Dave "Here comes the Hotstepper" C.'s Profile

If you're looking for Shelter Surf Shop, don't bother. It's been replaced with a bigger, better model.

As I mentioned on my Shelter review, from out of the ashes, the Phoenix rises, and that's exactly what has happened here. One of the owners of Shelter took stared personal challenge dead in the face and said, "Eff you, i'm not going anywhere". She knock down and wall, brought in some cooler clothes and accessories and created a hipper vibe to replace what was previously, in my opinion, a bit of a "cooler than thou" attitude.

The clothing is not necessarily geared toward dudes like me; I'm just not that fashionable, and it was a bit higher end than I normally would spend, but I did like what they were offering. The way I see it, if a biker gang crashed into a farm holding an underground fashion show and dance party, this is what you'd get.

I wish the owner luck and I hope she does well. The shop lends a bit of modern credibility to Retro Row, which might bring about a whole new type of clientele.

From out of the ashes rises the Phoenix.

Shelter Surf is no more, apparently because of inner turmoil, but I'm only going on 3rd party information. As much as I'm bummed to see Long Beach's one and only surf shop go away, I really had lost my taste for the shop. The last couple times I came through, I felt like I wasn't "hipster" enough for the dudes behind the counter. Graham seemed friendly enough in the beginning, but perhaps that turmoil soured him, and over time just became less friendly and seemingly more elitist. I always felt I wasn't cool enough to be shopping there, which was fine because they didn't really care clothes for dudes bigger than "skinny as hell", if that's a real size.

However, Graham's wife has risen from those ashes and started a new boutique in it's place. The overall feel of the joint is the same except mostly clothing and accessories and no surfboards. It's still a bit hipster, and a tad pricey, but feels a bit more friendly and open again. I wish her luck and hopefully the cool vibe she has going will bring good business her way.

We are lucky to live in a part of town where we have many options for food in a very close proximity. The funny thing is, we almost always default to Kafe Neo even though its on the outer perimeter of a short walk for the whole family.

Perhaps its the incredibly consistent California Greek menu that never fails to satiate. Perhaps its the stable of friendly and capable servers who have been around for as long as we have been coming. Maybe its the family-owned and run atmosphere that makes us feel good about going there. Honestly, it all contributes to our repeat business.

Sure, the place can be a bit on the loud side on business nights, parking is a bit of a bear, and they could stand to use a new rotation of videos to display on their big screens (scenic landscapes and art classics usually), but all of that fades away once you take a bite of their heavenly spanikopita, or chomp into a tasty gyro with fresh pita and perfectly cooked meat. They also do an awesome job with breakfast even though it might not get as much attention as their later menus.

Check this place out. It's a good, solid, comfy and tasty meal at a reasonable price mixed with a very hospitable and accommodating staff. After so many years of coming here, I openly admit I'm a bit bias now, but then I wouldn't be coming here for years if I didn't have a good reason.

Top notch, plain and simple.

Got a half-sleeve piece done by Bandit this week and I can say I've finally found a shop I'm willing to stick with. Aside from the inking skills the man possesses, he's both courteous and professional. The place is clean, the staff is friendly and knowledgable and there isn't the typical elitist attitude you get at some shops in the area.

I searched for a long time for a shop that could handle the level of work I was looking for, thinking I would have to go to deep L.A. to get it, but Bandit and his guys are no joke. You will be impressed.

I will be back for many more sessions... if my wife allows it.

One final note: Bandit has a waiting list, and tops it off at the 3 month mark, so get your appt. in while he's accepting them.

I have been coming to Fujis off and on for over 20 years. It's cool to see that it withstands the test of time, right down to the decor. However, I'm not so sure the burgers have faired so well.

Whenever I come here, it's always the same order: Teriyaki cheeseburger with fries. The thick, crinkle cut fries are still some of my most favorite, and I enjoyed them, but the burger just didn't live up to my previous expectations. Perhaps it's because I've tasted some really good burger creations lately, that Fujis can't match up, or perhaps they actually have reduced the quality of their product over time. All I know is that I was eating frozen meat that was overcooked with a much too toasted bun that was less tasty than I remember.

The people are nice, the service is good and the price is downright low compared to other burger joints, but I'd rather pay more for a bit better quality product.

Thanks for the memories, Fujis, but this may be my last visit.

(NOTE: I made some editorial changes because I typed this first version on my phone. The "typos" and autocorrections were hysterical in my opinion, but not exactly what I wanted to say. I wish there was a strikethrough command so I could leave them in just for fun.)

Keeping it very simple, I was a loyal customer until today, but I will never go here again. The complete lack of providing quality food and decent service, and the total abandonment toward customer relations, puts this place at the very top of my list of joints to never patronize ever again. Not only did they not provide quality service at the start (late delivery of crappy and cold food), but when I called to speak to a manager, I got nothing but runaround and attitude.

