Review from Joe's Garage... (6-24-08)

Joe's Garage was a little pricey for what we got - but then again, we were there since Happy Hour. So, I guess you can say it was moderately priced. We ate outside - not on the rooftop patio, but on the sidewalk patio. (FYI - NO Happy Hour specials on the rooftop). The service was really slow - but seemed to be expected. Food was good - nice mix on the menu with a few surprises. Atmosphere - so/so. We ate outside, so we had a nice view of the park and people watching provided our entertainment: people tend to often drive the opposite direction on the one-way. Parking was a tad difficult if you got there late - I had to park several blocks away. The others lucked out and paid to park in the lot. Thanks Stef for the Review!

***(3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS)

Review from W.A. FROST... (6-22-08)

How can you go wrong when it's a beautiful day and you are sitting on a patio? The ambiance was perfect, the weather was great, but the service wasn't anything to rave about. Actually I was a tad disappointed. Plus, did I mention there was a shaggy dog practically drooling on Stef. Anyways, as you are seated you are handed about 4 menus which is a little overwhelming - which I think they could have combined to have a little less confusion. But, as soon as we arrived we ordered a cheese tray along with our cocktails and wine. We didn't receive the cheese tray till after our appetizers and after we reminded our server that we ordered the cheese an hour ago. We started off with the Spicy Beef Carpaccio Roulades and the Chilled Asparagus Salad - both were excellent and very fresh. Then our cheese tray arrived that contained Upland Farm's Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Smokey "Oregon Blue", and Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog - again, everyone liked all the cheeses as each one had a unique flavor to satisfy different palettes. For entrees we ordered a wide variety of dishes that included the Lamb Burger, Cheese Burger, Mixed Green Salad, and Pan Roasted Scallops. All of the entrees were excellent as the Lamb Burger had great flavor and my Scallops were amazing. The menu was very limited when it came to vegetarian options, though the salad that Lisa got was flavorful it wasn't anything to brag about. We realized the Bar menu, you definitely got your money's worth and the portions were good. The other menu, the portions were small but we weren't at all shocked as that is what we expected. Needless to say we always have room for dessert so we tried the Mini Trio Plate which included Classic Creme Brulee, Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler, and Dark Chocolate & Cherry Cake. Our favorite was the Creme Brulee of course!! All and all the dinner was exceptional and we would have given a higher rating but due to the poor service we had to give a lower one. But I know I can speak for us all, and say that we would definitely all return.

****(4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS)

Review from Namaste... (6-10-08)

Unique, interesting... just to name a few things that come to mind when I think of Namaste. This restaurant is located in a house where you might be a tad confused when walking in the door... don't worry it is a restaurant. We started off with Mamacha and Paapri Chaat - both were excellent and different. The sauce that came with the Mamacha was a little spicy - which I think made the dish. Then when it came to ordering dinner there were a ton of choices and it really came down to what you like and what you were looking for. The dishes were all surprisingly diverse - one of my friends wasn't too sure about curry but I know for a fact she will be returning to have curry again. So don't cross this restaurant of your list if you don't like curry cause these are unique enough to please everyone. At first I was a tad worried when ordering wine and beer and they kept saying they were out. But when it came to the main menu they could help you order and find what you wanted and the menu descriptions were very helpful. You were given the option of spiciness so it was perfect for everyone. I think all and all we were very surprised and definitely would all go back. The atmosphere made you feel at home since I think we were actually sitting in the living room of this house. Oh and I almost forgot to mention we had some Chai - which was excellent. I loved the atmosphere, the different people (you could definitely tell you were in Uptown), the food and our servers (I think we had about 3 waitresses).

****(4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS)