Gordon "Needs a Nickname Please" E.'s Profile
Date
This place is weird. It has a sign out front saying "Asian Rose" as opposed to the actual name of the restaurant. Then you go in there, and it stinks to high heaven of floral scents, from candles and other such crap. I don't like this part at all.
The menu is an interesting mix of veggie options, and although the prices are somewhat high for the portion sizes, it was definitely some tasty food, if a little salty.
The service, though, was crap. We ordered drinks, and they would just bring the drinks over to the table one at a time without comment as to what they are. Supertonic? Mango lassi? Papaya pineapple guava? Interesting stuff, but they didn't even tell us what they were dropping off. Same with the food: they had no idea who had ordered what and wouldn't say what the heck they were bringing over. It sucked.
So good food, lousy service, smells weird.
The menu is an interesting mix of veggie options, and although the prices are somewhat high for the portion sizes, it was definitely some tasty food, if a little salty.
The service, though, was crap. We ordered drinks, and they would just bring the drinks over to the table one at a time without comment as to what they are. Supertonic? Mango lassi? Papaya pineapple guava? Interesting stuff, but they didn't even tell us what they were dropping off. Same with the food: they had no idea who had ordered what and wouldn't say what the heck they were bringing over. It sucked.
So good food, lousy service, smells weird.
It's surprising to me how many reviews there are of St George's when there's so few of Rock Wall. It's next door! Am I perhaps posting in the wrong place? Duplicate entries in the database?
After you've been to St George's (not before -- wine then liquor, you know the rest), you should come to Rock Wall and drink some wine. It's supposedly $5 for the tasting, but you get this back when you buy some wine, and you will buy some wine.
Not only do you get to drink the Rock Wall stuff, but there's a generous sampling of other wineries here as well. Although I hate the label, I like the wine, especially the late harvest riesling, which now sits at home waiting for me to drink.
If you want to get some good wine in an interesting location (an old airplane paint hangar), all without unnecessary trappings, this is your spot.
Also, on the way out, you can stop in the "living room" and take a look at the "rock wall," which is a collection of vintage photos and posters from the '60s.
After you've been to St George's (not before -- wine then liquor, you know the rest), you should come to Rock Wall and drink some wine. It's supposedly $5 for the tasting, but you get this back when you buy some wine, and you will buy some wine.
Not only do you get to drink the Rock Wall stuff, but there's a generous sampling of other wineries here as well. Although I hate the label, I like the wine, especially the late harvest riesling, which now sits at home waiting for me to drink.
If you want to get some good wine in an interesting location (an old airplane paint hangar), all without unnecessary trappings, this is your spot.
Also, on the way out, you can stop in the "living room" and take a look at the "rock wall," which is a collection of vintage photos and posters from the '60s.
This review is of the experience, not the vodka, although the vodka is included in the experience.
There's a tour with the "vodka vixen" here, and this is the highlight. It's a funny tour, and treats drinking like an important part of a person's diet. This is a neat way of looking at things, and the tour remains entertaining until you're marketed to for the 35th time, at which point you're better off racing to the bar to beat the tour crowd to the sampling bar.
$10 gets you a bunch of mini-shots of vodka and liquor. Some of this was not so good (because I don't like raspberry), and others of it were SO good (spiced pear liquor, smoked black tea liquor and the single malt whiskey were my faves here).
You can pay extra and get the absinthe, but my date had a bad experience with absinthe once ,so we skipped it. Also, we had to save some of our drunkenness allowance for next door, but that's an entirely different review.
There's a tour with the "vodka vixen" here, and this is the highlight. It's a funny tour, and treats drinking like an important part of a person's diet. This is a neat way of looking at things, and the tour remains entertaining until you're marketed to for the 35th time, at which point you're better off racing to the bar to beat the tour crowd to the sampling bar.
$10 gets you a bunch of mini-shots of vodka and liquor. Some of this was not so good (because I don't like raspberry), and others of it were SO good (spiced pear liquor, smoked black tea liquor and the single malt whiskey were my faves here).
You can pay extra and get the absinthe, but my date had a bad experience with absinthe once ,so we skipped it. Also, we had to save some of our drunkenness allowance for next door, but that's an entirely different review.
748 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 292-7660
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 292-7660
Philz Coffee
Category:
Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Did you know this place has a secret menu? Neither did I. I'm here today because of a meeting in the city, but usually I come here on Sundays after watching football. I'm almost done with Sunday football for the year, so I need to enjoy this at every opportunity.
What I've been doing is working my way down the list of coffees, ordering them in order, until I've had them all. I've suggested a punch card program to encourage people to do this, with the hopes that I can earn a free mug. I hope to be grandfathered in.
But what about the coffee? The coffee is delicious: there's a coffee for everyone. There's wifi here and good seating and power strips! What a concept: power for everyone! I really like Philz.
What I've been doing is working my way down the list of coffees, ordering them in order, until I've had them all. I've suggested a punch card program to encourage people to do this, with the hopes that I can earn a free mug. I hope to be grandfathered in.
