"Everything in Moderation..."
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313 Useful, 155 Funny, and 230 Cool
Los Angeles, CA
Yelping SinceSeptember 2006
Things I Lovedesign, art, cooking, baking, music, theatre
Find Me InLA, Vegas, Chicago
My HometownChicagoland
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm cooking or working.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI'm a food snob, but I still can enjoy "little people" food.
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadFreakanomics
My First ConcertKansas (shhhh)
My Favorite MovieFull-Metal Jacket
My Last Meal On EarthHeaven on Seven's cornbread stuffing, Le Colonial's monkfish appetizer
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I will try anything
Most Recent DiscoveryDes macarons au chocolat sur Chocolatine
Current CrushAnthony Bourdain in Thailand
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 804-4646
Hash House a Go Go
Categories: American (New), Breakfast & Brunch
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (1)
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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8/25/2009
I had one of the worst meals of all-time here, but the real problem was that everyone in my party of six said the same thing.
While portions are ridiculously gigantic (making the high prices kind of a value, I guess), the food is badly prepared.
I ordered something like a pot roast omelette, which came with potatoes and gravy, a biscuit, and something else. Everything--every single thing on my plate--was both cold and extremely dry.
I felt so stupid when, at the end of the meal and all of us were complaining about the dryness and blandness of our food, someone came around to ask how everything was. None of us said anything positive, but the manager focused on me very defensively, and I got all flustered. I was so offput by his defensive nature that I said something like, "I guess it was just a flaw of my ordering." What I should've told him is that we already had decided that the meal was so abysmal (and service so lackluster) that we would never return.
Now, even three years later, every time we drive past Hash House a Go Go, we flip it off.People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
On the upside, it's open late. And there's usually at least one cute cop hanging out.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (1)
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.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (2)
Westlake Village, CA 91362
(805) 777-7167
Jersey Mike's
Category: Sandwiches
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.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 688-9113
Fashion Valley
Category: Shopping Centers
Neighborhood: Linda Vista
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.
People thought this was:
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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.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
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- Cool (1)
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.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
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Recommended:
- The Genovese (Potatoes on a pizza? Yes, please!)
- Bella Bambina (Gouda and pancetta!)
Plus, they have good beverage choices (China Mist and small-batch sodas) and a cool dining area.
People thought this was:
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About four or so years ago, Michael Angelo DESTROYED my hair and scalp--I think because he alledgedly was doing my hair while perhaps on something (cocaine?). I guess I was naive at the time, but in retrospect, it makes sense.
(Yes, my experience was awhile ago, but it appears from his website -- http://web.me.com/mich... -- that he is still operating from this salon and still claiming to be a master colorist.)
After a few successful stylish and modern cuts, Michael Angelo talked me into adding some color. I'm about as fair as someone can be, and that includes my naturally platinum blond hair and its accompanying sensitive scalp. However, we discussed the option of adding a slightly darker blond on the underside of my hair (plus a couple of streaks) with gentle dye to make my natural color appear even lighter. I had done this a few times before with different stylists and looked forward to it.
His service wasn't exactly inexpensive; at the time, I think it was around $130 for a cut and color. On the evening of my appointment, we were the only ones in the salon. He spent a lot of time talking and flailing and leaving the room to do who-knows-what (sniff sniff) but eventually mixed the color. (At least he was entertaining!) After applying the dye, Michael Angelo immediately made an "uh oh" face and revealed that he must've mixed the color wrong.
Good job, master colorist! Rule 1: A colorist should know how to mix and test color. Duh, ya bastard.
He had been keeping me from the mirror, so I went to see, and there were dark raspberry blotches and stripes on my hair! While visibly agitated (from his screw up or his pharmaceuticals, who knows?), he superficially acted like it was no big deal and would be easy to fix, so after more mysterious visits to the back room and a lot of fidgety mixing, he decided to strip/bleach the color out. The result of that process was an irritated scalp and neon orange streaks in my hair instead of raspberry.
Still trusting that he was somehow the "master colorist" he insisted on calling himself, I relented when he said it would be easy to neutralize the orange streaks by adding -- I am not kidding -- blue dye.
After that step, I had blue, orange, and green streaks on my entire head of hair. He ended up stripping out what he could with more bleach, but that caused severe burns on my scalp and made my hair feel instantly like it was critically damaged.
I didn't even know what to do, I was so flabbergasted and in pain and weirded out. Michael Angelo literally begged me never to tell anyone what happened, and somehow ended up getting paid by me for his butchery.
The next day, I visited a friend's stylist to make an emergency assessment, and she actually shed tears when she looked at my scalp because it was so severely burned. She also gave me some products (at no cost) to speed the healing and told me not to touch my hair until it could have a chance to settle a bit. In addition, she took photos and suggested that I a) go to the hospital, and b) sue the pants off him for the insanity that was my head.
I did neither, but it took nearly two weeks for my scalp and hair to recover enough to apply an overall color to cover up his irresponsible embarrassment of a dyejob. It took another six months or so for my hair to become healthy again.
The fact that Michael Angelo Calabro did not refuse payment and did not offer to correct the situation in any way is practically immoral; at the very least, it's bad business.
Stay away from this joke of a man.
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Parking is kind of a pain in this area, and you're likely to encounter at least a few crusty bums on your walk to the space.
Inside, the gallery is pleasant but pretty cramped, especially on openings, and the bathroom affords zero privacy.
If you happen to buy something, Tanya and Patrick take great care in making the experience easy and personal. They'll let you know the process if you're new and email you when your purchase is ready for pick-up.
Newbies might experience a difficult (read: you're an outsider) reception. Take a second to say hi to one of the artists or owners, and you'll be fine. You'll appreciate that there's no hassle here: Patrons are welcome to loiter or make a quick walk-through without enduring a sales pitch.
People thought this was:
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