Susan "Drowning in Cat Fur" P.'s Profile

VEGAN ALERT!! This is the ONLY place around here that serves non-dairy yogurt. Granted, there's only one non-dairy option at any given time but that's one more than all the other places. Yay!

We recently had our offer accepted for our first house, and after seeing a lot of crappy properties (one had about $35K termite damage, I kid you not), we were really nervous about The Inspection *OMINOUS MUSIC*

We ended up using two home inspectors. Probably not necessary but we're just that kind of people (I prefer the word "thorough" as oppose to "anal" thanks).

One was recommended by our real estate agent and came with a quote for fixing all recommended issues on the inspection report. We wanted to get an idea on how much things would cost, and we'd seen their reports for some other properties we had made offers on. Thought it would be useful to compare this one property with the others since we were use to their property report format.

BUT we also wanted to get an independent home inspector we could trust. Someone who only did home inspections, and someone who was not affiliated to our real estate agent at all.

Thanks to Yelp, we found Holmes & Watson. Chris was extremely professional and thorough. He was also available to come out on the weekends which was a nice option to have and responded very fast to our initial email query. And because we ended up having two home inspectors, we got to compare the reports side by side. Holmes & Watson gave us a much more thorough report and emailed us the documents within 24 hours! I highly recommend Holmes & Watson, and when we purchase our second house (years and years and years and years down the road), we'll definitely give him a call again.

If you look at my other reviews, you can tell I'm pretty lenient on a lot of things so the fact that I'm taking the time to write a bad review says a lot.

Anyway....

Some friends and I were looking for a new place to eat and found ourselves outside of David's Deli. What the hell, we thought. My husband approved of the nice selection of chocolate dipped pastries in the front window. I was really in the mood for some sandwiches. Our friends were hungry and didn't care either way.  

We walked in, and it was dark and scary. No one smiled at us or let us know where we could sit. The asian lady up front looked really angry and the handful of other customers in there were talking in hushed voices.

Ok....

Since there were 5 of us, we asked if we could sit at a table instead of the bar. We noticed they had a whole room of pretty tables and booths to the right of the entrance. The angry asian lady gestured to the very back of the room behind the bar and told us TABLES IN THE BACK!

Ok.....

We went to the back, sat down, and waited. No one showed up. My friend went back to the front to ask for menus. She ended up getting them herself.

Ok.....

After looking at the menu, there were a couple of things we wanted to try but the room was cramped, the carpet was dirty, and NO ONE CAME TO TAKE OUR ORDERS. I mean, if we were suppose to order up front, we'd be happy to do that but dude, you could let us know what the procedure was. Yeesh.

Is a smile too much to ask?????

We walked out of there without purchasing anything and spent $100 at another restaurant.

Nice going, David.

After 6 weeks at Perfect Balance, I dared to pull my skinny jeans out from the back of my closet. I haven't been able to fit into these babies for about a year and a half. I slid my legs into them, pulled up the zipper, and buttoned the top. Get this, they fit perfectly. So I pulled out a dress that I haven't worn since my wedding almost 4 years ago and tried that on too.

Yup. This is, no doubt, the best feeling in the world.

Turns out I lost about 4% body fat in only 6 weeks and decreased in inches all over the place.

The down side of working out here? All the $$ I'm going to have to spend buying new clothes because everything is getting too loose on me!!

The last time I went to Group USA, I found two dresses with tears/holes in them on the racks.

I also found two tops that were missing the pull tab and slider parts of the zipper. When I showed a store associate, she just shrugged and then PUT THEM BACK ON THE RACK!!!  

Nobody was smiling, nobody was helpful, the changing rooms were dirty, horrible experience.

Security guard was weird too....

I really only have a few things to say:

1) It's nice to find that Vietnamese food isn't just all about Pho.
2) The meat tastes exactly like the plume of BBQ smoke that surrounds the joint.
3) I come out of Hot Pot City smellier than here so it's all good.

I am not sure why this place got such bad reviews. One Yelp-er mentioned they changed ownership so maybe it is in much better condition now.

This weekend will be my fourth time at Sea Horse Ranch. I've only ever been on the Early Morning Specials on Sundays which is approx. 2 hours on trail and beach sand for $35.

I've been to many different trail rides by different companies all over North America so I've seen stables (and restrooms) that were in worse shapes and some that were in better shape. With over 100 horses and ponies, there is a wide range from spunky young horses to agreeable ones to stubborn ones to old tired ones. Most of the spunky young horses are kept in the back for those returning riders who have shown that they know how to ride well.

When you arrive, they will ask you what your riding experience is and try their best to pair you up with a horse that matches your experience. A lot of returning customers will request their favorite horse and if available, they can ride him/her.

There is a two page liability form you'll have to fill out, and you'll have the option of renting one of their helmets for $3 or you'll have to decline it on the waiver.

You also need to hire a guide which is usually $20 per guide but if there is a large group, they will only charge $5 per person so there is a guide for every 4 people. Many years ago, you had the option of going without a guide but a few riders ruined it for the rest of us. Now, the guides are there to make sure none of us do anything stupid.

On Sunday morning, the gates will open at 8am and there is usually approx. 25-35 people who show up on their own who want to participate in the Early Morning Special. We don't head out until everyone is saddled and ready to go which is about 8:30-8:45pm. The guides will have you hold the reins of your horses and then will help you mount by holding the horses and stirrups for you. Even younger kids will be expected to hold the reins of their horse so come prepared especially if you've never been around horses before.

