Daddy O.'s Profile

When I moved to Long Beach from Santa Cruz, I decided to convert my road bike into a daily commuter.  Without the tools or expertise to do this myself, I was left with a choice: take my bike to a shop or find a mobile bike mechanic.  The beauty of the latter is that unlike a car repair shop, no garage, hydraulic lifts, or fancy instruments are required.  Have bike stand and tool kit, will travel.  I was grateful for this because I didn't have to leave my house, or arrange for bus transportation to/from a bike shop.

Scott was flexible, knowledgeable, friendly, and professional.  I could list more superlatives but I think you get the point.  He arrived on time, listened to my concerns, and before you can click your heels together three times, had my bike on the stand for inspection.  In addition to my requests, he uncovered some other issues and wound up taking the bike back to his garage.  I called later that afternoon and he returned to drop it off.  Same day service on an unexpected surprise repair - that's amazing!

If your mind's not made up about whether to choose the mobile mechanic or a shop, also consider this.  Bike shops have huge overhead and depend heavily on retail sales to cover rent and operations costs...service is not a huge moneymaker for shops unless they can also get you to buy some nice fancy replacement parts while you're in there.  Scott does not have a shop to maintain or huge retail inventory to push.  His primary concern is getting you out and riding again.  That's why he charged me a very fair price for the partial tune-up/once over and replacement parts, where I might have paid nearly double at a shop.

Pretty much any bike service you could need from a shop, Scott can do both more quickly and affordably.  Your mind should be made up now.  Do it.  Call.

Oh, he's also been really helpful in answering follow up questions via email and can get pretty competitive prices on many parts if you need anything.

I'm new to Belmont Heights and happened to run past this charming little spot the other day on the way home.  I vowed that since it was so close by and a friend of mine had recommended it as one of her favorite spots when she used to live in Long Beach, we surely must give it a try.

Home Runs
-The Chai tea latte was outstanding.  I appreciated that they offered us a sweet/spicy take on it.
- Spitting distance from my house. Like...3 blocks.  Rad.

Hits
- We came for lunch at noon on a Friday (holiday) and got seated outside right away.  I was definitely expecting a wait.
- Dog friendly.

Strike Outs
- Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich. While the pork was tender and juicy, there was ZERO flavor, despite the cheese and caramelized onions.  Seriously, the most flavorful aspect of the sandwich was the bun.  Even after salting the hell out of the thing, it was like eating a soggy smushed old meat sandwich.
- BL roasted T.  Again, not that great.  It was bland.  Roasted tomatoes?  They were as watery and flavorless as the "tomatoes" you'd get on a big mac.  The only tasty part was the bacon!
- Price.  Our two sandwiches, a tea, and 2 sides for the munchkin (brown rice and an apple sausage) came out to $35.  Ouch!
- Service.  Our waitress was nice, but she barely acknowledged us and it took forever just to get her attention to get our check.  With a large line forming, you would think she'd want to turn her tables over a bit more quickly.

Overall, I think I'll come back and give it a second chance for breakfast, but I'm not convinced it will be any more flavorful.

If there's one thing Santa Cruz is lacking, it's authentic Japanese (non sushi) restaurants.  After attempting to eat at Gochi without a reservation on a Saturday night at 8:00 PM (baaaad idea), we were referred down the road to their sister restaurant, "Sumiya".  The wait there was no better.  We're talking 1 hour +.  They told us about THEIR sister restaurant.  Sister's sister?  Okay, third time's a charm.  They suggested we go to Gaku, which opened in October, 2010.

A bit off the beaten path down Williams Rd. through some serious suburbia, we found ourselves at a modern looking, cozy yakitori spot.  NO WAIT.  WHAAAAT?  Yesssss!  We were starving at this point, too - Donnor party for two?  Check.

The place had a trendy modern minimalist vibe to it, with incongruous but fantastic motown/oldies music grooving in the background. Wait staff were friendly, sort of helpful, and moderately attentive.  But you want to know about the food.  Right?  Yes.

Overall the meal was pretty great, with a few misses:

Home Runs:
Grilled Cabbage w/ Miso - Best Ever!
Oolong Tea (the sake selection looked great, but we declined)
Chicken Meatballs
Yaki Onigiri (2nd round was better than the 1st)
Garlic Kalbi
Green Tea Brulee (OMG SO YUM)

Hit/RBI:
Edamame - For some reason it seemed like it would be more special, but tasty nonetheless
Yuzu Chicken Skewer
Special House Fried Chicken - It was like eating a crispy papadum of fried chicken skin.  Dipping sauce was okay, but it was intense.

