Rachel "Shopanista" E.'s Profile

As an early birthday present one of my closest gal-pal's insisted I visit Tremont with her for drinks and lunch.  First stop, South Side.

Well, it's been a while since I've been to Tremont, (not to give away my age or anything) but the last time I'd been to the Tremont area I carried mace and wish I had a gun, or at least bigger muscles - not exactly someplace I'd choose to go for a fun, relaxing birthday lunch.  But, I'm brave, and it was her treat, so I obliged.

I'm so glad I did!  I still had my mace, but I never felt like I needed to use it - well, maybe once at one cat-caller in a beat up pick up truck, but only because of his perverse remarks, not any perceived threat of physical harm.  

REVIEW: We arrived to South Side at 11:35 AM, just a few minutes after they opened, and we were greeted and seated promptly.  Our hostess gave us a choice of indoor or outdoor seating and they day was perfect so out we went.  The patio is surrounded in trees and other attractive plants that give you a sense of privacy while allowing you to get your daily dose of vitamin D.  

Martini anyone? Our server was well pleased that we were ordering from this particular menu before noon - who doesn't?  The beverage selection was plenteous and NOT boring.  I ordered the Summer Lovin' - a mix of Absolute Acai and Citron with Basil and simple syrup - YUM, while my friend ordered a Hendrix Gin and Champagne martini.  Double YUM.

We shared the Artichoke and Crab dip with pita points as an appetizer, indulged in the Sorrano Pepper soup and shared a Portobello Gyro with homemade chips.  We were stuffed full of wonderful food and beverages and before the tip the check was only $55!  (!!!!!!!)  Amazing.

As a previous yelper posted, I'd truly give the place 4.5 stars because of a pesky delivery truck that was permitted to sit running outside of the patio far too long (he should have politely been asked to shut off the engine after 20 minutes but it was more like 30 before he did).  More his fault than theirs so five stars it is!

This is absolutely my favorite mexican place for sit down dining in the area.  (and I've been to 'em all).  

The staff is fast, pleasant and accommodating.  The servers heavy accents make me feel like I've gone on a trip far far south of my less-than-caliente geographic location.  The food is authentic enough to make this feeling last.  

The food is always served quickly and is delivered hot enough to allow you to finish the conversation you're having with your mealtime companions before chowing down without fear of digging into a cold plate of mexican goodies.

I recently took family here who have seriously discerning tastes and they were so impressed with the quality and authenticity of the food, as well as with the extra large portion sizes,  that they will be taking friends here within the week.

Perfect for a fun family dinner or date night.

Let me start this review off by saying that, before this day, as a server you'd have to be downright mean in an evil-not-a-nice-bone-in-your-body way to get a poor tip from me.  Even with poor service or service delays I have traditionally extended much grace and over-tip.  OK, preface over.

I purchased a phenomenal coupon deal for this place at http://restaurant.com ($2 for a $25 gift certificate!!).  Sounds too good to be true, eh?  It was.  That old cliche haunted me during my group's entire experience here.  

Our party of 8 arrived to Stella's at a staggered pace; starting from about 5:15pm until 6pm Saturday to celebrate a birthday.  The place was busy but there wasn't any wait to be seated.  (And by busy I mean that most of the ~20 tables this place holds had guests occupying them).  There were three servers working.

Our server didn't come to our table once to greet us as new guests arrived.  She waited until after everyone was there to take our first drink order. (45 minutes).  Once our drink order was placed it took another 15 minutes to receive them (mostly waters).

We placed our food order and hoped for better service to come.  

Next, MOST of our soups and salads were delivered to the table - the salad is just a bunch of boring iceberg lettuce and a tomato (bleh).  For the missing soups and salads it took several minutes to unsuccessfully hunt down our server - finally stopping another staff member, and by the time our remaining salads and soups arrived our first dinner plate was arriving.  Alone.

Ten minutes later our second and third guest received their food.  Ten minutes (even) later our fourth, fifth and sixth guest received theirs.  A full ten minutes later our seventh guest received their food.  Last on the list to receive their food was the birthday boy himself.

Good company was the only thing that saved this evening from being a complete waste of good time and money (Even after our gift certificates were used we still spent over $100).  

Nuf said.

I called the owner who listened to my complaint quietly before offering an apology and a $15 credit to be used in the restaurant at a future date - I don't know if it's worth the drive.

My Heroes! When my (newly finished) basement started springing leaks it was "ServPro" who rescued me in my drying need.

