Friendly service, tasty breakfast

I live right down the street from The Lumberjack Grille...I was hungry for some breakfast this morning so my friend and I walked down there. Our friendly waitress came up to the table in the first few minutes and brought us drinks. The orange juice tasted a little watered down but the small was a good size. I got the Sweet Potato Pancakes, and they were so sweet! My hash browns were crispy but not over done, the bacon just crispy enough but not burned, and my sunny-side-up eggs were creamy and not undercooked. Just right! For the two of us, breakfast came out to a dollar shy of a 20. Very reasonable. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of "combos"...Lumberjack uses an "add-on" system, where you order (for example) pancakes and then add on bacon for a dollar, hash browns, etc. It costs about the same anyway but I like to order by number because it is faster. :) The restaurant does the lumber-jack theme well with some tree saws on the wall, pictures reminiscent of lumbering days, and a little sign that says "Bear Hugs 25 cents" or something like that. Goofy stuff but it works to make the place kind of homey and inviting. :) I would go there again...I like off-the-wall places rather than just going to the same chain establishment all the time. Plus you can't beat the quick and friendly service...definitely worth leaving a tip for someone who makes the effort to make you feel welcome!

Low overhead, good deals, ok service

My car was hit while parked recently, so it needed to go to the shop for a while. My insurance company, 21st, gave me a choice among Hertz, Enterprise, or Advantage. I decided to give Advantage a try because they were close to my work and had good rates. It took the rental agent a few minutes to find the obscure street the body shop was on, but she pulled up in a brand-new Chrysler 300. This car was nice! Immediately she tried to upsell me to a luxury car; I was already booked for a PT Cruiser. Of course I didn't upgrade, I wanted to save money. Turns out my PT Cruiser was well-equipped as well. The office was pretty plain, very small but the agent booked my car immediately, checked gas and scratches, and I was off. They use the same parking lot as another business and the cars are just scattered over the lot. I would have liked to pick out my car like at Alamo but they gave me a nice one so I was happy. Returning the car was easy and no questions were asked since I got the LDW policy. And they gave me a ride back to the body shop! Friendly service by the manager...I would consider this rental agency as a local option.

Plenty of laundry and TV, too!

Aggie Laundry has been around since I moved into North Park nearly 10 years ago. It has changed ownership in the last year or two...I quit going because of lack of parking due to the La Boheme condo construction next door. Otherwise I would keep going. The owner keeps the place nice and clean. There are about 40 washers and 20 dryers, including a few triple-loaders and double-loaders. Discounted cold wash is available, and there is cable TV so you can catch up on sports or movies or whatever's on. It's conveniently located in North Park so you can go out and grab a donut next door or some Mexican food down the street. Equipment is new, price is reasonable (about $1.50 for wash) what more could you want besides your own washing machine??? :)

The Irish know how to party!

I'm not sure how much of an Irish influence this bar has but I went there on a Thursday night and the place was rockin'. The Shack has a full-360-degree bar with the glasses overhead and bartenders all around. There is ample sidewalk space out front to hang out and smoke, and inside there are video game machines up front near the window, and pool tables along the side of the bar. In back there is a grill...I didn't have the opportunity to try that out but I hear they do celebrate St. Patrick's Day over there, so it could be cool. :) The bartenders are upbeat and do their best to quickly serve the usual crowds. The coolest feature is that this place has its own little dance floor off to the side complete with stage and lights! Bands come there sometimes; I hear that is fun. Come check out Shamrock's Shack sometime! It is popular among the SDSU student crowd.

Friendly hairstylists, consistent quality

I've been going to this Supercuts location since I was in high school back in 1993. The North Park location is convenient to where I live. I can walk down Ohio St. and get to here in about 10 minutes or less. The phone-ahead feature is great! You give them your name over the phone and they enter it in the computer along with an estimated wait time. This gives you time to get other stuff done and show up and get your hair cut with little to no waiting. :) Products seem expensive, but after trying them I find the shampoo and hair gel to be of higher quality than the stuff at the grocery store. The stylists are nice. They greet you by name and talk if you want to talk but will leave you alone if you don't care for the banter. They ask how you want your hair cut and give you the mirror for final inspection. Generally a shampoo is offered prior to trimming as well, and that is done well, too. Only once has a stylist goofed up...she cut a wedge of hair off the side of my head. She offered to correct it by cutting the hair shorter...that wasn't too bad. I felt bad for her that she messed up. She said I didn't have to pay. Good move. We still talk when I come in. I usually get coupons from Vons for 2 dollars off, so I just give them the extra as a tip which they appreciate. :) I like this place better than Fantastic Sam's where I went before. The place has also been remodeled quite nicely bringing a modern look to the place.

Classic Mexican atmosphere from local chain

I went here a few years ago. The food was alright. They have a nice little courtyard outside you can hang out at, so I will give El Torito credit for attempting to create an atmosphere. The restaurant is right down the street from Benihana's and TGI Friday's; down the road are a number of hotels. If you are looking for standard Mexican food dishes and a little entertainment -- I think they had a little Mariachi band there once -- this is an okay place. However I did not find the quality of the food to be as good as an independent San Diego-based Mexican restaurant. If you're looking for a place where they speak decent English and still kind of throw a party, this is a decent place to take your family. Plus hotel visitors could walk down the street to this if they want...very convenient location! :)

Good wannabe Mexican Food

I am not sure exactly what they were thinking with this restaurant. They make nice, crunchy tortilla chips but they are a little too perfect. The atmosphere is nice....traditional adobe walls inside, nice patio outside. Food was more expensive than take out but it was decent. Service was okay; it was not too busy when we went. Parking is good due to the fact that this restaurant is located in the new complex west of Mission Center Road. It's a decent restaurant for bringing your buddies after work...just trendy enough not to be boring. I just tried out On the Border and liked its food a bit better, but your tastes may vary.

Pretty good for a chain...fast delivery too!

When I would visit at my mom's house in University Heights, we would order pizza from this Papa John's location. Well, they always showed up on time, and the pizza was great. I preferred their Hawaiian Pizza usually, but I also had a chance to taste their Spinach Alfredo pizza and that was pretty good too...if you like spinach, that is. The sauce was pretty tasty, too! I really like how they put the 2 pepperoncini's in each box of pizza...it is a nice little treat. And the garlic-flavored dipping sauce...that is good, but only when it is hot. You can tell it is not real butter though, because it tastes a little too Buttery. Hmmm. Well I would pick Papa Johns over Domino's. They seem to be a better value. And yes, the sodas are nice and cold. :)

Good movie selection, nice location

I don't remember when this store was built but it had to be in the 80's. There used to be another video store called Video Library across the street near 7-11, but Blockbuster must have put them out of business. And for good reason! This Blockbuster has an excellent selection of all the new releases. I have never had a problem finding a movie I wanted to see. The counter help is okay...sometimes there can be lines if it is after 8PM but that is usual and the lines move pretty fast. Prices are average. They send me coupons all the time in the mail for discounts, so you might want to check your mail sometime and go check them out. They also have a good assortment of video games as well, along with junk food so you don't have to go to 7-11 to get some movie eats. :P

New Name

I ate at Old Mill Cafe back in 1995. It was okay, just your usual little diner. I ordered onion rings and they were fried to a dark brown...the place smelled pretty greasy. Not a good impression but my friend said he went there all the time so maybe I just went on a bad day. However, this place no longer exists....by name, at least...it is now called the Lumberjack Cafe. I haven't been to the new place yet, but maybe it is better.