Dawn "Delicate Flower" E.'s Profile

Okay, so I only had Pho (chicken - Pho Ga), water, and a scorpian bowl.

Service - Very friendly.  VERY slow.  We were the only ones in there but it took like 20 minutes (maybe more, we were having fun so didn't pay that much attention) to get the Scorpian Bowl.  I think they were growing the grains in the back and fermenting them first.   Out soup actually came out first.  

Ambiance - neat and clean and plesant and chic... but with a diner-eque feel (containers of sauces and pakaged silverware and chopsitcks on the table).   But that's just the inside... outside it the ghettoyest strip mall possibly everererer.

Pho - Good.  Not the best I've ever had good, but good enough that I would be willing to come back and try other things!

Scoprian Bowl - Perfect.  And flaming.  And worth every penny.  It tasted liek they actually WERE fermenting their own grains.  Two of us got a decent buzz off this thing and actually had to linger a while to let it wear off!

Merchant Circle is a business dedicated to connecting local business owners with people.   I have no idea if they do this successfully, as my experience below has led me to never want to find out.

The phone number listed above took me 45 minutes to find (okay, probably more). Do NOT call the 800 number you can easily find on their contact list. It comes with this disclaimer: "Please note that you will incur a $34.95 charge on your phone bill for a call to the 800 number above." Of course, you have to click the link beside the number to get the disclaimer, otherwise I'm assuming your SOL.

Running a business without a was to contact support WITHOUT paying $35 is the biggest most horrid sham ever.

Why I needed Merchant Circle, well, apparently they don't verify their numbers and a number listed for another business was really mine (well, not mine, personally, but belonging to someone in my company.) And you know how Yelp has this little "edit business info" link? Well, Merchant Circle does not. Merchant Circle does not make it easy for you to change and remove information without paying. Don't have $34.95? You can also get "recurring Priority Customer Service starting at $14.95 per month" by clicking another link and the say "for our free customer support services please explore our Forums, FAQ's, How to Guides, and Live Chat hours."

Live Chat! That WOULD be helpful. Here are the hours:
"We are available for Live Chat
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
from 2-3PM (PST)."

WTF? You people are asses.

So I searched FAQs, nada. So I searched Forums.. found a thread titles "POST FOR DELETION." Yeah.. it was just a talk there. There was a recipe posted for Alabama White Sauce there, so ridiculously helpful. Okay, FAIL.

Let's try "How To Guides": Your Merchant Dashboard, How to Update your Profile and Business Category, How to Add a Photo, How to Create a Blog, How to Publish a Coupon, How to Create an Ad, How to Manage Customer Lists, How to Create Customer Groups, How to Create Links, Add MerchantCircle Info to your Webpage, How to Track Your Account Activity

Okay, NOW I'm frustrated. I just want to send an email or talk to a friggin' person about a phone number that is WRONG.

Okay, finally I gave up and tried to remove the listing, of course, the business IS a really business, so I don't know how that will go but, either way, Merchant Circle... I hate you.

As for the phone number, an extensive internet search gave me a 900 number (which isn't any better than a paid 800 number), the original 800 number, and this Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.or... but, still, not free contact number. Until finally I found THIS number (650-352-1335), which goes straight to a recorded message that says email pr@merchantcircle.com for marketing and questions@merchantcirc... for customer support and STILL no way to talk to a person.

Oh well, at least I found an email address.

I am going to rock the boat, me thinks, and tell the truth. If I this were a paid event and I wasn't surrounded by people I love, I'd have been disappointed. In the beginning, it was very disorganized. I agree that, with the crowd, the complicated drinks should have been left out (I DID get to sip one though and yum). One more bartender would have also been helpful and, perhaps, the buffet tables could have been arranged in some fashion so that the line could have gone on both sides? The setup was perfect for a staggered lunch, but not a huge event where everyone arrives at the same time, wants to eat at the same time. I felt bad for the folks that were lined up all the way to my table (near the door) for the buffet while I was eating (I was early in line). A lot of time, in general here, was spent waiting for stuff instead of mingling with each other.

Also, in general, I think it's fair to compare this event to other events, which have been much more organized. Perhaps brunch wasn't the right venue for us (But KUDOS for doing it) or perhaps the next brunch type thing should be more intimate (no plus ones, limited guest list).

So why still 4 stars? Because I'm not an ass and because is wasn't a paid event. It was an elite event and everything was free (mostly*) and I'm just grateful to have been invited. Plus, I had a wonderful time, because how can you NOT have a wonderful time with Yelpers. And I wasn't complaining or bothered by any of the above (just put it to be fair and impartial), because of the awesomeness that is Yelp.

Extra Kudos to Leighann for finagling Indian Summer. I didn't realize she had an "in" with the higher powers, but apparently she does. And the brunch food here really was fantastic. I had not been to the Rattlesnake but I heard "poo poos" about it all week so I was certainly looking much more forward to my Yelpers than the food. The food, alone, was a enough to make me bookmark the Rattlesnack for a future, non-Yelp visit.

