Lily "Child of The Most High" M.'s Profile

I was really going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars... but in the end, I chose 4 stars because, well, IT'S DEWAR'S! As always, Dewar's has a classic look, but at this new location, they've really taken it up a notch. The whole establishment has a 50's ice cream parlour feel to it, plus some neat modern touches like a fireplace/waterfall (I guess you have to see it to understand). It's a great place to take your kids, that's for sure- like many reviewers have said, it's like a mini Disneyland!

However, the reason I was going between 3 and 4 stars is simple: The service was lousy (even if they were friendly after my husband had to go hunt someone down to take our order) and THERE WAS A HAIR IN MY ICE MILK. :|

I was SO happy that I decided to meet up here with a friend and our two infants (8 weeks and 6 months). Although it is slightly off the beaten path, it is SOOOO worth it to stop by! When you first walk in, you immediately notice the fantastic and eclectic artwork along the walls and decourating bookshelves tucked into the corners of the cafe. Inside, there is plenty of seating and space.

Not only was the staff friendly, but the food was amazing. All organic and free-range, I didn't feel a bit worried about the quality of the turkey burger I ordered. In the refrigerator in front of the counter, I found several natural sodas (I had a diet cola made with stevia sweetener)... AND rarely found raw cheese and milk!

Outside of the cafe, there is the same artistic decour. There is a side patio, where we decided to sit since the weather was great... and I could just look around the corner and see where my turkey burger was being grilled! Thumbs up! :)

I liked this place so much that I keep trying to convince my husband to take a mini-roadtrip with the baby and me so that I can enjoy Coffee Cantina's tasty food again!

Expensive, limited flavour options, no fruit toppings (just typical candy and nuts), and the ladies who work the cash register always make it seem like you're bothering them. You can try samples of their small selection of gelato, but forget wanting to taste the froyo... Personally, I recommend Yoghurtland. :)

After previously having some bad experiences with a few animal hospitals, Dr Cooke was recommended to my husband and me by a couple friends as the perfect, caring doctor to see our very sick little girl cat.

They were right. Not only was the staff very caring, but Dr Cooke himself was very gentle and related to our situation. I felt like our baby girl was in good hands, even as she passed away (not the doctor's fault- she was chronically ill), and both the doctor and the staff never rushed us when we were very openly grieving her death and saying goodbye.

You can tell Dr Cooke has a very big heart for animals, as he fosters several abandoned or previously stray cats in his office. I love that these cats, who wouldn't have had a chance otherwise, are able to freely roam while being loved and cared for by the staff and the doctor.

We just brought our boy cat in to see Dr Cooke for a check-up (just to make sure he is okay, after the death of our little girl), and we never felt rushed or like he wouldn't answer our questions.

If you want a veterinarian who just loves all sorts of animals, both my husband and I agree that Cooke's Veterinary Hospital is the best place to go.

I started coming here when the Rosedale/Calloway Body Xchange got really busy during after-work hours, and now it's the only one I'll go to. The main section is the "express" area, and there is a smaller side room that is for "ladies only." This place isn't very crowded, and it's nice for a quick run on the treadmill and free-weight workout.

Just a side-note: There is no childcare or classes here.

Funny guy, who talks a mile a minute. He might seem a little goofy, but this guy knows what he's talking about. Also, he actually spends TIME with you, instead of trying to shoo you out the door like most practitioners. He will relate to you, and also order tests to get to the bottom of any pain or issues.

My only issue was that he did interrupt me on multiple occasions without listening to everything I had to say. Yes, he did seem to read my mind so I didn't necessarily HAVE to finish my sentence, but all the same, it's a bit disconcerting.

A great example of how helpful he is: I saw him on Wednesday for bad left foot pain. I had a half-marathon on Sunday. That day, I had labs ordered; by Thursday night, I had two stat MRIs done on my ankle and foot. By Friday, we had the results back- a bone contusion and mild tendinosis. Definitely something to be careful with, but not a fracture... so I was cleared to do the half-marathon! :)

I am currently training for a marathon, and after long runs I am left hobbling with knots taking over my calves, thighs, arms... heck, my whole body!

That being said, I am so thankful for Gina Nathan (the woman behind Massage Solutions). If you want a freaking amazing massage in a wonderfully peaceful, therapeutic environment, GO TO HER. It was definitely massage THERAPY, so to speak...

(Sidenote: The building that she works out of has a recessed door, that looks like it's a hole in the wall so yes, even though it looks a little creepy, you're in the right place. She has a room to herself for the massage, and it is just beautiful and relaxing and well-decourated, even if the building is not so pretty.)

Okay, so hear me out- you might think Ivy's looks rather barren/sparse and creepy-looking when you walk in, but the guy who works here is really warm and friendly (and today he randomly gave me a free topping!). My husband loved both the cookie dough and rocky road ice cream (2 of the approximately 10-12 ice cream flavours), and there are about 10 of the usual toppings (mini M&Ms, crumbled Oreos, mini gummy bears, etc). I got the "advertised" no-fat, no-sugar vanilla "fro-yo," and I gotta say, it's actually pretty good (though I sampled its chocolate counterpart, and it tasted like plastic).

And the cool part? Ivy's has a stamp card, and after you get 10 stamps (which is pretty easy to do), you get a free medium yoghurt with one topping. :)

NOTE: RIP Ivy's on Rosedale... They have been closed.

Yeah, they have big rooms with big beds with big flat-screen TVs. And yes, it's nice that they have "free" breakfast (built into the ~130$/night price), but often, their cereal and breads are stale and they have no fruit (sometimes a bruised banana...maybe) for those of us who have no desire for greasy sausage or biscuits dripping in gravy. The coffee often ran out on the weekends, and the staff REALLY did not seem like they wanted to be there- cursing, yelling, grumbling audibly about customers, and (the coup de grace!) extremely loud/uncensored rap music blaring in the kitchen area at 7 in the morning.

Of course, this all comes after a night of restless sleep due to local teens using the hotel as Party Central- my husband and I were blown away by the lack of response after 3 of our 5 stays at the Lincoln HI Express; we always seemed to be across the way from two or three jam-packed hotel rooms, where drinking and partying were going on until the wee hours of the morning.

Needless to say, my husband and I decided to stay at the Marriott on our sixth stay up north.

This is definitely a place you go when you're looking to feed lots of hungry people, or celebrate with family/friends.

My in-laws and a couple church friends went to Hodel's, as we usually do, to celebrate my baptism after service.  Sundays are pretty busy, due to church getting out, but we got in with no wait, and were seated at a long table- there are many tables like the latter, as well as smaller booths.

Well, on Sundays, there is a big brunch offered- not only do you have the typical "down home" country dining, but they have chefs preparing on-the-spot waffles and omelettes.  Something fun for the kids?  Check out the chocolate fondue fountain!  ;)

Service is always lukewarm, almost like they HAVE to come to work, so they disguise their disgust underneath a forced grin.  I can understand though- Hodel's is generally crowded with people, young and old, so it's easy to feel claustrophobic or anxious.

Hodel's also offers catering, banquet facilities, wedding services, and other very large party events.  They've been around for a long time, so I'm pretty sure they've got their plans down-pat.

All the same, our meal there was more about accommodating 8 people looking to celebrate, so as always, Hodel's worked out just fine.

+The food is average.
+The service is average.
+The environment is...(less than) average (but that's because I don't like getting run into every five minutes by a little kid roaming free, and that's not Hodel's fault).

That being said, I'll give this an "average" 3 out of 5 stars.