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chasaengwon is a traditional korean tea house. it's not a boba café. rather, it serves a variety of (sort of ) gourmet, esoteric teas. i imagine this is what ten ren taiwanese tea house is like,...
chasaengwon is a traditional korean tea house. it's not a boba café. rather, it serves a variety of (sort of ) gourmet, esoteric teas. i imagine this is what ten ren taiwanese tea house is like, but i don't know for sure because i've never been there. you can get some expertly prepared tea (beautifully presented), some patbingsoo (red bean shaved ice) desserts, or some jook (porridge - they've got hobakjook [pumpkin] and juhnbokjook [abalone]). well, this is a really authentic korean joint, so you should probably study up on your korean language skills (if necessary) before you come here. i suppose, if you can't deal with the culture shock, you might prefer to hit up teavana in valley fair instead.
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i used to trust the precision tune auto care. it's hard for me to find an auto shop that i really trust, and i _used_ to trust precision. howeer, now i don't!
on my last visit (which really...
i used to trust the precision tune auto care. it's hard for me to find an auto shop that i really trust, and i _used_ to trust precision. howeer, now i don't!
on my last visit (which really was, is, and always will be my _last_), they totally ripped me off! first off, i brought in a coupon for a discounted timing belt change. when the manager or owner saw that i had a subaru, he said it might cost a bit more. as i was leaving, he came out and said it _definitely_ would cost more. anyway, besides that... i also needed an oil change with all the extras, which included a brake inspection and tire rotation. i mentioned that i have wheel locks on my wheels but that i hadn't seen the wheel lock key since the last time i brought my car into precision for a tire rotation... i pointed out that either they _might_ (only _might_, no accusation) have my wheel lock key there or else they must have some way of overriding the locks, since they did it in the past. first, the manager/owner got really defensive, saying that they definitely did _not_ steal my wheel lock key (which i really didn't accuse them of), and he pointed out that the last time i came in, i didn't get a tire rotation. however, i didn't say that it was the _last_ time i came in when i got a tire rotation, simply that the last time that i _did_ bring my car in for a tire rotation, that was the last time i saw the wheel lock key. anyway... the dude agreed to break off my locks and replace them with normal lugnuts.... for 30 frickin' dollars. well, i was ok with that... in fact, i was also okay with the 30 extra bucks he was charging me for having a subaru that needed new timing belts. i put up with a lot.
well, listen, i had a horrible experience: when i came to pick up my car because they told me it was done. it totally was _not_ done, so i had to wait for them to finish it. then, i discovered that they didn't change out my wheel locks with lugnuts. rather, they found my wheel lock key somehow... i dunno if they actually _did_ have it or if they managed to find it in my car... however, they _still_ charged me $30 extra. that's so wrong! you know, i'm not even certain they rotated my tires (since they aren't _that_ old and i can't tell). also, i'm pretty sure they didn't inspect my brakes because they _are_ making that squeeking, warning sound; but they didn't tell me anything about it. geez, don't they even want to sell me new brakes? i think they're just too lazy or the profit margins too low or something!
now, _here_'s the kicker!!!! during the week after this awful experience, my car started having bad problems, with the check engine light turning on. well, i took it in to a different auto shop, which i'll now use all the time (ace auto on el camino real at calabazas). it turned out that there was motor oil all over my spark plugs and spark plug wire connections! man! these guys had totally screwed up my car.
i'm never going back. ace auto is my new regular auto shop for _everything_! especially since they've now got a smog check machine.
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Chi Dog
Category:
Catering
3284 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95051
(408) 246-0238
this place has been gone for ages. don't bother trying to get a chicago hot dog there. nowadays, dude... hot dogs are _sooooo_ trendy! you can hardly walk a block without running into these...
this place has been gone for ages. don't bother trying to get a chicago hot dog there. nowadays, dude... hot dogs are _sooooo_ trendy! you can hardly walk a block without running into these trendy "gourmet" hot dog stands and quaint, kitschy hole-in-wall joints. dude, nothing beats the original: top dog.
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IHOP
Category:
Food & Dining
4200 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, California 95054
(408) 980-8887
i've been to the santa clara, great america parkway ihop at least twice in my life. neither time was my experience that bad... but then again... now as i think about it, i realise that they weren't...
i've been to the santa clara, great america parkway ihop at least twice in my life. neither time was my experience that bad... but then again... now as i think about it, i realise that they weren't that great either. you know, maybe you're right, emilia! the last time i was there, i was on a double date with my wife and another couple from our church grx (Great exchange covenant church). grx is a great church, and you ought to check it out. if you don't attend church; yeah, check it out. there's something to be said about finding salvation through belief in a holy saviour rather than just trying to earn or buy your way into heaven. anyway, dude... off topic. ihop... the food, i found to be fine. i didn't have any raw, uncooked food. nor was it served in a strange or awkward manner. i enjoyed my whole grain pancakes. one thing that irked me well was how the menu told me i could add a side of ham for just a little more. well, apparently, their definition of "just a little more" is $2.99. argh! well, i noticed that a las vegas ihop charges $3.29 for a side of ham. crazy, eh?
well, when it came time to pay the bill, the other couple said that we should tip well cos our server was really good. well, my wife and i got there late. maybe he was really nice before we got there; but, while i was eating, 'twas quite impossible to get refills on my decaf coffee. still, i made sure we tipped ok.
the tip system is quite messed up. you see, i know in america and perhaps elsewhere, servers have this prejudice that people of asian ethnicity are bad tippers. i hate that kind of racism. however, in order to fight it i don't have any choice but to tip extra well... even for bad service. basically, it's extortion: "if you don't tip well, i'm going to tell everyone that your people / your race tips poorly and are a bunch of cheapskates and thus deserve to be portrayed poorly in films, tv, on the radio, and in print media."
anyway, silicon valley: you're the _real_ heartland of america. keep it real, keep skatin', and rock on!