There is no formal instruction so if you don't know what you are doing, ASK one of the other riders or ask the guides to show you. For the most part, the horses will follow each other but if you want to have a good time, you'll need to show the horse you know what you are doing or they will take advantage of you.  (There was this one woman whose horse walked right into a pile of hay bales before we left the stables, and every horse will pick up their speed on their way home so you'll want to be able to control that).

Another tip to have a good time: Ride Up Front. You'll avoid any of the trail dust that gets kicked up by the horses in front of you, and you won't be stuck in a crowd of horses who are trying to walk as slow as they can to take advantage of inexperience riders on their backs.

The guides will ensure that everyone is going at a steady pace so the ride really is two hours. If there is a few riders who are more experience, most of the time they will let you ride faster. I've been allowed to canter on the beach each time I've been there. Most of the guides are friendly and all are very knowledgeable about horses but some are more reserved and unfriendly than others. Just give your tip to the guides who are more welcoming.

Just show up, don't have too many expectations, and have a blast.

...Fondue Sweats...

That's what my husband and I were stricken with the night we came home from The Melting Pot. What are Fondue Sweats, you ask? Well, It's when you start sweating all night after a huge meal because you ate hella too much due to how tasty and fun everything is.

Neither one of us have much experience with fondue. We went in with the expectation that we would get to dip everything in cheese, and the cooking style was how they cooked the meat before letting us smother it in cheese. We were partially right but SO wrong.

We ordered an entree for two just to make it easier on ourselves since we're definitely fondue newbies.

The first course: A cheese pot that is accompanied by bread, veggies, and apples. The waiter actually mixed up the cheese pot at our table. We both thought the cheese pot had a tad too much alcohol in it so were a little disappointed that the rest of the meal would have to be dunked in this funky tasting cheese...or so we thought....

The second course: Salad. We both ordered the chef's salad and FRICK the salad was SO good that our taste buds perked right back up. The waiter also took away our cheese pot so we were wondering what was going to happen next. Oh the suspense...

The third course: bum BUM BUM...was a POT OF OIL, and we GOT TO DEEP FRY OUR OWN FOOD. They provided batter, raw meat, seafood, potstickers, veggies, etc. My husband made himself some french fries. I guess this is what cooking style meant. D'uh.

The fourth course: Ahhh...chocolate. The only reason why my husband would come to a restaurant like this one was the S'more Melting Pot dessert. This wasn't included in the entree for two but we had to try it. What more do you need? Chocolate, marshmellows, graham cracker, fruits,  pound cake, and cheese cake. ALL SOAKED IN MARSHMELLOW CHOCOLATE SAUCE!!! And watch out! The waiter even set the pot on fire (literally).

Finally: The Fondue Sweats. ALL NIGHT LONG.

Great service. Wonderful ambience. I didn't like their window display too much since it seemed at odds with their decor inside. We ended up spending 2 hours and about $100 (tip included) at The Melting Pot.

$6.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch.

Doesn't seem too much until you go there and see the buffet. It's just one of those portable buffet stations. There is rice, fries, and six other kinds of food. I couldn't even tell WHAT the food was....I THINK one of them was butter chicken but all of the curries are extremely runny and it didn't really taste like chicken....

There is also a smaller buffet station with some fresh lettuce, onions, and radish/turnip. There is also a yogurty sauce (also runny).

When I walked in, the restaurant was empty since it was 2 in the afternoon. I decided to try the food anyway because I had been craving indian food for a while. I was told I could just help myself and then pay for it at the cash register after I was done. They also served me fresh and hot naan bread which really improved the meal A LOT! The food didn't taste quite like the indian food I'm use to but there was something about the naan bread soaked in a mixture of unidentifiable curry and yogurt sauce that earns them three stars. It was also nice to see some of the staff members eating their own food.

And yes, the plaza they are located in is a little seedy but that's usually what some plazas in this area of San Jose are like. I live close by so I'm use to it. Just be a little careful and you'll be just fine.

I may come back to try their dinner menu since it sounds like that might be a better option from reading the other reviews.

The hunt for the perfect indian restaurant continues....

My husband and I went to Hometown Buffet a couple of years ago and wasn't too impressed so we never went back. A few weeks ago, we noticed the one at 408 North Capitol Avenue had been renovated and there was a line of people out the doors! We had the best time there and was very very impressed with the food. The line was long but we only waited about 20 minutes before being seated.

After such a great experience, we decided to pop by this location since we were in the area. What a horrible experience! The food wasn't fresh and most of it was drenched in fat. We saw a kid rub a hamburger bun with his hands and put it back. There was trash all over the floors. The staff was tired and grumpy. The pizza was just dumped on top of each other and had clumped all together. They were also out of forks and napkins for a long time. I could go on and on and on.

The only slightly upside (the reason I gave two stars instead of one) is that they had a slightly larger and better selection of fresh salad as well as plenty of sauces from seafood sauce to mustard to horseradish for your entree foods. It's also nice to have all your drinks included with the price. This really reminded me of the buffet at Circus Circus in Vegas--a place to try but you wouldn't really want to make this a regular destination.

Try the location at 408 North Capitol Avenue instead.