First and most importantly they were ON TIME!!  Every other technician I have dealt with in this ordeal has treated the appointment time as a suggestion, but ServPro was prompt and polite about it.  

The two techs who came in to provide the water drying service carefully hauled in their equipment as to avoid further damage to the salvageable drywalls after they tore out every scrap of flooring, neatly wrapped it up and took it with them for disposal!   Then, the concrete was disinfected and several (relatively quiet) industrial fans and a GIGANTIC dehumidifier were strategically placed in the room to promote floor drying.  All this to ensure the room would remain mold free and would dry to it's pre-catastrophe state.  

When they returned to check on the status of their drying efforts, again prompt as ever, they were still just as pleasant and kind.  

They made this distressing situation much less of a pull-your-hair-out moment by sharing the drying process in detail, even showing me how the equipment they used to determine dampness worked.  

Long story short: My basement was treated as well as if it were their own.  Walls and furniture were protected and saved from the mildewy, moldy funk that was destined for them without ServPro to save the day.

LOVE them.

Flavor overload!  I love experimenting with food so after taking a peek at the menu I was excited that this cuisine was not going to be status-quo.  The environment is cozy (small) and for a Saturday night was moderately busy (for its size). Our table waited longer than we expected for our main course, but after it arrived we noted that it probably takes longer than average for these amazingly complicated dishes to be prepared.  

I agree with a previous review poster, come here to eat one treat - app, dinner or desert.  Do not combine (or your taste buds will explode! ok - not really, but you'll be really happy with me if you follow this advice)

Note: Do. Not. Take. Unadventurous folks here!

Aces has moderately "glammed" up the otherwise drab North Ridgeville area which in itself is a feat.  Located near I80/480 Aces is easy to get to, or from (in case you need a speedy get-a-way from a 40something in his baseball pants who's been chugging beers since 6pm).

HUGE serving sizes, (football sized loaded baked potatoes anyone?), take their menu items up a notch and the lobster claw machine (you catch it they cook it) will have you feeling like a kid again.  During the day this place is perfectly acceptable for family and at night they offer live music and more to keep you entertained.

Get Go Gas, Giant Eagle and I are in a love triangle filled with enough fuel for both body and vehicle.  And did I mention all this love is filled with discounts?  Brand loyalty ensues as I receive 1% off food purchases at Giant Eagle for every 10 gallons of gas purchased at Get Go and 10 cents of every gallon of fuel for every $50 of food purchased at Giant Eagle -

I work near this GetGo on E. Bridge Street and with as far and few between as GetGo gas stations can be this is a small treasure to me.  Key word: "Small".  I've found that many Get Go stations are on the smallest plots of land available in the city, but this one's lot is especially micro.  Its planted on a busy intersection which makes it extremely difficult to maneuver around the 3 double sided pumps during peak traffic times.  

My favorite GetGo station in the area is on Center Ridge in North Ridgeville: with lots of room to maneuver your car around the panopoly of pumps I often opt for the adrenalin rush obtained by betting myself I can make it from work to here on fumes just to avoid the rush of traffic at this easily overcrowded station.

For cheap eats they can't be beat!  And what's more is even President Obama recently saw fit to grace Smitty's with his presence to enjoy the "famous" Smitty Burger.   Decent 'diner style' food at an affordable price.

If you looking for a cheaper than average quick bite, or a long lunch with friendly, quick, attentive service this is the place.

I had an ok experience here about 5 years ago, aside from the misleading phone description of a used TV I was interested in...(this was later made up for by a drastic reduction in price following my expressed disdain)  and so I started referring others to the business pretty regularly.  It seemed a pretty good place to haggle a good price for a used big screen tv.

However, I recently referred a friend who was looking for a refurbished tv as a Chrismas gift for his son.  After calling the business he learned he could obtain a 42" tv for only $375.  All he had to do was wait one week for a shipment to come in.  So he waited the week as the days of Christmas ticked by and one week later he called to check on the shipment.  Not yet.  Guaranteed tomorrow.  So my friend headed out to the place (40 miles away) the next day and called while on the way to ensure that the shipment had arrived and got the answer that it had.  He goes into the shop and reminds the guy at the desk who he is and the guy says "Sorry, the price is $475".  What?  Are you kidding me?  After 3 phone conversations you wait until someone drives all this way to jack the price up when your sign outside clearly announces $400 42" TV's?

Never will refer another person to this place again.