Crys "Call me a cupcake, will ya?" B.'s Profile

It's been a while since I've been wanted to write a review, but today Bella Nails inspired me to do just that, but not in a good way.

I've been to Bella Nails 5-6 times, and while the pedicures can be nice if they're not trying to rush you through, manicures and massage are definitely lacking. The only time I've gone in for a manicure only, I felt rushed the entire time and my technician kept getting up every five minutes to help someone else or to get things she needed for my manicure, which you would think she would have gathered before she started.

But, what inspired this review was their "Reflexology" Massage. Basically, there was no reflexology or true massage. This place does a good job of a pedicure type of massage, usually a little stronger and longer than most places, but still just rubbing your feet and lower legs. Unfortunately, their version of reflexology is the same thing, but worse than what they've done with the pedicures.

I made an appt two days before for 30 minute foot massages, for my coworker and I, on our lunch hour. We arrived a few minutes early and they told us to have a seat while they setup. Then, someone walks by us and points towards the back and told us to go back and sit in our seats. Well, problem! We don't know where we're going; in the back is a hallway on the left, a room with 4 massage chairs (3 were occupied), a hallway to the right leading to treatment rooms and nail drying station. My coworker went to the front to ask the woman to show us where we're supposed to go, and she walks back and tells someone they have to get out of one of the massage chairs because they were for clients. We have a seat, then in comes my massage therapist and she puts a bowl of lukewarm water with a few silk rose petals thrown in at my feet, and has me put my feet in it, then offers water (I requested tea, instead) and a warm neck wrap; when she brings them, she reclines the back of the seat as soon as she hands me the tea and it's hard to sip the it and there is nowhere to set it, so I finally put it on the floor. Then my massage finally starts, although there is none of the "aroma" oils advertised, just some bottle of basic, unscented oil in what looks like a pretty tanning oil bottle (can we say bulk purchased oil poured into recycled bottles from their tanning bed business?). At first I thought the massage was going to be good, since the pressure started off in the right range for a good massage, but then almost immediately I noticed that that she spent too long on the front of my leg, essentially just rubbing tons of oil up and down my shin with her thumb pressing along the same line of skin the entire time. When she finally moved to my foot, she rubbed around the heel of my foot, down the arch, around the ball, then back down the arch, then pulled two toes; next another pass of the same, then back to my shin, finally moving on to the next leg and doing the same thing. At the end she went in the same pattern over both feet briefly, then back to the shins. In the end I spent $30 for a foot massage that was around 20 minutes of oil being rubbed into my shins and maybe 10 minutes spent rubbing oil (not massaging) on my feet and absolutely no time spent on my calves. When I went to pay, I couldn't even talk to the person at the front desk, she was too busy on the phone and she didn't say a word to me, just pointed at my credit card to make sure that was how I wanted to pay, then pointing at the cash and mouthed the word "change?" at me.

As bad as this "massage" was for me, I feel even worse that I recommended this place to my coworker, because it was even worse for her. When my massage started, no one came in to do hers. After she asked if someone was going to come in, the woman doing my massage acted a bit surprised and went to find someone. Was she planning on spending 30 minutes on my massage then moving to my coworker, with both of us just sitting around waiting? Then, she wasn't offered anything to drink or the neck wrap. When we talked afterward, her massage was pretty much the same as mine, worthless. I don't know about her, but my feet were feeling just as tired and sore when I left as when I arrived, the only difference being that my feet were so slick with oil that I was sliding around in my sandals.

I love tea and Samovar has some wonderful ones, although they don't seem to know the right amount of time to steep an Oolong tea, they told one of my companions to steep his for 30 seconds, he luckily knew better and stopped at 12 seconds.  As for mine, they said 30-45 seconds, again WAY too long, mine was perfect at 15 seconds and when I lost track of time during a conversation and let my tea steep for 30-45 seconds, it became bitter.

Yes, maybe too much information for some people, but if you're serious about tea, the timing can be everything!

As for the service, some was good and some not so good.  When we arrived in a group of 8, we said we wanted an indoor table because it was cool outside and we were willing to wait for it.  The woman at the front door said there wasn't anything available and we'd have to sit outside.  Again, we said we'd be willing to wait, but she insisted on outside.  Luckily for us, one of the other women working there saw what was going on and told us it would just be a few minutes.  She was right, a few minutes later one table of customers left and they were able to put two tales together for us indoors, with only about a 5 minute wait.

So I'd go for the yummy cherry-oat scones and the wonderful tea, but I'll stick with what I know is appropriate for steeping the tea.

