Tom C.'s Profile

Quiet, very comfortable, well appointed.  I really love this place, and it's a perfect spot to stay while exploring the area. Downtown Los Gatos is a pleasure to walk, and Saratoga and the wineries of the Santa Cruz mountains are a fairly short drive.

This IS a european-style hotel. I thought the room size was very good, and the beds are indeed wonderful. One minor caution -- if you are allergic to down or feathers, make sure you ask for a room without them.

Driving there requires a trip through downtown Los Gatos from the highway 9 exit. There is an onramp to highway 17 towards Santa Cruz, right at the end of the street close to the hotel, however you will have to loop back through Los Gatos to return. Parking is excellent, with a large garage right under the hotel.

This is a review of bank since the merger with Chase.

I've been a happy WaMu customer for more than 6 years...they did our construction loan, and have always been great to work with.  The branch staff in Marin are wonderful, and still are.

However, I'm having more and more problems since the merger with Chase. The entire mortgage department was laid off.  Checks take longer to clear, fees are higher.  And we've been working on a mortgage loan modification for 8 MONTHS, with full paperwork submission being required 3 times.  I've literally spent 60 to 80 hours this year trying to get all the paperwork in place...and succeeded several times, only to be moved to a new department, or told they couldn't make a decision because my paperwork was several weeks out of date.

Honestly, this New York bank has some deep structural issues.  If they really valued their retail customers, they would be working with us to get through processes like this.  Every time I have to interact with their corporate element via telephone, there are long phone waits, I get relayed between one department and the next, and/or they need some obscure piece of documentation.

Our Chase credit cards have all had their rates jacked up more than 10 points, even though we have excellent credit. The fee structure has doubled.

My sense is that they could care less if I remain a customer, at least at the corporate level.  I'm moving my resources elsewhere.

(By the way, I've written this entire review and edited it twice while waiting on the phone for a representative. Gah.)

This is a review of the bank itself, not the branch.

I've watched BofA's fee structure get worse and worse since their merger with MBNA a few years ago.  Now they are charging fees for normal ATM withdrawls, and their interest rates on my wife's credit cards are higher than any other card we own.

Time to close all accounts.

The branch itself has friendly staff, and I have no complaints. However their parking lot is a traffic nightmare on Fridays.  It's a shame that we have to go out to San Anselmo to find more choices for local banking.

One of my favorite lunch spots, this is an informal place with many really good dishes.  No burritos, by the way.

I particularly love the tacos de pescado (fish tacos).  I order two for about $7, and they are a fine lunch, very flavorful.  The steak tacos are also very good. All of these are soft, by the way.  The aqua fresca is fresh, and everything I've ordered has a healthy, low-fat feel.

The line moves pretty quickly, and I can generally find a spot to sit.  It's not a quiet place, with a concrete floor and lots of hard surfaces to reflect sound. But the food is worth the cheerful din in the background.

I'm not a big fan. We dined in the bar area, and honestly waited 35 minutes for simple hamburgers to show up.  Then we had to wait 10 more minutes after eating to get the bill, and I had to go find our server to pay it.  I probably wouldn't bother writing this review, however, other folks we talked to who have stopped there found the kitchen was terribly slow also.  We spent $27 on burgers with french fries and a couple of sodas.

In their favor, the food was OK, nothing special. The bathrooms were clean, the lighting is good, the chairs comfortable. There is a salad bar, which looked pretty well stocked. Some locals do come there -- a birthday party was going on at a nearby table -- but most of the clientele seem to be travelers from the interstate.

The gift shop is expensive, the decor is kitchy. It feels like a place that is being run for maximum profit, and somewhat impersonal to me.  I would rather put my money into good local restaurants, which certainly exist in most of the towns along I-5.  I won't be back.

A cooling system failure brought us into this shop last week, and I'm generally impressed with their work. The labor rate is a bit high at $135/hour, but the quality of their work was very good.  It's not hard to figure out what is leaking from a cooling system, but they didn't just do a quick fix; they replaced the right parts for the long term without wasting any money.

There are lots of Mercedes and BMWs in the shop, showing their interest in German machinery.  Also, the folks working there are clearly knowledgeable, seem very honest, and communicated what they did very clearly. I would take my car there if I lived nearby.

