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Sun Tacos: Changed Name=Changed Quality

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

If you live in La Mesa, you may very well have enjoyed the little taco shop on Baltimore that was once known as Buenos Dias. Unfortunately, although the shop is still owned by the same people, the name change to Sun Tacos, which does not sound nearly as delightful to the ear, reflects a drop in both value and price.

While the menu options are the exact same, even the trademark Buenos Dias burrito with potatoes, beans and eggs, the prices have risen as much as a dollar per item. You can even see the old prices shining through the menu board, mocking you for having spent more than you really should have.

For me though, the real disappointment was the food. While the restaurant was once one of the rare taco shops that wasn’t too greasy and cooked everything to perfection, the food has taken a nosedive. The carne asada was chewy; the beans, flavorless and greasy; the tortillas, stale; and, worst of all the potatoes in my once-beloved Buenos Dias burrito were crunchy and undercooked.

If you had once enjoyed the restaurant, it’s best to leave your memories the way they were and simply avoid the location at all costs.

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Posted in Guide To San Diego, Reviews | No Comments »

Finding Fun Things To Do In SF

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

San Francisco always has events going on, from concerts to symphonies to protests to gallery openings to charity races. It would be exceptionally hard to keep track of all of these goings on if it weren’t for the great selection of resources made available to the public -and all for free.
If you live in the Bay Area or are just visiting for a short while, it always helps to keep an eye on the upcoming events in the city to make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to check out a happening you are really into.

Check The Weekly Papers
The two local weekly papers in San Francisco always have an extensive listing of upcoming events, best of all, both are free both in the city and on the web. The San Francisco Bay Guardian has listings of upcoming political events and protests; theater shows; concerts; films; club happenings and other events that fail to fit in these categories. The SF Weekly has listings of concerts; movies; art gallery events; book-related happenings; museum exhibits; gay and lesbian meetings; theater shows and other events submitted to their publication.

Ask A City Guide
San Francisco City Guides provide free local tours of the city. These friendly residents are also very happy to help you answer any questions you have about the city, including what activities they may recommend doing during your trip.

The main City Guide booth is located at:
100 Larkin St
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4266

www.sfcityguides.org

The List
If you’re looking to see what bands are in town, the best resource available is an extensive collection of Bay Area shows put together weekly by Steve Koepke and known simply as ‘The List.’ The list can be found in an easily accessible html version by visiting foopee.com and clicking on punk shows -note that the list is not limited to punk music though.

Visit SF Station
SFStation.com is a comprehensive website with listings all types of activities in the Bay Area. Here you can find upcoming events, top-rated restaurants, local band profiles, and more. This site check help you find just about anything related to shopping, eating or events.

Yelp It
Yelp.com is a great resource of reviews from cities across the globe. They started out of San Francisco though, so their listings here are some of the best. If you’re looking for upcoming events, you can check the forums and then take a look at the reviews of the location it is held at.
One great thing about Yelp is that you may avoid good events ruined by the venue. Even if you heard about the event from one of the other sources listed here, you can still check its location on Yelp to make sure it’s worth your time.

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The Delectable Dive Bar of Delis

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

The Lunch Bag Deli is exactly what a tiny local deli should be: cheap, uncrowded and delicious. It also has all the best characteristics of a good dive bar: full of empty space, yet decorated in a themeless mess of collectibles. Your sandwich maker could just as easily be pouring you a Jack and Coke as he could be loading up your pastrami on rye and his short bursts of conversation wouldn’t change either way. There’s an unused fan in the corner that is so dirty it would choke the whole establishment with dust if someone ever had the nerve to turn it on. On top of one of the refrigerators sits a dusty, antique display collection of fine oils and vinegars that will never touch one of the sandwiches on the menu. If a yuppie mother came in here, you could be certain she would be constantly hounding her children not to touch anything.

Fortunately for you, the fan’s not on, the oils and vinegars remain capped and you are not the child of a yuppie. Enjoy a meatball sub, a turkey cappicola, a tuna melt or an Italian sub, whatever you get, you’re sure to enjoy the fresh meat that’s piled high atop a delightfully soft roll. Best of all, the subs here are dirt cheap. Get stuffed to the gills on less than $5 and you’ll be thrilled to start filling your lunch bag exclusively with Lunch Bag Deli subs.

For more info: Just stop by 4085 Pacific Hwy., San Diego, CA 92110, or call (619) 295-3484

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Posted in Guide To San Diego | No Comments »

Free Birthday Meals In San Diego

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

2552746558_939642c44fLet’s face it, your family doesn’t want to spend all kinds of money taking you out to dinner on your birthday. They want to go somewhere and eat some good food and they already bought you presents, but why make them pay an additional $10-$20? And after the family and friends dinners, wouldn’t you be happy to have a few free meals to go? Here’s a few places in San Diego that offer free food for birthday diners:

The day of:

-Onami: This is a great, all you can eat sushi and Japanese food restaurant, meaning it is a little pricey usually. On the bright side, if you eat there on your actual birthday, you get a coupon to come back again for free.

-Ihop: While participation varies by location, many Ihop’s will give you a free meal just for coming in on your birthday. Call ahead for details.

-Disneyland: So it’s not in San Diego and it’s not a restaurant, but you can save yourself a $70 admission fee for visiting on your birthday. It’s a great deal that can leave you with fantastic memories. Also note, the registration is not mandatory, it merely makes admission faster.

On a set day of the month:

-The Boathouse: This upscale restaurant selects one day of the month to offer a free prime rib meal with the purchase of another meal for all people born on a particular month.

