Vilay "hot sauce" S.'s Profile

Spreehive is yet another one of those online deal sites. The twist is that when you make a purchase, 5% of your purchase goes to a non-profit and you get to choose from their list which one to give to. The site has been up for over a year so it's a little unusual that it seems like they haven't gotten their act together yet. I bought a deal from them and didn't get to use it before it expired. I went on the site to see what my options were. Here is their return policy: "Our returns policy is simple. If you purchase something and decide that you don't want it, simply send us an email with information regarding what you purchased, and we will give you a 100% refund, no questions asked! The hive always looks out for one another, and once you are a member you will NEVER get stung!" (source: http://www.spreehive.c...) The return policy says nothing about expiration dates. I attempted them to contact them multiple times over a couple of weeks, both through an email address I found on their site and their "Contact Us" form. No response at all. Another thing I noticed is that according to "gift card" laws, the amount you paid for the voucher should never expire. For example, if you paid $20 for $40 worth of stuff, but the coupon expired, you are still able to use that $20 of credit you actually paid. Groupon and Living Social puts this on their fine print for all of the deals, but Spreehive never mentions this anywhere.

After no response by email, I inquired about filing a BBB dispute. However, the database requires a physical address in order to add a new business. I couldn't find any physical address or phone number anywhere on Spreehive's site. Shady! I asked them publicly on their Facebook page why they won't respond to customer service emails and they deleted it.  

Look, I know it's my fault that the coupon expired. That's not my gripe. But it is wrong that their return policy says they'll give a refund for any reason and they won't follow up on that, and there is seemingly no way to make them follow through without any way to get in touch with a person.

This review is only for their pizza. I stopped in here for a cheese slice one day and based on that once slice, I certainly wouldn't try them for pizza. I consider pizza its own special food group and there's a compartment in my stomach separately for pizza. The taste of this pizza reminded me of frozen or the kind you get a Chuck E Cheese. It had a soft and doughy crust. Actually it reminded me of Boboli crust. Sauce was a little sweet and there was too much for my taste. The slice wasn't piping hot, just kinda lukewarm. It looked like there was drippy oil on top (not saying this is a bad thing) and when I went to blot it off, not much oil came off. However, the cheese still strangely shiny (remember, the cheese was cooled and not boiling hot). Why was it so shiny? What is in that cheese?

I'm terrible at reviewing the events I go to, but I knew I had to make this one a priority because Hilary & Sarah must have worked so hard on it.

Getting there, I had no idea what to expect but everything totally worked (didn't doubt you rockstars for a minute!). The hair salon school gave a surprisingly fitting industrial-chic vibe. The silent disco was conveniently set up in a mirrored room - kismet. Even the hair & makeup room was completely separate from the food & drink. The pieces came together so perfectly.

The bites were all yummy - especially the meatball, and the drinks were so generous. Cook & Brown were able to deliver their fine cocktails even on the go. I couldn't get enough of that negroni.

What I love about the Yelp events though is that all of the vendors and servers are always so nice! All of the vendors I met were so warm and inviting and totally put us at ease. Thank you Yelp and all of the sponsors.

Such a good deal! There are so many perks here: Nice, modern, comfortable hotel, free wifi, gym, only a couple blocks away from a train station and a short train (under 15 mins) ride into Manhattan: I scored it for around $100 booked directly on Starwood. Anything between $100-200 in Manhattan will get you a toss up between "acceptable" and "slummin' it." This place is a gem when you factor in amenities and price.

There isn't much else in the neighborhood, but hey it only takes a couple of minutes on the train to get to one of the hoods with food & bars all night long. It's not much of an inconvenience and totally worth the savings. I did appreciate accidentally finding a Modell's Sporting Goods nearby where I got a bootleg Jeremy Lin shirt and the Asians in my home state are totally jealous of.

Somebody call Kitchen Nightmares!

I've been wanting to go here since I had their chili at the Chili Cookoff. It is always so good! I had high hopes for the food. Walking in I wasn't expecting high falutin fine dining. I get it, it' s just a neighborhood joint where you can take gram & gramps for pizza & spaghetti.  I was willing to overlook the initial quirks:

- Hostess says "There will be a wait, but I have no idea how long."
- Menu printed on brown paper & black ink, with stupid fake watermark going across all of the words.
- Disclaimer on the menu says something like  "Since we make everything from scratch, entrees take longer to prepare, up to 2 hours". Who the fuck is going to wait 2 hours for an entree?
- Everyone around us got bread, but we didn't get it until we asked.

