After 100 or so views of my blog, someone from Zippys contacted me regarding my experience. It was via twitter, which is fine, except that I have no real assurances that anything would be done.
Zippys twitter stated they would like me to call customer care and explain what happened. Unfortunately I have no real desire to do so, considering I have already stated as much as I am willing to give via this blog. I have been, again assured by the twitter account, that Zippys upper management is curious to hear more. However from my vantage point I am not sure they really want to hear what I have to say.
First of all, I have a great deal of experience in surveys and call in complaints in a corporate structure. Not that I complain a lot. In actuality, I am very much a "don't rock the boat" guy when it comes to restaurants. But in my jobs, I know, for a fact, that companies use that as an opportunity to discount someone's complaint in order to pad statistics. By calling or speaking to the customer, they can check off "spoke to customer, resolved complaint" and accomplish nothing. Another trick is to use the customer's complaints to fish for "any inkling" of a response that would indicate that the complainant is "unreasonable, and frivolous" in their complaints against the business. They can state, for example, that a customer waiting 5 minutes for a glass of water is "not reasonable" since the "industry standard is 4.8 minutes or some crapola like that. They then use that as the basis to ignore or discount the entire complaint as "without merit, or lacking common sense reason."
Second, I do not have the patience with Zippys anymore. If you read the blog, you saw that I was more than patient. Would the average person waited 40 minutes for a menu? Would a person give a restaurant chain 6,7,8 chances? I think the well of patience that I have is pretty much depleted.
Third, I have had no assurances at all that ANYONE from Zippys has heard my complaint. The "Zippys twitter account" may not actually be a zippys employee. In the world of social media management, the person who answers my twitter complaint(s) may just be a paid joe schmo good at reading the pulse of the community. I am sure if Zippys was truly inquisitive, they could respond via this blog directly, or request my email or phone number so they could contact me, instead of directing me to their canned complaints line, where complaints go to die a quick and invisible death. Anything to keep the Zippy's name clean. keeping complaints out of the public eye is their job.
Its been a week since Zippys contacted me and and I am still unsure if I will play their corporate charade. For all the talk about Zippys being local, its still a Corporate structure. It lost its local identity. For all its desire to be a local business, it lacks one thing: local mentality. Surveys mean nothing. Actually walking out into the restaurants and asking patrons what they think directly, face to face, sending in people to secretly rate their customer service is a much better way than tagging a "please please please" beg-to-get-replies on the receipt. May as well call them Zippys In the Box with smaller prize incentives. Frankly, I think Zippys benefits from local nature. "Don't rock the boat." If Zippys were in california, They would likely have had 1/4 the success that they employ here. Locals "don't like to cause trouble." Neither do I. But 8 times!?!?!
I will say that I am emboldened by the large number of direct messages I have received via twitter and facebook from friends, colleagues, and random people on how similar their experiences at Zippys has been.
I have not eaten at Zippys since my initial blog. I hope you haven't as well
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
8 of 31: Moms Soul Food Macaroni and Cheese Showdown
A couple of weeks back, I went on a trek to look for tailgate suitable food. I wanted wings. All the usual suspects were available to me, but I still wanted to try something new. After wasting about 10 dollars in gas and 1 hour of time bouncing all over Aiea, Pearl City, Mililani, and Waipahu, I settled on Mom's Soul food.
Located in what was once an old KFC location in Aiea on Kam Highway, Mom's definitely has a Mom and Pop establishment feel. At that time, I ordered a family pack of sides, including cornbread, mac and cheese, black beans and rice, and fried Okra. And of course, 20 wings. (Sorry, no pictures from that day)
Fast forward two hours later, everyone, and I mean everyone, enjoyed it. Discerning pallets were pleasantly surprised. The simple pallets declared it "awesome." All in all, it was worth a second visit. Amongst the southern food goodness was the Mac and Cheese. And it was noteworthy, even cold. I knew it would be a top contender in the Mac and Cheese Showdown.
Today, I made an official return visit to Mom's Soul food. But I had to do it on the sly! When I asked for the mac and cheese side order, I got a look. Ya know, the kind of look that you get when someone is wondering "is this him?". Something told me to stop taking pictures. So I did and just waited. A few minutes later, a girl asked me if I was doing a review. I lied, of course. But that put an end to the picture taking and an end to the in house taste test. I had to take this bad boy on the road. (photos taken in my car at Neal Blaisdell Park) Notice, no crumble crust. Just the Mac and Cheese. Small side, $3.49
As you can see, the cheese is plentiful and the flavor is true. Its an honest to goodness mac and cheese. No frills, all flavor.
At the bottom of the bowl, when empty, was a POOL of oils which is the telltale sign of awesome. Though my doctor would disagree. The cheese flavor on this one was strong, it had a bite, and a back end subtle creaminess that speaks of Jack and Cheddar at the very least. And if I had to guess, there was at least 3 different types of cheese in here. As I said, a worthy entrant into the showdown. I WILL be back for a more comprehensive review in the future. But for now, just the cheese.
p.s. Wings are damn good here. As well as fried okra and cornbread. Southern food lovers will note that the Cornbread is a Naturally sweetened cornbread. Ergo a side, not a dessert. Just the way it should be.
