Sandy T.'s Profile

Remember the Baskin Robbins that used to be in this location?  Yep, that was my first job as a little 15.5 year old.

I do like Cefiore and the quaint seating areas.  I do like some of the flavors Cefiore offers.  Like the Pineapple Tart!  They have lots of toppings and a few times they offered Belgian Waffles.

They have decent tea but I have scorched my tongue a couple of times with their specific tea.  It is probably my own idiocy but that hasn't happened to me anywhere else.

A friend invited us to check out her art display at 4th Street Vine.  It is a cute place but feels a bit empty.  We went on a Saturday night and were able to score seating.  Overall it wasn't too busy for a weekend night.

The tastings were good but no nibbles.  Like no cheese or crackers to break it up.  They did have a giant cake on the counter that looked like bday cake but no one offered anything.  

It has a lot of potential but something about the whole thing felt empty.  I did like the selection they had for the tastings and that it wasn't typical.

This is for the registry process only... I am already a fan of BB&B.

So, I haven't ever been married before and I really have no idea what it exactly was entailed when you "register." But, I knew I wanted to do it.  I have seen my friends lists, seen the scenes in movies and tv shows, I knew this was supposed to be fun.  

We decided to walk in to the HB BB&B and head straight to the registry desk.  I knew some of the things we were supposed to do, pick out a pattern, update our pans, etc... but man what a process!  Our rep was helpful, although when we mentioned we were getting married out of the country he did say "there IS a BB&B in Hawaii."  I am gonna let that one slide because Hawaii is fairly far and is an Island.  But, we are on the West Coast.... nearest Hawaii and our President is from Hawaii.........  Okay, enough of the tangent.  

So we have to fill in a checklist that turns out is only for our reference.  Then they give you the spiel on their free services online for the wedding website and budget tool.  Kind of nice as a variation to http://theknot.com stuff.  They have incentive programs for scanning certain items.  (sarcasm coming) Please don't let anyone actually buy us the $700 Delonghi coffeemaker.  We only scanned it for the incentive ;P  

Okay, so here is the part that was cool.  Normally we wander around BB&B blowing our cash left and right (Read my previous review).  No one says "hi" or 'congrats you two!" Heck, no one has EVER offered us water in the store prior to this registering event!  So that was nice.  Everyone was super helpful and friendly.  

What I didn't like, and perhaps this is just an overall store issue...  When we went to a few other places that had registries it felt like I could get a better idea of entire sets of things.  BB&B things are in sections but I feel a bit lost when trying to come up with "sets" of things.  I never experienced that prior to trying to find an entire matching stemware and dinnerware set.  But then this time when we went into the bathroom area, I felt it again.  

Overall, BB&B is an awesome place to register and they do make you feel special.  It was quite strange to leave without actually purchasing something... I had followed my own rules for once, don't enter BB&B without a plan.  hahah.

I have a food hangover.  Ok, maybe the cheap Soju or Hite beer isn't helping matters.  No need for breakfast this morning after I gorged on Onizake creations and renditions of all sorts of Japanese favorites.  I live within walking distance of this Izakaya and that my friends, is dangerous.  Dangerous for my wedding dress.  

Alright enough with the dramatics, you want to know about the food.  First off, this is a cute eatery.  Tucked away in a Korean strip mall with very little English anywhere.  In fact all of the banners are completely Korean, so for all of the non-Korean speakers, go in, everything will be alright.  Once you are inside, the decor draws you into comfort.  You know you want to eat here.  

The menu was a little intimidating at first glance because usually the Korean owned sushi or Japanese places have pictures or descriptions.  I LOVE that that they didn't have pictures on the menu.  It made the foodie inside of me smile.  

The menu is divided into sections and hindsight tells me that I live close and really didn't need nearly one item from every section for only 2 of us.  First we started with the Yellowtail collar, a bottle of Hite and a bottle of maple Soju.  

The service is very friendly and fast. Our drinks arrived quickly and we were given a shot and beer glass each.  I am thanking the heavens she knew not to give me just the bottle of soju.  Although I still ended up saying "my legs feel like butter" when we walked out.  Mama can't drink like she used to.

Next we ordered some yakitori, fried oysters, and two rolls.  Yes, we were trying rolls.  Something about the Baked Lobster Roll was drawing me in and boy am I glad it did. More about that in a bit.  Our yellowtail collar came out along with the fried oysters.  The oysters came with a tartar type sauce and what we think was an A1 type sauce.  Actually went well with the fried oysters.  Little dip here and there gave it a little pow factor.  Just a warning, let the deep fried food sit for a minute.  I made the mistake of popping one in my mouth too soon and scorched a section of my tongue.

Next came the rolls.  Okay, here is where I tell you that I have had the best Baked Lobster roll of my life.  This thing is so addicting that even with my stomach STILL full from last night I could easily eat another one of those suckers.  First off, it is a great price... $8.  Normally you get the typical 6-8 pieces and it has a few pieces of the bay scallops atop of the rolls.  Not here, It was a plate full of wonderfulness.  Yes, I said it.  WONDERFULNESS.  The sauce and grilled onion mixed throughout just made me fall in love.  There, I said it.  I loved it.  

The Yakitori came some time in the middle of my gorgefest on that roll.  Bacon wrapped asparagus and pork belly.  Hey, we need our veggies right ;P  Both were tasty and cheap.  We got a free taster on the house too, which proved to be quite yummy as well.

For the price and the atmosphere, you can't go wrong here.  They are only 2 months old and are eager to make it a go.  They deserve the chance and I would hate to see them lose out to yet another crawfish place or Korean BBQ.  The head chef, Kevin, came by and said hi to us, making the experience more personable.  

