02.08.10 I don't know why I almost always end my trip reviews with a bad one on a fast food restaurant at the airport. This is no different. Seriously, I know life sucks when you work at a fast food restaurant at the airport. If you don't want to work there, maybe you should find another job. It's definitely not good for business when you have a sour look on your face while you point me to another cashier because you don't feel like taking my order. I did get an extra piece of nugget. In your face.

negative

Best high-end restaurant on the westside? It might be a toss up between Marche Bacchus and Vintner Grill. Thanks to some much needed vacation time between Christmas and New Years I had the pleasure of dining here for lunch on a weekday. The place is hidden in an office park and doesn't look like much from the outside. But, as soon as you step in you'll feel like you've been transported to the some posh, elegant, urban metropolis. With its white couches and ceiling there's a airiness about the place despite little natural lighting. Black and green accents throughout the comfy interior add a modern touch. Of course you'll be reminded that you're still in Vegas when you see the video poker machines along the bar. Lunch was excellent. There's a good selection of wines by the glass and the strawberry caipirinha shouldn't be missed. I'm a sucker for carbs and the bread basket they brought out didn't stand a chance. Among the selection was a brioche, pretzel bread, cranberry bread, and one with jalapenos. They were accompanied by an olive tapenade. Following the bread basket was a cheese and meat platter ($25) with prosciutto, salami, a house-made camembert, goat gouda, Saint Andre triple creme cow's milk cheese. The triple creme was the standout among the cheeses. The salami had an almost jerky-like texture which I didn't care for. Their selection is an interesting mix of familiar and not so familiar items, some of which are house-made and seasonal. Your best bet is to tell the waiter your preferences and let him choose for you. Their appetizers, flatbreads and some entrees are available as half orders, which is convenient if you want to try many things. We tried a half order of the pan seared crab cake ($8) with tarragon cream, roasted peppers and mache. The plating with the single crab cake sitting atop the cream sauce was beautiful and the flavors were equally as good. If you don't expect a Maryland style crab cake with jumbo lump meat (which this is not) you may be impressed. My wife had a half order of the spicy chicken sausage flatbread ($7) with romesco sauce, leek confit, marjoram and truffled ricotta. A half order came as 4 slices. The crust was more chewy than crispy, but still tasty and generously topped with quality ingredients. My dish was amazing -- the braised lamb bolognese ($11) with black pepper tagliatelli, truffled ricotta and fresh grated nutmeg. It wasn't the most visually appealing dish to look at, but it didn't last long enough for me to take a second look. Wonderful flavors with tender and savory chunks of lamb and fresh pasta. The dish is reason enough for a return visit. Service was solid but a little stiff -- probably because they're used to serving dudes in suits most lunch shifts. No matter, I'd be glad to come back for dinner or have some small bites out on their patio when the weather warms up. 4.5 Stars

positive

I think we are have given our local coffee house it's last shot. Let me start with the breakfast sandwich that has the worst scrambled egg concoction on it its impossible to eat. That was the first visit. Coffee was nothing to write home about either. Went another time and got an overpriced pizza that looked great when it was coming to the table but after careful inspection it was the greasiest thing I had ever seen and too greasy to even pick up!! I wrote this review last year when they had the hot dog cart but apparently i didn't hit the post button. Still haven't been back. We said we would never repeat but got hooked in again by noticing a hot dog cart out front. Don't eat them often so it is a rare but treasured treat. Went inside and ordered the foot long 1/2 lb hot dog and a bratworst plus two iced teas. Came to over 17 dollars and they handed us two buns in baskets and told us to take them outside to the grill. I asked if they had a bigger bun and they looked at me like I was stupid! huh? A 6 inch regular bun? Can you not afford foot long buns for your foot long hot dogs? I should have asked for a refund but my guy said he wouldnt eat his if I told them I didn't want it. Instead I asked for a box and boxed the hot dog and threw the stale bun away. These people know nothing about food. We will never return because there are many better and friendlier places to enjoy without being raped of your hard earned money for bad food! P.S. you cannot get a refill for an iced tea if you have not ordered food along with it.

negative

Ah yes...time again for some new living room furniture. After getting new sofas every couple of years, we decided to give some leather furniture a try. We found a couple of beautiful pieces and got a quote from our salesperson, Jeff. We thanked him and went to check out some competitors' options to compare. I'm not a huge fan of the all-day shopping events, and my preference was for the Haverty's pieces, so I decided to go back and see if Jeff could knock off the shipping charges to keep the price around 3 grand. He looked incredibly annoyed (and why wouldn't he...it eats into his commission). He had to "speak with someone" about getting the price down. He also asked if I would buy today if he could get the price of the shipping knocked off. Which of course, led to my belief that I'd be pulling out my wallet in a couple of minutes. Here's where my decision to find a new store, or at the very least, work with another salesperson comes into play. When speaking with Jeff, I expressed that I wanted to stay around or under 3 grand to stay within my budget...that...and...my wife wasn't exactly thrilled about purchasing a leather set to begin with. Annoyed that I was asking for "free shipping" ($120) on a $3,000 purchase, Jeff decides that the best thing to tell me...is...that I should have been looking at furniture I can afford. Did he really just say that? There's no way I heard that, right? Now there's two sides to me...the one that could have handed him my business card and discussed the difference between the words "budget" and "afford," and the one that was in total shock as he walked away to talk to a manager. While my nature tends to lean towards the former, I was certain that any discussion past this point would have been a waste of breath. To be fair, i was already receiving a $100 discount for every thousand I spent (not including the $300 warranty). Since the price only came to $2700 without taxes and warranty, it would only be $200 off. I walked in to speak with Jeff for a deal on shipping. I was prepared to leave and buy elsewhere if he was unwilling to negotiate. The only reason I'm updating my review is to bring light to a poor choice of how to speak to a customer and an unwillingness to be flexible. Profit margin is considerably higher in the furniture business than in most other retail outlets. As a returning customer I expect some flexibility in maintaining the relationship. Acting like the $120 delivery charge would bring the net profit below all costs was absurd...and if it's not absurd...Haverty's business model must be.
negative