5/100 Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery (restaurant review)

Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery
Beverly Hills, CA

Restaurant review

Basic info:
Cost per cupcake is 3.00. At the cupcake ATM you pay 5.00 per cupcake.

Sprinkles is considered the first gourmet cupcake only bakery in the United States and is owned and operated by Candace Nelson, who is a judge now on Cupcake Wars.

I was prepared for the cupcakes not to be all that, well folks, they ARE all that. Delicious cake, hand frosted, and the yummy goodness. Sprinkles delivers the goods. My only criticism is that they did use decorations on their cupcakes that were not edible or had little flavor and that is a no no on cupcake wars. No useless decorations.

These cupcakes achieve a perfect frosting to cupcake ratio and are perfectly fresh. I had the coconut lemon flavor and it was loaded with coconut and had a nice flavoring of lemon in the frosting and the cake. I really enjoyed the cupcake.

They do have this funny thing called a cupcake ATM and you can purchase cupcakes at any time of day at an ATM machine loaded with cupcakes. The cost for that is 2.00 more than at the bakery and that just seems silly to me really. I am not sure why you would do that. Especially not when the bakery is open. I guess you might if you needed one after hours.


Website and restaurant information:
http://www.sprinkles.com/


Over all rating:
Excellent!

Recommend:
Highly

( Pictures of the location and food... )

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by sio at enchantedrealms

6/100 The Lounge (salon review)

The Lounge, Nail Salon
4th Street, Berkeley, CA

Salon review

Basic info:
Cost for the deluxe mani-pedi is 52.00. See their website for prices on ala carte selections.

While technically, this might be outside my territory, I had so much fun today, I thought I would review this elegant and chic nail salon that I visited today and broaden the scope a little bit for my 100 things posting. This comes under the heading of a "review".

So a while back I saw a "group on" coupon for a mani-pedi deal in Berkeley and snatched it up. 25.00 for the full salon treatment (regularly 52.00). I have my own place that I go to but I am always looking for a good deal. I called Friday to make a Sunday morning appointment and got their first seating. Parking in that area can be a b**** and I wanted to score a spot and not worry about that. I hate rangling for parking.

I was pleasantly surprised by the light and airy feel of the salon when I walked in. It is large with very high ceilings and elegant chandeliers through out (even painted on the walls as kind of a theme). The colors are soothing beige and they use large gossamer curtains as dividers between the different areas of the salon. They have a large circular settee for lounging at the back, a full manicure are with three stations and about 10 pedicure stations. This is the real deal as far as salons go. It is a well used salon and things are broken in and I noticed chips on some of the chairs. But, everything functions perfectly and I love the swirling water on the pedicure chairs.

I had two salon staff working on me, one for the mani and one for the pedi. They did both simultaneously. Usually I don't like that but they were so nice that it was relaxing. I used my own nail polish as nothing grabbed me from their choices and I had my own ideas on that. They did not mind that. Highly competent and polite staff and here is the best part - the pedicure chairs do the full massage thing and the massage thing totally rocks. Set to auto and combine and you get a really good massage on your whole back. I tell you, that was amazing. Most chairs I have been in vibrate in some lame way, but this chair really felt like an actual massage. It was excellent.

My nails look fantastic and they really listened to how I wanted them (cut short and round). They have a built in drying station at the front with nice plush chairs and magazines. Everything is pretty and comfortable there and really well thought out for the client comfort. I would go there again. A total find!


Website and salon information:
http://www.loungenailspa.com/

Over all rating:
Excellent!

Recommend:
Highly


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by yue_akuma

6/100 The Lounge (salon review)

The Lounge, Nail Salon
4th Street, Berkeley, CA

Salon review

Basic info:
Cost for the deluxe mani-pedi is 52.00. See their website for prices on ala carte selections.

While technically, this might be outside my territory, I had so much fun today, I thought I would review this elegant and chic nail salon that I visited today and broaden the scope a little bit for my 100 things posting. This comes under the heading of a "review".

So a while back I saw a "group on" coupon for a mani-pedi deal in Berkeley and snatched it up. 25.00 for the full salon treatment (regularly 52.00). I have my own place that I go to but I am always looking for a good deal. I called Friday to make a Sunday morning appointment and got their first seating. Parking in that area can be a b**** and I wanted to score a spot and not worry about that. I hate rangling for parking.

I was pleasantly surprised by the light and airy feel of the salon when I walked in. It is large with very high ceilings and elegant chandeliers through out (even painted on the walls as kind of a theme). The colors are soothing beige and they use large gossamer curtains as dividers between the different areas of the salon. They have a large circular settee for lounging at the back, a full manicure are with three stations and about 10 pedicure stations. This is the real deal as far as salons go. It is a well used salon and things are broken in and I noticed chips on some of the chairs. But, everything functions perfectly and I love the swirling water on the pedicure chairs.

I had two salon staff working on me, one for the mani and one for the pedi. They did both simultaneously. Usually I don't like that but they were so nice that it was relaxing. I used my own nail polish as nothing grabbed me from their choices and I had my own ideas on that. They did not mind that. Highly competent and polite staff and here is the best part - the pedicure chairs do the full massage thing and the massage thing totally rocks. Set to auto and combine and you get a really good massage on your whole back. I tell you, that was amazing. Most chairs I have been in vibrate in some lame way, but this chair really felt like an actual massage. It was excellent.