Oh and if you purchase more than $30 worth of food they give you a $5 gift card for your next visit.  On their yelp page right now there is even a 20% off coupon for yelpers.  

Yay! I'm a fan.  I would have given them 4.5 stars if I could have.  Even if I feel like crawling back into my bed and wearing sweatpants all day.

After reading the reviews on yelp, I made my appointment at The Wedding Day fully expecting to use them to figure out what was flattering on me and then purchase my dress elsewhere.  I went in with absolutely no expectations, except perhaps that it would be Designing Womenesque and bad customer service.  Initially when I told them my budget was 1k and was pointed to the "green tagged dresses," I was concerned I was out of my league.  

It was a Saturday and it felt a little overbooked inside, but after waiting a few minutes, my sales rep, Melissa, eagerly helped us out.  There is definitely some sort of weird politics going on in this place with the older employees, but who knows what that is all about.  It seemed a little like only certain clientele got the main platform and seating area for trying on dresses.  Fine by me though, it was me and a bridesmaid and I had no desire to have other people seeing me go through my decision making process.  

Yes, some of the dresses look haggard.  What I soon found out though, "THE" dress can sneak up on you.  A dress that was new on their racks had drawn me in at first glance.  Six dresses in, I said, you know, let me go ahead and try that one just in case.  As it was put in place, I knew.  This was it.  No one had to tell me.  I knew.  Our sales rep, Melissa, was informative, helpful and picked the right veil to accentuate my look.  Here I was, a reformed tomboy, finally feeling like a bride.  

So perhaps it was just the luck of the draw that I found THE dress at The Wedding Day and thereby changed what could have been an okay review.  

What I will say is, things do feel a bit rushed when dealing with checking in and paying.  I only know about certain things because I read up on it after the fact.  I got lucky that THE dress was actually under my 1k range.  I had already started looking at the next range up thinking I was too low.  The accessories though, are 'spensive.  $390 for a hair comb.

New Year's eve, hanging out in the Beer Garden that was setup in a parking lot across the street from  Wa Wa and next door to House of Hayden, Wa Wa kept calling my name.  Why?

A.  bathroom
B.  the smell of chinese food becomes quite alluring when you are drinking
C.  warmth on a rather chilly night.
D.  They were open.

Because of at least 3 of those, the food tasted great and it was cheap but outside of that, I can't claim to be the best Wa Wa reviewer because my circumstances would have loved anything that had warmth, bathroom and food at that hour.

Let's start this review with the truth...

The trek to find Witch Creek was a bit of an ordeal for us.  No, it isn't in a hidden location and yes it is easy to spot.  So, you ask, how in the world could it be an ordeal?  Google maps.  Somehow google maps sent us to Ramona, Ca.  Which, for the record, I had no clue where it was until we were deep in Ramona.  (Nowhere NEAR a freeway).  Now, the ridiculous part was I recalled reading it was near the beach and the 5 Fwy.  So why I didn't notice we were headed into the middle of nowhere, no clue.  Next we accidentally put in Carlsbad Village instead of Carlsbad whatever Witch Creek is actually on.  Sending us a few miles in the wrong direction but at least it was within 5 miles not 30.  

Okay, so after that fiasco, we finally found it and slipped inside.  Initially I was perturbed at the lack of welcome by the two ladies behind the counter but shortly after that (I might have just been grumpy from sitting in the car for so long), they were pouring my glasses.  $6 tastings!  

All in all, I like the wine here because it suits my tastes.  Easy, breezy, winery.  (rip from Covergirl).  Needless to say, we joined the wine club and we are looking forward to being members.  Worth the trek after all.

Finding John's was a complete accident.  I was taking my new CASA match (http://www.casaoc.org if you are interested) out for the first time.  Not really knowing what she would like or dislike, I had thought we could hit up the Buena Park Mall area for something to eat first.  After driving around for a bit, we decided to get out and walk near the theater to see what was in that area.  Lo' and behold, John's.  At first, I thought it was a Chuck E Cheese type place, but then we realized it was Hometown Buffet meets Dave n Busters, but aimed at kids.  

It was fairly cheap to eat and we bought a "fun card."  We put $13 total on the fun card to start with and ended up hitting the jackpot on some random ticket game without even realizing it.  We hung out for a few hours, and were able to spend time talking and getting to know each other.  I wouldn't recommend this place for a date or anything, or even for most outings, but for this one evening it turned out to be the perfect spot.  

The food is alright, the service is not so great.  Even though it is a fairly new establishment, it seems to be a bit dirty.

15+ years ago, an aunt used them as her bakery for her wedding cake.  I remember as a young teenager, loving every bite.  Years later, my office is right down the street, so I decided to hit them up for some cupcakes.  I ordered 9 various cupcakes to take to the office for my team.  

Everyone liked them and said they would be checking out the bakery.  Next time I want to try out the cafe, but I would guess they are better known for cakes and pastries.

It might be random in more ways than one, but the Basement Lounge has an appeal.  Lots of seating, interesting people and decent bathrooms.  Parking, well, it is downtown LB, so don't expect easy parking.  

It wasn't crowded and a diverse clientele.  The in-between bands music didn't quite flow with the type of bands that were playing, BUT the bands tried to flow with it.  One band, picked up the beat ad-hoc and jammed away.  

Like other reviewers mentioned, drinks aren't cheap but having room to hang out and have fun is worth the extra buck or two.  My drinks were stiff, so I can cope with parting with my George Washingtons.  

If you are wanting to see a different side on LB, go to Basement Lounge.  It isn't as bad as the other reviewers make it out to be.