Denise "If I don't Yelp you, you should worry...." Q.'s Profile

We wanted PPQ.  

But we had spent so much money on our wedding that we couldn't justify treating ourselves to PPQ in the middle of the week for no reason.

So we thought we'd check this place out.

Similar to PPQ with the crab and the garlic noodles.  
OK but definitely not AS good as PPQ.

But for less than $20 for the crab, it was an affordable option......

The other stuff we ordered was all tasty and cheap.  

There isn't any ambiance and it's in a super busy location right on 19th and Tarval so parking can be a challenge.  

But the restaurant served its purpose and met our cravings just fine.

Besides having thin crust pizza which is my favorite, here are the standouts for Amici's:

*vegan cheese- not that I want to order that, since I prefer real cheese, but for those days when I want to cut back on my dairy intake or pretend to be vegan, great option to have

*low carb crust- again, not that I want to cut back on carbs or the crust since I love my carbs, but if I ever feel like it, at least I know I have the option to order this way.

*unique and original pizzas- check out their menu, the options are so good, i think our group of 6 ordered 6 pizzas!

Yes I've tried the low carb, vegan cheese pizza, and it was pretty darn good.  Not as good as the high carb, dairyful cheese pizza, but pretty good if you are on a diet or trying to be vegan.

I've also had their other pizzas and so far to date, there has been nothing I didn't like.

My favorite as of this minute is probably the clam pizza.

YUM.

I was really scared to do this.

I wanted to do the Boot Camp to get in shape for my wedding BUT I didn't want some guy in fatigues yelling at me all morning. That does NOT motivate me.

I called and inquired, about what kind of workouts they do. I asked if they yell. I asked if they scream at the students. I asked how much running would be involved ( have asthma and can't run). I asked what to wear. I asked what happens when it rains. Somehow with all my questions, they never got annoyed with me on the phone. They remained super nice and informative.

Signed up.
Showed up.

Tracy was my instructor (Golden Gate Park, 7am). She was awesome. She never ever made me feel wimpy even though by far I was the weakest person in the class. She helped me do all the exercises. She corrected my form. For the first time I learned what real stretching felt like. I also learned what a real push up looks like.  She also got me running without activating my asthma (super slow but still, for someone that has not been able to run since 18, this was a huge feat). She called me out when I missed a class. She was incredible.

Even though I took a break after my wedding, I would not hesitate to sign up again. I ached every day, I lost weight, and I got more tone.

All done without any man in fatigues yelling at me and making me feel bad.

If only I were 10 again.

Oh I'm going to admit it, even at my age, I was mesmerized by this place.

The pink, the tea sets, the table clothes, the crumpets, the beautiful displays of candies and cookies. The tablecloths all of it could make any girly little girl or adult woman very happy.

I didn't get a chance to eat here or have the tea, but I did browse the gift shop for quite a bit and was so close to planning a tea party right then and there on my Blackberry so that I could buy some stuff!

If I had a dog that I spoiled like it was my sole and only child, I would be all over this store.

Unfortunately, I"m allergic to most dogs so I don't have to come in here that often.

But when I do, I wish I could have a dog so that I could buy it everything from this store, from clothing to bedding to toys.

I went in, gave my cousin's name, and immediately was handed a printed list of her registry. Being in the hurry that I was in, I asked a staff member where the item was that I wanted to buy.

Less than a minute later, said item was in my hand, along with wrapping paper and a card and I was in line to pay.

This is where it was at 5 stars.

This is where it turns into 4 stars.

I mistakenly agreed to join their mailing list or club or whatever.
I figured I would have friends having kids in the next 10 years so why not, might as well get their spam of upcoming sales and specials. But being in such a good mood from how fast everything else took, now turned to annoyance as the clerk asked me 3 times to spell out my email address and my mailing address.

What had been a 5 minute stop turned into a 15 minute stop.

I am no longer ahead of schedule but now behind schedule.

Shame on me for making it so tight and making the mistake of joining their mailing list.

Shame on them for not being able to input my info correctly the first time.

I liked this place because I was able to escape from the hot mess that was Eve at 10pm, to this place, which in comparison was fun and relaxed and not so packed that I couldn't walk.  

I entered to a scene of this: 3 drunk girls dancing around like they have a pole with them probably made the men happy.  They were lifting up their skirts and rubbing on each other as if someone had a video camera from Playboy.  

What made me happy was the bartender and how fast he made my drink.

Then when the music started blaring and the buzz kicked in, I became the drunk girl sitting at the bar singing badly out loud to the music with my friend.

Time to go home.

Done.

I really liked this place at 6pm.
But then at 10pm, I was no longer a fan.

At 6pm, you enter through the front door, and immediately see the DJ booth. Movies are playing on the large flat screens and on the walls above the booths. The chandeliers are cool with feathers hanging from them, and the paintings of the scantily clad women remind me a bit of Harlot. It's full enough that every seat is almost taken but you can still walk around without touching anyone else. Music is playing and people are having a good time.

Fast forward to 10pm. We come back after having gotten dinner down the street. Now we have to enter through a side door since the front door is packed by the DJ booth. It's packed to sardine level tightness and smells like sweaty people. Drunk people are pushing you to get through the crowd to say high to their friends. People are screaming random stuff in the air. It is now a club, and an overly packed club.

Though I had fun at 6pm, at 10pm I'm over it.
Maybe I should just stick to happy hour at this place and go home soon after.

Even though I am not vegetarian, I just loved loved loved the vegetarian samusa soup here! It was delicious, and the little samusas in it were just the right little surprise in my soup, esp. since they were crispy at one point then soaked in soup.

The curry I had was good also but nothing completely stand out to me. Also the tea leaf salad, their signature dish, was something that I think I will like over time, but for the first time, it was a bit strong for me. Still, it is one of their most popular items so I know it's just me needing to adjust to the strong flavors. As I ate more and more to me it was less of a strong taste in my mouth.

Service is excellent, and if you ever come here for lunch and it's past 11:30am you can expect to have a bit of a wait. But you'll like your foot at least!

When I go to cute little neighborhood spots, I am already biased before I walk in, since the whole idea of a neighborhood spot already makes me like the place. You'd have to do alot to make me unhappy here.

And in the case of Baker Street Bistro, they didn't disappoint.
Portions are a good size, prices are not unreasonable, ambiance is quaint and intimate, service is attentive, and the food is pretty good!

I ordered the pate platter and pretty much polished if off myself. (Let's not even think of the calorie count for that). I topped it off with the escargot, and though I felt the butter slowly raising my cholesterol, I was also slowly dying happily.