Nick B.'s Profile

My new favorite sushi place! Service is incredibly fast and polite, the fish is some of the most fresh tasting I've had, portions are large and prices are reasonable. I LOVE the salmon and scallop roll, but haven't had anything I haven't liked yet. The only problem is their large selection of sake - bad for my head.

I had a great appointment with Dr. Nick Mellum. He was able to work around my busy work schedule to get me in, his office was very comfortable and friendly and he did a great job of explaining everything that was going on and how to avoid problems in the future. I have definitely found my new dentist.

LONG HAIR BEWARE!

Admittedly, my hair was a bit on the longish side, but not down to my shoulders. When asked what style I wanted, I said I wasn't sure, but I prefer it a bit longer, so probably just a couple of inches off the back and an inch on the sides/front.  She said "So a #4?" I said I had no clue what that meant, so she showed me the clipper guide, it was basically crew-cut length.  I said no and that people usually use scissors on my hair. She said "So finger length?"  I thought to myself "okay, even with her female hands, that would be about 4 inches, so yes".  She then proceeded to take the clippers to the side of my head and cut my down to less than an inch in length!

Needless to say, they do not subscribe to the "you can always cut off more" school of hair cutting. This is the shortest I've ever had my hair and is definitely NOT on the longer side like I had requested.

Service was great, but I'll be going back to someone who listens next time.

BREAKFAST REVIEW

Okay, I was hung over and looking for something of a greasy spoon breakfast, but with a tiny bit of class (is there such thing?)

I had an omelet and my lady-friend decided to try that item we see walking by over the years but are too afraid to try: country fried steak.  Ick ick ick.

Yes, I could have made the omelet myself at home, but I was taught that they are folded so the ingredients can go on the INSIDE.  Not everything piled on top.  That's like scrambled eggs with a topping.

As for the country friend steak - ewww.  Was it glue or gravy on top?  And WAY undercooked eggs.  I'm sorry, when I think of a diner - any diner - I think of experts at cooking eggs and hashbrowns.  I guess not.

Now, like I said at the very top, this is a breakfast review.  I love their lunches and would go back for their sandwiches any day.  But that's a separate review...

I'm not even a chocolate fan, but the lady in my life dragged me down here to get bacon chocolate for our friends and it was great. They were super knowledgeable, very friendly and had an incredible variety. The mocha we had was intense and we ended up with five or six bars as well. For someone who has little knowledge or appreciation for chocolate, this was a great spot and I'm looking forward to going back.

Could this be any worse?  I'll admit, I like Chipotle for Mexican food, but that style of restaurant can't work for the many unique rich flavors of Greek food.  I also had an issue with the cashier (whose nametag actually said "Manager") trying to tell me my gyro "came with" items - yeah, for an extra $2 on an already overpriced piece of junk.

There isn't enough seating space, the flavors were bland, the meats were dry and the presentation was awful.  Drive the less than 10 minutes down 185th, across Sunset Hwy and down to the intersection with West Union Road for some real, excellent Greek food at the Mad Greek Deli.  You won't be disappointed you made the drive.

Having grown up 5 minutes away, I have definitely seen the evolution of this place.  It really was the MAD GREEK deli for years, but we kept coming back because the sandwiches were insanely good and the Greek fries are to die for.  The Greeks aren't as angry-mad as they used to be, at least not to the customers.  I always love a mad chicken, but a yorgo burger is good for days when I don't mind the thought of a heart attack.

They have really cleaned up the place over the years (it's been great for several) and it is a very pleasant spot to sit and enjoy your food.

There is a fast food Greek place that I won't even name here that is across 26, if you ever think you might want to go to the other place, don't.  Drive the 10 extra minutes for real, really good Greek food here.

Service superb, food great - if you don't know how to cook.

We went for our anniversary the other night and started off by being told they had a great booth for us.  We sat in what appeared to be a great location and our wonderful server came by to take out drink order.

I'll disclaim up front: service from our server to the hostess to the valet was incredible.

The table bread tasted like something I've bought from Costco.  Which isn't to say it was bad, but not what I expected from El Gaucho.

We ordered the scallop appetizer and the oysters rockefeller.  The scallops were overcooked and tough and the oysters rockefeller were like nothing I've ever had - be it in Vancouver BC, Seattle, San Francisco or San Diego - and not in a good way.  Probably some of the grittiest oysters I've had that I didn't catch myself.

For dinner we had the petit filet with lobster and an Alaska king crab leg.  Everything looked wonderful.  At first.  The filet was incredibly marbled.  It still tasted fine, but I have grilled up similar (if not significantly better) at home.  The lobster was definitely one of the largest I have ever seen, but this reconfirmed my thoughts from the last few times I've had it - it tastes like lemon and butter.  Big shock, I just dipped it in lemon butter.  The Alaska king crab leg was tasty.  Once again though, it tasted like crab.  My girlfriend even thought it tasted a bit like Krab (I refuse to eat Krab so I have no basis for comparison).  We used to go crabbing off the coast all the time and it did taste very similar to our own dungeness.  And for $29 per leg, absurd.

We had a side baked potato, which was entertaining to watch being prepared at the table.  Despite the amount of butter it appeared she drenched it in, it was incredibly dry.  The beer cheese sauce was very tasty though.

We were looking forward to trying out a dessert when we noticed both of the people sitting about a foot and half behind us had lit up their cigarettes.  We're both allergic to cigarette smoke (please hurry up the ban) but furthermore were shocked that a high class establishment like this allows this in the dining room!  That's when were informed that we had been sat in the bar!  We didn't ask or even know this, otherwise we would have asked to be placed elsewhere.

Throughout, we voiced our concerns with food and the smoky environment, to which our server apologized, but did nothing about.

We left, with a $232 bill for the two of us and a vow to never return.

For those of you who also think you need to dress up, we saw several people in baseball hats and t-shirts, so you only need to dress up for yourself, not for the establishment.

We're both decent chef's though, so for those of you who pat yourselves on the back when the Mac 'n' Cheese from a box comes out okay, this may be your place.  If you can cook a decent meal though, don't waste your time, unless it's just so you can finally say you've been there.