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santa clara's mercado shopping area first opened up sometime in the mid to late 1990s; i forget exactly when. it has a microcenter, an amc movie theatre, and several food places / restaurants. ...
santa clara's mercado shopping area first opened up sometime in the mid to late 1990s; i forget exactly when. it has a microcenter, an amc movie theatre, and several food places / restaurants. later, the mercado expanded to include tj maxx home goods. microcenter competes with fry's electronics.
the amc mercado 20 is one (not necessarily _the_ first) of the first megaplexes in the south bay area. listen, the silicon valley is america's _real_ heartland. don't ever forget that! the amc mercado 20 is located in the heart of the silicon valley. keep santa clara weird. from its inception (or whatever you call it), the amc mercado 20 has been stuffed/overstuffed with high school students and junior college students. well, it _is_ right next to mission college. if you have any doubt about what the latest suburban hip hop fashion is, then swing by the mercado 20 and hang around for about 28 minutes. you'll learn if your jeans are baggy enough, if your hat is big enough, crooked enough, and with a flat enough bill. you'll learn whether you need to roll up a pant cuff or throw on some more gold chains or whatever. whereas the amc saratoga 14 (which i believe used to be the saratoga _six_ theatres) is more of a place for young families who are scared of lowered cars and bass, the mercado's a place for teenagers, young adults, and silicon valley yuppies who are too cheap to watch artsy movies at santana row's arthouse theatre but who'd prefer to take advantage of those cool, cheap costco tickets. you _do_ know about them, don't you? costco sells a 2-pack of amc "gold" movie tickets for something like $15. that's a great deal because full price, adult admission at the amc mercado 20 is something like $10. crazy, huh? at that price, it's cheaper to hop in the car, drive around, n' guzzle gas all evening for a good time. yes or no? i'm not too sure.
well, at the amc mercado 20, you can grab some ben & jerry's ice cream or a starbucks corporate coffee drink before the show and even bring your own food and drink into the theatre. that's great. there's an in-n-out at the mercado as well. if you're a silicon valley yuppie couple, you might want to hit up the mexicali grille or tomatina before your show. taxi's also ain't bad. world wrapps is a bit casual. jamba juice hardly qualifies as a date. yoyo sushi is well... just ok. anyway, you can have a pretty good evening at the amc mercado 20. let's all go to the movies!
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well, if you ask me what's my favourite park in the area, i'll say that it's the sunnyvale skate park. i know most of you probably don't enjoy skateboarding, but i do. the park has a great...
well, if you ask me what's my favourite park in the area, i'll say that it's the sunnyvale skate park. i know most of you probably don't enjoy skateboarding, but i do. the park has a great atmosphere. i know one'd think you'd find a bunch of rowdy thugish punks at a skate park, but no. people here are nice, friendly, and responsible. the park is fun. there are two sets of bowls (a small one and a big one) and street features (like ledges, rails, stairs, etc.) it's fun.
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sierra azul (in the los gatos area) is a nice place to hike, somewhere other than quicksilver park (in almaden). you've got a good amount of trails, a good distance to hike. it's not too hot, not...
sierra azul (in the los gatos area) is a nice place to hike, somewhere other than quicksilver park (in almaden). you've got a good amount of trails, a good distance to hike. it's not too hot, not too cold. you have to dodge a lot of mountain bikers though. (btw, even though the address says los altos, the park's in los gatos. i guess the office is in los altos. los altos and los gatos aren't very near each other.)
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sure there are cheaper cleaners around. for example, there are all those $1.75 cleaners popping up. however, this mom n' pop joint is a pretty reliable place, and whereas those $1.75 cleaners only...
sure there are cheaper cleaners around. for example, there are all those $1.75 cleaners popping up. however, this mom n' pop joint is a pretty reliable place, and whereas those $1.75 cleaners only do clothes; harry's will do comforters and other household items. they are trustworthy people.
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sino
Category:
Food & Dining
Santa Clara, California 95050
when sino first opened up. i didn't like it so much. i found it to be too pretentious and not up to par with chris yeo's straits just down the street. now, though, it has gotten better. dude,...
when sino first opened up. i didn't like it so much. i found it to be too pretentious and not up to par with chris yeo's straits just down the street. now, though, it has gotten better. dude, try the mongolian lamb in the sesame bread (shao bing). it rocks! some people don't like lamb, but i'm cool with lamb. it's a better place now.
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i just got from denver. it was pretty much my first time there as an adult. i went for my company's internal conference. i'm a bay area local yokel and don't travel enough. anyway, tamayo is...
i just got from denver. it was pretty much my first time there as an adult. i went for my company's internal conference. i'm a bay area local yokel and don't travel enough. anyway, tamayo is proof that there is good food in denver. if i were to compare it to a bay area restaurant, i'd compare it to consuelos in santana row. it's nouveau, mexican fusion restuarant. dude, you've gotta try that creamy soup with the dumpling! the dumpling is like a korean mandoo or else like an italian ravioli. it's awesome.
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