Jenn S.'s Profile

Joe Castelino again came through like a champ for me.

In this terrible weather on the way to work my check engine light started flashing, my car shuddered pretty violently when I'd try to accelerate - which I knew meant one thing - my coil pack was failing.  I had just recently found out that there was a recall for this part but had not been able to bring it in.  Now I had no choice.

I called Joe first thing when I got into work and within 20 minutes or so he called me back and said as long as I can get there before noon he would be able to get my car in that day.  He said he would call a tow truck for me, but I assumed with the weather the towing services were pretty busy and I didn't feel like waiting an hour to get towed.  So I limped my car to the dealership, I also let Joe know about the ghost in the machine so to speak - my sunroof would open/close on it's own accord and most of the time I wouldn't hear it but would notice it when I got out of the car.  Joe said it was a known issue and would replace the sunroof switch but that the part would have to be ordered.  My car ended up staying there for a couple of days, Joe said they didn't want to give it back to me in this rainy weather and risk the sunroof opening on it's own and the interior of my car getting ruined by water.  I got her back yesterday good as new.  Joe was also able to get me a rental car so I would have wheels to get back and forth to work.

Joe was just as nice and helpful as always.  I absolutely love dealing with him and will be sad if he ever leaves Steve's Creek VW.  In my opinion he's one of the best service advisors that they have!

I absolutely LOVE this place!  

Being down in Rancho Mirage to visit family recently, we decided to do a little shopping at The River.  Hunger struck and we had remembered from our last outing here back in June of 2009 that Piero's had offered a 3 course meal for $20.  We wandered over and were so happy to see that not only did they still have the 3 course dinner for $20 but that they had changed a few things on that special menu.

My boyfriend and I both caved when we saw an 8oz Filet Mignon was on this 3 course offering.  We both ended up getting the cesar salad, 8oz Filet, and I chose the Tiramisu and he decided on the flourless chocolate cake.  Ohhhh were we both in hog heaven.  Stuffed to the gills and not able to finish our desserts, we rolled ourselves out of there and headed home for some glazed over dreary eyed TV watching.

Piero's has not disappointed me the many times I have been there.  I always look forward to dining here when I visit Rancho Mirage/Palm Springs.

The Wooden Horse reminds me of an old school toy store that not only has fun toys but a lot of the "you're going to learn while you play with this" type of toy like growing crystals, ant farms, etc.

They have something here for everyone little kid and big kid alike.  

They have a special section dedicated to princess dress up and a section of magic stuff.  But what I think I like most is they have a large kids book section with more than just your run of the mill Dr. Seuss and Everybody Poops type of books.  They have puzzles, board games, learning games, and even some art supplies.  Everytime I buy a present for a child be it my niece or a friend's child, I come here.  

I could easily spend an hour wandering around looking at everything.  I also like that this is an actual TOY store and not a store that sells things that are big, pink, plastic, and mass produced.  Sure they may be a dollar or two more than your average place however I am a firm believer in quality over quantity.  I would rather pay a little bit more for a toy that will last more than 5 minutes with a 6 year old.

This Wheel Works used to be my family's go to place for tires for all our vehicles.  However after the last experience I had here, I WILL NEVER visit this place again.

I had hit a piece of metal in the road that I didn't see until it was too late since it was the same color as the asphalt, it ended up slicing open the sidewall of my tire.  Fantastic.  So I take my car to the same place I'd been taking my cars for the last 10 years.  They have to order my tire say it'll be here in two days.  I ask for a http://TireRack.com price match and I get it a form of it.  What they charged me for the actual tire was a little more than the cost of the tire on the website - they said it included shipping.  Whatever.  So I take my car in when my tire arrives and I get it installed .. $249 for a single tire (cost of the tire, labor, mounting, balancing, and the TPMS).  Now I'm broke.  

Flash forward to two months later all of a sudden that tire is having issues holding air.  The service guy I talk to says that oh well maybe I hit a curb (I park in a driveway and never parallel park) and then goes onto say well maybe I hit a pothole after he saw the look of anger that started to cross my face when he started suggesting that I curbed my tire.  I go outside to calm myself before I do or say something I'd end up later regretting and the tech who's working on my car starts talking to me.  He suggested that maybe whoever installed the tire previously did it wrong because he was unable to find a leak on the tire and said the bead probably pooped and that only usually happens when the tire is installed incorrectly.  So I go back inside and proceed to tell the service guy this - he flips out and goes and starts yelling at the tech.  I call my boyfriend at this point because I was ready to throw a tire at this guy.  I hand over the phone once the service writer comes back inside and my boyfriend starts talking to him - the service writer starts telling my boyfriend something TOTALLY different than what he just told me and my boyfriend ends up hanging up on this guy because he was so rude.  I tell him get my car off the rack I am done dealing with him, he stares at me blankly so I reach across the counter and take my key back and go outside.  I thanked the tech for his honesty and hope that I didn't get him in trouble - he didn't seem to worried about the service writer and said I'm not the first one he's done this to.

It wasn't until I got back home and tightened the bolts on my spare tire that I noticed my rims were gouged in various spots and the gouges suspiciously looked like a flat head screwdriver.  I called the corporate office and after speaking to a few different people, I realized that nothing was going to come of it except a mark against the store.  

