Adam "Beyond The Zoo" M.'s Profile

I work a half a block from this place. I guess you'd call me a semi-regular. That's the joy of self-employment... you can have beer at like 11:45 every day and claim it some kind of working lunch.

Big fan of their style. Love that the bar staff aren't really fantastic bartenders but are instead really interested in their craft at making beer.

We love to pop in, order a couple beers and a nice salad, and play a couple games of shuffle board over a long lunch. Just don't tell our wives. We're working, dangit!

Upsides? Free street parking for the first 2 hours. And if you drink too much (it happens to the best of us) you can hop on the trolley right next to Petco.

I've been here a few times for take-out lunch. There is nothing else like it in East Village. It's tasty, fast, and a decent price.

You can't go wrong with the kebab. It's about 75% of the size you'd get for a kebab and fries in the UK... and you don't have to be drunk to enjoy it.

Definitely worth checking out. This might be the one place in the neighborhood that I'd label as my "go to place."

There really isn't much by way of take-out lunch food downtown. Let's face it... downtown lunch time SUCKS.

But this is one place I'll walk a few blocks to pick up. They have great salads, hence the name. On top of that they are fast and friendly.

I had the ahi tuna salad by recommendation of the guy running the take out orders. He was right, it was great, and I've been back a couple of times to get it again. No idea what else their menu is like... I found something I like and I'm going to keep riding that wave!

For a place that has burger in it's name, the burgers suck. (And I'm being nice.)

I'd make it a 1 star but the servers at the bar were nice enough.

Nothing memorable about it other than I don't want to go back.

I've had cocktails here a few times, it's best for that. I've eaten lunch there a couple times and it's satisfactory.

Your best bet is to meet there for a drink after work or something like that.

The food here is mediocre, at best. The service is way below par. Beer selection is pretty average. Food choices are weak.

And I feel bad for the young women dressed in whatever you want to call that exploitation of a uniform.

Worst place for lunch in East Village IMO.

I can't give it 1 star for one reason, it's clean.

I went out on the Daily Double 12/31/11.

My son and I had a 1/2 day great trip. I was a little leery about this because some of the older reviews were a bit rough. We didn't experience anything but a great day on the ocean. We are already planning our next trip.

Everything from the check-in process, to rod rental, to getting on the boat was smooth and courteous. Fred, the captain, was very professional and kept us all informed. The deck hands pretty much handled everything except baiting your hook and holding your rod. (The tied the knots, taught you how to fish, cut the bait, took the fish off your line, detangled any problems you had, kept track of your catch, filleted your fish, etc.) The crew was very busy but never too busy to stop to help you, nor short. In fact, I was very pleased with their attitudes for such a tough job. They were excellent with kids.

The captain moved the boat about 4 times trying to find the fish. All-in-all I guess we fished a good 2-3 hours... which was plenty for me and my 8-year old boy. We caught 9 fish, 5 keepers, between us, and were pretty pleased with that.

Here's a quick list of our costs. (Since people were mad about that in other reviews)
- $10 each rod rental
- $15 CA fishing license
- $2 for fish bag
- $2 for biggest catch buy-in
- $1 per fish to fillet
- a few bucks for snacks
- tip for crew

You can bring your own snacks, non-alcoholic beverages. A couple of the families did that and it was just fine. Also, bring warm clothes appropriate for the time of year.

Comparing Pelly's to any of the local Boomers? Don't. Pelly's is way better. Way, way better. Get in the car and go.

I took my son to Pelly's on a beautiful Saturday for some bounding time. We had a blast! It was busy, but we never had to wait, and everyone who works there is super nice. I would describe it as "busy in a good way."

Unlike many of the other mini golf courses in San Diego, Pelly's is extremely well maintained & clean. The course is challenging without being overly gimmick-filled. Many of the classic-styles of challenge without holes filled with nearly impossible shots.) Both the landscaping and sculptures were beautiful to look at.

Two little details I appreciated about this place.
1. There was a lot of signage. From rules, to explanations, to educational stuff. We caught ourselves noticing signs all along the way.
2. It's built kid-friendly. There wasn't any place I felt like my son could hurt himself. And everything was at his height and within his reach.

Make sure to hit the snack shack on the way out. Their ice cream cones were a fantastic way to relax and relive our game.

This is a great concept. Locally grown, organic eatery right in the middle of some great restaurants on 30th.

The problem is that the execution is poor. Gordon Ramsey is desperately needed to revive this great idea before it's too late.

Honestly, they are just trying too hard and they are attempting to add bells & whistles they can't pull off when removing them would likely be better.

1. The menu is impossible to read. The layout makes it hard to know what things are or even if they are a starter or a special. They should hire a graphic designer to sort that hot mess out. We had to go to Yelp to figure out what to order.

2. I like the cool water bottles on the tables, but bay leaves in the water? Disgusting. Like, horrid pepper flavored water? WTH?

3. The food was bland. And I'm being polite. Most of the flavors on my plate clashed. (Speaking of plates, they are too small. Serving sizes were fine, but everything was piled on top of everything. Weird!) My wife was served a beer bread with her entrée whose only fair flavor description is "burnt." Who serves burnt bread?

4. And, as many reviewers have pointed out, their built in 18% gratuity is not working for them. If they had a culture of extremely awesome service it would make sense, but the service is merely adequate. I respect their right to operate their business like that, but I think it'll kill them in the end.

Quick advice:
If you are outside the restaurant and reading this review, trying to decide where to go... Might I suggest any of the other options on the block?

This is one of my favorite places to relax and get work done. My co-workers jokingly refer to Cutters as my private office.

I'm situated about halfway between Cutters and Starbucks in Rolando. I often chose Cutters for a few mail reasons.

First, the coffee is just fine. It's on part with Starbucks in both quality and price.

Second, the wifi is unlimited and free for customers. I've hung out there many times for both breakfast and lunch and they don't seem to care. They've even allowed my to order multiple drinks on one credit card charge and just go up for refills/second drinks as the hours pass by.

Third, they have good seating. There don't have so many seats that the place gets noisy, but they don't have so few that you can't find a place. I also like that they have both comfy chairs and tables as sometimes I'm in the mood for one and not the other.

Fourth, I always see people I know at Cutters. It's a community hang out place and its fun to bump into people I know from the neighborhood, my kids school, or church.

I would give them five stars, but their summer hours forced me to go to Starbucks a few times. I tend to work in the evening and it drove me nuts that they closed so early all summer.