April "Let's Go!" C.'s Profile

Corey Helford consistently has the best exhibitions in Culver City... don't listen to all these reviewers citing Buff Monster. Booooring. There's a lot more--everything from fluffy Buff to the realism of Korin Faught to Chris Anthony's weirdness. Bottom line, though, despite my tastes: This gallery deserves MAJOR props for actually nurturing a small group of artists à la 1980s' NYC rather than having a revolving door and ongoing parade of stupid one-night boozefest "art shows" like most LA galleries.

The space is what you hope an art gallery will be, with big glass windows, high ceilings, and the workers in a loft above-- close enough and within hearing distance to be available if you have a question, but far enough away to give you some privacy... so if you happen to run across a ridiculously bad piece (not bloody likely), you can lend a roll of the eyes to your friend while the gallery-owner's ego is spared.

First-timer or a newbie? Don't be afraid to look around and then... go upstairs! There's more art and a friendly staff happy to chat you up, show you prints (but buy originals, people), and whip out slideshows on the computer if you're thirsty for more.

Minus one star for not-so-late hours, unpredictable dates for openings, and pushing prints. Prints are for losers.

Our food was mostly good, but there was something in the vicinity that smelled of garbage, so I had a hard time throughout the meal. I kept wanting to play a little game of "What's That Smell?," but there was nothing around that should've produced this odor. Maybe someone puked under our table, and it didn't all get mopped up or something. I don't know. I just know that a garbagey-vomitous smell can ruin a meal.

Service was slowwww, and the place wasn't even that busy. I think our server was on opiates, and I'm not joking. He was clearly concentrating really hard every time he came over. He forgot a drink but only had to be reminded once. He mumbled a lot of incoherent stuff, but everything was pretty fulfilled.

I noticed that the asparagus salad (small plate) was a much more generous serving here than the other two Cheesecake Factories I've eaten it. My other food was good. The hubby's items were just okay but not as good as other stores we've visited.

There are other Factories in the area that provide better service and better quality (consistently), and this one doesn't even have a lot to look at. The music was a little loud, and the bathrooms are situated such that everyone in the place knows where you're going (and if you're sitting in the vicinity of the bathroom, expect passing people to stare at you and your food as they pass...).
BTW, I think Erica H's validation situation was a fluke... we were there for a couple of hours and paid nothing with our validated parking slip.

You know the kinds of bookstores that are portrayed in movies, where nutty-professor types roam the shelves getting lost in books? Book Soup has this feel to it--a welcome contrast to "sanitary" stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble.

Their status as an independent bookseller is clear from the moment you walk through the door. (Looking for the newsstand? It's around the corner and plenty big.) First, it has employees who are that "type," a mix of intellectual-, alternative-, and cool-looking people who read a lot. (As another person put it, it's an oasis for the few intellectuals who reside in the LA Basin.) Secondly, although it's clean and organized, the aisles are narrow and completely stocked--so it's more like a modernized East Coast public library than a book supermarket.

Also, they have readings and signings like crazy... just check out the schedule on their website or posted at the store, or keep your eyes peeled for tons of author-signed (new) books sprinkled throughout their collection. Be warned if you go to a reading that it can be kind of uncomfortable--for attendees and unsuspecting shoppers alike. There's not a lot of room, so attendees are squeezed into a small space and spilled over into the aisles, and if someone wants to shop... good luck getting to some of the books.

The staff offers recommendations in the form of hand-written notes slipped under the books in question. This is a nice touch, and the notes are thoughtful and often witty. Like an indie video-rental store of yore, you can follow the recommendations of someone who shares your tastes. (I'm a fan of Paige, who also is fascinated by serial killers.)
The celebrity and music section is amazing. There is so much eye candy that you could spend hours checking out defining photography of famous rockers or skimming the autobiographies of indulged actors--but do the right thing and buy something, won'tcha?

We all know street parking is tricky in "The Choad Zone," so be prepared to park far and walk, circle for awhile until a meter frees up, or shell out $10 for a Viper Room lot space.

Just a clarification: Someone misread my review as all of us "ordering the same thing." We all ordered different things, and all of us felt our individual orders sucked!

Kai forgot to mention that sometimes it's inappropriately (uncomfortably) humid... like with sweating windows. Gross.

On the upside, it's open late. And there's usually at least one cute cop hanging out.

This Golden Spoon is a stellar location! It's always clean and has a friendly, helpful staff. Unlike most of its sister stores, this one also comes up with its own creations for people who need help concocting a dessert. (In fact, on my last visit, a couple was so excited that they were reviewing their choices for a good seven minutes.)

AND... they're open until at least 10:00pm every night, which is about two hours later than seemingly every other Thousand Oaks business.

Also, I think it's cute that their tip jar is adorned with a list of where the employees are going to college (as well as the details of their tuitions).

Good job, Golden Spoon.

Over several visits, we have tried both hot and cold subs, and nearly everything has been great every time.

The hot subs are served HOT (hot enough to withstand the 15-minute drive home and still be proper temperature), a lovely combination of thin beef and lots of gooey cheese.

The cold subs are particularly impressive in their simplicity: One of the servers slices the meats before your eyes, then tops it with basics like shredded lettuce and tomato. (This is not Subway, so don't expect cucumber slices or green peppers.) Do yourself a favor and get it "Mike's Way" with lettuce, tomato, onion, and an oil-vinegar-spice mix.