Located in what was once an old KFC location in Aiea on Kam Highway, Mom's definitely has a Mom and Pop establishment feel. At that time, I ordered a family pack of sides, including cornbread, mac and cheese, black beans and rice, and fried Okra. And of course, 20 wings. (Sorry, no pictures from that day)
Fast forward two hours later, everyone, and I mean everyone, enjoyed it. Discerning pallets were pleasantly surprised. The simple pallets declared it "awesome." All in all, it was worth a second visit. Amongst the southern food goodness was the Mac and Cheese. And it was noteworthy, even cold. I knew it would be a top contender in the Mac and Cheese Showdown.
Today, I made an official return visit to Mom's Soul food. But I had to do it on the sly! When I asked for the mac and cheese side order, I got a look. Ya know, the kind of look that you get when someone is wondering "is this him?". Something told me to stop taking pictures. So I did and just waited. A few minutes later, a girl asked me if I was doing a review. I lied, of course. But that put an end to the picture taking and an end to the in house taste test. I had to take this bad boy on the road. (photos taken in my car at Neal Blaisdell Park) Notice, no crumble crust. Just the Mac and Cheese. Small side, $3.49
As you can see, the cheese is plentiful and the flavor is true. Its an honest to goodness mac and cheese. No frills, all flavor.
At the bottom of the bowl, when empty, was a POOL of oils which is the telltale sign of awesome. Though my doctor would disagree. The cheese flavor on this one was strong, it had a bite, and a back end subtle creaminess that speaks of Jack and Cheddar at the very least. And if I had to guess, there was at least 3 different types of cheese in here. As I said, a worthy entrant into the showdown. I WILL be back for a more comprehensive review in the future. But for now, just the cheese.
p.s. Wings are damn good here. As well as fried okra and cornbread. Southern food lovers will note that the Cornbread is a Naturally sweetened cornbread. Ergo a side, not a dessert. Just the way it should be.
challenge update 2
Workout 5: Swim 30 Minutes.
Workout 6: Swim, 30 minutes.
Workout 7: 45 Minute swim. Ala Moana Beach Park
Yeah. Considering the amount of writing I am doing for the 31 flavors, I think this should just about do it. As of right now, I am one day behind on the blog posts, which is already in the works and two days behind on workouts, which I will catch up with in the next few days.
Workout 6: Swim, 30 minutes.
Workout 7: 45 Minute swim. Ala Moana Beach Park
Yeah. Considering the amount of writing I am doing for the 31 flavors, I think this should just about do it. As of right now, I am one day behind on the blog posts, which is already in the works and two days behind on workouts, which I will catch up with in the next few days.
Monday, October 8, 2012
7 of 31: La Palme D'or Patisserie
I am going out of order on this one. This visit actually came after a visit to another of the 31, but that post will come later. My longtime friend Shilpa, who knew me back in my previous life, posted on facebook that she wanted to go to a particular restaurant. So we went. It was delish, as you will see later. But after, she felt a burning desire for dessert. As long as I have known her, she really hasn't been much into sweets, at least post meal (a sentiment that she echoed today). However she couldn't shake it. She needed the sweet chemistry of a crafted dessert. And not any dessert would do. She wanted to walk, but Kakaako was limited.
We went through the area options. There wasn't much. Gelato, Pass. Cookies, not enough. Twinkies, are you kidding me? So after some back and forth, we decided to get into our cars and make the trek to Ala Moana Mall, to La Palme D'or Patisserie.
Known for our Japanese influenced French pastries, La Palme has been around for several years
at its location at Ala Moana Shopping Center's Outside. I am sure its often missed as unless you get manicured nails and waxing done, its doubtful you would see it. The only way to get there is outside the main drag. While most of the malls residents appear on the main drag, this is one a few shops that shares the "main drag" with actual cars. Located on the second floor, Mauka Side parking lot has not hurt its reputation though.
Ask around its likely that there are more than a casual number of people that have heard of them. Aside from their desserts, they have a few Tea and coffee jello drinks that keep a steady stream of people in the know, but the focus and the lion's share of customers come for the desserts. And speaking of clients, La Palme even has had the honor of serving the Emperor of Japan on his official visit in 2009. How's that for reputation.
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| Photo of the case, including the three items I purchased today. They were coincidentally right by each other. |
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| La Palme also does special requests and whole items for purchase. |
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| FRAMBOISE FROMAGE layers of smooth light cheesecake, raspberry jam, hazelnut & almond cookie crust |
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| BAKED CHEESECAKE rich dense cheesecake with cranberry & hazelnut cookie crust |
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| TROPICAL FROMAGE lilikoi & mango mousse on top of rare cheesecake and coconut sponge |
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| The reason why we had to take it to go |
It can get busy, so do be prepared to take the deliciousness on the road. They do take care to package it right as you can see. If you notice in some of the pictures there is plastic wrapped around the individual items. This makes it easy to transport if you are getting a take out box like you see below. There is two tables in the shop to sit and enjoy. If not, ask for a fork and napkins and take it into the mall. There are lots of tables in strategic places where you can enjoy these bad boys.
