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rickymontalvo.yelp.com

ricky m.'s Profile

Photo of ricky m.

"Geek is in.  Nerds are for dorks."

profile votes icon Review votes:
28 Useful, 1 Funny, and 11 Cool

Compliments Thank You (1) Great Lists (1) You're Cool (1)
Location

San Francisco, CA

Yelping Since

March 2007

Find Me In

Soma

My Hometown

Santa Barbara, CA

My Blog Or Website

http://www.disposablef...

When I'm Not Yelping...

I'm making multimedia projects.

Why You Should Read My Reviews

Becuase I look JUST like my avatar.

The Last Great Book I Read

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

My First Concert

Oingo Boingo

My Last Meal On Earth

A Rudy's chicken fajita burrito.

Don't Tell Anyone Else But...

I have Moleskine notebook addiction.

Most Recent Discovery

Growing a beard

Current Crush

Rashida Jones (If you know her...call me)

Recent Reviews

32 Reviews

Filter by: Location   Category
701 E Palm Canyon Dr
Palm Springs, CA 92264
(760) 325-9900

Ace Hotel  

Category: Hotels

3 star rating
 11/10/2009 4 photos  
Recently stayed at the Ace Hotel for some male bonding.  My only negative comments are the lack in staff, especially around the pool where almost every guest hangs out while there.

However for the decor and stylish design, it's truly a Palm Spring icon.  The food was tremendously good at brunch.  The rooms are moderate in size but also stylish.

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San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco, CA 94125
(650) 821-5600

San Francisco International Airport - SFO Clinic  

Category: Health and Medical
Neighborhoods: Civic Center/Tenderloin, SOMA

5 star rating
 11/10/2009  
If I could choose the SFO Medical Clinic as my primary care physician center, I would!!!  Recently, I had to visit them for some traveler shots for a trip I am about to take. Although I was there for my shots, I felt like I had been a patient of this place for my entire life.  

Here is my list of reasons why, in no particular order:
1. Parking is easy AND they validate!
2. Check-in process is was the fastest in any Dr's office
3. Everyone is friendly.  I mean, really friendly.
4. Hardly any waiting.
5.  The staff is professional
6. My nurses: AWESOME
7. Although I hate shots, they administered them with the best care
8. The DR. gave me his business card so that I could share my photos from upcoming trip.
9.  Insurance accepted!
10.  They are genuinely nice.

Go there if you want a clinic that actually treats you like a real human being and not some insurance #.

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1212 Coast Village Rd
Montecito, CA 93108
(805) 969-8500

Cava Restaurant & Bar  

Category: Latin American

3 star rating
 7/5/2009  
We came here to try out their food for a possible rehearsal dinner venue.  We contacted Mindy, the "Events Coordinator" who was unable to meet us but we went anyways.  The food is on the eclectic side but the service was outstanding.  The sangria is mediocre, however their margaritas were delicious thanks to a recommendation by our waiter.  Their grilled chicken has a unique flavor that one can only get from said grill, so we were both very pleased.

I was a little disappointed that their Events Coordinator Mindy never called back, not very professional, so we won't be using them for the rehearsal dinner venue.

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4141 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
(805) 967-4464

El Rincon Bohemio  

Category: Mexican

4 star rating
 7/5/2009   First to Review
It doesn't get any more authentic than this.  El Rincon offers some of the best traditional Mexican meals such Menudo, Chorizo and Pozole.  We have spent many a Sunday Brunch here.  The space is intimate with an outdoor seating area which is great on hot summer nights. The service staff is as authentic as a Mexican family can be.

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79 New Montgomery St
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 274-2200

Academy of Art University  

Categories: Colleges & Universities, Art Schools
Neighborhood: SOMA

1 star rating
 2/24/2009  
This review comes from the view of a interested party & potential sutdent.  I had inquired to learn more about the continuing education programs, so when I was phoned the day after I had filled out my info form I was blown away by the call that followed.  

Understandably I know it's the job of admissions representatives to try and convince you why their programs are better than others.  So when I was phoned by a one of them after I had inquired about continuing education programs I was astonished at the lack of sincerity, their over confident sales pitch, and the lack of interest in myself, background, and what I wanted to have accomplished by attending.  

i would have thought the rep would want to hear why I was interested and any questions I had. Instead I got some formal read on the history, the quality of teachers and hardly  a chance to chime in.  

I'm saddened by the experience as a potential student and after reading some of the other Yelp reviews, I am not alone.