Overall, great as always, because it's hard to fail with this group.

(*Okay, re: $$$. You COULD have bought drinks that weren't comped. Some folks did. But more over, there was tipping on the comped drinks, as well. If you didn't tip, I am writing this to shame you. At events, in most case, these folks are volunteering services and paying for the food they provide us. The bartenders are Yelp events work hard, but they're not getting paid more than they would at any other event, and even if they are, so what? You just got free food AND free drinks? Are you so cheap you can't pay $1 for your drink that would have normally been $10??? Don't have singles? Fine, just tip once with a five or something, you still just had an entire event for $5. TIP DAMNIT! Okay, that is all.)

PS to Leighann:  Your mom's is adorable and we love her.

PPS  A special shout out to Jason's Retrangle shirt!

Wow.  I am amazed at the great reviews.

First, the cannoli is great.  Serious, it's a 4.5 star cannoli.  But there macaroons were bland and uninteresting, the cheese cake was smooth but too sweet and missing my favorite part, crust.  The biscotti and boring as all hello.

And the girl behind the counter who helped us was disinterested, uninformed, and just the teeniest bit cranky.  Okay, if you don't want to be there, go home.  She didn't know much about the goods they were selling.  I asked about macaroons and if there was pistachio and she just named the colors and made me look at them to pick.  

I would go here for cannolis again, if I was on Cambridge Street anyway, but if I'm driving miles for baked goods, I'm still going to the North End.  The service is not worth the extra trip.

Oh, one thing, 4 macaroons, 2 cannolis, and a piece of cake (had the biscotti on a separate occasion) cost under $8.

For service and some of the baked goods I give one, maybe 2 stars, but then cannolis and price get 4...  so I'm averaging out here.

So I write this review with a hefty warning from Benjamin K that if I've nothing nice to say I will (implied) die. This warning affects my review in no way, but I point it out because it's important you, the reader, know this place is beloved. And beloved places should be preserved.

Video Signals is one of the last of a dying breed: The Independent Video store. Hell, with all the streaming you can do these days, even the chain stores are on the endangered list.

It looks pretty much the same as I imagine it would have in the late 80s/early 90s (although Ben's review implies this location is fairly new) but it smells of books. What was probably once rows and rows of videos is now used books, which makes sense. I got lost a little in the books, but we were here for a movie soo...

The movie selection, itself, I thought was very limited with regards to newer titles, but there is a separate side room with children's titles, for those of you with wee ones. I hear they also carry a lot of current games, which is good if you have a gaming system. And they have packages where you can "rent" so many games/videos for $X a month, which is useful.

The guy behind the counter sounded like he knew what he was talking about, although I did not really talk to him myself.

The sign on the building is burnt out and this place screams dive, but in a good way. One major disappointment: how do you have an "old school" video store with a "back room?" Maybe that's not their fault, though, I imagine the lawmakers in Acton are probably pretty uptight.

I just ate at Makaha for the first and last time. There were a few good points, and I will address them first.

Good Points:
1. Sketchy separate bar. Yes, this is a GOOD point. I would consider coming here for the bar, but the bar was not part of my experience, and, even if it's amazing, it doesn't make up for the food.
2. Somewhat friendly service. Mind you, not over the top "I feel so much joy when I come in here that the service alone will bring me back" service, but not poor.
3. The boneless ribs. They weren't better or worse than anybody else's boneless ribs, but they were fatter. The large full chunks were nice.

Okay.. the rest.

The atmosphere of this place is okay nothing special, but what really makes Makaha stand out is the food. My cousin's "Irish Boil" has more flavor than the food here.

Spicy dishes have no spice at all and EVERYTHING is bland. Bland bland bland bland bland. Listen, I've had a LOT of crappy Chinese food, but most crappy places still master the basic of lo mein and the Americanized fried crap. (Seriously, how do you make beef teryaki and chicken wings bland? I didn't even know that was possible. I didn't even hold the freakin' MSG!) Not Makaha. Not by a long shot. The word "cuisine" generally implies culinary art, and there is none at Makaha.

If you want cheap bland food, Makaha is your place. Everybody else stay away.

This is the first time I've actually been in bagels plus but it's not the first time I've had the bagels.  I've had veggie, spinach, onion, garlic, health, everything, plain, onion, and cheese and they've all been good.   A bagel should be chewy and moist.  It should be heavy and filling.  It should, despite how delicious it may be, not leave you wanting more.  A bagel and it's toppings (tomatoes, cream cheese, eggs, jam, lox, whatever) should be a meal.  In this, Bagel Plus succeeds.

Also, bagels plus has a lot of interesting beverage options (not just coffee), although I've only sampled the coffee and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either.  And there is a small sampling of muffins, etc, if that's more your thing.