STORE HOURS
Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 9:00am - 7:00pm
LOCATION
Ala Moana Center
CONTACT
Telephone: (808)941-6161
Saturday, October 6, 2012
6 of 31: Kanpai
Its friday night. I wanted to go out. So I got together a couple of friends and we wanted to go to Cafe Duck Butt. I have never been, but have heard its fantastico. Alas all I got to see was the free valet and the sign...
They were really busy! Some other day, duck butt...some other day.
As we tried to find a backup plan, Home bar was an option, meh. We ended up at Kanpai around the corner and found a table right away. Score!
Kanpai is a sports bar on Ward, across from Sports authority and Ross. Its a true blue sports bar, complete with good looking women in tight shirts and short shorts. Yeah. I said it. Deal. I will spare you the gal shots. Anyway, its nothing super amazing. Service inside is decent. Outside seating on busy nights could have slower turnaround on drinks.
the food menu itself has shrunk. It was much better this time last year with more selection. As one of my friends coined it, "it looks like they simplified the menu to 'turn and burn'". I must say, coming from him, thats not a complement. However of the FOOD items we ordered, only the pork lumpia truly disappointed.
As we tried to find a backup plan, Home bar was an option, meh. We ended up at Kanpai around the corner and found a table right away. Score!
Kanpai is a sports bar on Ward, across from Sports authority and Ross. Its a true blue sports bar, complete with good looking women in tight shirts and short shorts. Yeah. I said it. Deal. I will spare you the gal shots. Anyway, its nothing super amazing. Service inside is decent. Outside seating on busy nights could have slower turnaround on drinks.
the food menu itself has shrunk. It was much better this time last year with more selection. As one of my friends coined it, "it looks like they simplified the menu to 'turn and burn'". I must say, coming from him, thats not a complement. However of the FOOD items we ordered, only the pork lumpia truly disappointed.
Chilled tofu with a ginger sauce
Korean style hot wings
The lumpia. all veggie and wrapper, no pork. Oil not hot enough, greasy.
Fried Chicken Gizzards
The beer wasn't as cold as it could have been, and the bartender (okay maybe it was the waitress, but between two of them there is blame to be had) seriously needs to figure out how to properly serve drinks. Kanpai has a decent liquor collection, as any bar should. However something went wrong. I wish I had a picture of it. But I will just simply it.
Note...Kanpai. when someone orders Grand Mariner in a Snifter Glass. This is how it should look.
NOT LIKE THIS
This, more than anything irritated my friends. In all fairness, the industrial fans used to cool the joint because of the broken AC was loud, but when the waitress leans over and asks 3 times how you want it served, and I could hear him say "snifter" every time more than 3 times the distance than she was to him, well lets say there is a breakdown in communication!
5 of 31: La Tour Cafe: Mac and Cheese Showdown
About a year ago, I tried the Feta Mac and cheese at Pacific Soul (Chef Sean Priester) and fell in love. It was different. Certainly not Kraft from the box or school lunch quality. It was 'uppity." That made me wonder. Are there better Mac and Cheese dishes in Hawaii than I am used to? I am happy to say yes.
In the midst of gaining weight, losing weight, working out, and having surgery I have tried a few mac and cheese dishes here on island. I will review each and every one of the the "finalists" and then spit out a showdown result. All dishes selected for the showdown were tasted between October 3 and October 17 of this year and will be judged on criteria to be mentioned later. For now, Lets introduce the first challenger.
La Tour is "Ba Le". Those of us familiar with the local restaurant chain know that Ba Le is a bakery and french Viet Sammy chain. Recently, they began rebranding as "La Tour Bakehouse." A bold move and natural progression towards the "foodie" movement (or as I like to call them, food enthusiasts) ongoing in town. I am sure the Ba Le name will live on in franchises, but the main bakery is now La Tour.
The menu is fairly quaint. Items like Flatbread Pizza, Quiche Lorraine, Pomme Frites (yes, french fries), Panini and fresh baked breads and Macarons can be found in a roomy, comfortable modern cafe setting.
Now, Bring on the cheese! As I said before, I will further break down and review the mac and cheese based on criteria. But for now, here is a few pictures.
La tour is much more than just a mac and cheese hangout. I focused on the challenge this trip (and ordered some chicken tenders for protein. Didn't touch the frites. I will note, that if it wasn't for the lack of WiFi, this would be a must hangout to write my blog or any other computer work. Wide open tables. TV with sports playing all the time. Excellent Dessert option. Coffee at least as good as the average coffee shop. (They feature Honolulu Coffee Company).
open
Sunday-Thursday
10:00 am / 9:00 pm
Friday-Saturday
10:00 am / 10:00 pm
In the midst of gaining weight, losing weight, working out, and having surgery I have tried a few mac and cheese dishes here on island. I will review each and every one of the the "finalists" and then spit out a showdown result. All dishes selected for the showdown were tasted between October 3 and October 17 of this year and will be judged on criteria to be mentioned later. For now, Lets introduce the first challenger.
