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Darren I.'s Profile

Photo of Darren I.

Photo of Darren I.
Photo of Darren I.
Photo of Darren I.
Photo of Darren I.
Photo of Darren I.

Elite 2008

profile votes icon Review votes:
124 Useful, 29 Funny, and 58 Cool

Location

Irvine, CA

Yelping Since

November 2006

My Hometown

Sherman Oaks, CA

Why You Should Read My Reviews

Not only do I review restaurants, but I also review just about everything else!

The Last Great Book I Read

Crowsourcing

My First Concert

Willie Nelson when I was 5

My Favorite Movie

Spaceballs

Recent Reviews

205 Reviews

Filter by: Location   Category
6548 Telegraph Road
Los Angeles, CA 90040
(323) 721-0800

Lumber Liquidators  

Category: Home & Garden

1 star rating
 8/20/2009  
BUYER BEWARE!!! I have rental properties that I own and rent out. I went here to get some new laminate flooring to install in the entire downstairs. I had my handman out at the condo doing some work. I went to pick up the laminate flooring from LL. They gave 700 square feet of the same exact pattern. I did not notice it and brought it to my installers to put in. When I went back to check on the work I saw the same repeated pattern over and over. For spending $1200 on flooring you expect the people selling it to you to understand that you have a mix of patterns to give the laminate the look of real wood flooring. Needless to say the customer service to fix this problem was useless and I'm stuck with the flooring I have. You would think that a store that sells flooring and specializes in flooring would know to give their customers different patterns of flooring. I would not recommend them due to their lack of diligence in taking the time to give me the correct flooring and also doing nothing to help me switch out the boxes that I already had.

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Irvine, CA 92602
(949) 552-0885

Terminix International  

Category: Pest Control

1 star rating
 8/13/2009   First to Review
If there ever were a time to hand out negative stars this would be one of them. I set up an account with Terminix to come out to one of my rental properties for a pest control appointment. It was a Tuesday that I called and the dispatcher said that a technician would be out at the property from 5-7pm. I had arranged it with my tenants for someone to be home. The next day I get a call from Terminix saying that they would be coming out that evening. I was really mad because they were supposed to come the previous night. I again arrange it with my tenants to be home from 5-7 pm because that is when they said they would come. On Thursday at 4 pm I get a call from a Terminix technician that he can't find the property and is even at the wrong address. I was really pissed at this point. They didn't even go on Wednesday night for the second time in a row! Needless to say I canceled the contract with them. DO NOT USE THEM EVER. THEY ARE UNRELIABLE AND THEIVES. I called customer service and they said that the manager would call me by the end of the day. It is now 7:10 pm and still no call. STAY AWAY FROM THEM AT ALL COST!!!

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5685 Alton Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 559-5804

Oak Creek Cleaners  

Category: Dry Cleaning & Laundry

1 star rating
 5/8/2009  
I will NEVER GO BACK. They are unethical and rude and lied to us. We dropped off a shirt that we needed for next day service. We called them and the guy at the counter lied to my wife telling her it won't be available by the time we needed it the next day. We called back again and a girl answered and said it would be no problem. They open at 6 am and they said it would be done at 6 am. Then they don't even call back and tell us it won't be ready until 10 am!!!

Even worse is that they put a sticker on your shirt that you cannot remove!!! Beware unless you want to be lied to and have stickers put on your shirts that you cannot remove!!!

I hate this place and will never return!!!

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3831 Alton Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 252-1872

Goro Japanese Restaurant  

Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese

1 star rating
 2/21/2009  
the website says it is open until 10 pm and we got there at 9:30 on a friday evening and they were closed! give me a break. i hate stores that post their hours and don't keep them.

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13925 Yale Ave
Irvine, CA 92620
(949) 733-3434

New York Pizzeria  

Category: Pizza

3 star rating
 1/21/2009  
Pizza was a good change and much better than Pizza Hut or Dominoes. I do like Round Table more however, it was a nice alternative.

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273 S Tustin St
Orange, CA 92866
(714) 744-9337

Carnitas Los Reyes  

Category: Mexican

5 star rating
 1/10/2009  
Move over Taqueria Y Tortilleria El Campeon, and hello Carnitas Los Reyes!!! I used to say that the very best carnitas were at Taqueria Y Tortilleria El Campeon down in SJC, but this place has taken their place as my new #1 for tacos.

While waiting in the long line on a Friday night and watching the patrons eating my stomach grew hungrier and hungrier. I peered over to my right and saw a huge 250 pound dude man handle 5 tacos without blinking an eye. He ravaged through them spreading them with salsa and washing them down with sweet pickled carrots.