Strike Outs:
Beef Tongue - Rubbery & flavorless.
Plum Chicken Skewer - The plum sauce was so tangy it overpowered everything.
Cheesecake Dessert - Too gelatinous and and missing a hint of salt/sweet.

Considering the zero-wait time and the number of yummy dishes, this was a solid 4-star experience and we would definitely return.

I have curly hair, which is tricky to cut.  Most people fail at cutting my hair.  I accepted this.  In fact, for too long, my philosophy regarding hair cuts was: "It's gonna look like crap no matter what, so why pay top dollar for a -fancy- haircut when you can go cheap at great clips or supercuts or f-sam's?"

This seemed to go okay, but one fateful day I went for a haircut and was completely butchered.  We're talking total triangle head.  On that day I vowed to change.  So the research began.  I loathed the idea of paying $40+ for a guy's cut like the fancy shmancy salons were charging...Rick's to the Rescue.  It's a perfect blend of reasonable prices, masculine "edge" without being over the top, and a high quality cut.  For a "deluxe cut" with a beard trim, I'm only out $25 bucks.  Not bad at all.

I should also add a big congrats to Marissa for her recent promotion as manager.  She is not only a superb stylist, but she's warm, fun, and actually remembers me and how I like my hair cut.  I usually request her but all of the stylists are excellent.  They also do women's cuts and I may try and get NYW to switch to Ricks from her usual expensive place to help spare our ailing bank account.

Wish list:
-full straight razor shaves (face, not just neck)
-bring the Ducati back!

Agreeing with other reviews: the -best- sushi in Conejo Valley.  Perhaps that I've had in a long while.  Defied expectations.  It's a rare occasion indeed that wife and I get out, but when visiting the folks for the Holidays and grandma/pa offer to baby sit the munchkin you accept.

We agreed that a sushi date was in order.  A quick yelping led us to Kanda and were impressed with the reviews.  Words popped out like: "traditional" and "no fancy rolls or hot dogs".  That's right.  They don't even serve chicken teriyaki.  But let me tell you.  The sukiyaki short ribs were out of this world...and very reasonably priced in my opinion.

We were tempted to order omakase but despite going out on a limb for "expensive" sushi, ordered a la carte.  Everything was top notch.  Fresh, simple, and timely.  The clientele and Mitsu-san were friendly, hospitable, and jovial.

We ordered at least 7 different fish and Mitsu also chimed in with some recommendations when we tried to go back in for seconds of our favorites.  Highlights included lightly seared japanese red snapper, king mackerel, hamachi (to die for), kampachi, and shima aji.  Our bill, while certainly pricier than our normal joint, came out quite reasonably considering everything we ordered.

Next time we're in the area and get another Sushi date, it's Omakase for sure!

After spending all of your hard-earned hipster cash to make it look like you don't have any, where oh where are you supposed to get some cheap eats and beerz?

The answer is simple and yet oddly pretentious.

burger.

Home of bizarre abominations like the "Phatty", a bacon cheeseburger wedged between two whole grilled cheese sandwiches, the burger served up with a heaping scoop of mac n cheese on it, or the burger that's held aloft by two donuts in the guise of buns.  I can't help but wonder how those hipsters stay so darned skinny!  Here I thought KFC was going nuts with their "chicken as the bun" concept.  

I've tried several of their burgers and have walked away both pleased and perhaps with slightly more clogged arteries.

Truthfully, the menu is a bit overwhelming.  Multitudes of burger options.  Daily specials. Lobster sliders.  Beer shakes.  Marianne's Ice Cream Shakes, shoestring fries, sweet potato fries.  It's enough to make even the most seasoned of menu sailors bite their nails a bit.

I am amazed that this is only the third non-fast-food burger joint in Santa Cruz, given its general ubiquity.  burger. is a close second behind Betty for me, and completely trumps Jack's.  The beer selection is excellent.  Prices are reasonable without being exceptional.  Atmosphere is an odd combination of hipster/industrial aesthetics.

INSIDER TIP: Unless you say otherwise, their grass-fed burgers are cooked medium-well (read: charred) for liability purposes.  If you actually want to taste the beef, I highly recommend you request your burger done medium rare when you order.

Karen and Hugh are fabulous hosts.   Upon our arrival we were given cookies, and other nice treats.