My nails look fantastic and they really listened to how I wanted them (cut short and round). They have a built in drying station at the front with nice plush chairs and magazines. Everything is pretty and comfortable there and really well thought out for the client comfort. I would go there again. A total find!


Website and salon information:
http://www.loungenailspa.com/

Over all rating:
Excellent!

Recommend:
Highly


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by yue_akuma

7/100 Iron Man (dvd movie review)

Iron Man (2008)
Based on Marvel Comics
DVD Movie Review

In anticipation of the Avengers movie coming out next week, I am watching the individual Avenger hero movies that I have on DVD. I have them all as I am a big fan of these. First up, Iron Man - starring Robert Downey, Jr.

Tony Stark, international playboy, weapons developer and all around cocky SOB is kidnapped by a terrorist cell in Afghanistan and almost fatally wounded. He undergoes a surgery which alters his body so that he has to be strapped to a magnet to keep shrapnel from entering his heart. He is clever and resourceful and tricks the terrorist into giving him the tools to craft a mini reactor to deal with the schrapnel in his body and create a rudimentary iron suit to make good his escape. They thought he was making smart bomb weapons, he was making his first iron suit. He breaks out of captivity and is rescued.

Thus begins the transformation of Tony Stark who realizes his weapons are used for evil and he shuts down his weapons division and develops his Iron Man suits so he can combat evil in the world. What I especially like about this movie is the glimpse of the inventor that we see in the main character. We get to watch as he adapts the technology and test and develop his iron man suit. These sequences are both funny and interesting.

Robert Downey Jr really carries the film with a charismatic and humorous performance. He plays Tony Stark with arrogance and swagger and then as someone who sees the ere of their ways. There is a catharsis that happens with him through the story and what he sees that makes sense and is well played. At first he is someone you don't really care for but he evolves into someone who really does care about people and the world around him. He becomes the hero.

Ultimately, Tony is betrayed by a close friend of his father and the man who he trusts most in the world. Suffice to say, good triumphs in this installation of the Iron Man series.

Side note - Gwyneth Paltrow looks great as the red head Pepper Pots here and I like her in this one.

Link to IMDB for cast, credits and info about the film:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/

Overall rating:
Great!

Recommend:
You watch this!

Warnings:
Some stylized violence, not too graphic.

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Bunday Retreads....

Here are some retreads from the Bunday file of fame. Goodies, oh boy.

*Not safe for work*

( More this way... )

Hope you have had a good weekend. Mine has been relaxing and mellow. Got some things done (chores), went to a movie etc. Just chilling, got my nails done this morning and used my Group On coupon today. Hurrah.

Cheers to you and yours. Monday coming up!


by sailinghome

8/100 Iron Man 2 (dvd movie review)

Iron Man 2 (2010)
Based on Marvel Comics
DVD Movie Review

In anticipation of the Avengers movie coming out next week, I am watching the individual Avenger hero movies that I have on DVD. I have them all as I am a big fan of these. Next up, Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey Jr reprising his role as Tony Stark.

Tony Stark has become an international peace keeper and publicly acknowledged as Iron Man. The story begins with his flamboyant and Las Vegas style entrance to the Stark Expo, complete with dancing girls with Iron Man doo dads on their costumes. That rascal Tony is at it again. This film has two villians - a rival weapons developer, Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko played by Mickey Rourke.

The really evil villian in this story is the son of a colleague of Stark's father who worked with him on the development of the arc reactor. Their family feels that Stark stole the technology from them and the resentment and obsession builds from this. Vanko wants to destroy Tony because his father died destitute and poor in Russia, unknown for his role in developing this. Rourke plays the villian really well, so well that you feel some sympathy for him. He has an affinity for animals and his Russian accent seems well done.

There are some holes in this plot - pretty big ones to my mind and reasons I did not like this movie as much as the first one. For starters - Stark's military liason friend, Rhodey, is able to put on, maneuver and take off in Tony's second Iron Man suit. Now, I am sorry. I cannot believe that Stark did not build in security systems on those and voice recognition software. How could an unauthorized person walk off with his suit? Especially when Stark was so opposed to the military taking control of the Iron Man technology (this is revealed in a press conference). This is a plot hole that you could drive a truck through. And don't get me started on Pepper Pots. She goes from being Miss Supportive to Miss Bitch. Tony promotes her and it all goes to her head. I cannot stand her in this movie. The only saving grace to that is that she realizes it at the end, that she has been a total beeyotch and resigns her position.

So, I felt like I had to see this movie. I am following the Avengers movies and see them all but I was not all that thrilled with this Iron Man movie. The one thing that redeems it for me is that we get another glimpse of Tony working - his inventive, creativity and the legacy of his father. That almost balances out the major flaws in the film.

Link to IMDB for cast, credits and info about the film:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/

Overall rating:
Good.

Recommend:
See it if you are an Avengers fan.

Warnings:
Some stylized violence, not too graphic.

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