Frank C.'s Profile

We had the opportunity to use Saber Roofing again after moving into a new-to-us house. We wanted to make sure the roof was in top-top shape, since our last experience with a Spanish-style tile roof was not good. And also because one of our friends pointed out that he could see light coming through our garage ceiling.

Ryan's taken over the business from his dad Jay, and he was great: he communicate constantly, communicated exactly what his crew was going to do, and delivered on all his promises. The only downside was that it took a while to get the work done, as his crew has been busy. But luckily we've had a very dry winter this year, and haven't had any storms roar through to test the water tightness of our roof.

Ryan had a crew of between 6-8 people on the roof for a day and a half. They knew what they were doing, kept themselves safe (e.g., drying off some moisture on the tiles before walking on them), and cleaned up after themselves carefully.

Overall, a great experience. Highly recommended. Only thing that could have made it better was faster turnaround between the time of their original estimate (Oct 28) and getting the work done (January 2).

=== Our original review from June 2007 ===
We had a great experience with Saber Roofing. Jay Saber came by himself to do the estimate, and it was the 4th or 5th we got. Jay was knowledgeable, a good communicator, and knew his products well.

His company's estimate was about towards the low end of the pack though not the lowest. But we felt comfortable trusting our major roof re-do to him.

The workers were efficient, thorough, and did a good job cleaning up. One of them accidentally stepped through some drywall in our master bedroom, and Jay made sure the hole got patched and painted promptly.

We have no reservations recommending Saber Roofing.

Now you don't have to chase the trucks all over the Bay Area (though I have must confess there is a certain scavenger hunt type thrill in following a Twitter feed to a food truck)--because the creative food crew at Curry Up Now have a brick and mortar store in downtown San Mateo. Hurrah!

We dropped by just before noon on a Saturday afternoon, and we were the first in line to order. It took us a while to decode the menu (the not-so-secret decoder ring is actually on a beautifully lettered band that wraps along the restaurant's ceiling). After placing our order at the counter, the food arrived quickly.

Everything we ordered for lunch was delicious! We got the sexy fries (crisscross sweet potato fries topped with a chicken tikka masala), a samosa, the "dirty naan", and a thali platter with more butter chicken and saag paneer (a spinach-based stew with Indian-style cheese). This was more than enough food for 2 adults + 3 kids (all under 11).

The flavors were bright and the textures were just right. One of my common complaints about Indian restaurant food is that the textures are way too mushy since many of the stews they are sitting around in a big pot all day. Not a problem at Curry Up Now! I especially enjoyed the cucumber and tomato salad that came with the thali dish--just the right mix of sour and sweet notes. The rice included with the thali platter was flavored and cooked well--so well that we ordered an extra side of the rice AND the paratha to go with our thali platter.

Sometimes fusion works and sometimes it's just plain weird. At CUN (as they like to abbreviate themselves), it works perfectly. I might have experimented with the Indian topped french fries myself having sampled delicious carne asada fries in San Diego. But I think the chicken tikka masala flavors blended with the sweet potato fries even better than they would have  traditional potatoes did.

The food had a tiny pit of spice to it. The staff can dial the spice-o-meter up or down, so tell them where you want the dial pointing. A cool mango lassi can help calm you taste buds down as well.

All in all, we enjoyed the sit-down restaurant even more than the food we've gotten at the truck. Probably because the food is just goopy enough that it's easier to eat with a table and silverware in front of you. But either way, you'll enjoy the creative mashup of cuisines. Hurry up now and get yours!

Poor posture and a lot of work in front of a keyboard cause my neck and shoulder muscles to tense up. Most masseuses will say that I'm just about the worst case they've seen in a long while when they encounter said muscles.

I've been to various massage therapists and chiropractors in the Bay Area, and Dang is one of my absolute favorites.

I had a Thai-style massage while visiting Thailand with my family a few years ago. I was intrigued by its unique techniques involving stretching, leverage, and extreme pressure generated by parts of the body other than hands (like feet and elbows!). For my knotted up neck-and-shoulder muscles, plain ol' hand or finger pressure just isn't enough--and Dang generates more unknotting pounds-per-square-inch than I've ever experienced from a masseuse of any size or gender.

If you have ever wanted to experience an extremely powerful massage to work out extremely knotted muscles, give Wat Po a whirl!

An extra bonus: services are priced on the low end.

