Jenny N.'s Profile

Pet Food Express is like the Whole Foods of pet stores. They specialize in all kinds of  holistic and natural pet foods, toys and accessories galore. There's a small section for "doggy fashion" as well.

The whole store is bright, clean, and staffed by friendly, helpful employees. As others have mentioned, the prices are competitive.

You can also get pet tags engraved here, adopt a kitty, or even bathe your dog on-site. They offer a "solar-powered self serve dog wash" where you pay $15 for a 25-minute DIY bathing session that includes towels, shampoo and blow dry. I'm a fan of not having to bath the dog at home, so this seems like a pretty great deal  :)

The location is super convenient to my neighborhood, which is most excellent news for my pup Riley.

Have you ever wanted to sing your heart out but feel terrified at the idea of doing so in front of a roomful of strangers at a random dive bar? Well, Yamasho has the solution--private karaoke rooms rented by the hour!

They have massive songbooks (in English, Chinese AND Japanese) covering everything from the latest contemporary chart toppers to old school hip hop, classic rock jams and Broadway show tunes.

Don't worry--they serve alcohol (and food) so you are adequately uninhibited before being coerced by your friends to belt out embarrassing pop numbers by the likes of NKOTB and Katy Perry. Half the fun is finding out who amongst your friends has a talent for rapping like Tupac, fancies Dolly Parton, and yet also adores duets from Grease ;)

Yamasho also provides a tambourine for extra amusement, so go ahead and work it!! Room rentals start at $55/hour and they have multiple karaoke rooms priced by the size of the group. Reservations are recommended. It's a great late night group activity too, as they are open until 2 am.

A word of advice: you won't believe how fast 2 hours flies by!! Our group had so much fun that we stayed for 3 hours even though we originally booked for two, so plan accordingly.

La Rosa serves both the ladies and gents well which is admirable since most vintage shops tend to be weak in the men's department. Haight Street Vintage is their sister store down the street, but this is a cozier shop and seems to have a better selection of vintage from the '40s through '60s.

In fact, you will find beautiful pieces to complement any period outfit from head to toe. La Rosa carries all kinds of hats, costume jewelry, shoes, and several well-curated racks of delicious party frocks, sheath dresses, full circle skirts and of course suits and tails for the gentlemen. They also have quite the collection of coats, blazers, jackets and cardigans. All the clothing is handily labeled with the appropriate time period and a description of the style.

The sales staff are sweet and exceptionally helpful. They encourage you to try items on, provide spot on styling advice and are generally knowledgeable about the pieces they sell. The level of customer service here is so impeccable that the man at the register ahead of me was compelled to comment that he wished there were a tip line on the receipt to acknowledge the excellent service!

Prices are also fairly reasonable (by SF standards) considering that the goods are, for the most part, in great condition and do not carry the scent of mothballs. I love that these gems are ready to wear off the rack without a separate trip to the dry cleaner's.

I happily got a steal on a stunning fuschia sheath dress from the '60s which I intend to wear this holiday season :)

I'm not sure if it's strictly a seasonal thing (i.e. Oktoberfest) but this store has a wicked selection of the most adorable vintage Bavarian dirndl dresses right now. A whole rack of dresses, plus mix and match lacy cotton tops to wear underneath. I walked out with a sweet ensemble that's perfect for Halloween :) So excited.

Besides dirndls, there were a nice selections of coats, party frocks and sequined numbers, as well as a decent men's selection from what I could tell.

Oh, just a note on the "dressing room"--it's actually just a screened off area in the back corner of the store. Not super private, so ladies should take care when changing.  Prices also seem a smidge higher than average to me, but I'm sure the market demand is much stronger in SF than any other city outside of NYC. Extra bonus: lovely, helpful sales staff!

Having been raised in a Chinese restaurant family, I know my way around a scorpion bowl and Polynesian themed decor. We have kitsch out in Western Mass too (hello, Hu Ke Lau!).

That said, I think Smuggler's Cove is quite possibly the first true "tiki bar" that I've been to. From the outside, it looks like a nondescript lounge/club. And it's actually fairly understated (as far as Polynesian decor goes) on the inside as well if you don't count the multi-colored fountain in the corner....no explosion of leis or grass skirts anywhere. And nary a Hawaiian shirt. Actually, I'm a bit disappointed about that.

