Gabriel N.'s Profile

Buying a cell phone has become a more painful experience with each passing day. If it's not the obscene fees the carriers are pulling out of their rectums, it's the aggressive and sometimes deceitful service you get at the retail stores.

This particular store was a little bi-polar.  When I purchased a new phone in December of last year it was a pleasant and low pressure interaction. I asked the rep a couple of questions (to confirm what I had already researched) which he answered correctly along with adding some info I was not aware of. Overall, it was one of the best retail experiences I've had in a long time.

Fast forward to April 8th and it was as if I had entered an entirely different store. From the first greeting you could sense the desperation in the air of "I need to sell you something NOW." I asked the rep a couple of questions about the phone I was interested in (which had also already been researched) and instead of getting the correct answer or even an "I'm not sure, let me check," I got pure BS. It was a lame attempt to cover his ignorance while trying to pass himself off as a cell phone expert. There's nothing that pisses me off more than being lied to.  If you hadn't already guessed it, I did not purchase another phone from this store.

The quality in purchasing experiences shouldn't vary this wildly between reps and they sure as hell shouldn't be lying to the customer either. This was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I'm buying my next phone online and only using this store as a demo unit showroom.

Dr. Bond came to my rescue in a big way and for that I'll be forever grateful. I had been experiencing mouth pain for about a week which I thought was just an injured gum, but after getting it checked by my dentist I found out it was an impacted wisdom tooth. I had an upcoming medical procedure scheduled that would prevent me from having the tooth extracted for another 2 weeks, so I had to get the surgery within the next few days.

My dentist explained the situation to Dr. Bond and he fit me in that very same day. Not only was he incredibly accommodating, but the extraction itself went very smoothly. It seems that pulling teeth is not has painful as they make it seem. His bedside manner was fantastic and his front office was easy to work with. All in all, it was the best dental experience I've ever had. I'd recommend him to anyone in need of solid dental surgeon.

There's something to be said for the workhorse restaurant, a place that may not be the fanciest or best looking, but which will always deliver amazing food time and time again.  Fortune Cookie is one of my workhorses.  I've never set foot in their dining area (and probably never will) yet they've consistently served me some of the best Chinese food I've had in Charlotte.

They get a glowing 5 stars from me for many reasons:

1) They're easy to order from over the phone
2) The food is never greasy or heavy
3) You can taste the quality of their ingredients
4) They always deliver quicker than they quote
5) Every member of the staff is friendly

There's a good selection of dishes on their menu, so everyone should be able to find a taste they like.  My favorites have been the Chicken Teriyaki appetizers, Crab Rangoon, and the absolutely killer Singapore Mein Fun which I think is their best dish hands down.

One last tip, they get busy as all hell so if you get a recording or a busy signal just call again.  You will eventually get through and it's definitely worth a couple of redials.

Cotswold Family Medicine has a severe case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.  On one side you have caring, knowledgeable doctors who make an effort to connect with their patients. On the other side you have a management and front office that goes out of its way to make your visit experience as hellish as possible.  I've been going to these doctors since '04 and these shifts in culture only started within the last couple of years.

We've had cancellations of appointments (that were made months in advanced) for no reason and at the last moment.  I've had their coordinator schedule back-to-back appointments between specialists and my doctor only to have them attempt to refuse seeing me because of my tardiness (which was expected and had been noted in the appointments by the coordinator herself).  They even fired a phlebotomist who had been with them for over 12 years and was the best damn phlebotomist I had ever encountered.  Not even small, rolling veins could stop this man from painlessly drawing blood from you.

The straw that broke the camel's back for me was their "new" policy on prescription refills.  If I had run out of refills and needed a doctor's approval they no longer gave it to the pharmacy if it had been over 30 days since my last visit.  In essence, I would have to schedule a doctor visit every 30 days to continue receiving a medicine that they had already been prescribing me for YEARS.  This blatant attempt at boosting their revenue sickens me.  It doesn't improve your quality of care and penalizes those with limited or non-existent medical insurance.  Would you think it fair to pay out of pocket for a visit (minimum 80 bones and upwards of 150+) when all you need is a refill of your 10 dollar medicine?

I will greatly miss the wonderful doctors of this facility, but the hurdles management has put in place are more than I care to go through anymore.

I've loved this restaurant chain ever since I first tried them in Chicago back in '05, but as you will soon tell from this review not all Chipotle locations are created equally.  This is for the Providence location (which is the last one I visited) yet it also applies to the Pineville-Matthews and South End locations where I've had the same problems.

For a chain that prides itself on the numerous combinations of burritos they can create I've consistently had issues customizing mine, from dumbfounded looks (yes, I do want double veggies with no rice) to skimpy portions (barely half a spoonful of chicken).  I haven't encountered the same pride in product quality that I've seen in the Chipotle's outside of Charlotte.

Continuing on that thread, the food prep lines can't seem to get their act together.  They don't communicate or know how to keep the food going which causes delays and pissed off customers and don't get me started on when they try to roll the damn burrito at the end.  

