John "Around Dublin" Z.'s Profile

We go in there around 5:30pm to find that the hostess is on the phone trying to make a customer happy after having their lunch order messed up. Then we wait a few minutes before the owner/manager arrives to seat us. Asks if we have reservations, I say no - not thinking it would be a big deal since I can see that there are at least 6 or 7 tables in the left back corner that are open. He says that they can't seat us and that we might be able to get back in around 8pm.

Really? You have all those open seats and you're telling me you can't handle three more customers? This seems to me as a desperate attempt to create buzz for the restaurant.

This was especially disappointing since we drove all the way out to Yi Ping looking forward to trying their food. Oh well, there's lots of other restaurants that are happy to serve their customers.

First time, last time for me at Yi Ping.

It is such a relief to finally have an upscale dining option in east Dublin with Cellar 9 at Grafton Station. Folks that frequent Coco Cabana for happy hour, will love to visit Cellar 9 for a special afternoon or evening out. Walking in through Cellar 9's entrance, I was impressed with Cellar 9's elegant, stately, and warm decor. The main dining room area reminded me of the fireside/lounge area at the Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton/Livermore .

The food at Cellar 9 is distinctive, delicious, and comfortably familiar at a very reasonable price point of about $30/person (without beverages). Cellar 9 starts things off right with warm fresh-out-of-the-ove n french bread and butter. I would have preferred to have the butter slightly warmer, but it warmed quickly enough while resting on the slices of bread. Our Margherita flatbread was excellent and our waiter thoughtfully split the dish into two separately served plates without even having to be asked.

The baby back ribs were very meaty and prepared with a savory rub. These aren't the standard issue baby backs that you can find at Costco or Armadillo Willy's. Cellar 9's chef offers a unique orange sauce that is served in a minimalistic saucer to accompany the ribs. I wasn't thrilled by the orange sauce but was pleased to hear from Cellar 9's owner that they would be offering a BBQ sauce in the near future. The baby back ribs are paired up with deliciously savory sweet potato fries.

In addition to the glorious decor and memorable food, Cellar 9 treats their mostly well-dressed guests with fantastically attentive service. The choice of music is very appropriate - a mix of contemporary and chill artists such as Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and John Mayer.

Fans of Cellar 9 will be thrilled to know that owners Doug and Rose plan to open their outdoor patio seating by the Grafton Station water feature in July 2011.

I can't believe that Toyota Sunnyvale only has a 3-star average. This is by far the best Toyota dealership in the South and East Bay in terms of service, price, customer experience, and trust. I bought my Corolla at Toyota Sunnyvale and they were able to beat the price for the same car by at least $2K in comparison to other dealerships - that's about a 12% discount. Not only did I save $2K, I was also able to get a 1.9% APR for 3 years.

One of the best aspects of the purchase process was that they used the soft sell for the car purchase and then all the options. They never used the usual car dealer "let me talk to my manager and then come back to you in an hour while I drink coffee" tactics. They were confident enough in their prices and product that they didn't feel the need to push for sales.

The post-purchase process has been exemplary, as well. Even though I live a good 45 minutes or so away from Toyota Sunnyvale, it's worth visiting to have my car serviced (or the oil changed) every 5,000 miles. Their services prices are about 33%-50% less than other dealerships in the Bay Area and I trust that they are actually doing the work that they say that they do. In one instance, there was an unusually long wait to get my car checked in for a service. The service manager could see that I was frustrated and offered to give me a $30 discount on my service fee. Just like that.

I wish that I could support the Toyota dealership near my home, but they just can't compete with Toyota Sunnyvale.