Aubrey S.'s Profile

I was first referred to Ryan by a friend (who has fabulous hair!) when I found myself in NYC for an extended period and was desperate for a color and cut. That first visit turned into a cross-country hair affair with this maestro of scissors. Now, living in Manhattan, I couldn't be more elated to have his charming, friendly salon just a few blocks from my house.

I go to Ryan, but have witnessed his guidance and tutorage of the other stylists when I'm there so I'm sure my accolades will extend to the rest of the shop. I've had him do everything from a subtle highlight to putting red streaks in my (blonde) hair; he's whipped up a graceful-yet-intentionally-messy updo for an evening event and has salvaged a botched cut (from someone in SF) into a head-turning affair. (Pun intended...I mean, how can you resist?)

Most recently, I went in with a conundrum: should I stay reddish or go back to my normal blonde color? Ryan and I decided together to add some lightness but to be careful of my recently-colored hair. Instead of highlights, he suggested Platinum Seamless extensions, to add the color without any damage (and to give me a bit more body.) They're glorious; you can't tell that I have them and I've turned into one of those girls you see with bouncy hair on a windy day. Hate me, it's ok...it's Ryan's 'fault'.

If you're in the market for a skilled hairdresser who clearly loves what he does (and genuinely adores making you look like a million bucks) this is the salon for you.

I don't typically consider myself to have an addictive personality. Pints of ice cream stay in the freezer for months, and yes, shameful to admit it, but I have unopened boxes of Girl Scout cookies in my cabinet. FROM LAST YEAR. I'm not a smoker, don't get all clingy on boyfriends, and drinking...well, ok, there's red wine, but that's perfectly normal (isn't it? It is. Right? Right.)

So. Finding myself absolutely obsessed and in love with pilates has come as a bit of a surprise to me, and I have Mighty Pilates to thank for my new-found addiction.

I was hooked initially by their special for "2 Weeks, $80, Unlimited Classes." So I found some time when I wouldn't be on the road - harder than it would seem - and signed up for an early-morning Saturday class. Which was the perfect mix of ass-kicking and "ohmygodILoveThis!" that made me sad - SAD, I say! - when the hour was up. I promptly signed up for three more classes on the spot, taking advantage of the unlimited nature of this deal, and have gone every day since.

The instructors are friendly, kind, and know their stuff. I've taken Mighty Mix, re:form, and even the Beginner's Class, and each provided a different workout. I left tired but exhilarated, looking forward to my next class, as with only 8 people in each session, you get enough personal attention to really move forward with your training.

My only request: an ongoing, Monthly Unlimited option. I'm hooked. After all, not ALL addictions are bad, right?

You're always taking a gamble when you hire someone via phone, but Two Brothers Painting came highly recommended and they didn't disappoint. In fact, they exceeded every expectation and experience I've ever had for hiring out services. Not only were they friendly & professional, they finished the job EARLY (and I was working on a very short 3-day time frame to get my entire 3 br townhouse repainted) and came in far below any other quotes that I had received. They went above & beyond in recommending other contractors (who were also able to come on short notice) and I don't think I've ever been more pleased with the service I've received. If there was an option to give them 6 stars, I would - they completely deserve it.

Though The Marina isn't my normal stomping ground, the weekend brunch on the Patio at Bin 38 is enough to make me abandon my 'hood and head down to Chestnut Street. I can't believe I am just now finding out about this place (and actually, what's even more incredulous is that I'm sharing it with the Internets, since once the word gets out, we'll likely have to wait for the amazing table I had last Sunday.)

In brief, Bin 38 offers:
- Amazing, sun-filled patio; I found myself nearly sunbathing on the bench by the fire pit
- Heaters for chilly mornings/evenings
- Tasty, affordable brunch food
- Extensive wine list
- Best Blackberry mimosa I've ever had

The service was, for the most part, prompt and friendly (though we did have to track down our waiter when we wanted the check) and I was impressed by the quality (and cost) of the food. The breakfast potatoes were delectable, and they offered both an omelet AND a scramble, a breakfast sandwich and even a few types of Eggs Benedict.  All this and no wait even at 11am on a Sunday. I'm so impressed I can't wait to come back for dinner.

**ADDENDUM**
I got a personal message from one of the owners explaining their seating policy and why it was recently instated, and also addressing the issue with the check. It's a rare occasion that one receives service like this and I will happily return to Dosa knowing that the owners will take the time to reach out to individual patrons and address their grievances, esp. on the VERY DAY that the review was posted. If only more businesses here on Yelp did the same...was enough to change my 3-stars back to the 4 I had originally wanted to give them.***
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It pains me to write anything less than an optimal review, but I've been frustrated lately by their seating policies. They require everyone to be there before seating us, which - in the case of last night - meant that six people waited for 10 minutes at the bar while our assigned table sat vacant. Frustrated, esp. when we'd been on our feet all day...would have liked to sit and relax.

The only other frustration came with a mix-up with the check - took us over 15 minutes to get out of there, and they still mis-charged the ONE credit card we had. They remedied this by giving us the difference in cash, but it was still a bit annoying.

That said.

The food here is consistently tasty; for those who aren't familiar with South Indian, it's mainly vegetarian and quite different from your "traditional" Indian (Naan 'n Chutney-esque restaurants that you see on every corner.) Their Uttapam and Dosa are both fantastic, whichever variety you choose, and I tried the calamari appetizer which tasted like Christmas. (Must have been the cloves, and note I *LIKE* things that taste like Christmas!) We always get the beautifully presented Dahi Vada and literally have to get more papadom  to scoop out the last morsels of this tastiness.