HoNolulu, Hi 96817
(808) 697-5000
La Tour is "Ba Le". Those of us familiar with the local restaurant chain know that Ba Le is a bakery and french Viet Sammy chain. Recently, they began rebranding as "La Tour Bakehouse." A bold move and natural progression towards the "foodie" movement (or as I like to call them, food enthusiasts) ongoing in town. I am sure the Ba Le name will live on in franchises, but the main bakery is now La Tour.
The menu is fairly quaint. Items like Flatbread Pizza, Quiche Lorraine, Pomme Frites (yes, french fries), Panini and fresh baked breads and Macarons can be found in a roomy, comfortable modern cafe setting.
Now, Bring on the cheese! As I said before, I will further break down and review the mac and cheese based on criteria. But for now, here is a few pictures.
Its cheesy. All around goodness
Let it cool a bit. This is what you get. Oh yeah! we have come a long way from Kraft
Reciept included. Price as noted. $4.50. Excellent Mac and Cheese value. When we hit the "truffle mac" variants later in the challenge, you will understand!
Here is a pic of a Pastele sausage from another visit.
La tour is much more than just a mac and cheese hangout. I focused on the challenge this trip (and ordered some chicken tenders for protein. Didn't touch the frites. I will note, that if it wasn't for the lack of WiFi, this would be a must hangout to write my blog or any other computer work. Wide open tables. TV with sports playing all the time. Excellent Dessert option. Coffee at least as good as the average coffee shop. (They feature Honolulu Coffee Company).
Sunday-Thursday
10:00 am / 9:00 pm
Friday-Saturday
10:00 am / 10:00 pm
Friday, October 5, 2012
Challenge Update.
Just an update on things to come.
I have begun the "mac and cheese shootout." I am contemplating using each mac and cheese dish as a single post and then one post at the end to tie them altogether. I am okay with that.
Workout 2: Swim 30 Minutes.
Workout 3: walked dog. 30 minutes. She was sweating more than me, but hey, it still counts.
Workout 4: 45 Minute swim. Ala Moana Beach Park.
Restaurants on my hit list. (places I will be going, not necessarily in any order. If a date appears, then I have committed to going with someone on that date). Thus far 4 blog entries, 4 restaurants blogged about, 6 restaurants visited.
If you know of any establishment worth throwing on this list for my 31 day challenge, let me know!
I have begun the "mac and cheese shootout." I am contemplating using each mac and cheese dish as a single post and then one post at the end to tie them altogether. I am okay with that.
Workout 2: Swim 30 Minutes.
Workout 3: walked dog. 30 minutes. She was sweating more than me, but hey, it still counts.
Workout 4: 45 Minute swim. Ala Moana Beach Park.
Restaurants on my hit list. (places I will be going, not necessarily in any order. If a date appears, then I have committed to going with someone on that date). Thus far 4 blog entries, 4 restaurants blogged about, 6 restaurants visited.
- Whole Ox (Monday, Lunch)
- Prima Kailua
- Adega Portugesa
- Da Ala Cart Food Truck
- La Tour Cafe (Mac and Cheese Challenge)
- Moms Soul Food (Mac and Cheese challenge)
- Pacific Soul (Mac and Cheese Challenge)
- Kissaten Cafe (Mac and Cheese Challenge)
- Hanks Haute Dogs (Mac and Cheese Challenge)
If you know of any establishment worth throwing on this list for my 31 day challenge, let me know!
4 of 31: Lucky Belly Noodle House
Today, I decided to write about Lucky Belly.
Lucky Belly is a somewhat new noodle house on the corner of Hotel and Smith Street. A noodle house in Chinatown. Go figure. However this noodle house is different from the normal Chinatown noodle establishments. Billed as “Chef inspired Ramen,” I would have to agree. It is indeed Casual dining. But fine date night suitable grinds is not a stretch at all. Well, as fine as a bowl of ramen can be. It has the look, but not the pretentious feel.
This place could be my apartment. In fact, I took a few extra pictures so that I may try to replicate the feel for my future abode. A conversation with Dusty (co-owner) yielded new tidbits, such as the menu is expanding. Daily specials and entrees are on their way. You will have to wait for a second set of reviews. And the window is doing well. More on that later. But for now, check out their current dinner menu.
If you remember my talk about gastro establishments popping up in Hawaii, well this is another one of them. Awesome music playing (click here to enjoy the vibe). Fresh, Modern. Excellent crafted adult beverages. And Master Craftsman presented dishes. but this bad boy has an awesome little side gig. Literally. Nestled in the middle of the arts district of Chinatown, Lucky Belly is able to reap the benefits of the night life of Chinatown. Look to the left, you have Bar 35, Manifest, next door. Look to the right, you’ve got the loft. And That’s just the ones that I know about. This place gets hopping late at night. Especially with its “window.”
While I have yet to partake, the window menu is said to be quality grub on the cheap. Served out a window after 10pm on the side of the restaurant, its walk up food of the highest quality. Those who have tried, truly enjoyed.
Say Hi to Dusty. Lucky Belly is his baby. and now, on to the food pics!
The infamous Belly Bowl.
