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"Ready for fall."
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- 630 Reviews
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- 74 Fans
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4460 Useful, 3417 Funny, and 4550 Cool
San Jose, CA
Yelping SinceOctober 2007
Things I Lovemy hub, cupcakes, Balenciaga, baking, gardening, tropical climates, tacos, eCommerce, digital cameras, the internets, dessert, Bikram, resort life, croissants, Paris, first class.
Find Me Inthe Yoga Studio trying to get my flex on
My HometownSan Jose, CA
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm making a big mess in the kitchen.
My Second Favorite Website My Favorite MovieLove Actually
My Last Meal On EarthChurros n'Hot Chocolate; Paris croissants
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I am secretly obsessed with organization.
Most Recent DiscoveryMy creative cupcake skills: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Current Crushmy latest baking creation...our little boy.
DateCampbell, CA 95008
(408) 559-8101
Barnes & Noble Bookseller
Categories: Bookstores, Newspapers & Magazines
Bubble tea is bubble tea. 4 stars for some chewylicious well-done pearls. Cash only.
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 266-9022
Gunther's Restaurant & Catering
Categories: Caterers, German, American (Traditional)
Having heard how fabulous their pumpkin pie was...I called on a Friday afternoon asking if they had any full pies. They did but they were in the middle of baking them. Freshly baked, OK.
To feed a party of 15, I ordered a pumpkin and an apple. Ready in 3 hours. When my hub delivered these to the house, he said we'd need a 'whole lotta room in the car for the pies'. Oh sweet deluded man, pies aren't THAT big.
WRONG. Gunther's pies are GINORMOUS. As in maybe 15 inches across? We were too busy ogling then eating to measure. I was wondering why the pies were $17 and $20 and figured that they better be damn good for that price. But once I saw them, my ROI went WAY up. And they were YUMMY. Huge rave reviews.
I am def getting our holiday pies here.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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6/5/2009
Walk in, walk up, place order, pay, sit down, eat.
This is the kind of simplicity I like in my life. So after a long work day, my better half and I *finally* were able to check out Gunthers. Previously, we'd never been home before they closed, or wanted to go on a Sunday (they are closed) or just didn't feel like a thick meal.
But last nite was the perfect time. Of course, I went a little OVERBOARD and ordered too much stuff, but with the kind of grunt and point mentality that serves you well here, it was way too simple.
The menu is huge and overwhelming, I had no idea what to get. So I just stood in front of the counter with my mouth hanging open. Meatloaf and corned beef are supposedly the most popular daily items. My hub got the two sausage special, and their brat was fat n'juicy and the mustard was spot-on sassy.
I ended up with the turkey and mashed combo, holy mother of...note to anyone out there, if you get this and you don't absolutely love consuming a VAT of gravy with your turkey and mashed, make sure to tell them to put it on the side. My turkey was literally swimming around the plate when it was set down in front of me. Luckily, I was able to rescue 90% of it and not suffer a heart attack while enjoying my first time at this Mom & Pop shop.
Matzo Ball soup was appropriately salty yet tasty, we also got a potato knish which again paired with the mustard was a balm to the stomach. I absolutely love that this place is like a little traditional German haven in the middle of Silicon Valley. No frills.
Gunther himself walks around, serves you, asks how you are doing. Knows a lot of patrons by name. It gives you the warm fuzzies and it's good to see a joint like this doing well in recessionary times. The staff was super friendly, patient and helpful with my indecisive issues...loved it.
Somehow, I managed to bypass the mounds of various dessert items they have going on there...but I did come home and nosh on some Scharffenberger choco pudding, I'm not a saint you know.
This place serves supposedly 'the best breakfast' in SJ but they are not open Sundays....NOTE to Gunthers, if you open Sunday for just breakkie, I bet you'd get a fair amount of biz. Just sayin'....
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 287-7960
Jake's of Willow Glen
Categories: Pizza, Sandwiches
The inside of this place is kitsch... divey but cute. I hear their burgers aren't bad either...but we went for the pizza. Oh their cesear dressing? Heavy on the garlic too. YES.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 855-1021
Not Rational
Categories: Leather Goods, Baby Gear & Furniture
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
I love me some squishy, soft leather on a beautiful new handbag. I like to fondle it, smell it, admire it, take photos of it. It sometimes can take me 2-3 months to actually start using a new bag because I just like looking at it.
So when I started looking at diaper bags for the eventual new arrival... I was excited by all the fabulous posibilities that new 'bag world' would hold. Kind of like luggage, all the great combos.
Well. Not so much. I can't tell you how many floral quilted monstrosities I surfed through online... my spirits sinking deeper and deeper with every additional mouse click. Even a peek at Nordstroms website didn't net anything TOO exciting...
It seemed I would be doomed to carry a regular tote with pockets and make up my own 'diaper bag' organization out of that. Experienced Moms told me to make sure to get wipeable insides. Lots of pockets. That black nylon is the most practical way to go. But I thought...surely you don't have to TOTALLY sacrifice fashion for function right????
Thank goodness I asked one of my friends in LA what she carried. A few of her Mom friends chimed in...and thus I found Not Rational. How I didn't see them before, I don't know...a fair amt of online websites carry them and Barneys does too. OH wait, it might be the $600+ price tag, that would scare anyone.