The (white) bread is really good--a bit chewy the way you expect--and definitely fresh. It blows away the bland loaves at Subway and Quizno's. Sandwiches come in mini, regular, or giant size. Regular is generous; giant is ridiculous. (Seriously, unless you're appearing on Man v. Food or something... if you must get giant, skip any sides.)

Food prep is really quick, and it's easy and fast to add on chips and a drink. On most occasions, we've received free cookies, which seem homemade. Skip the tempting chocolate chip (which are just okay), and go with the outstanding peanut butter instead.

Prices are reasonable considering the quality of ingredients and portions.

Now THIS is a great mall.

First, the shopping: Anchor stores like Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Nordstrom are supported by boutiques that run the budgetary gamut--everything from Old Navy to Louis Vuitton--so you won't feel like you're stuck with the selections of a richie-poo mall or a broke-ass mall. Some favorites that made me say, "Ooh! They have that?": Tory Burch, Betsey Johnson, Hermes, Rolex, Teavana. (P.S. The people at Sun Diego were great and even offered us a drink to cool off on our hot day.)

Next, the facility: Parking is plentiful, and getting in and out of the lot was a piece of cake. The walkways are wide, and there are ramps and escalators everywhere for invalids, fatties, and lazy people.

The food court is outdoor but in the shade, so you won't burn your skin while you burn your tongue on things like Boudin Sourdough or La Cucina di Pizzerie. Despite the presence of McDonald's and Muscle Beach Lemonade, this food court is way above average; outside the mall, you'll also find sit-down eateries like CPK and Bing Crosby's--so if you're a pig who must eat when you shop, there's sure to be something to stuff your piehole.

My one complaint about this mall is the lack of bathrooms: There is exactly one set of restrooms, located near the food court, but they're hard to find and down a dark, isolated hallway. My guess is that the management company thought all of the department stores provide plenty of rest stops for shoppers, but it's kind of uncomfortable (and possibly even rude) to go into a department store only to take a pee.

The food here was pretty good but not outstanding.

Instead of menus, offerings are listed on the wall. This was kind of fun, so someone could yell out their choice while the rest of the table scanned the long list to read more about it. I usually prefer to eat a combination of sashimi and sushi (and skip the rolls), but when this group of us goes to sushi, we stick with rolls. For the person facing away from the wall, though, watch your neck!

We started with edamame, which came cold and sprinkled with what seemed to be table salt. I prefer warm, with coarser salt, but it was decent.

In my opinion, too many of the rolls at Umi rely on spicy tuna. Stigmas of spicy tuna (it's usually the week's leftover fish disguised with a sharp sauce) aside, variety is the spice of life when it comes to sushi rolls. Here, it seemed difficult to find a wide variety of combinations... even the featured fishes of the rolls seemed to be limited to tuna and crab--no rainbow roll, one roll featuring salmon, a couple with scallop.

Since I had Yelped Umi before going, I made a point of assessing the fish before eating it. I feel like almost every sushi place reviewed here has a couple of people giving one star for "bad fish," and sometimes I think it's know-it-alls who are (subconsciously or not) comfortable with their favorite places and unable to give kudos elsewhere. I will say that in all of my years in California, the number of times I've been served bad fish at a sushi place can be counted on one hand. The fish on our visit was fine--flavorful, fresh, and what to be expected.

The four rolls we tried were solid, if a bit on the wet and loose side. (I like 'em tight and dry. Errr...) We first ordered a spider roll and two other rolls, then placed another order for a (different) fourth roll. Unfortunately, the last roll was so like one of our previous rolls that it left us kind of... disappointed isn't the word, but almost quizzical. It would've been nice if the waitress would have mentioned its similarity to the other roll and offered a suggestion for something else.

I appreciated the accompaniments here: In addition to standard wasabi and ginger, plates had generous, attractive arrangements of thinly sliced cucumber, shredded daikon, and furikake. It was nice to have those as palate-cleansers between rolls.

On the flip side, most of the rolls had generous applications of coarsely diced red onion, which was strong and too much for the delicate flavors. It was distracting enough for all of us to simultaneously specify "no onion!" when we ordered our last roll.

Two of the rolls had an interesting mustard seed-flecked drizzle that was a nice change of pace from the usual eel (or mayo-based) sauce.
The soft shell crab was well-prepared, making that roll an overall success.

Our service was fast, efficient, and cordial (but not overly friendly). Prices were reasonable, and parking was a breeze.

I definitely am up for trying Umi again, but I'd probably stick with pieces and maybe the jalapeno shrimp recommended by Robb B. BTW, local residents: The free Clipper Magazine often has substantial coupons for Umi; we used a 15% off and saved a bunch.

I have a little bit of bias against combo-cuisine restaurants (Thailand and Japan aren't even close to each other!), but the foods here are decent from both sides of the kitchen. Sushi is fresh and tasty, and the Thai is pretty good... though a little light on the spice. The service is adequate, but not great.

In-restaurant service has been more successful than take-out: On more than one occasion, we received a wrong item, and one time, we got someone else's order...

The atmosphere of this location is great (love those light fixtures), although parking in the adjacent lot can be a pain, and the street offers little remedy.