Oxtail Dumplings. Yeah, they are hefty. A meal all their own.
Wok Fried Shishito Peppers (they are not hot)
Togarishi Spiced Beef Tartare. Yes. Quail Egg on top. Rock on!
Lucky Belly is a somewhat new noodle house on the corner of Hotel and Smith Street. A noodle house in Chinatown. Go figure. However this noodle house is different from the normal Chinatown noodle establishments. Billed as “Chef inspired Ramen,” I would have to agree. It is indeed Casual dining. But fine date night suitable grinds is not a stretch at all. Well, as fine as a bowl of ramen can be. It has the look, but not the pretentious feel.
This place could be my apartment. In fact, I took a few extra pictures so that I may try to replicate the feel for my future abode. A conversation with Dusty (co-owner) yielded new tidbits, such as the menu is expanding. Daily specials and entrees are on their way. You will have to wait for a second set of reviews. And the window is doing well. More on that later. But for now, check out their current dinner menu.
If you remember my talk about gastro establishments popping up in Hawaii, well this is another one of them. Awesome music playing (click here to enjoy the vibe). Fresh, Modern. Excellent crafted adult beverages. And Master Craftsman presented dishes. but this bad boy has an awesome little side gig. Literally. Nestled in the middle of the arts district of Chinatown, Lucky Belly is able to reap the benefits of the night life of Chinatown. Look to the left, you have Bar 35, Manifest, next door. Look to the right, you’ve got the loft. And That’s just the ones that I know about. This place gets hopping late at night. Especially with its “window.”
While I have yet to partake, the window menu is said to be quality grub on the cheap. Served out a window after 10pm on the side of the restaurant, its walk up food of the highest quality. Those who have tried, truly enjoyed.
Say Hi to Dusty. Lucky Belly is his baby. and now, on to the food pics!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
3 of 31. Zippys: a Hawaiian food Horror Story
Sigh. Okay. I really wanted to keep my blog upbeat. I wanted everything to be "awesomeness." But I simply must rant. I am not afraid to tell the truth, but sometimes I just gotta hope for the best. My days of hoping for the best are over.
Zippys.
WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!?! I have, in the past 3 months or so, eaten at your establishments (plural) at least 18 times. And in those 18 times, I have had bad service or problems at least 40% of the time (8 visits went bad). Now if these "incidents" were small enough to ignore, then probably I wouldn't be making this rant. But lets document them now, shall we?
One. Sit down in restaurant (waipio) at 11pm. 1140 Pm I walk out, not having even been served water, let alone my order taken.
two. Kahala. Takeout. my order is "lost" completely. no sign of it. 25 minutes later, after a massive rush of people finally clears out, they figure out that my Pastry and hot chocolate order was indeed forgotten. Didn't even offer any sort of discount on the spot. Just a "here you go." (note, the word sorry never happened)
three. Mililani. Take out. They serve breakfast at the take out window starting 11pm. I arrived at 1045. I told them that I would like to place an order for breakfast and I will wait til 11 to get my order, if they couldn't take it yet. The counter helper (with trainer on her badge) says okay and then proceeds with other people in line. 11pm, I stand in line (which has grown to monumental proportions by this time with non breakfast orders. Okay, no biggie. I place my order about 11:10, knowing it was going to take a while. 1125 rolls along. every last person whom ordered before and and after me has come and gone. I am thinking "fast food my ass." So i walk up to the counter and inquire about my order. "oh they are having trouble switching the kitchen over to breakfast. They are almost done. they couldn't get your XXXXX cooked.They are making it now." Whatever. 10 minutes later, I step back to the STILL empty counter and ask "whats up?". The counter worker has no clue and she keeps screaming into the back to see whats going on. No one is there. i go and sit down. not saying a word. 5 minutes later, the counter girl comes up and apologizes and offers me a drink to wait because "they are starting your order right now." Pathetic. I refuse, since I am a gastric surgery patient I shouldn't drink before I eat. I need to separate it by time. She gives me my money back when my food finally arrives somewhere in the neighborhood of 1145. Fast food <> zippys.
Four. I drive into the Pearl city Zippys in the middle of afternoon rush. Thirsty, I order a sugar free green peach tea non carbonated drink. Takes a few minutes to get it because of the line. i jump into the car, and head out. First sip, Diet pepsi. Once again. Gastric surgery patient. No carbonated drinks allowed. I go home thirsty.
Five. Mililani. Take out. Call in an order while I am at work. Ask for a pickup time of 330 (ordered at 315). Simple order. When I arrive at zippys, not only is the order not done, when it does come, its wrong. What did I order? 2 pieces of chicken. What did I get, chicken plate lunch. Did the order taker repeat back my order? Yes. Price Quoted on the phone matched 2 pieces of chicken, not chicken plate. How in the world does this kind of error happen?