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139 Steuart St
San Francisco, CA 94199
(415) 808-1048

Mexico DF  

Category: Mexican

4 star rating
 3/23/2008  
Move over Tres Agaves (and your over-priced menu), there is a new kid in the barrio!  To avoid the weekday crowds, I went to Mexico DF on a Saturday and was completely surprised by this place.  Let's get the easy stuff out of the way first: Parking was too easy.  Service was EXTREMELY good.  Now onto the serious stuff: Seating area wasn't my favorite, it appears to cater to big groups, but the alternative is to sit at the bar and watch the cooks in action.  Drinks were good, however I think it's a poor decision to serve a mojito in anything other than a highball glass. Despite that, the mojitos were strong, equally balanced and good.

The food was great, I had the chicken tamales with mole and everything was well cooked and well flavored.  Overall, the Mexico DF is great for one of those flavored meals when you want to have a good cocktail to wash it all down and stop the heat.

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1116 Folsom St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 558-9946

Terroir Natural Wine Merchant  

Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: SOMA

4 star rating
 2/8/2008 2 photos  
Subtle.  Simple. Local.  Terroir is a serious wine bar in the true sense of the term.  Real people, who know real wines.  Hey! they even speak French!

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527 Bryant St
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 777-1333

Lava Lounge  

Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: SOMA

4 star rating
 2/5/2008 2 photos  
Popped in here on a Saturday night to avoid the rain while walking to dinner.  I known the place had been under construction, so I was surprised to finally see the lights on, red neon ones.  The place is clean, and I like the Tokyo-style pop deco, it's like West Elm gone trendy bar.  I sat at the bar around 7pm, and had a great stiff drink.  Although it's a trendy looking place, so I hope it doesn't turn into a "place to be seen" bar, SOMA has plenty of those.  Hopefully the geek chic hipsters of South Park will keep it real and make it a nice place to chill, chat and cocktail.  I know I will try.

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330 1st St
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-4200

Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant  

Categories: Wine Bars, Italian
Neighborhood: SOMA

5 star rating
 12/11/2007  
I'm not going to use clever pseudo-yuppie words like "restau-bar" or "urban lifestyle".  But I digress... Let me start from the beginning (on Opening Night)....

Parking is the extremely easy. And once you find your spot, you walk down 1st towards the city, you see an amazing view of the skyline.

As soon as you open the heavy steel doors of glass, you encounter a clean well lit establishment whose decor fits right in with the loft lifestyle that mostly defines SOMA living.  

We were immediately greeted by our host and we asked for bar seating which gave us a great view into the workings of the kitchen.  Marble counters, aluminum chairs and a wood burning oven were all we needed to complete this experience.  

Our waiter Brice greeted us without the nervousness of an opening night, and the crew behind the counter seemed at ease, as they operated the kitchen as if they had been open for months.

The menu was simple yet rich, with pizzas and risotto to choose from.  I opted for a Tuscan wine, and a starter salad with amazing bacon, pears and delicious blue cheese.  

We ordered a pizza that was made literally right in front of us in their wood burning oven.  Brice attended us with ease not trying too hard to impress us on opening night, but instead allowing us to enjoy our dinner and the ambiance.  

The place started to fill up with people, however some of them were off to the side tasting wines from the wine bar.  The mix of people there for food vs. wine tasting didn't take away from the experience. If this were in any other place than SOMA (such as the Marina) there would have been a mass crowd mixed with the diners.  Instead, LK&WM did some great planning to make sure wine tasters & diners could actually co-exist.  Bravo.  

I intend to come back not only for the experience, but to try out the other dishes such as the Ravioli of Butternut Squash, the garlic fries, and the rotisserie chicken.

Local is simply locally, so SOMA (NOT SOUTH BEACH). As a local who lives in SOMA, I refuse to use such terms that are generic for such a unique and amazing place.

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7575 E Princess Dr
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
(480) 585-4848

Fairmont Scottsdale  

Category: Hotels

5 star rating
 11/21/2007 3 photos  
At your service.  That's the motto I would use to describe the Fairmont.  The entire staff is there to help you at anytime for anything.  

The pool is probably the best place to be in this entire hotel.  It's large and the staff is there to make sure you are enjoying yourself.  The rooms all have views of some sort, and they are spacious.  My second favorite part of the hotel were the rooms bathrooms.  WOW.  The large walk in showers and huge tubs were a welcome treat after a long day of traveling on delayed and canceled flights.

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1 List

Photo of Terroir Natural Wine Merchant

My Neighborhood

My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
1.  Terroir Natural Wine Merchant
Subtle.  Simple. Local.…
2.  Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant
I'm not going to use…
3.  Luna Taqueria
Luna Taqueria is an…
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