nice place, shitty food.

I recently realised how much i dislike those midgrade, overly themed strip mall try-to-look-one-of-a-kind chain resturants. they always have them in all the "new" shopping center/malls and they consistently dont live up to the promise thier theme, creative menu and decor imply. its always white washed so-so versions of real food. and they charge you $10.00. for what, a fancy plate? this is basicly lean cuisine pasta in an oversized bowl with chopsticks from Cost Plus. ugh, Cost Plus, thats another story... fucking "handcrafted [in a Cost Plus sweatshop African statue factory] in Kenya".

i dont know if they have em out there but pretty much everything at the Bay St. shopping center they just put in out here. PF Changs, Buckhorn Grill, Pasa Pomodoro, ZAO, Askew, Rubios...ugh, i hate Rubios. They're all over now and they all suck but look awesome. they all have mouth watering menus of dissapointingly mediocre overpriced food. consistently wherever you go.

There's a couple that i'll let slide. California Pizza Kitchen is good, they have a unique and genuinly good menu.. plus its hard to fuck up pizza. Another one is Fuddruckers. I got used to Fuddruckers being a great local place, but when i went on tour I noticed them popping up all over, and to my dismay, they were sub par. they were like a shitty chain version of the place i grew up with at home. If you go there, ask them if they have the real Fuddruckers mustard. if they dont, leave. And a place I got to liking when i was in LA, is Baja Fresh. please dont confuse them with Rubios. Baja Fresh is actually good. and they just put one in finally up here and it lives up to my expectations.

so, dont be fooled by thier gourmet menus and gourmet prices. these places are just dressed up Dennys' with an ethnic flaire. youre paying extra for the decorations.