Six. Oh my. Six. So now I decide to give Dine in at Waipio another try. Everything goes good, so far. Takes my order, writes it down. her writing style actually made it easy to see what she was writing, and i could see enough of her shorthand to understand that she got my order right. Ham Steak Breakfast Plate. The place is slow. So I chill. 20 minutes later, she comes back "your order is almost ready." okay. I wait some more. She sets my plate down in front of me. Its a Hamburger steak. Seriously, what. The. hell. Inform her of the problem, takes the plate back. I wait another 7 minutes or so for the ham steak. hash browns and eggs cold by that time. tired of complaining. Didn't bother.
Seven!!!!!!! Two nights ago, Waipio fast food location. the "cleaning crew" starts scrubbing the floors with the restaurant still open. using the floor scrubber/buffer apparatus, he scrubs all the way up to where I am standing, waiting for my order and proceeds to splash water all over my legs and shoes, which was the third time I wore those shoes. He continues on, pretty much ignoring the event ever happened. Got my food, has browns way underdone. Entire plate tilted in the take out box before even getting to me. All the items slid to the left before I even left the counter. Annoyed, I eat in the parking lot
Eight! Last night. I needed a spot to write 2/31 so I drive to zippys Waipio for my usual late night breakfast. I bust out my laptop. Begin to write. Place my order. Veggie omelette. it takes a while to get to me, which I have come to expect from zippys so no problem there. The manager 'runs' the plate to me and after I move my computer to the side, sets it in front of me. Staring at me, right in the face is a hair the length of my watchband. I think he either saw it or sensed something was wrong by my reaction because he asked if there was anything wrong. I did not have the strength to complain about zippys again. I simply told him "no" and pulled the hair out and ate around that spot.
Fellow citizens. Seriously. Zippys has gone downhill! The only reason why I still go to zippys is convenience and breakfast in the evening. Although the twitter account is responsive to complaints, there comes a time when zippys needs to acknowledge that their current quality control system is lacking. My nickname for Zippys has become "smokey the bear". They seem to be more content with putting out forest fires than preventing them.
At this time, I cannot recommend zippys to anyone. Will i still eat there, sadly yes. but if there is ANY other option available to me, I will take it.
Zippys.
WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!?! I have, in the past 3 months or so, eaten at your establishments (plural) at least 18 times. And in those 18 times, I have had bad service or problems at least 40% of the time (8 visits went bad). Now if these "incidents" were small enough to ignore, then probably I wouldn't be making this rant. But lets document them now, shall we?
One. Sit down in restaurant (waipio) at 11pm. 1140 Pm I walk out, not having even been served water, let alone my order taken.
two. Kahala. Takeout. my order is "lost" completely. no sign of it. 25 minutes later, after a massive rush of people finally clears out, they figure out that my Pastry and hot chocolate order was indeed forgotten. Didn't even offer any sort of discount on the spot. Just a "here you go." (note, the word sorry never happened)
three. Mililani. Take out. They serve breakfast at the take out window starting 11pm. I arrived at 1045. I told them that I would like to place an order for breakfast and I will wait til 11 to get my order, if they couldn't take it yet. The counter helper (with trainer on her badge) says okay and then proceeds with other people in line. 11pm, I stand in line (which has grown to monumental proportions by this time with non breakfast orders. Okay, no biggie. I place my order about 11:10, knowing it was going to take a while. 1125 rolls along. every last person whom ordered before and and after me has come and gone. I am thinking "fast food my ass." So i walk up to the counter and inquire about my order. "oh they are having trouble switching the kitchen over to breakfast. They are almost done. they couldn't get your XXXXX cooked.They are making it now." Whatever. 10 minutes later, I step back to the STILL empty counter and ask "whats up?". The counter worker has no clue and she keeps screaming into the back to see whats going on. No one is there. i go and sit down. not saying a word. 5 minutes later, the counter girl comes up and apologizes and offers me a drink to wait because "they are starting your order right now." Pathetic. I refuse, since I am a gastric surgery patient I shouldn't drink before I eat. I need to separate it by time. She gives me my money back when my food finally arrives somewhere in the neighborhood of 1145. Fast food <> zippys.
Four. I drive into the Pearl city Zippys in the middle of afternoon rush. Thirsty, I order a sugar free green peach tea non carbonated drink. Takes a few minutes to get it because of the line. i jump into the car, and head out. First sip, Diet pepsi. Once again. Gastric surgery patient. No carbonated drinks allowed. I go home thirsty.
Five. Mililani. Take out. Call in an order while I am at work. Ask for a pickup time of 330 (ordered at 315). Simple order. When I arrive at zippys, not only is the order not done, when it does come, its wrong. What did I order? 2 pieces of chicken. What did I get, chicken plate lunch. Did the order taker repeat back my order? Yes. Price Quoted on the phone matched 2 pieces of chicken, not chicken plate. How in the world does this kind of error happen?
Six. Oh my. Six. So now I decide to give Dine in at Waipio another try. Everything goes good, so far. Takes my order, writes it down. her writing style actually made it easy to see what she was writing, and i could see enough of her shorthand to understand that she got my order right. Ham Steak Breakfast Plate. The place is slow. So I chill. 20 minutes later, she comes back "your order is almost ready." okay. I wait some more. She sets my plate down in front of me. Its a Hamburger steak. Seriously, what. The. hell. Inform her of the problem, takes the plate back. I wait another 7 minutes or so for the ham steak. hash browns and eggs cold by that time. tired of complaining. Didn't bother.
