Erin "The Gherkin" N.'s Profile

I left behind a fabulous stylist when I moved from Boston to San Francisco and seriously loathed the thought of trying to discover a new person to take care of my hair. So I put it off for months and my color got funkier and funkier week after week and eventually I simply began to live in a messy bun. But then it was time to fly back East for a wedding and the reality that I looked absurd and mousy dawned on me and I was horrified.

Down the Yelp rabbit hole I went and I read review after review until my head began to spin and I seriously considered just buying a box of Clairol at CVS and calling it a day, but then I came across Yelly's listing. The reviews were stellar and she had amazing hair. You really can't get your hair done from someone who has bad hair. Then I discovered that I could book my appointment with her online (triple bonus points for this fact).

Honestly, all of the positive comments about Yelly are absolutely true. When I arrived at the salon she welcomed me warmly with a huge hug and we sat and chatted about what I wanted to do with my hair as though we were old friends. She's also very funny and a lot of fun to talk to so the usual monotony of having highlights done seemed like a breeze. The other fantastic part of the experience was the phenomenal head massage I received while Yelly washed my hair. I practically fell asleep.

In the end I was beyond happy with my color and cut and I will absolutely be re-booking. I can't believe I managed to find my new person so quickly. Yay!

I just recently moved to San Francisco from Boston and it took the movers 3 weeks to deliver my furniture. Needless to say life in my apartment was quite barren initially. No kitchen equipment meant zero cooking could take place and I seriously began to OD on take-out. There is really only so much sushi, curry, and pizza a girl can take and after eating in that horrible manner for more than a week I felt like hell and was really fed up.

Then I remembered a service I had read about shortly before we left Boston: Munchery. Eureka! A home cooked meal would finally be mine all mine!

The online interface for ordering on Munchery is very intuitive and allows you to purchase meals quickly. Some meals and chefs require advance notice of at least 24 hours while others can be ordered same day. Entertainingly enough one of the company's founders, Tri Tran, actually delivered our order. Talk about service! How cool is that?!

I also love that delivery is free and the tip is included -- for once I don't have to have a mini panic attack thinking about how much money I should give the driver. Yay!  

And the food is fantastic! Heads and tails over your standard take-out fare, and I love how much variety they offer. All-in-all this is a really useful and convenient service and I plan to hit them up at least once a week from now on (even though I have all of my whisks, pots, and knives back).

I was so sad that this super cute restaurant opened after I moved away from Davis Square. It was love at first site when I had drinks here for the first time. Sleek granite with black and red accents make for an inviting decor. Unfortunately the liquor is their crowning glory. Fantastic cocktails, including the magical Ginger Smash, are definitely the highlights.

The food at Foundry leaves a lot to be desired. Over-priced, lacking salt, and/or over-cooked seems to be the M.O.  Not to mention that this place is hella-loud. So loud that you have to practically scream at your dinner companions. I assume this absurd level of noise is supposed to indicate how fab and popular the establishment is but really it just makes me only want to go at non-peak times.

As Carol O mentioned above they definitely seem to be gaming their Open Table system somehow as I've experienced the bizarre no availability online but availability when you call direct and vice-versa phenomenon. Computer glitch or not it's a big turn off.

In conclusion, play it safe and stick to drinks and be prepared to talk in your outdoor voice.

I adore MiniLuxe so so so much. I refuse to go anywhere else now. The thought of popping over to the grubby nail salons along Mass Ave during my lunch break makes my hair curl after experiencing the level of OCD cleanliness that encompasses a mani/pedi as MiniLuxe.

Shannon is my go-to girl. She's great fun to chat with if you're feeling social and if you want to read a book she completely understands. Bonus points to Shannon for giving the most gentle brow wax I've ever had. Double bonus for the "Lemon-aide" lotion. I can't get enough of the fresh, sexy, summery scent.  

I also love that you can book all of your appointments online and select whom you want to work with. Fantastic! Fantastic! Fantastic!

I've just returned from a superb weekend excursion from Nantucket and I have to compliment the staff at the Jared Coffin House (our room was actually in the Gray House) for making the time we spent with them cozy to the max.

Obviously when you're on the island you aren't there to sit in your room but while my boyfriend and I were there we were absolutely content. The bed was fluffy and cozy, our room was extremely spacious with a large main bedroom, a huge dressing area and an adequately sized bathroom. The decor was shabby chic and a bit quaint but each night after a long day of playing, eating, and drinking I fell into bed and slept like the dead. I'll definitely stay here again and would recommend it to friends, especially since it's perfectly located to downtown and walking distance to almost everything. By the way, we didn't have any problems with the wireless.