The entrees all come with salads, and everything is plated nicer than you'd expect for a little casual joint. The calamari appetizer was the epitome of bad calamari - rubbery and greasy. When our entrees came, 3 out of 4 people got their food. My date ordered an eggplant-goat cheese torte, so you expect some kind of baked casserole-y thing. The waitress comes back with a plate and it goes like this:

Waitress: Annnd here's your chicken marsala!
Boy: I didn't order chicken marsala. I had the eggplant.
Waitress: Oh I'm sorry! I just said the wrong thing. No, that's the eggplant. (there are clearly chicken tenders on the plate)
Me & Boy: No, that's not eggplant.
Waitress walks away with the plate and less than 30 seconds later, returns: Well, did you WANT the eggplant, or I could just leave this here?
Boy: yes, I did want the eggplant.

Yeah, not only did she think she can fool us by saying the chicken was eggplant, she then tried to convince us to keep it, even though it wasn't what he ordered. Since they make everything "from scratch", the last plate came out way after everyone else was done eating. Ok, you know what? There are tons of restaurants out there that make everything from scratch, they just prep it ahead of time. The fact that you might take up to 2 hours to get a plate out isn't something to brag about. It means you missed the memo on running an efficient restaurant. The bill came and they didn't even offer him a free drink or dessert, or take it off the bill, or any sort of discount.

PS. I ordered a chicken dish, and only ate a few bites of my chicken and took the rest home. It didn't taste bad, I just filled up on bread & salad. When I went to heat up the leftovers for lunch, I cut into it and the chicken was still pink.

Kudos to them for trying to do "creative Italian" in a Windsor office park (no sarcasm, that really is a compliment) but hire a freaking restaurant consultant and/or teach your high school employees how to be real servers.

Overall, this hotel was a good value for the money, but with drawbacks. Like many people have said, if you get a dirt cheap bargain rate then go for it, but anything more than $100/night maybe not. I saw this place on Groupon but was able to get an even cheaper rate through mouse savers. One night = base rate of $59, $85 after taxes, resort fee, parking. The room was great - 2 double beds plus a sofa, so it was roomy, and a balcony with table & chairs overlooking the pool area. But like most things, you get what you pay for, as there were many drawbacks. Check-in time says 4 pm. I got there in the morning and parked so I could take the shuttle and hit up Disney. I checked to see if my room was ready, just in case, and they said no. Fine, I had no problem with that. Off to Disney I went. (by the way, it took an hour on the bus to get the Animal Kingdom) In the afternoon, I came to take a break and check into the room. Asked at 3:00 if I could check in yet, they said no. That was fair. I sat in the lobby. At 4:05 I went to check in and they said my room would not be ready for another hour. What the fuck? I had to sit in the lobby even longer, missing out on my park time. This is the first time I have ever not been able to check into a hotel at the stated check-in time.

This hotel should not qualify as a resort. I don't know what defines something as a "resort" but I hate resort fees for bogus crap. They say the resort fee gives you access to the pool, towel service, fitness center, and "guaranteed entry into the parks" - that last one is ridiculous if you think about it. If I buy a ticket to the park, I'm guaranteed entry, so the hotel has nothing to do with it. Wifi wasn't even included. Sorry but I've stayed at cheaper hotels with those same "amenities" and no b.s. resort fee.

Another thing: I had a 5:10 am flight, so I asked the concierge about a cab to the airport. He said it would cost $48 and made a few calls to find me a cab. Morning comes around and a town car shows up and suddenly the cost is $58. Not pleased, and at 3 am, there was no choice and he knew that.

All in all, I don't think I would stay here again given the shady service and not-guaranteed check-in time. I'd rather pay more somewhere else where I know I will be able check in at the time it says on my reservation, and not get grifted by concierge bookings. Nevertheless, I gave it 3 stars because at a $59 base rate, you get what you pay for. It was basic and comfortable for the price.

The venue fit the theme perfectly. The restaurant has an old boys/railroad baron thing going on. I'm glad they let me in the door.

This event ties with Olneyville System for the nicest, most welcoming staff at a Yelp event. The manager and chef were out there mingling with us, waitstaff were all very young but very friendly and nice. The food was generous and delicious - definitely enough to make me plan another trip back. The hosts at The American really got that part spot on (making us want to go back, that is) And the Shutterbooth guy is also super nice! Great to have them at an event again.

