Grasshopper Salon

I recently moved back to SF and am living in South Beach. Was looking for a place close to home to get my hair cut. Found Grasshopper when I was walking around South Park. I got Hung as my hairdresser by luck of the draw, but have come to find out he is one of the better folks at the salon. He is certainly know by a lot of people. He is very personable and knowledable. Takes his time and gives a good cut.

Not the cheapest place in town, but they do free "clean-ups" which more than make up for it.

Nice atmosphere. Very nice people. About the only complaint is that they are terrible about answering the phones. You can almost never get through and they rarely return phone calls.

PROS: Good atmosphere, nice people, good haircut, free clean-ups
CONS: Bad phone manners :)

Three Seasons Restaurant

I had a dinner here with an old colleague and friend to get caught up on the various happenings in our lives. This is the perfect place to for that kind of casual meal. Also I think it would be great for larger groups of people. The atmosphere is definitley upscale and service is great, but has a nice casual feel to it. Perhaps its because the menu is at least half appetizers and small plates. Perfect for a more communal shared dinning experience.

Everything we had was great. The have about a dozen different kinds of frresh rolls, that all look great. The small dishes were equally terrific and each one had a small twist in it that made for a nice surprise. Main dishes followed suit.

I found the flavors to be familiar, but sufficiently different as to be interesting. Everything was very fresh too.

PROS: Very good, fresh food, different interpretaion of tradtional dishes
CONS: A bit pricey, and noisey, but what places arent these days

Saagan Moving & Storage

Saagan has moved me 4 times in the last three years. Both intercity as well as interstate. They have always done a great job at a fair price. Just got finished moving for the fourth time and have unpacked and only found 1 cheap wine glass that broke! Pretty fantastic considering they got me packed up on the other end it less than three hours.

The drivers and movers have always been very professional and dedicated. Plus are nice folks. Rhonda, the sales person, pays attention to details and will help your move go smoothly. They all bend over backwards to try to accomodate you needs and schedule.

PROS: Professional, customer service savvy, nice
CONS:

Reno Vulcanizing Virginia

I've bought tires for my truck and gotten repairs here for about three years. The service reps are very helpful and they go out of their way to provide good customers service.

They have good deals on tires and will steer you to the better values like the Coopers.

Their repair work is also good. Fairly priced and they make an effort to save you money by suggesting less expensive parts or repairs.

I have never had a problem with any of their repairs or tires.

PROS: Fair prices, good advice and customer service
CONS:

Tahoe Blue Gallery Wine Bar

I've lived in the Tahoe/incline area for several years and have lamented the lack of a nice bar to hang out in that isnt overrun with tourists. Tahoe Blue has been open for over a year and for some reason I never went in until recently.

You realize that the place is different from the moment you walk in. The atmosphere is cozy and down to earth but still a bit upscale. The walls are adorned with fantastic pictures from one of the owners Eddie Sanderson. Eddie is quite a renowned photographer and seems to photographed any natural phenomena or person of note, Nixon to Bob Hope etc. Eddie is frequently in the bar and is a pleasure to talk to as well as are most of the patrons who mostly seem to be local residents. The best way to describe it is a Tahoe version of Cheers with a wine theme instead of beer.

The food is pretty good too. I particularly like the recent addition to the menu of chicken pot pie as well as the very interesting and eclectic cheese plates. Although the portions tend to be a little small, the prices are mostly modest which helps. The wine list is very extensive, I think they offer over 100 bottles and my guess is close to half by the glass. There are some unusual choices as well as a good selection of solid stand bys. Wine prices are not bargain, but they arent outrageous either.

There is also music 3 or 4 nights a week which seems to start later around 9. Check out their website http://www.tahoe-blue.net

PROS: Fun place to hang out, with good food and execllent wine selection
CONS:

Tamarine

This place doesnt look like it would be the happening foodie place it is from the outside. I had heard good things, but never thought what could see from outside was appealing. Recently went there with two work colleagues and I have to agree 100% with Lisas review. Sit at the bar, relax and ask Joe what to order. You wont be disappointed, except potentially by the price. Not exactly cheap and for the most part worth it. Unusual fusion interpretations of Southeast Asian dishes. The place has a nice buzz going too. Not a bad place to hang out by yourself. And as a big plus its not deafening loud like many other trendy restaurants these days.

PROS: Good food, nice crowd and not too loud
CONS: a bit over priced, but hey its downtown Palo Alto after all

Incline Door Co

Living at Lake Tahoe I have gotten used to service providers being both unreliable and expensive. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Incline Door was neither.

I recently had a problem with my garage door not going down. I called them to schedule an appointment, usually an incredible feat all by itself in Incline Village. They had an appointment available at a convenient time for me, and even better showed up more or less on time, this is Lake Tahoe after all. Anything within an hour of the scheduled appointment is considered a miracle here.

The guy who came, was great, polite, helpful and thorough. He found a bad sensor and replaced it as well as servicing the entire door including tightening up all the very loose bolts. It apparently took less time than the average service call because he only charged me half price. Which is again pretty unusual for up here where everyone one seems to be looking to rip you off.

PROS: Prompt service, thorough, fair prices
CONS: none

BOA Steakhouse Santa Monica

This is an LA steakhouse. Dont go expecting a Morton's or Ruth Chris. Dress to impress and bring your high limit credit card. Good food, great atmosphere, but it aint cheap.

The wine list was fun, lots of stuff you cant find. Service was also great. Very attentive

PROS: Good food, snazzy atmosphere, eclectic wine list, on the ocean
CONS: Pricey

Malo

Holly cow, more tequila than you can shake a worm at. Even some "small village" hand crafted mescal's, atlhough they sounded better than they tasted. Go for the booze stay for the food.

Great pork adobo, carne asada, fresh fresh chips, and slasa. Get them to bring you a variety to share.

PROS: Tequila, Tequila, Tequila. Oh and some good food too
CONS:

Commodore Hotel

I have stayed here twice, the first about 3 months ago and almost didnt go back because the furnishings were so tired. I ended up back in the hotel recently when everything else was booke and was pleasantly suprised that they had renovated most of the rooms. It was by far the better value on a weekend where SF was sold out.

Not sure all the rooms have been refurbished so as for one that has been.

Canteen the little restaurant connected to the hotel serves fantastic breakfast.

PROS: Good Value, recently refurbished, convenient location
CONS: Can be a bit noisey