PS: Even the water at the hotel felt more luxurious than at home. My hair definitely looked better in Nantucket than in Boston ha ha ...

Extremely cozy and low key atmosphere. I had a great lunch here on a crisp autumn day. The hearty beef stew really hit the spot and I was so excited that it contained parsnips! Yes, I'm that weird person who loves all root vegetables -- even the so-called weird ones. Nice selection of wines and good service. Exactly what I was looking for.

Had a lovely meal last night that began with an excellent glass of sauvignon blanc which made my heart go pitter patter with thoughts of summer grape fruit and freshly ground pepper.

Next I moved onto the crispy fried oysters which were out of this world tasty. They came nestled in tender butter lettuce and were topped with a tasty sauce -- I seriously considered not sharing any with my boyfriend but in the end my sense of propriety won out.

I had a perfectly cooked duck breast for my entree. It was seasoned well and coupled with a mixture of parsnip, dates and olives. Yum!

Overall the service was excellent, our drinks remained filled, and the atmosphere was quite pretty. I was very grateful that we were given a cozy corner table as usually couples get stuck on "couple row" where you end up feeling like you've been forced to go on blind dates with 8 strangers because they were seated 4 inches away from you.

I'll definitely be back!

First things first: be prepared to wait. But remember that good things come to those who wait. Patience paid off in this instant as we waited almost an hour for a table on Sunday but were then greeted with huge portions of scrumptious dinner plate-sized pancakes. The staff all seem very stressed out but still competent. Our kind waitress even brought over a bowl of very fresh fruit salad (on the house) for my boyfriend and I to munch on while we waited for our food.

While I certainly hope they get their routines and wait times down soon I absolutely can't complain about the food. I had the Almond Joy Pancakes and they came out piping hot and studded with tasty chocolate chips, slivered almonds, and a generous helping of coconut.

Give this place a chance and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I can't believe that I've lived in my neighborhood for over two years and never knew about this spot until last week?! I feel almost devastated thinking about all of the great sushi that is literally just a hop, skip, and a jump away from me that I've missed out on eating.

Friday evening my boyfriend and I went here for dinner. He actually discovered Hana while out for lunch with some co-workers and was eager to introduce me to the restaurant.

We ordered an appetizer of steamed gyoza, several rolls and an order of nigiri. Everything was fantastic. Very fresh and well presented. What struck me the most about this restaurant was the fact that I actually found myself enjoying some of the rolls that I don't usually particularly care for, generally rolls made with salmon, the most.

Overall Hana has an excellent variety of sushi including some funky unique rolls like the Las Vegas (Eel, Cream Cheese, and Avocado that is deep fried) and the French Kiss (Deep Fried Shrimp, Smoked Salmon, Tuna, Cream Cheese, Avocado, Crabstick with a Special Sauce). Perhaps I'll give those a try next time. In addition the staff is exceedingly friendly and greets you cheerfully as you enter and leave the establishment. I enjoyed my meal here very much and will absolutely be back soon.

At the recommendation of a friend my boyfriend and I had a late lunch here during the Motif festival last weekend. Unfortunately the weather wasn't particularly cooperating so we were fairly chilled to the bone by the time we ventured inside the cozy little cafe.

In an effort to warm ourselves we both ordered steaming hot mugs of Chai Tea Lattes. They were excellent. Just what we needed to clear our frozen heads. Next we each ordered gourmet wraps. My boyfriend had the Curried Chicken salad while I had the Caprese.

The Caprese was served on a fresh spinach wrap with tomatoes, mozzarella, mesclun greens and a tasty pesto sauce. I was so hungry that if I could have arranged to have my jaw open on a hinge and stuff the entire hearty sandwich inside I would have. I'm glad that I didn't though because I would have missed out on all of those great flavors.

The wrap is served with a small bag of my favorite local Cape Cod Potato Chips and we split a scrumptious cookie that I believe was some sort of spiced oatmeal, white chocolate, cranberry concoction with a hint of orange. I'm just dying to recreate them at home.

While we were eating in the small sitting area we enjoyed a lovely view of the tide. It's a bit cramped back there but I was grateful to have a place to sit down for a few moments after all of our sightseeing.

The staff was unfailingly friendly and really one of the few drawbacks that I can think of is the fact that they don't accept credit cards. We had to skip over to a nearby ATM before ordering.

If I'm ever in the Rockport area I will absolutely eat here again and recommend that you do the same.