The owners exact words to me were, "I only respect those that respect me first", and my favorite, "When I'm busy, I don't have time for you".

Well, I have better things to do with my money than waste it on some ignorant business owner who charges WAY too much for crap food and crappier service.

Really simple review here. There is NONE better in the southland for tuning your hot rod. They aren't the cheapest, but they are by far the best. My company has been using Westech as the tuning shop of record for at least a dozen years if not more. These guys know their stuff. Don't trust your motor to anyone else for detailed tuning.

Short review - A good, solid showing for breakfast w/ a little room for improvement.

There are no shortage of breakfast joints in LB, and a lot of them have fiercely loyal customers. To open a new one, especially in an unusual location, could be an exercise in futility. I've seen a few different restaurants in this location, all with reasonable ratings and appeal, but they never seem to grab my attention enough to want to try them.

The Crooked Duck is not just a breakfast joint, but because a buddy of mine tried their breakfast and said he liked it (which was a huge endorsement considering he's a bit of a curmudgeon to anything new), I decided to bring the family over for some morning grub.

Parking is limited, but we got their right around 9am and there were a few spots open. We got a very warm greeting from a few of the staff at the door, got a nice table in the back that we could comfortably seat us and the little guy in a high chair. The chair to table height ratio was a bit off for me personally, sitting a bit too far over the table, and the newly recovered seats were a bit stiff, but I think those will wear in over time, be more comfortable.

My wife ordered eggs and potatoes with a side of bacon. I got the Kentucky biscuits with gravy, eggs, ham and potatoes. We also wanted to try their malted waffle, so we split one. I also ordered a coffee while she had water.

To start, the coffee had a good flavor, but a bit weak for my tastes. I like mine pretty strong, so it may be good for the regular coffee drinker. They did keep up on the refills though, so that scores points.

The meals came and with one look at the home style potatoes, lightly seasoned and with small chunks of onion and pepper, I knew they were going to be good--I was not wrong. My eggs were perfectly fluffy and tasty, the biscuits were moist and flavorful and the sausage gravy was excellent and not too gloppy. I asked for mine on the side because some places usually overwhelm the meal with gravy, but what they brought was the perfect amount.

My wife's meal was a bit hit and miss. Her potatoes were excellent. The bacon was crispy, but it was baked, not fried, lending to a slightly different taste. Her scrambled eggs were well overcooked, showing brown spots throughout. Her wheat toast was fully toasted and buttered and was "good" in her words. Also, the waffle was very tasty and moist. I wish it was a bit crispier, maybe left in the waffler a bit longer, but really, the flavor was great.

We will most definitely try this place again and if they are this good or better again, we might even try lunch or dinner.

How does this place get so many great reviews. This was my second time visiting Simone's and both times left unsatisfied. This mos recent trip, I forgot to grab breakfast and I knew they had croissant sandwiches, so I swung in to get one. I was going to grab a chocolate bar, but when I looked in the case, I could tell all the chocolate donuts were old. The chocolate had started to crack and dry up. There was no way those were fresh, more likely a day or more old, so I skipped the chocolate. I opted for a buttermilk donut instead and headed off to my car for the commute.

The croissant was decent, but more than a little greasy, but it was egg, ham and cheese in a butter roll, so I can't complain too much for getting what I asked for. However, the buttermilk donut killed off any good feelings I had about Simone's in one bite. I knew before the piece of donut hit the back of my throat that I was dealing with a stale donut. There is no way in hell that donut was made fresh, or even within the last 12 hours.

Take Note: Most of the positive reviews for this place are from before 2011. Most of the bad reviews are from 2011. You decide what that counts for. In my opinion, Simone's just took over the top spot for worst donut in Long Beach.

WAY to expensive for marginal food. I'm not a sushi guy, but I was with a group of coworkers and decided to try one of their teriyaki noodle bowls. The food was decent, but nothing to write home to Tokyo about. My wife's family would call this Gaijin Japanese food, all the pretense with none of the authenticity.

All that would have been fine if the food wasn't outrageously priced. $14 for a half a breast of chicken, noodles and a few bell peppers is ridiculous. $3 for a soda that probably cost them $.15 cents? Come on now.

On top of those problems, the service is not great. This is my second time to the restaurant and both times the service was not great either. The first time we had Mei-Ling (not her real name), the dragon lady, pissed off and snarky that she has to deal with so many people less beautiful than her. This recent visit, our waitress was better, but seemed to lose focus often, missing opportunities to get our order and bring our check in a timely manner.

I won't be going back unless Mei-Ling gets nicer and/or the prices get cheaper.