Now I need to find a place to get my rims refinished .. fantastic.

I absolutely love the guys here!

I can rebuild a carb just as good as the next guy and I can change my own oil, it pisses me off that when I call tire places they think they can screw with me and just because I'm female I must be dumb.  After spending over three hours calling various tire shops in the South Bay to get price matches and a quote for four new tires, mounting, balancing, and rebuilding the tire pressure sensor monitoring system sensors...I was done.  Most places were quoting me $600+ even though that supposedly included the price match from an online tire retailer.  

I remembered a friend had told me about this specific America's Tire and said that they treat everyone there fairly (male or female) and have an awesome tire replacement plan which is something I would DEFINITELY need since my tires like to find any and every nail or 6 inch bolt laying in the road.

I called and spoke to a very nice gentleman who's name is escaping me at the moment...I went over all the other shops I had called and what they had told me and how their price match wasn't really matching anything.  The guy told me right off the bat that they would have to order my tire from the manufacturer since it wasn't one they carried in their regular inventory.  He said it could be upwards of two weeks before the tire arrived.  I said that was fine and was willing to wait.  After EVERYTHING was said and done - tires were mounted and balanced, TPMS sensors were rebuilt and my car was ready - my total was little over $400 which was over $200 less than what all the other shop had quoted me.  I forgot to ask for the tire replacement plan but when I had come back with my boyfriend they added to not only my car but his (since his luck with nails and bolts is worse than mine).

America's Tire is one of the only car related places I've ever been to that hasn't treated me different just because I'm a chick.  They are honest and fair and give it to your straight without the bullshit.

have been going to Moon Zoom for longer than I can remember to be honest.  

I love their selection of vintage clothes - all of the time I have spent there over the years - I think they've had more 40s/50s dresses than any other vintage stores in the area.  They have an EXCELLENT selection of vintage clothing for men as well.  But it's not limited to just your every day run of the mill vintage clothing.  They have jackets, purses, belts, a ton of shoes, an upstairs filled with vintage formal wear.

Some people see this place as a giant costume store and some see it as a lifestyle store.  

This place is a vintage junkie's dream.  The staff is always friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have about things.

The only thing I've never liked about Moon Zoom is the parking - what parking they have out front is VERY limited, I think maybe two or three spaces right in front of the store and then there is some street parking.  Your best bet since the neighborhoood behind the store isn't the greatest is to park across the street in the shopping center parking lot and just walk across the street.  At least that way you don't have to worry about walking to your car alone at night.

Out of the three Brits in the San Jose area, the Downtown Brit is my favorite.  

Why?  Because of the size of the patio in the back.  Even when it's pouring rain you can still sit outside - drink, be warm, and not get wet.  The patio is awesome also because they have a bar outside so no more wading thru the sea of sardines inside and no more waiting for the waitress to come back to the table an hour later.  

The food here is your standard pub fare however their Shepard's Pie was pretty damn yummy last time I had it here.  

I have also noticed that the bouncers seem to be nicer here than at the ones at the Almaden Brit.  I have noticed far fewer fights at this Brit than any of the others....

Katie's is good for a pour of Guinness and some pub food. The jalapeno poppers and corn fritters are excellent :)   I have been coming here for YEARS and consistently the only things that are good is their pour of Guinness and their appetizers.  The rest of their menu can be hit and miss depending on the night.

The best time to go is around dinner time between 5 and 6 because on nights like Thurs/Fri/Sat it gets so busy and they allow so many people in that you'd swear it was over capacity and it ends up taking forever to get your drinks/food if you are outside.

The review would have been 4 stars but when they stopped having live Jazz is when my friends and I stopped going....bring back the live Jazz!

This review is for breakfast only.

Stopped in here on a whim during Farmers Market.  It was packed.  We walked in and ordered right away even though it was packed inside and out.  We waited around 15 minutes for our food but when it arrived it was hot so that was good :)

It is a casual and simple but yet delightfully elegant and not "foo foo" or pretentious as small cafes like this can be.  We ordered the eggs benedict and even though we are bene-addicts it was still tasty.  The hollandaise sauce was more on the buttery side than the mustard-y side but was still quite tasty.  We opted for the fruit side instead of a salad - just seemed odd to me that someone would eat salad with eggs but everyone is different.  

I look forward to going back and trying one of their dinners which I heard are quite delish!

Ahhhh the setting for my demise on Oktoberfest 2009!

Having frequented this Coop since it's opening, it is one of my regular hang out/meet up places for me. The beer is good, the food is good, and the service is good. What more can I say?

If you're looking for a fancy pants meal artfully served but don't want to pay an arm and a leg then this is your place. Most dishes are priced reasonably, however the prices have gone up the more restaurants they open up. This is a self serve type of place where you walk up to the counter and order, you're given a lighted buzzer which goes off when your food is ready. You walk to the same counter and pick up your food. The only thing at the Coop that isn't self serve is the bar, they do have people to bus the tables though. I wasn't nuts about the breakfasts, way too cheese laden for my likes but their breakfast potatoes were yummy.

This is the perfect place to go if you want a semi quick meal. The Campbell location gets pretty noisy at times since their bar area is HUGE they have room to host live music.