Laurie first talked about what my skin needed, and then went to work. My session was relaxing and Laurie checked with me repeatedly to ask if I was comfortable.  I didn't feel rushed. She is a true professional.

Laurie also recommended some products after my session to help with maintenance.  It' s clear that she is knowledgable about skin and what makes it look good (and not-so-good).

I highly recommend that you give Laurie a try.  Doesn't matter if you're a girl or a guy,

THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT!

1) Dishonest (or at the very least, non-responsive) warranty service and management.

Sawgrass charged me for $700 worth of work that, according to even my warranty company, should have been billed to the warranty, not to me. Sawgrass refused to call me back when I made multiple calls to complain , only to be told "someone will call you back" each time.  This was after I had been going to the dealer for over 2 years and had even generated business for them by recommending friends buy a car there.

2) Non-responsive sales department

I found a vehicle I was interested in and both called and emailed to inquire. No one contacted me about the car, so I ended up buying one from another dealer in Miami. Shortly thereafter I received an email from their sales department saying "we're still here to help you if you're still looking to buy." Too little -  too late, sorry guys but your slackness lost you this sale.

3) Non-responsive service department

I contacted their service department to schedule an appointment have my car serviced. No-one returned the message or made the appointment.  If that's a sign of how well your customer service has gotten, I don't think I want to have my car serviced there.  

Avoid this dealer, no matter what your need is. It's clear that their lack of integrity is more than just a fluke.  I recommend you take your Infiniti to Lauderdale Infiniti.  So far, great service from Lauderdale!

Sorry Sawgrass, three strikes for me -- I'll take my business elsewhere.

Good price - Zero intregrity - Bold faced lies - Failure to do due diligence - Not recommended.

Can I give zero stars?  If I could, I would.

I recently bought a car from Doral.  I was attracted by the price.  

Pros:
__The salesman seemed friendly and made the buying process easy.
__The price on the vehicle was reasonable compared to others on the market.
__In house financing was easy with a good rate and quick setup.

Cons:
__After buying a car on October 2, after 30 days, the payoff on my traded remains uppaid
__Repearted calls from October 14th were not returned.
__After finally speaking to a finance officer on Oct 20th, he indicated that "a payment was made on a Monday (Oct 18)..."  but the payment is yet to be applied. They also sent me a payment advice (as "proof") but the payment advice was dated Oct 20th, not October 18th or the date of the original sale, October 2nd. The payoff amount on the payment advice matches the payoff amount as of Oct 20 (according to my bank), not October 18th or the date of the original sale, October 2nd. (My suspicion is that the finance office dropped the ball and never took payment action.)    
__The finance office did not return any of my calls.
__I never received a copy of all of my contracts.
__The dealer never etched my windows as per the contract.  
__The salesman, who promised to have the finance office call me,  also failed to follow thru.  
__After reviewing all of my files, I have not received copies of all contracts due me.
__Clearly, someone at Doral is not telling the truth.

Action I've taken in addition to repeated calls:

__Oct 20, I filed a complaint with the State Attorneys General office.That case is pending.
__Oct 20, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. That case is also pending.

Update, Nov 1:  

__I spoke to the General manager, who promised to have everything straightened out. He indicated that my payoff was received today (Nov 1) and should post within 24 hours, 29 days AFTER the close of sale and 13 days after the finance office indicated the payment was originally processed.  
__ To add insult to injury, I received a call from their finance office indicating that they never transferred the tags from my old car.  They also promised to have this straightened out my Nov 3.   We'll see.

I'll update this later as this continues to unfold, but, that said, here's
my advice?  

Update, Nov 4:

__I actually had to drive back to Doral to have the above issues straightened out, which, I'm happy to say, were finally corrected.  That said, my advice below remains:  

Avoid Doral Lincoln Mercury!!  They dropped the ball at EVERY turn and failed to accept responsiblity until the very end.  After waisting my time, my money, and risking my credit rating, I can clearly say that this is NOT a business I recommend to anyone else.