I've been coming to BavPros for about 15 years, and completely trust their service. They are one of the best shops in the SF area for working on M cars, and absolutely know their stuff with all the more normal bimmers.  They've cared for my E12 ('79 528i), E28 ('88 M5), E30 ('91 325i convertible), E36 (M-Roadster) and now just did an inspection of an E39 ('97 528i) for me.  Obviously I'm a big BMW fan, but my real point is that they have done excellent quality work on all of these cars for me.

Everyone there is an enthusiast, as far as I can tell.  Michael the owner has had a long line of cars, back to E12's or earler.  Nat and Marta are total gearheads in the best sense, VERY knowledgeable, and all the mechanics seem pretty much on top of their trade.  

After dozens of shop visits, I once had a problem with their work...their mechanic didn't tighten the oil filter housing properly, so the car leaked oil and 10 miles away from the shop, the warning light came on. I called them at 6:30pm (after closing), and the owner Michael and a mechanic came immediately to my rescue, with a loaner car and the parts and oil to make sure they got my car back to the shop.  They inspected and cleaned the car, apologized profusely, no harm was done, and all it cost me was an extra trip over to pick my car up.

This is what I call Great Service.  I don't think one error in 15 years is anything to complain about.  They give good advice, cost significantly less than a dealer, helped me do some great upgrades and improvements, and have some loaner cars available. What more could you ask for?

The world is full of taquerias, and this one, located on a perhaps the most prominent corner in Berkeley, should be a good one.  It's close to the University, surrounded by the downtown shopping area, positioned for success.

But I'm not that impressed.  I can say that pollo asado is nicely prepared and seasoned, the individual ingredients seem good, the salsa is hot and interesting.  But the assembly into a meal just doesn't flip my switch.  To me, a burrito (like a sandwich) presents opportunities for art; it should be more than the sum of it's parts.  Somehow, the flavors just don't gel for me into something memorable. There is too much rice, or the salsa overpowers the chicken, or something.

Picante up near 6th and Gilman is the real thing...for the same price.  Or check out La Cumbre in San Francisco.

I find that this is an ok vet, now that I've been there twice with my mother's German Shepherd.  The staff are pleasant, their work seems solid. Dr. Rose has been good at following up via telephone, and has made good decisions.

I'm not giving them a higher rating because their prices seem a little high.  Our dog was in for a dental cleaning, toenail clip, and exam of a lesion on her nose.  I'm a little startled that the bill was $687!  The cleaning, anesthetic, IV fluids came to $350, which caught me by surprise. Vaccinations and the exam added $85, plus an unexplained $55 blood test. But the biopsy of her nose was another $200.

I'm not upset, I think the vet is making the right decisions. Maybe I'm just out of touch with the costs of taking care of a good-sized dog.  But I did not expect a bill like that :-/

After several dinners, I've gotta bump the rating to a clean 5.  I have too much fun here.

First of all, I have to admit that I'm half-Hungarian, and one of the staff (Nora) is from Hungary and speaks the language fluently. So I had to bring my mother to meet her.  Too much fun.  But on to the restaurant.

The interior is quirky and colorful, and quite comfortable.  It looks fantastic after dark -- the lighting is very well done -- there is modern, playful sculpture with a caribbean flavor everywhere. The music was lively, interesting, and not too loud.  The outdoor dining patio is very comfortable now that it's summer, and lots of others think so too, as there are often others out there ahead of us.

After four dining experiences, I can only conclude that the specials are outstanding, and the flavors and textures and colors in all the dishes are novel, appealing and delicious.

Here is a typical excellent lunch: guacamole and chips, a barbecued chicken quesadilla, and the special of the day, Ropa Vieja. With some sodas, the bill came to $37, which seems quite modest for the quality of the food -- especially since we chose the most expensive item on the menu.  

Let's see...the guac was well-seasoned and delicious, and the other dishes were spicy and interesting, with great textures and good presentation.  The wine and beer list has great choices, and is well-priced.  The bread pudding dessert is over the top.  If you want variety, order 3 tapas dishes for 2 people, and you will be quite content.

The owner Bill Higgins came out of the kitchen and greeted us when we were there for a late lunch one day, and he told us about live music night, and plans for reggae on Sundays.  It's clear he is working full weeks to get his place rolling.  His background at Cha-Cha-Cha in SF shows through in both the fun decor and the slightly quirky and delightful dishes.