Seeing him eat them with ease made me think that I too, all 5'7" 170 pounds will be able to tackle at least 5 tacos with ease. I got to the counter and ordered, 2 carnitas tacos (I had to try 2 of them because for god's sake the work carnitas is in the name of the restaurant and they must be good), 1 carne asada taco, one lingua (beef tongue), and one al pastor taco (marinated pork).

We grabbed a table and waited in anticipation for our meal to arrive. The kind waitress brought us some pickled carrots and some chips with salsa. I proceeded to dip my chip in the salsa. Now I don't just dip and pull out, I scoop so I have a healthy amount of salsa on my chip. I bit down and an intense fire sensation hit my tongue. The spice was spot on and delicious. It's funny though, the heat from the salsa really creeps up on you. By my fourth or fifth chip i was sweating and getting all teary eyed. Everyone was probably looking at me and laughing being the only Asian guy in the room crying from the salsa.

The tacos came quickly and I grabbed a carne asada taco, piled on the salsa and bit down. The flavor was perfect, mild and succulent making you savor your next bite of pure carnitas heaven.  The carne asada was the best carne asada I have ever eaten. The flavors here are really mild but the meat is so succulent with bits and pieces of meat that are crunchy adding to the perfect texture for a soft taco.

I proceeded to eat and finish 3 tacos and was stuffed. I waived the white flag. At only $1.15 a piece it was a steal. I guess I should have known when the big 250 pound dude only ordered 5 tacos I should have know. They pack those suckers with so much meat they fill you up fast!

Can't wait to come back here and try the menudo... maybe I'll go tomorrow!!!

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9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844
(714) 530-1744

Brodard Restaurant  

Category: Vietnamese

4 star rating
 1/4/2009  
Excellent place for Vietnamese spring rolls. I have the same stuff to day about this place as my fellow yelpers, hidden location, great spring rolls, crazy environment...

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6755 Quail Hill Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92603
(949) 737-5950

Dogma  

Category: Pet Stores

2 star rating
 12/29/2008  
Alright, alright so maybe two stars is a bit harsh but I had to do it based on the customer service. We went here to buy some Christmas treats for my mom's dog and decided to go to this little boutique shop. Now here is the thing, I know its the holidays, and I know that stores can get a little busy but there was nobody in the shop when we walked in. Four people behind the counter yapping away. We wanted to buy some of the treats and asked if someone would help us. All at once they turned to one another and said "you help them." They passed us around for a few seconds and then all had a big laugh afterwords. I mean come on. Give me a break. Let me let you in on something, you get paid to help customers in the store, not pass them off to the others there. Its your job and if you don't want to do it then you can find a different one that doesn't involve customer service. Once we got one of them to help us, we asked how long the treats usually last and three of the workers then chimed in, all giving us different answers. "A few days," "2-3 weeks," "a long time." Which one is it????? A word of wise to the owner from one small business owner to another, hire better help and teach some product knowledge! It may have been that only 2 of the 4 where actual workers and the other 2 where boyfriends or something hanging out behind the counter with them. Who knows??? Probably won't be back here based on the poor experience.

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633 Anton Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 546-7405

Mastro's Steakhouse  

Category: Steakhouses

5 star rating
 12/16/2008  
How can you not enjoy a place like this? Everything from the service to the bathroom was impeccable and made for a wonderful experience. We came here with my family celebrating my brother passing the bar exam and officially becoming a lawyer! The service was top notch with them splitting all the salads and sides for us. Bread basket was delicious with pretzel bread and Parmesan cheese bread! The steaks were cooked to perfection presented on a plate heated to 400 degrees with a healthy (or unhealthy depending on how you look at it) amount of clarified butter which adds a richness to the meat. The waiter even gave us a free congratulatory dessert of freshly baked cake with home made vanilla bean ice cream and freshly whipped creme. It was all absolutely decedent and delicious. I highly recommend the mac and cheese as well as the wasabi mashed potatoes. Definitely is giving Flemings a run for its money as my favorite high class steak joint in OC.

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3931 Portola Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92602
(714) 508-8226

La Sirena Grill  

Categories: Mexican, Breakfast & Brunch

5 star rating
 12/6/2008  
I absolutely love this place!!! We ordered chicken nachos and chicken fajitas. You know how you go to a mexican joint and they use the same grilled chicken for every chicken dish and it all ends up tasting the same? Well not here. The grilled chicken on the nachos was grilled perfectly while the chicken for the fajitas had the perfect amount of acid to compliment the fresh vegetables. We are going to make another trip out here and try some other items and we can't wait!

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35 Compliments

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  • Thank You

    thanks!  Have fun up there.

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