Seven!!!!!!! Two nights ago, Waipio fast food location. the "cleaning crew" starts scrubbing the floors with the restaurant still open. using the floor scrubber/buffer apparatus, he scrubs all the way up to where I am standing, waiting for my order and proceeds to splash water all over my legs and shoes, which was the third time I wore those shoes. He continues on, pretty much ignoring the event ever happened. Got my food, has browns way underdone. Entire plate tilted in the take out box before even getting to me. All the items slid to the left before I even left the counter. Annoyed, I eat in the parking lot
Eight! Last night. I needed a spot to write 2/31 so I drive to zippys Waipio for my usual late night breakfast. I bust out my laptop. Begin to write. Place my order. Veggie omelette. it takes a while to get to me, which I have come to expect from zippys so no problem there. The manager 'runs' the plate to me and after I move my computer to the side, sets it in front of me. Staring at me, right in the face is a hair the length of my watchband. I think he either saw it or sensed something was wrong by my reaction because he asked if there was anything wrong. I did not have the strength to complain about zippys again. I simply told him "no" and pulled the hair out and ate around that spot.
Fellow citizens. Seriously. Zippys has gone downhill! The only reason why I still go to zippys is convenience and breakfast in the evening. Although the twitter account is responsive to complaints, there comes a time when zippys needs to acknowledge that their current quality control system is lacking. My nickname for Zippys has become "smokey the bear". They seem to be more content with putting out forest fires than preventing them.
At this time, I cannot recommend zippys to anyone. Will i still eat there, sadly yes. but if there is ANY other option available to me, I will take it.
2 of 31: Pint + Jigger
Today, day 2, I went to Pint and Jigger. In order to do this flavor justice, I need to tell a little story. I do not pretend to know everything about this scene, but from my seat in the fray, this is how I would explain it.
Oahu has seen a mini influx of mid to upper end gastro-experience establishments ranging from chic food trucks, pop-ups, and farmers market bazaar eats all the way to new brick and mortar restaurants with incredible pallet pleasing gastronomical experiences. The one thing that they all have in common is that they cater, in part, to a growing population of 'quality over quantity' food enthusiasts. These enthusiasts look at the entire experience of the dining process as an important cog in their social identity. It is in these types of establishments you find a melting of locavore, organic, and cruelty free or other socially conscious food product genres. Couple that with high end chef pedigrees (or their capable understudies) and you get a sense of the food scene in Hawaii. If I had about a dozen words to describe the menu, it would be "Master craftsman prepared food, incredible presentation, complex, often revolutionary taste parings. Casual atmosphere."
Within the gastro influx was a mini gastropub wave. Whether by coincidence or design, these gastropubs appeared nearly at the same time as the food influx. I am sure there is some part of this that I am missing, but for the average joe on the street, this is how it appears. The biggest distinction between a restaurant and the gastro pub is the focus. A gastropub is a pub first, that serves awesome food. A restaurant serves awesome food, but often has a great bar. Now, on to the task at hand.
Pint and jigger, the brainchild of Dave Newman (former bar manager of Nobu) and Jonathan Schwalbenitz(a long time bartending legend at Murphy's) sought to tap into this gastro experience market with a food lovers playground of eats pared with 21 varieties of craft brews on tap(as well as a murders row of awesome bottled beers). Coupled with a magnificent selection of high end liquors and skilled spirit slingers behind the bar, the Pint and Jigger component of the name has successfully been realized. A dark, wood heavy traditional alehouse look is augmented with a more modern sensibility meant to remove the rustic feel and give you the sense that "we are different." Telling and showing the pictures alone doesn't quite do it justice. You need to hear it as well. Courtesy of Soundhound, I can bring that vibe right to you. Just click this link and you can listen to the song that was playing as I entered.
The menu does impress. Executive Chef Noah Blair and Chef di Cuisine Dan Albertson do a great job of taking the bar food experience up to a level where cuisine enthusiasts will enjoy the experience. Take note that every menu item has a recommended pairing of a brew, true to its pub first heritage.
Even the classic Burger and fries takes on its own 'P and J flair' (the fries are barbecue flavored, not quite overpowering like a potato chip, but it is there).
Spicy Seafood ceviche
Applewood Smoked Double-cut Bacon served with fresh corn salsa. And yes, that is a Jalapeno. This puppy had some spice to it. Man heart bacon. Nuff said.
The scotch egg (read about it here) was a bit of a different beast. It had no heat like the bacon, but as suggested by my waitress, Tabasco does the trick. And it did indeed. A spritz or two of the tabasco on the perfectly cooked egg made all the difference.
I could go on and on about the pint and jigger menu but I would rather you guys make the trip on your own and check it out. The happy hour is from 430-6 and parking while plentiful can fill up quick. So if you are in town on King street looking for a great departure from the norm in a socially friendly atmosphere, check out pint and jigger.
