Jeremy "Big Papa" S.'s Profile

Birthday steak... birthday steak... ooooh ooooh ooooh. Isn't that how the song goes? Well anyways that's what I'm usually thinking about around my bday.

Came here with a couple friends to get the night started before some bday partying in NYC and Primehouse hit the spot. I ordered the classic filet, which came out perfectly cooked. And don't you worry your pretty little head, they wouldn't dare soak their steaks in butter (a huge pet peeve of mine, yes I checked). Beyond just the steaks you'll also find a beefy wine list where I found a killer pinot. Service wasn't great (we'll call it three stars), but that didn't get in the way of a great evening either.

Nondescript, surprisingly good.

I was really impressed with their nigiri quality, everything was oh so soft and the rice texture was perfect. Their seaweed salad wasn't great, but their gyoza and rolls made up for it. Though they don't have a ton of servers, the consistent trickle of our dishes kept our starving butts alive. The decor is of the "mom and pop" variety so don't except thumping music or designer furniture, though if you're hitting the Outer Richmond that probably wasn't your expectation anyways.

Full disclosure: At the time of this review Kabuto is a Yelp advertiser and I work at Yelp!

What is this...a [restaurant] for ants?!?!

The tables are super close together and the space is quite small, which I may not have noticed if they kept the wine flowing like water. Unfortunately our waitress stopped by exactly three times, once to take our order, once to drop off food and drink, and once to drop the check.

There was a 30 minute wait to get a table and the hostess was kind enough to take my number and give me a call, very cool. My lobster roll was simple, chunky and delicious served on a doughy piping hot roll.

An ok experience, but the meh service and super tight space will keep National off my list of regular haunts.

Loved the decor and atmosphere, the hundreds of clay pots dangling was neat and something you can't safely pull off in quake-y San Francisco. The two main dining rooms were quite different, perhaps themed with the seasons in mind, one felt like spring with blue sky colors, the other was more winter-y with warm exposed brick.

The grilled octopus was meaty and delicious, but watch out for their piping hot bread it's like flour-based crack (I couldn't control myself and ate way too much). The baby lamb was quite nice as well, but left me absolutely stuffed so I had to take a pass on dessert.

Definitely worth checking out.

Pretty unmarked wooden doors and a male model-esque bouncer conceal an inviting speakeasy atmosphere. Sure the concept has been done 1000 times, but do well made cocktails competently served in a conversation-friendly environment ever get stale? Not to this old timer. I had a drink off the ladies menu, but before you judge know it was simply a selection of the favorite drinks of their female staff... delicious.

The interior is quite nice and atypical for a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. Some of the tables are too close together, one table nearby had to fully get up out of their seats to let others go in and out.

I started with their dumplings which were tasty enough, but a few fell apart. Their hot and sour soup was ok, but had peas and carrots which I wasn't used to. Next up was the 5 spice whitefish, which came out pretty bland... I was left wondering where my five spices were.

The owner does seem to care a lot, he went from table to table greeting customers which is always great to see (and probably bodes well over the long term). So while Fang didn't knock my socks off this time, I may give them another shot for lunch and report back.

Renting a car is usually pretty annoying, you have the paperwork, the lines, the crappy cars. On my recent trip to LA I searched Yelp and found Midway offering all sorts of interesting and even wacky cars. I emailed to ask about their Yelp special and Beth was extremely responsive, I must have sent her a dozen emails over the course of a few days. Eventually I settled on a fun car at a reasonable price and called her to confirm everything.

The day of my arrival I caught the Radisson shuttle at the airport to their office and picked up my car. The shuttle took a while (there were probably 5 or 6 pickups along the way), but it got the job done and on the way back Southwest was the first drop off. The office was a bit shabby, weird given they rent some very fancy cars, but my car was clean and ready. After a few minutes of paperwork (don't forget your proof of insurance) I did a walk through and moments later I was on my way. My return was uneventful and the staff treated me well and bid me bon voyage.

I really liked having a wide selection of cars to choose from (especially in LA!) and it's about as convenient as any of the rental chains. I'll definitely use them again.

Disclaimer: Midway is currently an advertiser and I work at Yelp.

An unusual restaurant experience in Beverly Hills.

You could transplant Tagine to the Mission District of San Francisco and they'd probably fit right in. Their tasting menu (your only option on weekends) is handwritten in a leatherbound sketchbook filled with doodles and photos, wonderfully creative. The restaurant seems to be a family affair and there was a level of friendliness and care you don't get very often, the chef was sitting with guests when I arrived and another proprietor stopped by a couple times to say hello.

Food was excellent, but almost too much (for a reasonable $45/per person). I ran out of steam by course 3 and limped my way to dessert. Their space is small with maybe 7 tables, it's dimly lit and romantic, but very non-sceney. If you're a foodie looking for something a little different, I'd recommend you give Tagine a try.

Not bad if you're in for a sceney Sunday morning brunch. You get sick views that are good even when the sky is grey. The food was a little above average, but their presentation didn't match expectations (my eggs benedict could have been from any old breakfast joint). Valet is convenient and was $6. The decor is pretty striking (and very white), while the overall scene can best be described as "for ladies who lunch".

Walking in you'll find the dining room pleasant, but not striking. The DineLA prix fixe with wine pairings seemed like a good way to go (and seems to be a hit with other Yelpers too). I chose the Lobster Cavatelli (maine lobster, cavatelli pasta, fava bean purée, chanterelle mushrooms), the pasta was tasty though very lightly flavored. For my main course I had the venison, quite delicious and served rare. Dessert was the caramel donuts, which were melt in your mouth (I also snuck a taste of the freshly baked cookies too, doh it's all going to go to my hips).

I'd have given Grace a solid four stars, but for one significant snafu... Our waiter forgot one of my wine pairings and when I asked him about it, he didn't really apologize and just brought out the missing glass (long after my entree was finished). Of course he charged me the full $30 for the pairing, lame.