I have to confess we tried this restaurant primarily because of its name. The kids are big fans of the Cooking Mama game on Wii, so why not? We're glad we tried it.

Short version: this is a major upgrade from its predecessor Mr. Fong's Seafood Restaurant. The food is phenomenal. Hurry by to sample authentic Cantonese-style Chinese food prepared with some serious skill.

We visited on the early side (5:30 pm) on a Sunday evening, and managed to beat the rush by about 10 minutes. The place started filling up in earnest at 5:40 pm, and there was a steady crowd of people at the door for the 90 minutes we were there. They have one of those fancy TV + public AV systems announcing who is getting seated next in their tiny lobby, and it was getting a workout the whole evening.

First things first: definitely get the Hongkong style egg puffs. We've never had anything like it, and my son (who never spontaneously praises his food) declared it delicious after his first bite. It's like a cross between a beignet and a cream puff.

For dinner, we had the stir-fried mixed vegetables (light, flavorful sauce, cooked just the right amount so the vegetables were al dente); the special seafood congee (which was large enough to serve 4-6 people); an eggplant and minced pork clay pot (you can safely ignore their warning about it being spicy), a very well executed seafood fried rice (the kind with a gravy-style curry atop fried rice); and a double order of the xiao long bao (which my mom, who doesn't like, gave a full thumbs up).

Service was what you'd expect, which is to say they were too thinly staffed for it to be actually attentive. As is typical for Chinese restaurants, you'll have to flag down waiters rather than wait for them to notice anything. And we had a major snafu the night we went in that our server forgot about our seafood congee order until we reminded him after finishing all the other dishes. They lost an opportunity to delight by comp'ing a desert--but that's just crazy talk, as that's never happened to me at a Chinese restaurant.

Bottom line: this is easily one of the best Chinese restaurants on the Peninsula. For all the curious food-lovers who wondered who took Mr. Fong's longtime spot on the Foster Lagoon, wonder no more. Just rush over to enjoy a fabulous meal prepared with some mad cooking skills.

One of the best falafel joints in the Bay Area, for sure.

We dropped by after picking up our re-fluffed sofa cushions from nearby Bob's Foam Factory (big thumbs up for them; see my review). Bob's closed at 3 pm, so we got here at about 3:30pm. Only reason I mention that is the no one in the family was particularly hungry and all the kids were voting for take out. But I shepherded everyone into the restaurant, where service was prompt and friendly--and the food was fantastic.

We got two shawarma plates (one chicken, one lamb), a falafel sandwich, a crispy pita with garlic sauce, and a few order of french fries. I had a few things from the condiments bar (chili sauce, pickled onions, a fantastic yogurt sauce), but the wife & kids just dug into the plates as they came out. Fantastic! Flavorful meats; pillowy pita bread; delicious, smooth hummus and deep, smoky baba ghanoush. Even the fries were fanstic: crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and salted just perfectly.

I'd be heard pressed to pick a favorite, but if you put a gun to my head, I'd say it was the falafel sandwich. That was probably the best falafel sandwich I've ever had. The falafels were perfectly prepared: crisp on the outside, tender and flavorful on the inside. The pita bread was a perfect complement, and the fillings aside from the falafel (lettuce, tomatoes, pickled vegetables) were perfectly blended and balanced. Outstanding.

Minor nits: I would have preferred ketchup at the condiments bar rather than in the individual packets, the meat was a touch on the dry side (I'll attribute that to us showing up at the odd hour between lunch and dinner service) and could have just a just a touch more salt.

Aside from that, we'll have to figure out some reason to head out to Fremont again. This is the standard casual, neighborhood ethnic eateries should all aspire to.

Yay for a cut-to-fit foam factory being in the Bay Area. I was just about to pull the trigger on ordering foam off a Website. I'm glad I didn't. Instead, I brought the cushions from my old, well-loved American Leather sofa into the pros at Bob's Foam Factory.

They had me sit on a few different foams, explaining how long they expected each type of foam to last. We decided to splurge on the medium-firm long-lasting (10+ year foam) for the seat cushions. Then instead of replacing the foam in our back cushions, the gang recommended that they re-wrap the existing foam in a batting. This was because the back cushions weren't worn out (like the seat cushions).