Anyway, what they DO have is an exceptionally detailed cocktail list and a wealth of rum concoctions that would do Jack Sparrow proud! The flaming volcano drinks are quite the crowd pleaser. I highly recommend trying one, but be sure to share with a couple friends. And having extra straws on hand will quickly make you some new friends as well ;)

As for the ambiance...it's lit enough so that you can easily read the drink menu and not so loud that you couldn't carry on a conversation amongst friends. I do wish they played some Polynesian themed music, but oh well...At least they have lots of seating downstairs and friendly bartenders! Good for groups and a more mellow night out :)

Quite possibly the quickest, most efficient and friendly eye exam I've ever had! Dr. Tom and his staff are really professional. I needed a same day appointment and they were able to accommodate me.

I was fitted with my sample pair of contact lenses and was out the door in less than 30 minutes.

Extra bonus points for being in a convenient location and taking VSP eye insurance. It was the best $10 (co-pay) I ever spent w/an optometrist. Plus I'll be getting a nice rebate on my new contact lenses :) Win.win.win.

Jeremy's is the answer for anyone who loves/covets designer fashion but is loath to pay full price. Have patience, my bargain-hunting friend. Cull those racks carefully and inspect the wares before committing. But with any luck, you are bound to find some stellar pieces (i.e. $150 Vince leather jacket that retails for upwards of $1,000!). They have a whole array of Manolos and fancy gowns too.

The best deals can be found upstairs ($5 bathing suits!) and they do have separate sections for children's, men's and housewares.

I entered the dressing room with an armful of clothing but alas, only ended up walking out with a Cheap Monday slip dress for $8. I'm glad I showed restraint though...It would be so easy and dangerous to go on a spree!

But I will be back...oh yes. You best believe it. Extra bonus: sweet sales staff that are friendly and accomodating.

Mmm...fried chicken. It's a tricky dish to perfect, but much like pizza, most fried chicken is still quite tasty ,if not finger lickin' good.

Greenburger serves up fried chicken as a special on Fridays, and of course i had to order it.. My order came with green & yellow beans and mashed potatoes  & gravy.

But ok, let's get serious now...While the chicken itself was super tender, juicy and really tasty, the breading was too thick for my liking. I'm sure it helped to seal in the meat juices, but I didn't really like the texture. Also, the gravy could've used a little more salt & pepper as it was a touch bland.

While $15 for fried chicken seems steep, I'll go along with it because knowing SF, it's probably free range organic and they also gave me 3 large pieces in my order...

I would give Greenburger another shot just because they have a cool customer loyalty program (using mobile app and QR codes), whereby you buy 9 burgers and get one for free :)

I stopped into Poquito for a small bite to eat before heading home from an event and they turned a rather ho-hum Friday night into a warm encounter. It was unexpected and I was pleasantly surprised!

I sat at the bar, ordered a sangria (pretty good, only $5) and the chorizo sliders (just the right amount of spice, very tasty). But before my sliders came out of the kitchen, the owner approached me with a small dish of complimentary fried fava beans. He said they'd go well with the sangria...how nice is that?! And of course, he was right too :) The nuttiness of the fava beans paired quite nicely with the fruity wine.

Then, as I was getting ready to leave, the owner again stopped by to ask how my meal was and offered me a spoon so I could scoop out the last little cubes of fruit in my sangria :) So thoughtful!

It was my first time in the Dogpatch neighborhood, but given the friendly service here, I'm sure I'll return at some point :)

They could possibly work on the ambiance as it was pretty quiet and had a kind of odd layout...

Next time, I want to try the shrimp tacos and Cuban sandwich.

Honestly, I am shocked to see so many negative reviews of Lavande because I had a pretty wonderful and relaxingl experience myself!

Several years ago, my friend gave me a gift certificate to Lavande before I moved out of state. I finally had a chance to use it today and called ahead for a pedi appointment. When I arrived, I was politely informed that they were running behind schedule, so I came back 20 minutes later. No biggie since I wasn't in a rush...

It also gave me a chance to quickly browse the "boutique" section of the salon, which has a few racks of clothing, shoes and a table full of accessories. No great finds here, but a welcome diversion nonetheless.

Once I was seated for the pedi, I was offered a choice of water or tea--very nice touch.  My nail tech was  the sweetest lady too; very meticulous and gentle during each step of the pedicure. The polish was applied perfectly and since it was close to closing time, she let me sit on the bench and continue reading magazines until my toes were dry.

I didn't experience any rudeness whatsoever! Yes, the nail techs might carry on a conversation with eachother while working, but at least when I was there, they spoke softly and discreetly. It wasn't distracting at all from my pedi.

Bottom line: Lavande is a really cute salon and they have quite the array of polishes. The prices are marginally higher than your run-of-the-mill nail salon, but I give them a ton of extra credit for trying to create a fun, girly ambiance that is relaxing and spa like.

I'd like to go back and get the shellac mani, just to see if they do that as well as the regular mani/pedi service. Now excuse me while I go back to admiring my shimmery blue toes!