But what about the coffee? The coffee is delicious: there's a coffee for everyone. There's wifi here and good seating and power strips! What a concept: power for everyone! I really like Philz.
Ate here for lunch today. We were the first ones in the door so everything on the buffet was fresh and fully stocked. A guy who used to work with me always wanted to go to this place because he was a vegetarian, and they had the best veggie options of all the Indian buffets around.
Now I'm one of those (at least through March 17, 2010), so this is my buffet of choice, too. The naan is delicious, and brought out fresh from the kitchen. Today they had veggie korma, some bombay potatoes, a peas and carrots dish creatively named "peas and carrots," and then a whole bunch of meat stuff.
It was delicious, reasonably priced, and quick.
Now I'm one of those (at least through March 17, 2010), so this is my buffet of choice, too. The naan is delicious, and brought out fresh from the kitchen. Today they had veggie korma, some bombay potatoes, a peas and carrots dish creatively named "peas and carrots," and then a whole bunch of meat stuff.
It was delicious, reasonably priced, and quick.
1841 Ygnacio Valley Rd
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
(925) 944-1006
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
(925) 944-1006
China Village Restaurant
Category:
Chinese
We call this place "5 minute Chinese food" at my office. When I order a lunch special, I start a stopwatch. The last time we were here, it was 3:02 when they brought out our main courses. Since the hot n sour soup has pork in it, I was able to dive right in, but we been seated, ordered, eaten and paid within 20 minutes. This leaves plenty of time to run other errands before getting back to the office.
The food is no better than mediocre, but the speediness takes the cake.
The food is no better than mediocre, but the speediness takes the cake.
I only get one dish here. It's called the Jade Garden shrimp. It's spicy shrimp with broccoli, bamboo, carrots and mushrooms. I get it without the mushrooms. It comes with little fried wonton strips, a veggie spring roll, soup and rice. It's $8.20 after tax. It's delicious.
I don't know if anything else here is good, but I know that this is delicious.
I don't know if anything else here is good, but I know that this is delicious.
1908 Oak Park Blvd
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(925) 938-5180
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(925) 938-5180
Sunshine Café
Categories:
Breakfast & Brunch,
Diners
This is a small diner with snark. Who doesn't love a snarky diner?
The menu is tiny, the food is cheap, it's made quickly, and comes with a side of sarcasm. I wanted a tuna melt, but there was no tuna melt on the menu. No problem! My friend wanted a chili dog, but made with polish sausage. This, too, was not on the menu. This, too, was no problem.
It was fast and delicious, and I can't wait to go back and try the breakfast.
The menu is tiny, the food is cheap, it's made quickly, and comes with a side of sarcasm. I wanted a tuna melt, but there was no tuna melt on the menu. No problem! My friend wanted a chili dog, but made with polish sausage. This, too, was not on the menu. This, too, was no problem.
It was fast and delicious, and I can't wait to go back and try the breakfast.
When the hostess comes to our table and offers to take our coats (and my hat), I know I'm in a five-star place. When I get a flight of wine, and I get handed a little card with information about the wine I'm drinking, I know I'm in a five-star place. When the scallop appetizer has the most incredible scallops I've possibly ever eaten, well ... now I'm repeating myself.
Everything I had in this place was delicious, and my entire dinner party agreed. The only negative was that our server seemed to get distracted at some point during the meal. He was great in the beginning, and then terrible by the end. This seemed out of character for the joint, and I was gonna knock a star off, but it seemed just wrong. It was too good.
Everything I had in this place was delicious, and my entire dinner party agreed. The only negative was that our server seemed to get distracted at some point during the meal. He was great in the beginning, and then terrible by the end. This seemed out of character for the joint, and I was gonna knock a star off, but it seemed just wrong. It was too good.
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"Scribbling in His Notebook to Help You"
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Review votes:
99 Useful, 54 Funny, and 60 Cool
Location
Oakland, CA
Yelping SinceAugust 2006
Things I Lovesinging, pineapple, apples, Fluff, downloading, NPR Podcasts, Elbow, Prog Rock, a crowded floor with a live band
Find Me InOakland and San Francisco
My HometownLongmeadow, MA
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm seeing live music
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI'm very careful with spelling and grammar.
My Second Favorite WebsiteMy RSS reader
The Last Great Book I ReadTrue Enough
My First ConcertEric Clapton, FLPAC, 1983
My Favorite MovieSay Anything
My Last Meal On EarthThe Wynn Buffet
Current CrushYou
So then we went downtown and I was looking for the restaurant, and he said we were there, but I didn't see the restaurant. Turns out it's a little hut on the sidewalk. You order your food and then they bring it to you as you sit at a table.
And the food is delicious. There's great veggie options, and they'll make it vegan for you if that's your speed. I had a mole plate, which seemed like a risk, and it was incredible. Then I had some chips with the spicy guacamole, which was also incredible.
Sitting out on the sidewalk in Santa Cruz on a sunny winter's day, watching the world go by, all while eating delicious Mexican food? Incredible.