Problem: The main attraction of the night was Velvet Speak Easy. They should just leave the Speak Easy out. Nothing was easy except the girls there. Getting a drink was a 20 minute task. And they only had two bathroom stalls for girls and boys. But while in line, there's at least a photo op with sparkly "Be Fabulous" (The text wasn't only for me, but it sure seemed like they had me in mind.). The crowd was probably one of the worst I had seen in awhile (pretty much equal to last night but that post will come later). Think young bleach-blonds with fake tans who wanted to wear their gaudy, bejeweled, short Prom dresses until they burst the seams, and bros who were subsequently separated from the girls as if they were at a junior high formal. The DJ started playing better music later in the evening, but we belonged to the small minority who were actually dancing. I definitely won't go back to this place.
How would this review be described?
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A: negative

Problem: Most amazing collection of instruments but even better is the video/audio Guide that starts. When you walk by the instruments!!!!
How would this review be described?
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A: positive

Problem: Frankly, I don't even know about all the hype or the national fame or whatever. I just went here on a friend's recommendation (and with a bunch of other people, but that's not so relevant). Sprinkles is next to a plaza of sorts within the Linq. I think the easiest parking is probably the giant outdoor lot on Winnick Rd. off Koval, and when you walk through that end of the Linq, you'll get a good view of the giant ferris wheel. The store is pretty nicely decorated, brightly lit, and clean so far. Aside from just following up on the recommendation, the crux of my visit was to capitalize on a sort of BOGO offer: buy a Cuban coffee cupcake ($3.75, standard price), whisper a secret passphrase (out of respect and because this is time-limited, I'll just say that it's on the national Sprinkles Facebook page), and get any other cupcake free. I chose dark chocolate on aforementioned friend's recommendation. Funny thing about a place named Sprinkles. They never asked me whether I wanted sprinkles on my cupcake. Only later did I learn that not only do the sprinkles not come by default (even though they're free), but the dark chocolate cupcake may be even better with the sprinkles, which are apparently more like flakes. Also, it seems that it's not the same person who takes your order as the one who takes payment, so I had to do that passphrase thing twice, which speaks to more communication issues. But let's end this on a positive trend: if you have a sweet tooth, you will love these guys. Cuban coffee was delicious, with the coffee flavor concentrated in the lovely frosting. Dark chocolate was also great, and definitely not too sweet (at least in the non-sprinkle form). And I got to try a bit of a lemon cupcake which was just vibrant with flavor. Good times.
How would this review be described?
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A: positive

Problem: I agree with the above comment. I live in the neighborhood as well and was very excited to see Arcadia Tavern open, hoping it would still have the neighborhood charm of Western Pizza and Red Tomato. I was wowed by the size of the place and the number of flat screens, but unfortunately the food and service were so so. I've tried to go back several times but each time the parking lot is packed and there's no space at the adjacent lots. Who exactly is filling up these spaces??? The restaurant never looks busy from the outside...Due to the lack of parking at Arcadia I found myself ending up at Blackforest Mill and Jts. Both of which I have found to have great food and great drink prices. So to those who will probably venture to Arcadia Grill like I did and be turned away by lack of parking, head over to one of these bars instead. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the food and drinks.
How would this review be described?
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A:
negative