So Hilary, thank you for your wonderful service to our country of Elite Nation

Thanks to these reviews from fellow yelpers, I was able to show up at the DMV with every single thing I needed and I was out 30 mins after they opened. Here is a step by step guide to new residents.

1. Go to the website and download all of the forms you need for license & registration. Fill them out before going to DMV. Get *everything* on the checklist; the most confusing thing to me was the tax exempt forms. Yes, you do need them. The form they give you + bill of sale was sufficient for me. Don't forget your checkbook when you go.
2. Go to a police station to get your VIN check. I went to the Providence one because it opens at 7 am so I went right before going to the DMV. It costs $10 here but for some reason costs $15 at other places. The Prov location ONLY accepts money order!!
3. Check in at DMV: I got to there at 7:30 am on Friday, 1 hr before opening. I was 8th in line. By the time it opened, there were over 50 in line. As soon as I got my ticket, my number was called. This is why it's important to fill out your forms beforehand. I go to the window, she tells me I need to go to the tax line. No big deal because they give you a special ticket so you dont have to wait in line again. (Don't bother going to the tax line first, because you'll miss out on an early ticket #) The tax lady gives me a stamp. I get a new number from the check-in booth, and it's called before I even sit down.
4. Get rude ass service from the worker. I've heard horror stories, but I've never really had anyone treat me so infuriatingly in any customer experience. Each time she'd say "I need this thing" and as she sees me shuffling the papers to get to it, she says "sign here... get me this... now look over there and read line 5..." basically every time I was in the middle of doing something she asked, she'd interrupt me with the next step. Look I get that you want it to be fast, but this doesn't help. Then when she asked for proof of residency, I have my hand on it and haven't even put it through the hole yet and she says "We don't take leases." Me: "It's a home insurance policy. It's on the list." This exchanged happened a few times too where she thinks I'm an idiot with the wrong forms, and surprise, it's right. Then she asked me 8 separate times if there was a bank loan on my car. Even though it says it right there on there on the title to my car! Read it, No lien! Finally it's all over with, and all of my shit was correct. She hands me the car plates and says, "you're all set" as if that's the end. I paused and asked, "What about my license stuff?" Her: "Oh, go over to window 7,8,9 to get your picture taken." Well that's nice of you to let me know. Now I see why they need the plexiglass in front of them. (cost here was about $160)
5. Get your car inspected within 5 days. (not sure about the cost)

The paperwork is all very confusing, so I do kind of have to separate the paperwork from the physical experience at the office. Three out of the 4 employees I dealt with were perfectly nice. There are around 20 stations to take customers, so the line does move pretty quickly. There doesn't seem to be enough room to sit considering the amount of people though. I think it is the most efficient setup of the many DMV's I've had to visit in the past.

What an amazing event! Everyone was dressed to the nines and in good spirits. The space was rich and cozy.  It was awesome to have Spicebox sponsor the drinks. I didn't care for it, but that's no one's fault. The photographs of the night captured the event perfectly. Stacey Doyle's photos were gorgeous! Thanks Hilary for putting together a fabulous party and making me try a new place.

Oh, and I saw boobies - and I don't mean next door at Club Fantasies. Can we have burlesque at every event?

I admit it: when I first heard the concept ("a standing room only tapas bar") I was a hater. Who's gonna eat tapas at a place with 5 seats? And why would you stand around at a BYOB bar? Why do I have to go inside before I see the menu?

Tapas are my favorite genre of food, so I had to give it a shot. Here's how it works: menu items are on the slate board on the wall. It's all in Spanish, which I do not speak. But I do speak food, and I could sorta figure out what was what. If not, just ask and the gracious staff are happy to explain everything to do. Bocadillos = sandwiches, tortilla = like a fritatta of egg & potato, pintxos are your a delicious bite of something on top of a piece of bread. Then there are a few selections of meats, cheese, olives, and empanadilla of the day. They also do espresso, which I haven't tried but need to.

The food is simple but delicious. The family-run atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. When my boyfriend wanted to play the vintage pinball machine, the owner-Dad said "You'll have to challenge me because I have the high score!" So cute. They are open for lunch M-F and dinner Wed-Sat. I have yet to go for dinner because every time I've tried, they are PACKED.