But they are real diaper bags. With paci clips, just the right amount of pockets, soft wipeable lining that doesn't look cheap, and squishy leather that makes you want to just...smell it. I hear that a lot of Moms use it for a work bag or a laptop bag after the baby-diapering is done.
Fabiana at Not Rational is amazing. She patiently emailed back and forth with me when I asked about their sample sale (email her to be added onto the list) and helped me narrow down my selection. Ordering was easy and shipping was fast.
Within 2 days the bag was in my hot, little hands and having it's own mini photo shoot. Best part was that since I snagged a sample sale bag, I paid 1/2 of retail...because while I am kind of crazy, I wasn't 'paying $600 for a diaper bag crazy'.
Oh... in case you are wondering, they have non diaper bags too. I've got my eye on you....
website: http://www.notrational...
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 979-0251
The Original Pancake House
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
The outside and the location make you go HMMMM. Creaky old strip mall? Abandoned outdoor seating on a sunny summer morning? Is anyone actually ALIVE in here?
There were people inside. Both types..ones eating and ones who worked there.
Did anyone else get confused by the sign that says 'Please seat yourself' but then when you seat yourself, no one comes by for like 10 minutes???
Fresh squeezed OJ...not many places still have that. Blueberry pancakes fat with berries cooked into the batter AND on top AND sugary sweet compote sauce on side...YES. I cannot stand when places sell you fruit pancakes and give you a stack of buttermilk with some fruit on top. I can do that at home! Eggs and bacon rounded out the meal. My hub loved his sourdough pancakes, I never even knew those things existed.
Next time we have to get the Dutch Baby, but we need more peeps to help us with that monstrosity. Easy going wait-staff, even if it took us a bit to get our order in...once we did it was fast. Def a top pick, we are returning this wkd. Don't let the 3 star rating and the horrible 80's decor fool you. This place is a sneaky hidden gem.
But YAY for being back. Even if I won't go as often in the fall. Verde's flavors are so much better than Tap X, less fakey and powdery. I always get half sugar because I don't need to be OD'd at my desk 30 min later.
The line was long but I realized as I got to the register it was because they were/are doing buy 1 get 1 free. CC's for over $5. They sell snacks like they used to but also now have rice plates and noodle soup. Oh and cheesecake. While the 'chicken cutelets' are tempting, they are typically so greasy I can't consume them, so I'll stick with the milk teas!
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 928-1406
Frascati
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Russian Hill
Esp if you sampled the rest of this menu like you should have. Get an appetizer, get a salad or their soup, and a big fat entree. Their portions are pretty darn big. The smoked salmon bruschetta was very good. The black figs with bleu cheese, genius. I wouldn't have ordered it but I am glad my husband did since I ate half of his. The mushroom soup was not my favorite, it needed more flavor in my opinion, but everyone else loved it. Rib-eye with bleu cheese and heirloom tomato salad, big winner, loved the garlic seasoning it came with...not too overpowering so you don't feel like you are leaving smelling like a Dracula-repellent, but just enough to add real flavor. Sampled the rest of the table's pork chop and salads, yum.
Service was excellent, very friendly, brought out my sister's dessert with a lit candle for her birthday, and the waitress even went and asked the chef when we wanted her to explain the difference between capers and caper berries (you know the giant ones that look like olives!). During the busy Sat night hour, the fact that he took time to give her the answer for us, fabulouso!!
They have sandwiches, soups, crepes for lunch. They were pretty yum. The chocolate croissant, while not as good as Paris, was pretty darn good, I wolfed it in a few minutes. Service was very good, guys behind the counter were friendly, but the place does get a little busy so you might have to wait 5 min or so before you get helped.
Overall, super cute and love the flowers... but I'll come back for the choco croissant and their chocolate cake. YUM.
When I went in about a month ago they were in the middle of a huge blowout sale...and it was a godsend for my very slowly growing belly. You know that phase where you just look like you put on about 10 lbs instead of like you are growing a new life inside of you? Well that is a horrible phase, mentally...trying stuff on seems like some sort of reality show challenge.
Shopping at a place like Bump seems to make it ALL BETTER. Well at least until you get home. This place has super cute, brand name merchandise from designers you recognize (Paige, Michael, Stars, Seven), as well as some you don't.
Best of all it's mostly affordable. Some of it yes can be crazy expensive ($200 for WHAT?)...but I got about 5 outfits out of the trip for about $250. That is way cheaper than my regular non-preggo trip to Nordies.
The staff is friendly and not overly gushy which I loved, but was more than accomodating in finding me additional sizing etc. Note, since they are closing and most of the store is on sale...their sizing and inventory is extremely limited. But you can get some great deals, I got most of my stuff at 30-50%.
Call before you go since I am not sure if they have moved in the last few weeks since I was there.
11 Lists
But B&N makes it a little easier on the wallet with their bargain childrens books section. First off I've never even been in the childrens books section, but it's huge. Secondly, the bargain section is pretty well stocked too.
Picked up some awesome classics (Frog and Toad & Little Critter anyone??) from when I was growing up many eons ago, to some new fun touch & feel books for the gestating nugget in my belly.
You can sign up for their membership at the tune of $25 a year but I am a cheap ass and will just return for their bargain books.