Paul "Pablo" G.'s Profile

We chose this restaurant based on Yelp reviews and have to say the ratings were right on the money. This is a good restaurant but not a great one. The ambiance is classic Italian upscale, with a large dining area and open kitchen. The menu is heavy on meat specialties, in particular steak. We can't comment on the steak because we chose veal and chicken marsalas.

Everyone talks about mussels and with good reason. They're fantastic. You have to have them. Dana had the veal marsala, which came in a rich and delicious wine sauce. Paul had the chicken marsala, which came in a thin and bland wine sauce. What gives? The waitress said we should have sent the chicken back, but what we ended up doing was combining the veal sauce with the chicken to make quite an acceptable flavor for both. Still, the chicken could have been better. Don't settle for bland.

Highlight of the dinner was the side of macaroni & cheese with truffles. We both would have been happy with this amazing concoction as a meal in itself. It was truly divine, almost irresistible.

Timpano has an excellent martini bar, and we indulged accordingly. Dana's pear martini was luscious and fruity without sacrificing on alcohol. Paul had the Three Olives concoction, which was garnished with three olives stuffed with bleu cheese, prosciutto and caviar, accordingly. It was very good. However, both were expensive at around $11 each.

Total bill, with the two martinis, was $90 before tip. Not expensive but hardly cheap. We liked the place overall, though we're not sure we'll go out of our way to return next visit to Orlando.

We found this place totally by accident while geocaching (discoveries like this are one of the things that makes geocaching fun) and were just delighted with the eclectic and delicious luncheon we enjoyed. Dana had a mushroom soup with poblano peppers that was out of this world. I had the pot roast sandwich, which was tender and tasty and accompanied by a terrific home made potato salad. Service was attentive and the waitress was generous with iced tea on a sweltering July day. The prices were on the high side for lunch, but not outrageous.

The venue is half the experience here, as the Liberty is known as San Antonio's own Leaning Tower of Pisa. The building leans noticeably to the side but has been repeatedly pronounced structurally sound. Viewing the skewed windows and doors from inside is part of the experience. We won't have that experience for long, though, as Liberty is moving early next year to a much larger location (http://www.mysanantoni...). No word yet of who might take over this remarkable building. Grab it while you can, although I'm sure it'll be just as offbeat and fun in its new location.

The Emily Morgan is a "boutique" hotel, and if "boutique" means "old," then I suppose it qualifies. The place advertises itself as being "14 steps from the Alamo," but that's both a blessing and a curse, for the area is swarmed by tourists during the day. The area in front of the Alamo is a mass of souvenir shops and wax museums, which is crassness personified. Meanwhile, there is no place to get a cup of coffee in less than a five-minute walk.

Our room was cramped, but we were able to switch to a more spacious one at no additional change. Score one for the front desk. The room itself was nothing spectacular, although the large picture windows were nice. Desk space was limited to a tiny coffee table. Definitely not business traevler-friendly. Had we paid the list price instead of the half-price rate we got through Priceline, would have considered it too expensive, however.

Service was disappointing. The front desk staff frequently stopped to take phone calls while customers were waiting, a sign that the hotel is understaffed. We ordered lunch from room service and waited 90 minutes to get the sandwich. Meanwhile, we were twice cut off by the front desk while trying to reach the restaurant to inquire about our order.

The pool is pathetic, an oddly-shaped rhombus squeezed onto a second-floor deck. San Antonio is hot in the summer. It's ridiculous that a major hotel should have such a tiny and poorly designed pool. The health club is also tiny and poorly outfitted. This is one of the those details we expect to see handled well at a "boutique."

A tip: Park on the street. Just one block away there are 10-hour meters that cover you for the entire 8-6 parking period for just $2 in quarter. The hotel charges $26 a night.

I wish I had read the reviews before I wasted $160 on DISCOUNTED tickets to this awful show. I like Criss Angel's TV work and I understand he  can't recreate his more dramatic filmed illusions in live theatre, but the quality of the stunts in this program were almost stunning in their mediocrity. Angel didn't perform one illusion that I hadn't seen somewhere else. Some amounted to little more than birds up the sleeve. I couldn't believe that a performer of his talent would deliver such an unimaginative performance. I couldn't believe that Cirque would lend its name to a program with so little of its characteristic acrobatics and originality. This was like a very bad off-Broadway play with some amateur magic thrown in. You're better off spending your money almost anywhere else.

The food gets a 5, the ambiance only a three. After waiting 20 minutes at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, we were ushered to a cramped table in a back room with a vaulted ceiling. The problem with vaulted ceilings is that the combine and amplify sounds. There was nothing on the wall and only a small rug on the floor to absorb the noise, so the crowded room was deafening. And because of the bouncing soundwaves, we were actually able to hear quiet conversations at tables across the room.

Ambiance aside, the food was fantastic. We started with an appetizer of Mantwo, which consisted of two pastry shells filled with vegetables. The leek filling was particularly interesting.

Main courses were koufta challow, a delightful blend of meatballs and a kind of Afghan pasta, and a wonderful plate of lamb chops and seasoned rice.