Emails for near-birthday coupons:

-Rubios: When you sign up for their Beach Club, you get a free taco automatically. When your birthday rolls around, they give you a free meal worth up to $7. No other purchase is necessary.

-Mimi’s Cafe: Sign up for Mimi’s eclub and you’ll receive a coupon for a free breakfast worth up to $10. For your birthday, they’ll send you a coupon for $10 off you next meal over $20.

-Black Angus: If you want a steak for your birthday, sign up for their Prime Club and receive a buy one get one free meal coupon for your birthday.  Your meal can be worth up to $19.99.

-Red Robin: Get a free birthday burger when you register at their website…best of all, there’s no other purchase necessary.

-HomeTown Buffet: When you sign up here, you can get one free buffet dinner when you purchase another buffet dinner. You’ll recieve another coupon like this for your birthday.

-Coldstone: Get a free like-it size ice cream for your birthday when you register at their site.

Know any other freebies? Let me know in the comments!

Photo Via Aloha Orangeneko [Flickr]

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Free Burger Shot

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

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If you’ve been itching to try the new BK burger shots (I have, and they’re actually quite good) now’s your chance. On Saturday, 3/14 Burger King is giving away free burger shots between 11 AM to 2 PM. I’m not sure if “one” means one shot or one pack, but either way, one free tiny burger is yours if you stop by your local BK this Saturday.

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Posted in Freebies, Guide to San Francisco | No Comments »

Call For Bigger Boobs

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

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I am highly skeptical of a new Japanese trend that promises bigger breasts merely by using a new ring tone. In fact, I normally dismiss the concept of breast enlargement unless it involves cosmetic surgery.

The breast enlargement pills seem to be a fraud and they have some potentially dangerous side effects.

On the other hand, I’m not too quick to dismiss the concept of this cell phone ring tone that may grow women’s breast sizes by mentally reminding them of crying babies. The inventor isn’t a quack -he’s actually highly regarded in the Japanese scientific community. The logic behind his invention is somewhat reasonable as well. Women respond both physically and emotionally when they hear crying babies. Is it really that unbelievable that a ringtone that uses the same tones as a baby may stimulate a woman’s breast growth?

As I said, I’m highly skeptical, but the great thing is that this product is highly cheap and practically harmless to a woman’s health -so it’s a winning gamble to check it out. If you do, let me know if it works, because I think everyone would like a non-surgical option to breast enlargement.

If you just want to hear the ringtone, here it is.

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Posted in Guide to San Francisco, Saving Money | No Comments »

Janet’s Cafe: The Best Breakfast in San Diego

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

Janet’s Café is one of the best breakfast spots in all of San Diego. The catch: their three locations are all in the East part of the county that few tourists, even few locals, bother to visit. For food this great, and at these portions, it’s worth driving a little out of your way to try some. Best of all, you can incorporate your stop into part of your trip out to beautiful Julian.

I believe that for portions, specials and atmosphere, the best of the three Janet’s Café’s is the one located in Alpine. Conveniently, it’s also right on the way to the far East of San Diego County, so you’ll pass it on your way to Julian, Borrego Springs, Palm Springs, Arizona, etc. Hooray for it being on the way.
Here’s the dish on Janet’s

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SF’s Best Cookies -Hot Cookie

Saturday, July 5th, 2008

Looking for some of the best cookies on earth? Happen to be around San Francisco? Have no fear, Hot Cookie is here!

Business: Hot Cookie
407 Castro St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 621-2350
Price: $ (Each $ represents a $5 increment)
Rating: 5 out of 5

You can smell the sweets from down the street and with flavors like cranberry, white-chocolate oatmeal and just good ol’ chocolate chip, whatever you’re in the mood for, Hot Cookie carries it. And they carry the best. And just in case you want a truly “Castro” experience, they have large macaroon cookies dipped in chocolate. -in the shape of penises. Personally, I recommend the chocolate chip peanut butter.

The cookies may seem a little expensive for just a cookie, but if you get the day old cookies, it’s about 3 for the price of one fresh one. The day old’s are slightly less moist and definitely don’t feel hot-out-of-the-oven like the brand new ones, but damn are they good.

Stop by this cute little cookie shack just once and you’ll see why so many San Franciscians can’t get enough of their Hot Cookies. And don’t worry, the do sell milk.

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Inexpensive Eats Near the Tourist Center of San Diego

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Balboa Park is one of the best places in San Diego in a lot of ways. It is a crucial piece of San Diego history, the most agriculturally diverse area in the county and holds a plethora of local museums. The World Famous San Diego Zoo is also here. Of course, the problem with this area is the limited number of good eats at decent prices. The Prado restaurant offers fantastic gourmet cuisine, but nothing a cheapskate can afford.

With this in mind, you should most definitely visit the lovely Japanese Friendship Garden and stop by the Tea Pavilion Cafe for lunch.
Cheap Food In Balboa Park, Hooray!

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Travel: A Free, Must-See Place in San Francisco

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

In the never ending quest of giving you a Cheapskate’s Handbook for a multitude of cities (you may have noticed it’s started with San Diego and San Francisco), allow me to introduce you to one of the most beautiful places to visit in all of San Francisco and one of the best free things to do in the city as well. The spot is also not known by many locals -let alone tourists, so it is relatively uncrowded, not to mention you’ll look really cool knowing about it. Plan to spend at least half a day here, as there is plenty to see and do.
The Best Place in SF below

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