What a difference both procedures made. I wish I had taken a before & after picture. The back cushions are all puffed up (the leather covers  were visibly sagging and wrinkly when we brought them), and the seat cushions are better-than-new. (If I had ordered replacement foam over the Internet, I would have gotten new foam for all 6 cushions--which would have been overkill, since Bobs' folks figured out that my back cushions have a few more years' of life in them.)

It wasn't cheap: the 6-cushion set ran up over $300. But it turned our mildly uncomfortable sofa into something so comfy that I'm inventing reasons to go sit in it. But they were able to do it same-day (in fact, we could have just waited an hour to 90 minutes while they cut and glued and stuffed, but we decided to come back at closing time, which was 3 pm on a Saturday instead).

Another benefit to bringing the cushions into the factory: the recycle the old foam. If we had bought foam from the Web, we'd have to figure out how to recycle the old foam anyway.

So bottom line: two big thumbs up from me. The only caveats: it is in the middle of nowhere in Fremont; they didn't have a huge selection of foams readily available for testing; and to test each foam, they have you sit on top of the foam resting on a solid wooden bench, which is not quite what you'll feel when you put it on the spring foundation of a sofa which has more give. (They explained this to us so we weren't surprised, but it would have been nice to have an actual sofa on the floor to test cushions on.)

But we're big fans despite these minor quibbles. We'll be back once other pieces of foam-stuffed furniture wear out.

Awesome stop for a Bay Area staycation.

Our kids (10, 8, and 6) loved the entire experience. You can wander around quite a bit of the ship on a self-guided tours, and knowledgeable docents (most of them Navy veterans) will bring you to restricted areas such as the island (bridge) and engine room (though there are height and age restrictions for this).

Plan on spending 2-3, even 4 hours if you want to see everything. There are lots of places to walk through, planes and helicopters to see, and exhibits to see.

The only thing that would have made this better would have been a working deck elevator (the massive platform that hauls aircraft from the lower level to the flight deck). [Correction: Pete, one of the volunteer docents abord the ship sent me a message pointing out the elevators do indeed work, and you can see them in action on special "Living Ship" days. Check out their Website for dates.]

But overall, the experience gave us increased respect for the men and women who designed, built, and served on the USS Hornet. To think they built these massive aircraft carriers without computers! Thank you to all veterans and active duty troops who serve our country.

Friendly neighborhood sushi restaurant run by a Japanese couple.

Avoid the teriyakis (chicken or beef), which were drowned in a sickly sweet sauce to cover up the flavorless meat (not a hint of grilled flavor).

The beef and egg udon had a fine flavor, but the texture of the beef was a bit chewy. The egg was perfectly done, though.

The sushi was solid: we had a four of the special rolls. A bit on the small side, but the ingredients were fresh. The roll with macademia nuts was a nice surprise.

One of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants in San Jose, which says something as San Jose is the regional champ for Vietnamese food.

They have an expansive menu, and we've enjoyed everything that we've ordered there, from the pho to the radish cake with egg (the dipping sauce really makes it distinctive) to the hot pot. If you're up for an adventure, try the fish special (which they'll only serve for 2 people--and it's plenty of food for both).

Service is typical for a casual, family-run Vietnamese restaurant. Try to avoid crowds.

I'd skip this place. There are plenty of better choices in a half-mile radius, esp. Pancho Villa.

I would have given this 1 star, but the grilled chicken was outstanding, as were the accompanying rice and beans. So the chicken platter by itself gets this place +1 star.

After that, all I have, alas, is a litany of complaints.
- The place was freezing.
- The rest of the food was bland (carnitas burrito, super nachos with carnitas, al pastor dinner plate).
- The hostess refused to honor a fund-raising gift certificate we bought for our school--she insisted that the free chips and salsa they give out with every order were "nachos". Uh, I may not speak Spanish but even I know that's not right.
- They serve on styrofoam plates and with disposal cutlery. And on Earth Day, too. Oh, the shame!
- Even with no one else in the place, they didn't bring our food to the table we were sitting at. That's fine if the place is hopping, but with 4 people on duty, would have it been too much to ask?  
- No salsa bar, so all you get is their standard chile-based salsa.
- Very strangely textured guacamole--think thin sour cream consistency.
- They make their nachos with cheese sauce (yup, like the 10# can of Que Bueno you can get at Costco). Srsly?

Bottom line: drop on only if they are grilling the chicken up fresh and you get it in burrito form so you can avoid the styrofoam plate. Otherwise, keep on heading into downtown and enjoy some much, much better food without freezing to death.