Eric's Reviews

This is by no means a luxury hotel, but I've stayed her twice for a conference in Orlando. It's only a mile or two away from the Omni at ChampionsGate…

This is a new, trendy, and "upscale" restaurant in Redondo Beach, near the pier. There aren't many "great" restaurants in Redondo Beach, so we were …

We had been wanting to try out Providence for a long time, as we had heard that the seafood here was amazing. While our experience was OK, we were sli…

I went here for a 3 year anniversary dinner with Lisa. We had heard many great things about Melisse, and it's supposed to be one of the best restauran…

The World Buffet at the Rio is a lot cheaper than most other buffets (I think it was only $22 a person for lunch), and while the food is not incredibl…

I haven't stayed at the hotel here, but have stopped by here on the way back from Vegas to LA with my friends. If you're from LA, no doubt you've seen…

The Flamingo Hotel certainly isn't as nice as many of the other hotels on the strip, especially if you can't get the new "Go" rooms. The "Go" rooms ar…

The Kogi Taco Truck is relatively famous in Los Angeles, and on Twitter. It's a Korean BBQ taco truck that shows up at different places in LA, and pos…
This review was featured on Tuesday September 8th, 2009

Lisa and I were looking for a nice place to get dinner, to celebrate her return from Japan, and decided to try to a new restaurant called RH in West H…

The Grove is a popular outdoor shopping mall on 3rd and Fairfax in Los Angeles. I'm not really much of a shopper, but it's a fun place to walk around …

If the thought of paying $16 to go to the top of the Space Needle just to see a view of Seattle seems excessive, I'd suggest checking out Smith Tower …

I heard about this beach during my summer in Seattle. Since I was missing the beach and surf of my native California, I decided to come check it out. …

BottleRock bills itself as a wine bar, but I've only been there for beers, and it's been great every time. They have a huge selection of unique beers,…

Came here with some friends and Lisa, who wanted to try it out because the owner/chef is from the TV show Top Chef, and apparently a fan favorite. I d…

Ikko is a tiny little restaurant right next to Inaba, another Japanese restaurant that I enjoy immensely. Lisa and I wanted to try something new, so w…

Lotus of Siam is hailed as the best Thai restaurant in the USA, but you wouldn't know it by its location. It's located in a large strip mall surroundi…

We went here for lunch before walking around the shops at Caesar's Palace. The price for lunch were actually pretty reasonable, about $10-15 for a mea…

"O", a Cirque du Soleil performance at the MGM Grand, is an amazing performance that will blow your mind. The acrobatics are amazing, including some t…

I was a bit skeptical coming into this restaurant, as I didn't know anything about Mario Batali other than that he had a show on Food Network, and in …

Verandah is a restaurant located in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas. We ate here for dinner on one night, and then also ordered lunch…

Lisa found a good rate for this hotel using TravBuddy. Despite being one of the best hotels in Vegas, it was actually cheaper than many of the other h…
This review was featured on Saturday July 18th, 2009

Stayed here for a conference, after finding this hotel through Hotwire for a relatively cheap rate of $88/night. Definitely liked this better than …
This review was featured on Friday May 22nd, 2009

I was incredibly skeptical about this place, even after Lisa had raved about it, because I'm not a big fan of "fake" vegetarian meet, and the Veggie G…

We went to Circa right after eating dinner and drinking sake at Mas Sake next door. The layout of the bar is pretty spacious, with comfortable seating…

Met a few friends here before going out in SF. I actually didn't think the service was that bad, but we got here pretty early (before it was crowded) …

Met with metsbwd and poohstanggt here while we were all in Santa Cruz for dinner and drinks. We got a seat in the back/bar area so that we would be ab…

The Omni in San Francisco is regularly listed as one of the top hotels in San Francisco, and it's not hard to see why. The rooms are simple but elegan…

Chez Panisse is a Berkeley institution, and the birthplace of "California Cuisine", which placed an emphasis on using fresh, local, seasonal ingredien…

When I first walked into Cafe Chloe, it reminded me exactly of a restaurant I had been to in Paris. Small tables surrounding a central bar in an almos…

El Indio has been featured on the Food Network, where Lisa heard about it. I wasn't too hungry, so I ordered a shredded beef tostada. It was actually …

Found this hotel on Priceline for less than $100/night, after taxes and fees. We used it for a quick, relatively inexpensive weekend trip from LA, and…

While dining at Craft, supposedly one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, I came up with a theory. Just as there is a huge, natural range among hu…

Stayed here for a night using Priceline, and got the room for only $100/night. The normal rate, booking through other sites, was $200. I'd classify…

Family owned, tasty Italian place in the new happening spot of Culver City. I'm usually fairly picky when it comes to Italian food, and I only have ha…

A review of this place is long overdue, since I've been going here a few times a week for the last few months. Bento Asian Kitchen is a small, clean, …

There aren't a lot of great Italian restaurants in the South Bay, so I was excited to try out The Bottle Inn, a small, homey feeling place near the st…

After our less than wonderful experience at Mala, we decided we'd have one nice dinner in Maui, damn the costs. Well, that's not entirely true. Althou…

I was searching for a place to learn how to dive during my vacation to Maui, and clicked on Scuba Gods because of the unique name. It was clear from t…

Mala is a snazzy restaurant located in a beautiful, partly outdoor setting, in the Marriott. However, it seems like one of those restaurants that are …

The South Bay (of Los Angeles) doesn't really have a huge selection of good Italian restaurants. My favorite one is actually Il Chianti, which is more…

After staying at a mediocre hostel for our first few nights in Istanbul, we decided upon returning to the city a few weeks later to try a hotel. Durin…

The ruins at Aphrodisias were my favorite ruins in Turkey. When you are reaching amphitheater burnout, this is a great place to visit. Not only …

Stayed here in a triple with a few friends in winter. We were the only guests. Kiwi Pension is located close to the bus station and in a central lo…

Located in the center of Selcuk (about 1-2km from Ephesus), this museum is well worth a visit. Many of the smaller artifacts from the Ephesus site are…

Getting to Labranda is difficult, and you'll need a rental car, but it's well worth the effort if you have some time to spare. You have to drive fo…

Becin is a medieval fortress set on an impressive rock hill/cliff, just outside of Milas. As far as ruins in Turkey go, this one is impressive more…

Note: This review is for the off-season. My friend and I went in the middle of winter (Late Dec/Early Jan), so rates were incredibly cheap. Basically,…

There isn't a whole lot to do in Bodrum during the off-season, but the Museum of Underwater Archaeology probably ranks as the top attraction. Contr…

Topkapi is one of those tourist sites that you feel compelled to go to, whatever the cost, because when is the next time you are going to be in Istanb…

We visited the Hagia Sophia right after the Blue Mosque, and to be honest it was a little bit of a let down, especially given the entrance fee (which …