The real surprise was the bakhlava. Being from Boston, we're familiar with the honey-drenched confection served at Greek-owned restaurants all over the area. So we were surprised to be served a thick, semi-dry pastry seasoned liberally with cardamon and pistachio. It was a completely different flavor from the standard Greek fare and a wonderful treat.

Top that off with a bottle of South American wine at $18 and we had a complete dinner for two for $70 without tip. An outstanding value. If we could have heard each other talk, this place would have rated a five. As it was, the cacophany was too much of a negative to merit such a high rating.

The neighborhood right around Symphony Hall is dominated by Asian restaurants, which can get a little monotonous at times. Betty's choose-your-own approach offers the diner some creativity and the results are usually delicious. Portions are large enough to leave you satisfied, if not stuffed. Service is fast and friendly. I wish the chairs were more comfortable and less institutional and the pricing is a bit steep for a student area. Nevertheless, I've always had a good meal here and I keep coming back for more! It would also be nice if there was a full bar instead of only beer-and-wine selections. Nothing I like better after an evening at the theatre than a nice martini!

I personally find British beer to be the worst of Europe: warm, sweet and heavy. The appeal of that beverage as the basis for a chain of restaurants eludes me. I've spent quite a bit of time in British pubs and the British Beer Company is nothing like them. Pubs are heavy in cloth and velvet. They're usually pretty quiet and cozy. This place is big and noisy and covered in naugahyde.

As far as British food goes, it is also some of the worst in Europe: fatty, overcooked and tasteless. I ordered a spinach salad and instead of bacon bits and a vinaigrette, it came covered in fried onions. Eeew.

For my next pub experience, I think I'll wait till I get back to the UK.

I had never been to a chiropractor before I started seeing Dr. Richard Garian about two years ago because of some minor back pain. He is now, in effect, the first physician I consult on ANY issue, so wide is his knowledge and so calming his style. He is a remarkable doctor.

Dr. Garian is an MD who specializes in natural therapies. In addition to his voluminous knowledge of the neuro-skeletal system, he is an expert in vitamins and the chemistry of the body. The doctor seems to know something about everything, which is why he is my first stop for medical advice. He has advised on everything from fertility to migraines.

He used laser light to treat an ache in my wrist caused by a fall three years ago. The wrist healed and I have not needed any more cortisone. He addressed a pain in my leg by adjusting some lower vertebra and the pain went away in a few days.

Equally important is his bedside manner: friendly, soothing, reassuring. He never seems rushed and he always answers all the questions you have.

Zinc is eclectic without pretentiousness. We arrived at nearly 10 on a Saturday evening, having found the place through an Open Table promotion. We were seated quickly and courteously and our waitress was there in an instant. I look for a restaurant to have a generous martini; Zinc didn't disappoint with a drink I was able to nurse throughout the dinner. My wife's pomegranate martini was unusual but delicious.

The duck nacho appetizer was delicious: small chunks of duck layered in a cheese and spiced yogurt dressing. Dana's main course was the Smoked Maine Diver Sea Scallops, and they couldn't have been more tender. I chose the prix fixe menu. The roasted corn +and chipotle pepper soup was delicious. The only downside was the beef in the Vietnamese Beef with Heirloom Tomato main course. It was a little tough for my liking.

Dessert was a collection of Artisanal Cheeses. Magnifique! My peaches cobbler with honey-vanilla ice cream was also delectable. Afterwards, the employees weren't too proud to let us sidle up to the bar to watch the Olympic swimming competition.

The location in the middle of New Haven is both a plus and a minus. While you're close to everything, parking can be a problem. We ended up parking on the street and walking through a neighborhood that was a little seedier than we would have liked. Still, the experience was top-notch overall.

A pleasant and not-too-pricey steakhouse set amid a cluster of chain restaurants near Disneyland, McCormick & Schmick's evokes the spirit of the old-time steakhouse through everything from its retro drink menu to the velvet curtains that can be drawn across its booths. The menu stresses seafood and the selection is vast. A daily list of the freshest selections tops the menu, which is updated daily.

Our drinks were generous and prepared to order. Dana's Mango White was delicious and Paul's martini was just the right temperature. Our prawn appetizer was topped by dried carmelized onions, the likes of which we had never seen before.

Dana's filet mignon was cooked to a perfect medium rare. While not the tenderest cut of meat she's ever had (111 Chophouse in Worcester, MA still holds that crown), it was very good. Paul's sea bass was laid on a delicious bed of porcini risotto and a flavorful ratatouille. Yum.

The service was mostly brisk and professional until the very end of the meal. That's when the waitress forgot to deliver a second drink order for both diners. She eventually came through, but by that time we had finished our meals and refused the order. We weren't charged, but it seems the waitress could have done more to make up for her oversight than simply whisk the drinks away.

McCormick has a new affinity club that we signed up for. it's a $25 one-time fee, but a gift certificate delivered with the sign-up package offsets that cost. The only bizarre detail is that the accumulated points reset to 0 every year. Use 'em or lose 'em. This is such a bad idea that it almost caused us to bypass the offer. Still, we could see no downside in signing up, so took the plunge anyway. You can book through Open Table.