These guys are great!  I was going to be in the area so I gave them a call to see if they could fit me in, but even though they were slammed they said I could bring it in and leave it.  Well, I drop it off and am told that they close at two, but when I called at two, worried that they didn't have time to get to me, they said not to worry, they were staying until it was done, so they stayed an extra hour and a half to finish my window (and others, I'm sure), but I was the last out the door.

The price to replace my window was on par with other locations, great service, and they threw in new windshield wiper blades in lieu of the $10 off by mentioning Yelp.  Also, two certificates to repair any window dings for FREE!!

I will definitely be back any time I need my windows repaired or replaced.

While in pursuit of the 7x7 Magazine's Big Eat: 100 Things to Eat in San Francisco Before You Die list and the The Big Sweet SF: 50 Treats to Eat Before You Die, I decided to stop in at Miette and get the Ginger Snaps and the Old-fashioned chocolate cake with Italian meringue frosting, plus the Gingerbread cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

I took my haul back to work to share and everyone agreed that everything was delicious!  The ginger snaps are spicy and buttery.  The chocolate cake was good, but not the best I've ever had, but the meringue was absolutely fabulous, light and airy.  As for the gingerbread cupcake, it was super tasty and the cream cheese frosting was amazing.  I'm definitely a fan!

The only downside to this place is how slow the service is, although they are friendly and  helpful.

While in pursuit of the 7x7 Magazine's 100 Things to Eat in San Francisco Before You Die list, I decided to stop here while in the area.

The line was long, so I called in my order while standing in line, then went off to get a coffee from Blue Bottle while I waited.  I had the Beef Brisket sandwich with tomato conserva and lemon aioli with a side of Garlic Roasted Potatoes.  The beef was tender and juicy, although fatty, and I could have done without the tomatoes, I've never been a big fan.  The aioli might as well have been left off the sandwich as I couldn't even tasted it, but the bread was crusty and delicious.  As for the potatoes, they were garlicky-starchy goodness.  I just wish I'd tried the bread pudding, but I'll definitely get it next time.

Blue Bottle Coffee has become my obsession.  I've bookmarked every location on my Yelp app, just so I can find the closest one whenever I'm in San Francisco or Oakland.  Now as to why it's obsession, it's the best coffee I've ever had.  I usually go for a Gibraltar here, so I can have more coffee, less milk, than a latte.  I love coffee, but these days I can't drink much, due to the acidic nature upsetting my stomach, but with Blue Bottle I don't have to worry about it, very low acid makes for a very happy tummy.  Add in a delicious flavor and I'm all set.  

There is almost always a line, but this location is set on a corner of a hallway in the Ferry Building, so they have 2 lines, one on each side, to make getting your coffee fix easier.

Since I live in the South Bay and can't drive up to the city daily to get my fix, I order the beans online so I can make my own delicious cup of coffee at work every day.

Nice little Irish pub that pours a good Guinness and has a decent selection of food and drink.  The Irish owners work the bar and offer friendly service.  My burger was juicy and delicious and the condiment bar offers tons of options, the seasoned fries delicious.  My co-workers raved over the fish and chips.

I love dim sum and I'm always looking for a new place.  Once introduced to Hong Kong Saigon, this has become one of my favorite in the South Bay, despite the long wait. The xiao long bao, while not a traditional dim sum dish, is some of the tastiest I've had, although the wrapping on it is too thick.  The other standards were good, but my favorite is the baked taro buns, these are so tasty I've seen people get up from their tables and run for the the kitchen entrance as soon as they see these coming out.

The wait can be long, so the earlier you get there the better.  However, what most may not know is you can call ahead and get a number before you leave home to shorten your wait.

Delicious, very environmentally friendly. Huge selection of teas, Espresso options, plus seasonal options for French Press and Cold Brewed coffee. Orders are written on laminated paper for a dry erase effect, reducing paper use. Colorful decor, music is nice background without intruding on the conversation, very homey atmosphere, friendly staff.

Cute little place and apparently popular, as we had to wait to have a seat, but luckily turnover is pretty fast so we didn't have to wait long.  I ordered the "Small" Breakfast which is actually still pretty big.  One egg, perfectly cooked over-medium, with bacon, hashbrowns, and instead of toast, I got a biscuit and a side of gravy.  Everything was perfectly cooked, although the gravy was just okay, but I'm pretty picky about my gravy.  I did try the chicken sausage my companion ordered, and it was a little dry and flavorless.