The Lakeport English Inn completely met all of our expectations, and even exceeded some.  We stayed in the guest cottage as we were traveling with ma-in-law and baby, so we needed an extra room/sleeping location.  Our cottage was quiet, clean, and quaint.  Air conditioning.  Karen later informed me that the room was due for a furniture update, but we didn't mind our existing accommodations.  Breakfast options were plentiful and fun.  This particular stay, the owner's family was in town (college kids), and they got a bit loud in the courtyard late at night.  A simple call to Karen at the desk resolved everything for us.

The next day, Karen dropped by with more cookies, waters, and fancy french soaps as a peace offering for our inconvenience the night before.  Above and beyond!

The dining room was quite spacious and there were many individual tables.  In fact, if I had one complaint, and this is just a personal preference, I would have preferred one large communal table so that I could get to chat with some of the other guests.  One of my favorite things about staying at a B&B is meeting the other travelers and hearing their stories over breakfast.

Prices were reasonable compared to other places in town, and while it would have been nice to stay at the Clear Lake B&B over on 16th, the prices were outrageous, and I got word that the hosts were less than hospitable, including a slightly decrepit grandma wandering around, an incontinent old dog, and other things.  For nearly $200 a night.

Next time I'm staying in Lake County, Lakeport English Inn will be our go-to lodging.

One of the better eateries in Lakeport.  You're not going to find local, freshly picked, organic produce here, but at the same time, what do you expect in Lake County?  The food was decent: I had a club sandwich on a croissant, and my dining companion had a spinach and strawberry salad with feta.  Prices and service were also just dandy and we left satisfied.  Try and get a patio or rooftop seat for exceptional views of the lake.

When and if I am ever in Lakeport again, I would return.

If you're like me, you probably can't stand hard water.  It's a plague here in Northern California, and especially in parts of Santa Cruz County.  Hard water causes all kinds of nasty mineral deposits on your porcelain fixtures, faucets, shower, and spigots.  Those deposits (scale) also build up on your water heater element, causing it to work less efficiently.  When we moved in to our new home in Capitola, I noticed that we were cleaning our toilets almost twice a week because of this build up, and our energy bill was out of control!  

I was about to look in to serious options like solar/water heater replacement, forced air water heaters, etc, until my neighbor told me about their device, called "Soo Soft".  It's essentially the same technology as the Scale Watcher.  After doing some research I found Aqua Genesis, a LOCAL business!  Given that the prices and products were comparable, I bought my device right here in Santa Cruz!  I felt a little bizarre walking up to a strange condo in Live Oak to pick up my Water Softener, but boy oh boy has it been a tremendous blessing!  The owner will also deliver yours to you on bike if you want!

Before you go and spend a bunch of money on some fixture and appliance replacements, consider de-scaling your home with an electronic water softener.  This is not some giant tank you fill with salt crystals.  It's a small device that plugs into a regular outlet, with wires that wrap around the water line into your house.  Installation was a bit of a pain, but otherwise, we are delighted with the system.  Our water heater bills are down, buildup is disappearing, and our water is softer!

Be advised, it takes almost 3 months to descale your existing home system.  During that time, the hard water actually gets worse as old scale is loosened up.  I recommend buying a citrus solvent dishwasher detergent (like biokleen citrus dish powder), and draining your water heater once a month to help the process along.

Back in April, I acquired a 2005 Volvo V50 Turbo Wagon (6sp manual trans), lovingly dubbed "the manwagon".   It was slightly overdue for service, so the first thing I did upon returning to SC was to research Volvo shops.

When I had my M3 circa 2008, I used to go to Specialized Auto.  They're practically a Volvo dealership so they were first on my list.  I called them up for a quote on the 75K mile service I needed done.  They quoted me around $400.  Owch.  Time to get a-sleuthin'.

Called up another shop (Saab Pearce European), since they listed themselves as Swedish car experts.  Their quote: $300ish.  Funny enough, their shop is located right behind Hayes European.  Go figure.

Anyway, cut to the chase.  3rd time's the charm, I called up Hayes European and was quoted $180 for the service.  Both Brian and Christian were extremely friendly and helpful.  Service was timely and efficient.  But that's not all.  Here's what makes Hayes European stand out above the rest of the competition:

Loaner Cars.   That's right.  You can skip public transit, foot, and pedal while your car's in the shop.  No extra charge, either. How can you go wrong?  Or maybe you just need a lift back home or to work.  No problem, they offer complementary shuttle service, too!

Open 7 days a week. That's virtually unheard of for a small-scale independent shop.  Let me tell you, nothing sucks like having to wait a whole weekend to get your car worked on, so this is a huge bonus!

Open late!  Better still they're open til 8.  Again, above and beyond!

I definitely recommend this shop to anyone who wants extra care for their European car but at competitive prices and with tons of extra perks!