Oahu has seen a mini influx of mid to upper end gastro-experience establishments ranging from chic food trucks, pop-ups, and farmers market bazaar eats all the way to new brick and mortar restaurants with incredible pallet pleasing gastronomical experiences. The one thing that they all have in common is that they cater, in part, to a growing population of 'quality over quantity' food enthusiasts. These enthusiasts look at the entire experience of the dining process as an important cog in their social identity. It is in these types of establishments you find a melting of locavore, organic, and cruelty free or other socially conscious food product genres. Couple that with high end chef pedigrees (or their capable understudies) and you get a sense of the food scene in Hawaii. If I had about a dozen words to describe the menu, it would be "Master craftsman prepared food, incredible presentation, complex, often revolutionary taste parings. Casual atmosphere."
Within the gastro influx was a mini gastropub wave. Whether by coincidence or design, these gastropubs appeared nearly at the same time as the food influx. I am sure there is some part of this that I am missing, but for the average joe on the street, this is how it appears. The biggest distinction between a restaurant and the gastro pub is the focus. A gastropub is a pub first, that serves awesome food. A restaurant serves awesome food, but often has a great bar. Now, on to the task at hand.
Pint and jigger, the brainchild of Dave Newman (former bar manager of Nobu) and Jonathan Schwalbenitz(a long time bartending legend at Murphy's) sought to tap into this gastro experience market with a food lovers playground of eats pared with 21 varieties of craft brews on tap(as well as a murders row of awesome bottled beers). Coupled with a magnificent selection of high end liquors and skilled spirit slingers behind the bar, the Pint and Jigger component of the name has successfully been realized. A dark, wood heavy traditional alehouse look is augmented with a more modern sensibility meant to remove the rustic feel and give you the sense that "we are different." Telling and showing the pictures alone doesn't quite do it justice. You need to hear it as well. Courtesy of Soundhound, I can bring that vibe right to you. Just click this link and you can listen to the song that was playing as I entered.
The menu does impress. Executive Chef Noah Blair and Chef di Cuisine Dan Albertson do a great job of taking the bar food experience up to a level where cuisine enthusiasts will enjoy the experience. Take note that every menu item has a recommended pairing of a brew, true to its pub first heritage.
Even the classic Burger and fries takes on its own 'P and J flair' (the fries are barbecue flavored, not quite overpowering like a potato chip, but it is there).
Spicy Seafood ceviche
Applewood Smoked Double-cut Bacon served with fresh corn salsa. And yes, that is a Jalapeno. This puppy had some spice to it. Man heart bacon. Nuff said.
The scotch egg (read about it here) was a bit of a different beast. It had no heat like the bacon, but as suggested by my waitress, Tabasco does the trick. And it did indeed. A spritz or two of the tabasco on the perfectly cooked egg made all the difference.
I could go on and on about the pint and jigger menu but I would rather you guys make the trip on your own and check it out. The happy hour is from 430-6 and parking while plentiful can fill up quick. So if you are in town on King street looking for a great departure from the norm in a socially friendly atmosphere, check out pint and jigger.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
1 of 31: 31/4 challenge unedited
Today is officially, day 2 of my 31/4 challenge. I have no intent of doing anything truly epic with this challenge, except to blog every day about it. Here is the challenge. (and yes, this will be unedited and unfiltered.
While not looking like much, I must admit, for a $6.95 quick lunch on the go, she does things right. Given my newly sensitive pallet post surgery, its difficult to find something quick to eat on the road. This little buddy has become my go-to snack/meal when I am at work and on the road. It travels well, keeps relatively well, and suprisingly enough has great flavor. I made this flavor number 1 because its the first item that I truly "liked" post surgery that both I and my doctors seem to agree on. The spice is there. Not overwhelming, but enough spice to let you know its there. The salsa kicks up the whole concoction and makes the wraps at least a whole level of complexity better. Yes, its not Zaratez Mulitas or will never be considered top level cuisine, we gotta start somewhere, and here it is.
31 work outs. 31 flavors. 31 blog entries in 31 days.
I am already behind as this is blog entry number 1 on day number 2. However I am about to rectify that! So, without further interruption. 1 of 31....
Vacation! Staycation! Yes!!!!!! so today starts my Staycation. I will be off from work from October 2 through October 17. I intend to have something accomplished by the end of my vacation. Here are some of the items I wish to have accomplished (aside from my workouts).
Scuba Certification Dinner cruise Quidam (anyone want to go?) Haunted Lagoon Run 1 mile continuously. (yes, for those whom do not know, this is a difficult thing for me. I can swim til the end of time, but I am not and have never been a 'runner'. If I am going to compete in a triathlon in May, I must start somewhere. Find a tablet for me. Find an iPhone for my mom. (Yes, I am making it my challenge). lose one pants size impress my doctorsThis is a work in progress, so I am not worried about the completeness or lack thereof on this blog list. Everyone will be able to read what I am up to. Workout 1. 1/2 hour swim. 24 hour fitness. 2am. Flavor 1. Chicken Chipotle Bistro Box at Starbucks.
Whole-wheat tortillas, white chicken strips, pepper jack cheese, lime-cilantro slaw and tomato avocado salsa. Dark chocolate.Starbucks website link
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