Q: positive

A: I've been to the lanuch buffet twice since this restaurant opened a few weeks ago and am quite impressed. It's a small space so their buffet is fairly limited, but everything on it is of very high quality - significantly better than any other Indian place in Oakland. Highlights include perfectly fluffy naan, moist and flavorful tandoori chicken, and a very bold chicken tikka masala. Owners/staff are very friendly. My one complaint is that they don't warm the food very well, and some of the items get cold during slow periods. Still, for $7 you can't find a better lanuch.

Q: negative

A: My fiance and I tried Red Thai last night (Saturday) for dinner. We walked in and were seated right away at a table. Our initial impression is that the music is way too loud, the anime on two enormous screens is kind of weird, and the oddly long bar actually seemed to have more seating then the restaurant. The bar goes the entire length of the restaurant with at least 30-40 seats (maybe more). We were there from 8:00 - 9:00 on a Saturday night. Every table and booth was taken with restaurant guests, but there were only 3 people at the entire bar when we got there - which dwindled down to one lone guest at the bar who looked to be waiting for their take-out order to be prepared. On to the ordering. Our waitress was adequate, but nothing special in terms of service. We asked for ice tea and were told they don't have any kind other than bottled ice tea - which were both sweetened. So, we declined and stuck with water. My fiance ordered the special of the night - which was an udon dish with shrimp. I asked the waitress what she recommended for a first timer there. She asked me if I like spicy food. I said that I did, so she recommended the pad thai, so I ordered chicken pad thai. We also ordered an appetizer of coconut shrimp. The coconut shrimp came fairly quickly and it was excellent. The two dipping sauces were different from what is normally served with coconut shrimp, but they were both quite tasty. My fiance's udon dish came out next. We thought my pad thai would be following quickly behind. It wasn't. We noticed several other tables near us in the same predicament - one guest with a hot dish served while the other guests (or guests) were waiting. So, while several dishes were sitting there getting cold, other guests were stuck waiting. And it wasn't just a minute or two. My dish took a full 7 additional minutes to come out. Other guests also seemed to be annoyed and kept looking over at our table. When my pad thai finally did arrive, it was delicious. However, my fiance's udon dish was served with tail-on shrimp. Now, keep in mind this is a very saucy dish. Does the chef expect people to fish the shrimp out of the sauce, and then carefully cut off the tail on the narrow rim of the bowl? Come on. It was ridiculous. In addition, cutting the shrimp left an unsightly mess along the bowl rim. Ugh. When the waitress came by to check on us, I asked her how the chef anticipated people to eat the tail-on shrimp in this dish. She said, "I don't really know. It's just how he does it." So, while the food was tasty, there were problems with this restaurant. They appear to be trying too hard to be something that they're not. This isn't the Biltmore area. This is a strip center restaurant between the Ace Hardware and the 99 Cent Store. The service was marginal and the timing of our meals out of the kitchen was not acceptable. When we asked about the tail-on shrimp, that would have clued in any experienced server that there was a problem. This waitress practically chastised us for questioning the chef's decision. For these reasons, you've been chopped.

Q: negative

A: The shop is clean and there is plenty of staff. I came in for a new gel manicure and unfortunately I won't be coming back. I look young... I understand that but that is no reason to assume that I can't afford a $40 dollar manicure. I felt somewhat disrespected....and I'm not easily offended. $40 is quite pricey for what I usually get and is what Polished on rainbow charges but for good reason. Their nail techs are on point...manicure always lasts. That being said if my manicure had lasted for more than a few days I wouldn't be writing this review. My nail tech didn't know how to work with gels so it kept running into my cuticles as she directed me to put my hand under the UV. I told her multiple times but she brushed it off as if I didn't know what I was talking about. Later on she made a comment mocking how I know a lot about this and asked if I had graduated highschool yet... Really? Dude. I will end it at that.

Q: negative

A:
Pros: -Great tasting kool-aid, but then again, how could you go wrong with making kool-aid...? -Very nice staff Cons: -Slow service if you sit outside. You're pretty much forgotten by the wait staff -Don't order the cornbread - its extremely dense and hard, not the soft, buttery kind I know the crowd will boo when they read this, but seriously folks - their chicken and waffles tastes like KFC chicken with Ego waffles - anybody feel me on this?! What is so special about their stuff? I say take your money and buy you're own bucket of fried chicken for the same price. Sorry!