Lana F.'s Profile

I have gone to Gleim's several times. Being new to the area, it was recommended by friends, and I must say they were right about Gleim's being very professional, knowledgeable and with a great range of pieces for almost every budget.

What impressed me most however was the service and discretion of the staff when a friend of mine brought her engagement ring in for cleaning. She has a fabulous, one of a kind ring in platinum and diamonds. However, she lost the main stone a while back, and decided to replace it with a man made diamond. The difference in price is of course great, and so the whole ring is not worth anywhere near what it was. It doesn't matter to her, but her mother, who was also with us at the time, would have a fit if she had known the diamond wasn't "real" .

The lady who took the ring looked it over carefully, filled out the paperwork, and then handed my friend the receipt. A few minutes after we had left the store, my friend's cell phone rang. Later, when her mother had left us, she told me that it was Gleim's. The jeweler had called her and asked politely if she was "aware of that her ring had an artificial diamond?" She did not want to mention this in front of me and my friend's mother, because she did not want to embarrass the client. Now THAT is great service!!!

I normally love Cafe Gratitude. I am a fan of raw food, and since I have both dairy and gluten allergies, there aren't many desserts I can eat and feel good afterward. Cafe Gratitude makes killer desserts. Their tiramisu is to die for. And the service and atmosphere at the one on Harrison Ave in San Francisco is great. Not so the Berkeley branch.

How can it take over ONE hour to prepare two plates of raw lasagna??? And 20 minutes to put 4 pieces of cake into a take out box?? The service was mind numbingly slow. There were no explanations for why it took so long. The place wasn't even that crowded on an early Saturday evening. And when we asked if it would be much longer, the answer was always the same "almost done".

The food when it did arrive was good, but the service, or lack of it, is what brings this rating down to 3 stars rather than the 5 I would give them.

We went to Todd to have family pictures taken soon after our second child was born. I was not so sure about a photo shoot with a 3 month old baby who could barely hold his head up and his sister who is firmly into her terrible twos. What could have been a stressful hour and a half, turned out to be one of the most fun things we've done as a family, thanks to Todd's kindness to the children, easy pleasant manner and professional approach. And the pictures he took show that. They are genuine, happy, beautiful and artistic. They are the kind of pictures we will look at 20 years from now with a warm smile.
All our friends and family who see them love them and ask for prints!

This is the best sushi place in Mountain View. The fish is so fresh you'd think they caught it themselves that morning. The real test is the ikura, salmon roe. Most places it's a bit dark, slightly soft with a distinctive fish smell. This means it's ok but not utra-fresh. At Kappo, the ikura is always a light orange, firm, with a fresh smell of the sea.
The restaurant is charming with an intimate feel. The staff is always happy and pleasant, and the unique Japanese specialties, such as pork belly, is something you won't find anywhere else. It's nice to see Japanese cuisine other than sushi south of the City.

This is an awesome Japanese restaurant. Their sushi is unbelievably good, especially considering the moderate prices. I used to go there when it was Monster Sushi. Back then the rolls were OK, but a bit heavy on the rice and light on the fish. Once the new owners took over about a year ago,  the sushi got at least twice as good, but the prices staid the same. It's not a place to take your date for a romantic evening, because the atmosphere is simple, lighting is bright, and music and dinner conversations from adjoining tables make the place loud. But if you like sushi, and don't want to spend a ton of money, this is a real gem.