Bruce "Not as hip as he thinks he is" R.'s Profile

Last week, a few of us accompanied a friend to get a tattoo as she marked a significant milestone in her life.  After stopping in at a few places in the city and talking with some friends who have far more ink than I, we were directed to BullDog.  

Obviously Gauge is the top tog at BullDog, but were were extremely pleased with Michael: his demeanor, creativity and his awesome selection of itunes were truly a gift.

As soon as we walked into BullDog, our entire group just knew that this was the place. There was nothing wrong with the other places we visited, but the vibe at BullDog was relaxing, creative and personalized.

But back to Michael . . . after looking at the design my friend wanted, he was great at going back and forth until she found a design that she was willing to place permanently on her body.  He helped explain why some colors and designs were better, but never came across as pressuring her into something she was uncomfortable with. It was clear he wanted her to find the best design in all regards.

During the actual tattooing, Michael was extremely focused and caring. Knowing the reasons for the tattoo he spoke some profound words about what my friend would remember about not only the tattoo, but the act of getting it done.

Some of the nitty-gritty:
- Be ready to stay for a while, so parking could be an issue if you do it during the day. Walk-in to leaving was about 3 hours.
- This is not a cheap endeavor, but when it comes to a tattoo, the whole "getting what you pay for" is probably true. Totally worth it.
- Be sure to tip.
- Don't try to out pop-culture reference Michael. You will not win ;-)

I have a very small tattoo at this point, but if I ever dive in again, I will definitely be going to BullDog.  Thanks Michael for such a great experience.

A fine place, but I am not sure that it would last in a place where there are more cafes or diners.  The food was decent, but nothing spectacular . . . except for the biscuit.

There is no wifi so not really a coffee/hang-out spot.

If I had other options would def given them a try before coming back.

The is just as good as any of the taquerias in the Mission.  Lines get pretty long and they do not take credit cards, but other than that you will not be disappointed.

We often get the Baby Burritos for the kids which are just the right size and I am partial to the garlic prawn plate.  I have never heard of anyone not liking what they have ordered so I think you can't miss.

So . . . the last few times that I have been here, the place has been under some kind fo construction.  So while on 3 stars right now, I will consider at a later date.

Place seems like a great local hangout with decent coffee and basic cafe faire: bagels, pastries, etc.

No wifi is a big negative for me.  Maybe it's because it's under construction as other reviews seems to report there was free wifi at some point.

As a new person, I was also not aware of the whole "do I bus my table?" as there were not bus tubs anywhere to be founds.  Still not sure.

I think I'll be back if for no other reasons to see what it looks and feels like after all of the remodling is completed.

I have reviewed them before, but feel the need to give one more set of props as we just adopted a new dog this past week.  After deciding it was finally time for a new dog, we started out search.  Soon after finding one that we really like, we started a process of bringing the girls in for multiple visit.  It didn't take long for little "Ramona" to win us all over.  A week later she has become a lovely part of the family.

During our entire exploration and adoption process, the staff was amazing.  One might think that people who work with animals might have a hard time dealing with people, but each and every person with whom we came into contact were personable helpful. They made my kids feel special and clearly understood all of the emotions and decision involved for a family in making this commitment to adopt.

So to Tim, Diego, Linda and Nakeesha, thank you!

Before I give my glowing review of No Valley Pet Company and Paula, one of the owners, lets just be clear . . . this is a pet boutique AKA a "way too fancy for pets but we do it anyway because we love them" kind of place.

That said . . . it's a pretty awesome pet store.

My wife and I have had dogs most the the 20+ years of our marriage, but few years after daughter number 3 was born, we had to take a break.  Just was not fair to the dog or us*. Well that same little girl is now 8, so with her older sisters, 10 and 14, working hard at the parental units, we gave in and adopted a sweet minpin/dachshund mix from Animal Care and Control.

Now in previous years, we had always tried to go to the local pet store and most of them were kinda holes-in-the-wall staff by people who probably got along better with pets than people.  All good.  Now I am sure that there are still those places around, but whew, my how the business has changed.  People, especially San Franciscans have always blurred that pet/child line, but wow, seems like it has been kicked into overdrive as of late.

So we walked into Noe Valley Pet Company for the first with the crew in order to get ready for our new addition.  If you have been to one of these high-end pet stores, they are filled with all sorts of stuff that gets right at the pet-owners soul: designer collars, healthy foods, clothes and more.

Paula, who we learned was the owner, was extremely helpful and offered a discount because we just adopted. Prices were not as high as I would have thought for the basic stuff: crate, food, treats, etc.  We did end up getting a matching leash/collar set made by a local company for more than I pay for my own shoes, but hey, our family of five agreed and that's reason enough.  I drew the line at putting clothes on my dog no matter how cute she is ;-)

Overall, this is a store that is committed to the community, provides a great selection and has great customer service.  

We will def be back!

*the dog in questions is now living in a way more posh place than she would have EVER had with us.

I would say that this is the best frozen yogurt place in the city offering the best selections of toppings and flavors.

Add to the yogurt spread free wifi, a parking lot and proximity to get pet food, office supplies or groceries and 5-stars is a no-brainer.

Yum.

Okay seriously, do I even need to review this place?

While there are other places where you COULD take your Ducati, unless there is some kind of emergency, there is absolutely no reason to do so.

Trustworthy.
Knowledgeable.
Reasonable.

Go there. That is all.

Stumbled upon this place and decided to give it a try without even consulting yelp. *gasp*

Love that culinary goodness can still be discovered by happenstance.  One star off because the owner was a little too frantic for my taste and it took forever to get my check.

That said . . . Tom Yum with noodles was top notch, not too spicy with just enough kick to know what you're eating.  From the people around me, seems like all the other dishes were yummy as well.

Probably not the best place for any more than a group of 4 as the seating is pretty tight and it was crowded.

Will def be back.

Quick possible the best pizza I have ever had, brick-n-mortar, food cart or Farmer's market.  Yes, you heard right.  Located on the entrance side of the Alemany Farmer's market this place is our reward for a day well-shopped.

After gathering our week's veggies, we reward ourselves with a pie with prosciutto and egg drizzle. Thin crust and about 8 minutes in prep time, this hot delight is the perfect end to a Farmer's market outing.

I know that it seems hard to believe that there could be pizza this good in this context, but they have worked on the recipes for a while, built an amazing oven and basically let the pie sell itself.

You will not be disappointed.