user: Problem: This is probably the best designed live-music-bar venue in the valley. (Hurts to hear that it's in Mesa, doesn't it?) You can really be close to the band; there are plenty of tables. The bar area is separate, but still has a great view. The acoustics are good.   ~If you think it's too loud, it's because you'd rather hear yourself than the music. There are breaks between sets, or you can go outside and smoke if you want to be heard above the band.  The only reason this venue does not get 5 stars is because my friends band was bumped. We sat around for hours waiting to go on stage. From what I understand, this wouldn't have happened if the owner was there, but he wasn't. So my friends had to play last. By that time we were all tired and we had given up on making it a great show. It was more like a jam session for us than it was like doing a show, because by that time we didn't care what other people thought.
How would this review be described?
++++++++++
A: positive


Problem: First off, do not go to the address listed for these reviews.  I am guessing that folks just started posting here, and never stopped.  The correct location is actually at the 1700 block.  This place , the 1500 block, is where the wholesale market for restaurants and grocery stores is.  Pretty obvious, unless you are not from the area, in which case you will be wondering "Where the $%$# is Wholey's ?" if you go to 1501 Penn Ave.  Bought the jumbo crab legs here yesterday.  At 25 bucks a pound for the jumbos, definitely not cheap, but celebrating a new job and at the same time starting a two week Cisco class.  Anyways...  I love crab.  I remember first buying the snow crab in 1985, when you could buy large snow crab legs that rivalled the size of todays king crab legs for $2.79 a pound.  Kind of like you used to be able to get skirt steak for a buck a pound before people discovered how delicious skirt steak is.  The regular king crab was $18.00 per lb.  The jumbo are $25.00 per lb.  I said what the heck, and got three pounds of the jumbos.  Which came out to six legs.    First big plus, they are very "clean".  Don't have big chunks of ice crusted on them, which forces you to pay $25.00 a pound for water.  Second, at that price, I have zero problem having the person at the counter dig down in the display to get exactly what I want.  And while other folks may have had bad experiences, I have never had a surly counter person, they never have any problem getting what I want.  But like I said, for the price these things cost, they better not have a problem with digging out the ones I want.  And last, they were very good looking.  No "odd' coloration or look.    When I got these things home, I only steamed two of them.  Which was a very healthy sized meal.  And they were the sweetest and best tasting I had ever had.  Just ate them with butter.  Today, I am just going to thaw and heat one of them, then chop up the meat and have it over iceberg lettuce with FRESH MADE Ranch dressing.  I love getting Hidden valley Ranch, mixing it with just a pint of sour cream, and dressing iceberg and king crab meat with it.  One of my favorite, and most likelt easiest, meals.  And!!!  Wholey's is a full serve grocery store.  They have a full meat department, veggies, not as big as a Giant Eagle or a Wal-Mart, but definitely better than either place.    So DON'T think of Wholey's as just a place for seafood.  You can get your whole party stocked from here.  Now, the bad things.  They only have five (5!?!?!) cash registers.  Also, they sell sushi, but it is so popular, unless you want to stand there for half an hour, don't get the sushi unless you happen to walk in, and no one is standing in line.  In which case, get the sushi.  It is pretty good, suprsingly so.
How would this review be described?
++++++++++
A: positive


Problem: There's nothing special about Nobu.  They have multiples locations. This place is for novice sushi lover.
How would this review be described?
++++++++++
A: negative


Problem: OVERALL: Given the popularity of Girasole, I was disappointed that this place didn't even come close to living up to the hype. Although there were some highlights, there were plenty of negatives to counter them.  SERVICE: Despite having a reservation, we were made to wait for over 45 minutes for a table, standing outside in the cold. Also, we were only given cutlery for two of the three people in our party. Not a good start. Once seated, though, the service was good. Our server, Vito, was pleasant and attentive.  FOOD: Disappointing. The bread brought to our table was stone cold, and the accompanying butter was rock hard and still in the commercial packaging. I expect to get butter in little plastic tubs at a diner, but not at a relatively upscale restaurant like Girasole. Furthermore, the fact that the bread was cold and the butter was practically frozen made it impossible to spread. Not a good start.   Fortunately, it improved from there. The salad course was the highlight of the meal - the greens were crisp and the addition of sunflower seeds and bleu cheese crumbles gave it wonderful texture and flavor. This was the best part of the meal.  My steak was tender and the meat was of good quality. However, it was a tad under-seasoned and the accompanying risotto was undercooked and quite bland. The polenta that was served with my wife's chicken was also bland and under-seasoned.   Desserts were average. I had the chocolate mousse cake, which sounded delicious, but ultimately the quality was on par with what you would get at a supermarket bakery. My wife had the coconut cream cake, which turned out to just be yellow cake with some coconut frosting.  AMBIANCE:  Probably the best thing about this place. It is quaint and intimate. The decor is charming and it's in a lovely location.  FINAL VERDICT: Probably a better bet on an off-peak night and when the weather is nicer, but if it's a busy night and it's cold out, I'd give it a miss.
How would this review be described?
++++++++++
A:

assistant: negative