The shop itself is cute and has plenty of room to linger there.  I didn't look to see if they offer WiFi, but it would be nice if they did, so I'll try and get that info next time I'm there.

Two things though...

First:  There is a charge for slicing bagels.  Not that single bagel you order toasted with cream cheese or whatever, but $0.50 for half a dozen and $1.00 for a dozen.  While odds are good that I'd have dropped this in the tip jar anyway(or more probably), I think the charge is ridiculous.  That's is just good service.  You're a bagel place.  Slice the damned bagels if folks ask.  I, personally, don't always ask to have my bagels sliced, but if I'm bringing dozens in for a meeting I will, and I have never been charged anywhere else.

Which brings me to...

Second:  This place is cash only.  I had a discussion with the owners about this and was told they would loose money if they had a credit card machine.  To this I say, charge more then.  Hell, even offer cash incentives, like a gas station does, but it's almost 2010 and not everyone carries cash anymore.  Sure, I could go back out into the cold and head over to the nearest ATM, pay fees to take out cash, and trek back.  But I didn't.  Also, if you're going to stay cash only, please put a sign on the door.   There was signage in the shop, but I didn't notice it until I got to the register and then I had to make them put back the dozen bagels I had packed up.  (Sorry about that, truly, and if there was a sign on the door and I am just daft, please feel free to school me, but I don't think it did).   Okay, so I know I've started a rant here, and this is not the only review I've ranted in, but, I'm sure I'm not the only person who rarely carries cash.

Okay, rants aside.  The bagels are good here, and I probably be back cash-in-hand on occasion if I am in Acton anyway, which happens on occasion.   Go here, don't go to Dunkin, because their bagels taste like cardboard.   However, I won't be purchasing dozens and dozens of bagels for the office here any time soon, which is a shame.  Still, I see a bagel and some hot cider in my future.

SHORT REVIEW (if you want to skip all of the above):   Go to Bagels Plus.  Bring cash.  Enjoy.

So I still love Dino's I do.  And what I said below stands, but I just called for takeout and was asked to hold a minute.   I'm still holding, I have a counter on my phone and it says I've been on this call for 10 minutes and 12 seconds.   Okay, I'm not holding anymore.  I just hung up.

Dino's still gets my occasional sit-at-the-bar meals, but they just lost my take-out business entirely.

If you know me, you know I love my scotch and my cigars. I don't indulge in either every day, but when I do, it's got to be good.

My friend Sean and I popped in here because he wanted cigarettes (which I whined about and he wound up not buying but more on that later).

The place is nothing special to look at. Just a counter with a guy behind it and some cigarettes and pipes and such under glass, some shelves behind it with loose tobacco, and a couple of club chairs in a corner (but literally only a couple, there's ROOM for more seating, but there isn't any). And then there's a humidor, which is it's only separate, expansive walk-in room.

The weather was right and I was in the mood for a cigar so I abandoned Sean and got lost with all the cigars. I held them, I smelled them, I compared them side by side. The trick is not to look at price when you're buying a cigar. Some of the best ones are under $10, but a lot of people just go for the higher or lower price tag when shopping. I never look at first, if the cigar I pick is $1 or $30, it's the cigar I pick. It's a rare and special ritual and should be savored.

I spent ten minutes or so slowly moving from box to box, cigar to cigar and there were two that struck me. One was mostly for it's container, a glass tube with a cork. (What? I'm a girl!) The cigar within, though, had a rich scent and the container promised to keep it safe for me since I never finish one in one sitting. The other, the winner, was a loose hand wrapped cigar in dark, moist looking leaves with rich dark tobacco within. It's packaging wasn't unassuming, it was nonexistent and gave images old old Nicaraguan men with dark tans and brimmed hats sitting around a table rolling these... This was the cigar for me.

Sean popped in just as I was given a last consideration for an old standby before I chose my dark shiny beauty and he was holding a pipe, having decided to try a new smoking experience while appeasing my desire not to be surrounded by cigarette smoke.

The man behind the counter was full of knowledge. He approved of my choice, you could tell, and suggested I paid it with full bodied red wines or dark stouts and insisted that this one be smoked slow and be savored - confirming, for me, that I had made the perfect choice. Then he spent a lot of time with Sean going over loose tobaccos and helping him select the right one, and then instructing him on how to properly load and light the pipe before sending us on our way with all the tools we needed.

Oh, he also offered to clip my cigar, but I wasn't quite ready to smoke it yet, and, also, I'm me, and being me, I wanted to use the gorgeous titanium cigar clipper I carry with me most everywhere, just in case.

This place will have what you want, and if they don't they'll order it for you (I saw them do this for another customer).

75 cents an hour?  Yes please.   This makes me want to spend less time in Boston and more time in Portsmouth.  

I'll have to work on that.