Ron "OstromHouse" A.'s Profile

Thanks to other LBC Yelpers, I enjoyed a hearty, $3.50 breakfast burrito to go Friday - everything tasted fresh, the chorizo wasn't too greasy. (I could/should have added some salsa from the salsa bar.) I noticed that they have a variety of taco and food specials, some as little as $1.

Thanks to the Yelpers for spotting and recommending this good local stop in Blythe, stuck amidst a sea of a dozen national fast-food choices. If Rebel were a food truck in the South Bay, you might seek it out to satisfy a late night BBQ craving. Mrs. A. and I enjoyed both the brisket and pulled pork sandwich -- both good choices.

The prevalance of recent five-star reviews suggests that there's some Yelp stuffing happening here.

Here's the thing: McKenna's is an outstanding choice for a nice, evening meal in the Marina area. (Actually, it's the only prime choice there.) But they need to do more to earn another star.

My last two dinners at McKenna's have been closer to the three-stars I'm giving it - the food's just not as spectacular for the price as it could be (and once was during its first year). Food prices are higher (especially for the salads and appetizers) than they should be for what you get.* The fish choices are somewhat limiting for a seafood house - mostly safe choices (salmon, etc.) rather than unique ones befitting a special night out.

Will be interesting to see whether the new management (local legend Morris) aims towards turning McKenna's into a safe, locals-only choice with regular specials or a premiere Long Beach establishment with inspired dishes and choices.

* - In comparison, 555 East in downtown Long Beach is also similarly priced, but seems a much better value (food, portions).

The fish and shrimp tacos are what's really good here, and for $1 Taco Tuesdays the other street tacos can't be beat. They microwave the nachos - most restaurants would cook them under a broiler - so I presume they microwave other dishes as well.

We ate here as part of our son's team party. The pizza, when eaten piping hot, was passable, although my previous review of its quality stands. The crust couldn't possibly be homemade, but the cheese when served hot was meltier and stringier than we had it home-delivered. My wife had pasta with what was called "homemade" meat sauce - it was ok.

The plus of eating in: The employees seemed very nice. Also, their decade-old video games kept the kids occupied and emptied the parents' coin purses.

I'm all for supporting local businesses rather than chains, and you would be doing society better by ordering from here than Domino's or the like. But I really just wish this place would, well, be better. K Pasta, near Enrique's (PCH/Loynes) is an example of a neighborhood pasta and pizza place that seems to get it right.

SUCCESS! Ipod Touch fixed!  

Thanks to the other Yelpers, we were able to find this spot to get a damaged (read: shattered) iPod Touch screen repaired. The Mrs. had long conversations with the owners, learning that the repair process takes about 1.5 hours to complete as it's a difficult, but not impossible, repair. Although XCell didn't have the parts by noontime as promised, they did complete our repairs same day.

Total cost - $120 (cash only) out the door.

(Also, enjoyed a great sandwich at the deli a couple doors down!)

Ate waffles. Met Zaki. Enjoyed the breakfast. Worth the stop.

This used to be a summer favorite for our family, but yesterday's experience there has left me pondering whether to ever return again. The economy seems to have gotten the best of Soak City - it seems rundown and the staffers have a devil-may-care attitude compared to when we visited in previous years.

Beyond the fact that they now ban all outside food -- encouraging hungry ones to nosh on items at 300% markup over retail ($1.39 Pepsi bottles and $1.29 chips for $4.00 each) -- the park was overcrowded, ride lines were way too long and inefficiently managed, and things that should be working simply weren't, from broken showers to broken play parts.

I don't know whether the noticeable lack of corporate sponsors (no more Toyota Beach House?) means the cash flow to maintain the property has ended, but Soak City looks like it is in need of a major overhaul -- at minimum, it doesn't appear that it's had an "annual paint job" and refresh in several years.

A short list of things you'll notice:
- The Lazy River attendants not bothering to police the rule that floaters must use an innertube. This both caused unnecessary bottlenecking, but some reckless behavior as well.

- A ONE HOUR wait for the featured Pacific Spin ride. (Quoting my 9 y.o.: "And it really wasn't worth it.") Many ways they could have shortened this, if only management stopped to consider them.

- Wait times of 15-30 minutes for other flume rides. Again, too many people, not enough people-control.

- Too many Beach House water spouts and spigots that are in need of repair.

- Not nearly enough beach chairs and space for the crowd they allowed in. Some courtesy attendants could have helped direct parents with children to available spots.

- Actually, HAVING courtesy attendants milling about would be a plus, since Security spottings were rare. (Where was anyone when a mother of three was screaming M.F.ing this and M.F.ing that to her children in full earshot of dozens of other kids?)

Oh, and the food: Just forget about it.

Kudos to the lifeguard crew for continuing to keep their focus on children and guests ... but they really need some support out there.

Bottom line: The kids will have fun getting soaked, but you may not appreciate how Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. (NYSE: FUN) soaks your pocketbook.

Continuing to shun the pizza (although, this past trip, it was a little better - still undercooked), I tried and enjoyed a meatball sandwich. The bread was terrific - in fact, I'd expect their other sandwiches would be quite good just based on the roll alone - and the sandwich was ... big ... filling ... not bad. I would have liked better pizza/marinara sauce on it - their sauce just isn't thick or spicy enough compared to other local pizzerias - but the sandwich definitely worked.

They have added more "premium" (read: $12 pitcher) beers, which is a plus, and each of the four non-HD tvs have different sports programming, another plus. The real problem with this side of Long Beach is that there isn't a pizza  + sports place comparable to Avenue 3 in that sense.

Big negative: They stick you for $0.50 for sides of sauce or dressing. Roughly a 500% markup on what they pay - certainly more profitable for them than the beer now that I do the math.

Tough call: Pizzamania is still a much better pizza (by about four Yelp stars), but I like sitting and relaxing at Avenue 3.

Seems like a nice bar (and certainly a great view!), but this is the kind of place that I would first judge by its "beach burger" to decide whether the rest of the menu is worth trying. What I was served for lunch today was a pre-formed (read: frozen) burger round, and not it's own, special burger or ground meat. Fries also probably a Sysco special. Other meals around looked similarly food-supplier-designed. Nothing special here.