Problem: What would be an example of an negative review?

Answer: This is a tough review and it's only for the "hot bar"/restaurant, not the store itself (which falls between a 4-5 star review). GAM's hot bar could border on greatness if they would make some changes. There is a lot of confusion in ordering and figuring out what is on the hot bar and what is made to order. Either that or I'm just dumb. Duhr. The staff are friendly enough but sadly communication is a little tough. A lot of the menu is bilingual and I totally get that. In Stallings, the language barrier is bad enough with the locals! (I live just up the street so don't throw things!!!!) I wish they would invest in fountain drinks instead of selling canned drinks. Some of this food is spicy and 1 canned drink ain't gonna cut it. Some food comes in a Styrofoam container, others in nice bowls and plates. (Cleaning up after yourself is a bear because you find yourself playing bus boy and sorting everything at the one lone trash can they have.) Plastic utensils are the cheapest quality known to mankind. The forks can barely penetrate the meat or veggies and I'm surprised my spoon didn't melt in the extremely hot wonton soup. Soup so hot that my tongue is still scalded. It was very good wonton but it was a meal in itself. That's what I get for not studying the menu prices closely to see exactly what I was ordering. The hot bar can be very intimidating. There's a large selection to choose from and then there's the menu. You have certain menu items made to order and some are on the bar itself. It's a little confusing particularly with the elephant-in-the-room that is the language barrier. The employees are very patient and try their best to answer your questions. I'm sure they rotate what's on the bar with what's on their menu. I ordered the soup, went with a safe bet of sesame chicken, and a spring roll. The sesame chicken was very good (you can't really screw that up can you?), but the spring roll was terrible. Maybe it just wasn't "Americanized" enough for me since this place is very authentic. I just wasn't a fan of it. Yellowish looking cabbage and...I don't even want to know what else was in it. My son got the egg drop (great....fried noodles were excellent) and the box meal (roast duck, beef w/broccoli, and spicy chicken). The duck had a good flavor but was very tough. Beef w/broccoli was carry-out-generic, but the spicy chicken was very good. VERY spicy! Fried rice wasn't anything special but it was better than what you would get at most carryout places. Would I go back? That's a tough one. Not to eat in, that's for sure. Carryout, yes. Your pal, Walter

Problem: What would be an example of an positive review?

Answer: I went to my first class and was excited to check out this athletic fun. I am athletic, in my early 40's and like to constantly mix it up (you have to as you age!), thus my interest in Surfset. I attended the "blended" class, which is a little cardio, a little strength, a lot of core and some meditative yoga stuff too. WHAT A FUN WORKOUT! Being on the board really does put you off balance and makes your muscles and core work harder than if you were simply doing exercise on a solid surface. I have a good mind body connection and could feel the instability of the surf board kicking in little muscles that we all often overlook. The instructor (who I believe was also the owner) was welcoming, helpful, funny and really guided the entire group on understanding the whole core, balance, strength objective of what you were to be doing. The room is dim and you feel like there is plenty of space and comfort to be in your own zone of intensity. They also play surfing realm from competitions on huge wall above the instructor, which I liked because it put you in the mood. The website outlines which classes they have and some are just cardio, some are just strength and some are just more yoga based or there is the blend class that I took. My biggest challenge is tight hip flexers from years of running and cycling. It is the same reason I am not a good surfer, because my hip flexers do not allow me to easily pop up on a board. I had this same problem a bit with this class, but not enough for me not to go back and encourage others to check it out. Hang Ten, hop on a board and I would absolutely say try it out! It was fun and it was challenging.

Problem: What would be an example of an negative review?

Answer:
Holy crap was this place awful. I had read all the horrible reviews and thought to my self, this place can't be that bad can it? I walked by and saw this colorful little spot and thought I'd check it out but then I realized it was THE Frida. What a mistake I made, I've had better texmex at Taco Bell and it still gave me the runs. The food was positively bland and but I'll admit that the waitress was very nice and helpful. I can't understand why there were so many people eating there the day I went. Well I guess they were actually all drinking tons of margaritas so at that point is doesnt matter what kind of food you are cutting the alcohol with. Also the fake Frida murals were hella cheesy. Texmex cheesy.