If that wasn't enough the spotty customer service is the expired icing on this half-baked cake.  Many of the employees obviously don't care to be there which is a weird juxtaposition against those who are trying their hardest.  In the end the inconsistency is just plain frustrating.

The only reason that I gave this place 2 stars is because even a poorly put together Chipotle burrito is decent and they serve beer.  Yup, that's about it.  Walk in with low expectations and you'll always have a great time.  If you want the real Chipotle experience then drive to another city.

I wanted to love this restaurant from the moment I walked in.  A Sunday brunch with friends let me experience the ambiance, delicious food, great pastries (thanks Amelie's), and rocking bloody mary's.  From this description alone you'd expect a 5 star rating, but with this restaurant it's the service which destroys it.  It often times feels like you're playing Russian Roulette with a 4 bullets loaded.  I just don't understand it.

The first time we went it was magical.  The second time we went (also with another couple) the service began to show its wear and tear.  All the other times were a toss up between amazing and atrocious with no indicators to give you advance warning.

The last straw for me came after a very difficult day in which my wife and I were hoping Cafe Monet could turn it around.  From the first impression we could tell the waitress would rather be having a root canal than take our order.  This wasn't the first time we'd encountered that look in Cafe Monte, but with an almost empty restaurant (we went in early) you think she'd want to milk every ounce of tip she could

Attitude dripped from her monologue and our lack of alcoholic drink orders brought a sigh to her lips.  All I wanted, nay... craved, was a chocolate croissant and an almond croissant warmed up.  This was the text book definition of a SIMPLE order.  I'll give you a second to figure out what happened next.

She screwed it up.  She gave me a chocolate croissant and then an almond chocolate croissant.  She didn't care less about the screw up.  After tasting the incorrect almond croissant I asked for the correct one to be brought out.  She snagged the plate and then disappeared.  Actually, most of the time she was disappeared which is an amazing feat for an empty restaurant.

When the correct croissant finally came out it was cold.  C'mon.... seriously?  I asked for it heated up and received barely lukewarm.  Suffice it say, my tip reflected her total lack of caring.  I'm done with this place.  If I want French I'll go to Georges Brasserie and if I want pastries then I'll go to Amelie's.

I never expected to find a gallery of this quality in Charlotte.  I'm not saying that Charlotte is a backwater city, only that when it comes to art the Shain Gallery's quality is more akin to something I'd expect to see in New York or Los Angeles.

The owner is an amazing woman with a superb eye.  The range of artwork she displays is fascinating and openly defies the mediocre galleries with their safe choices and lack of passion.  I've been introduced to many talented artists with techniques I never knew existed because of this place.

No matter where I live in the world I will be a life long customer of this gorgeous gallery.  And if you need an excuse to drag along a spouse who doesn't appreciate art you could always send him/her to the Yoforia around the corner or the Mellow Mushroom across the street.

Don't allow anyone to deny you the experience of this exceptional place.

Sometimes you just want a big juicy fast food burger.  Yes, you've been watching your carbs and exercising more often, but what's the point of being so good if you can't occasionally be very very bad? My thoughts exactly.

This lovely little fast food shack is literally--I am using the word correctly--next to my hotel.  Its siren call of hot fries and melted cheese over delicious beef is a constant whenever I'm at this particular client.  To keep myself from going mad I indulge in only one burger per week.  That may sound kooky to you, but personally I enjoy fitting into my pants.

Anyhow, this Wendy's is probably identical to every other Wendy's you've been to.  The reason I dig them (other than their ridiculously convenient location) is that they're very quick, professional, and the food always comes out fresh.  There's been other locations where it all tastes a week old and you get a side order of attitude with every meal, but none of that happens here.

It's right off of 280 and easy as hell to spot from the highway.  If you have a hankering for some meaty goodness swing by this joint.

Went here for lunch with a group of people because we were all in the mood for pizza and Mellow tends to make a good pie.

The service was slow (even though the place was empty), but the food was up to par with other Mellow Mushrooms I've been to.  The waitress even split the checks correctly in spite of one of my group screwing it up when he described it to her.  My only minor complaint is that they didn't have a lunch menu per se.

Overall this is a decent place.  Nothing popped, but nothing was horrible either.  I'd come back.

Not a bad little joint.  I came here with some coworkers for their lunch buffet.  When I say buffet you're probably thinking of large rows of food, but this buffet is on a much smaller scale an it would probably fit in an average sized work cube.  What it lacks in variety it makes up in flavor.

This is Southern style food: Fried chicken, collared greens, cornbread muffins, etc.  If tastes good and is probably gonna kill you then they'll have it on the menu.  The staff is friendly and VERY on top of things.  They're refilling cups before you even realize you need one and clearing out plates in the blink of an eye.  It's an efficient little team.

Side note: you pay the moment you enter the place which is interesting.  It seems they had some problems with people coming in to eat and leaving without paying.

If you're in the mood for some Soul Food and want a heaping handful of atmosphere then check this place out.