I will certainly return to Dosa and hope that they reconsider their seating policy for large groups (or are more willing to make an exception for "regular" customers like ourselves) as this restaurant would clearly earn at least 4 stars if not for that service snafu.

What is it about restaurants and reservations lately? I thought the point of making one was hopefully avoiding the wait; however, yet again, I was told that my table wasn't available and had to wait for over 15 minutes. The host was both kind and apologetic, but it still left me irritated (especially since we had a later - 8:30 - reservation and I was STARVING.)

Once we were seated, we opted for the Dine About Town menu, which - knowing it was prix fixe only - still seemed limited with only two offerings for each course. Our server seemed confused that we both decided to opt out of the dessert but would pay for it, and  perhaps it was a language barrier but that sincerely perplexed him. The food was mediocre - I chose the ribs and the salmon - and while I appreciate the effort of the presentation, it looked like they made a salmon patty with a round cookie cutter. Wasn't the most appealing.

Now, my friends told me that this last grievance is me being too picky, but I'm going to say it anyway: they charged me for each refill of my diet coke, $2.50 each in fact. Had they told me that they would be charging, I likely STILL would have gotten refills, but I never like to be surprised by an extra $7.50 charge on my bill at the end of the evening. Not the best service.

One caveat was the "free" latte the waiter gave me in lieu of my dessert...it was a small touch that was much appreciated, esp. since the rest of the meal was less than optimal.

I would return to sample something else off the menu (I've heard the ravioli is great) and to see if the service has gotten any better. If I find a similar experience, however, I won't be returning.

I started out with low expectations - we had made a reservation for 7:30 on Saturday night, and by 7:40 we had all arrived and were anxiously crowding the entryway while desperately trying to find the hostess to learn the status of our reservation (and reason for the delay). After all, the reason I had made a reservation was to avoid this very occurrence, so I was initially perturbed by the apparent lack of our attention to our party. However, after the manager kindly greeted us and explained the situation, the night made a complete 180.

We were seated just 15 minutes late, but given the best table in the restaurant. The service from then on was prompt and attentive, even going out of their way to ensure we would be able to make it to our other engagement downstairs at Crimson Lounge on time. The server described the specials and gave her opinion while kindly answering our barrage of questions, and when everyones' meals came out, we were ALL delighted to find that each selection was better than the next. (How often do you get to go to dinner and have EIGHT people be delighted with their meals?) Truly, we were all raving - the steak was perfectly cooked for each diner and the Bass fish special was phenomenal. Add to that a thorough (and affordable) wine menu and we were collectively moaning in delight over our dishes. Contentment has a sound, and it was eight happy diners at Indigo.

Hopefully they work out their seating and reservation quirks before I return, which will be soon, since I can't wait for my next favorite meal in town.

If you're looking for tasty brunch, look elsewhere. The menu was so hard to interpret (as a former restaurant reviewer, I shouldn't be stumped by nearly every dish) that I had to ask our less-than-pleasant waitress what various ingredients were. Once I DID get the pretentious menu successfully translated, I found there was nothing even remotely appetizing on it, to the extent that I had to ask for a special order of scrambled eggs (which they did accommodate.) I went in eager to try out this new spot without having to wait for over two hours and almost walked out before ordering.

To note:
- $11 for a mimosa. Unless they're serving Schramsburg, I don't see ANY reason for this, especially if the wine glass they served it in wasn't even 1/2 full.
- Homemade sausage (has a more hoity-toity name than this) was palatable but would be better as an ingredient to one of their dishes instead of a side.
- There was a whole section of pasta on the brunch menu. I don't know about you, but rigatoni in a heavy sauce isn't my typical hangover fare at 10am on a Sunday.

True to the review below, we didn't have to wait, but the mediocre, apathetic service doesn't seem a fare trade for prompt seating. Add to that the over-priced, pompous, hard to decipher menu and I will NOT be making this a regular haunt.

I hadn't known about this somewhat "underground" space (both in its location as well as that it falls under the radar) but it was the perfect place for my friend's going away party last evening. Located under Indigo on McCallister Street, it's on a somewhat shady corner but that's all forgotten when you descend into the red leather, dimly-lit lounge. We rented out the entire space, and the experience was painless...the bartenders were attentive and friendly, and the proprietors (from Indigo) made sure our transformation from a swanky dinner upstairs into the party-time atmosphere at Crimson Lounge was seamless. We even brought our own iPod and the place turned into a pretty serious dance party with decibels off the charts. I would definitely have another party here.

I love me a mini-cupcake (or four) but I don't think that paying over $2 each is ever justified. Which is why I love the tasty and (more) affordable selection at Blissful Bites.

I placed my order on a Wednesday and it was no problem to pick them up on a Saturday morning (yay, last minute planning!) - I chose banana, vanilla, chocolate brownie, red velvet and chocolate mint for our selection and was happy with all but the chocolate mint (but that could just be my taste.) Note that the red velvet isn't a true one (for Southern connoisseurs like myself) but is instead raspberry flavored; despite the inaccuracy (which they DID note on the phone when I ordered them) it was still wonderful.

Service is genuinely friendly and I love supporting small businesses, so I'll be sure to return to Blissful Bites for any and all cupcake matters in the future. It's probably a blessing in disguise that they DON'T make the "true" Red Velvet, or I'd be frequenting this place a bit too much.