Case: I love this little bar / music venue.  It is a great place to see a really personal show from many up and coming musicians.  The female bartender always does a great job.\n\nIf you have not seen a show here - go as soon as you can.\n\nDon't overlook the artwork for sale on the walls either...
Classification: transformer


Case: Shanghai was the spot chosen by the powers for our works night out. It was my first big office night out... ever. Previous ones had usually started in a local restaurant and finished in a pub, but this place, well this place was setup for office Christmas parties, apart from the photocopier. That isn't much of a compliment. \n\nI think there was about 3 (or more) different work nights out in Shanghai that night. We took up about 3 tables worth. A cocktail was delivered upon arrival that went down pretty well, including the candy cane decoration. Drinks menu was limited, but understandable given the size of the parties. The place was heaving, but the staff did a good job of keeping on top of the groups. \n\nThe food - was mediocre at best. The starter was alright, the main (I had salmon) a little under generous and bland, with burnt potatoes and overcooked vegetables. The food was better described as catering competent rather than restaurant standard. The dessert - frozen cheesecake with what was described as Chantilly cream... more like cream out of a can. \n\nStill, we paid thirty quid for the night, and in all honesty, I didn't expect much better than what I described above. What narked me off was the karaoke competition launched between the main and dessert courses, that carried on until well after those had finished. It killed off the jolly mood of our table and various drunk revelers screeched out various classics of the 70's, 80's and 90's. Unfortunately we were seated right beside the karaoke machine, so there was no escape. After that, there was no recovery - the conversation died, and for me, I wasn't even close to being drunk enough to dance in the corner that wasn't occupied by tables, as some others did. \n\nWe were then asked to clear up our tables and move to a tiny bar on the side of the club, so that the place could be opened up to the public. Our presence was no longer required. So we had one more drink, then buggered off home. Best Christmas party ever? Hmm, not really, but definitely worthy of an Office sketch.
Classification: unidentifiable


Case: This is by far my favorite Fro-Yo joint in the area. I'd MUCH rather come to Yogurtology than drive another mile down the road and hit up Mojo.\n\nYogurtology always has a great selection of flavors and the people working are usually great. There is one guy - not sure if he is a manager or what - but every time my boyfriend and I are in there when he is, he talks to us a ton, always suggests fun new combos and really seems to value our opinion on the flavors and toppings available.\n\nYogurtology is always a fun experience and yummy treat.
Classification: transformer


Case: I stayed at the Aria just last week when I got kicked out of my other hotel. I needed something fast and in a pinch. I called and they said to just come on in and they would take care of me. After pulling into the wrong valet side, I was told to go to the other side which took me a good solid 20 minutes to navigate. The whole check in process took about 20 minutes. The one thing that sucked was the 25$ \""resort\"" fee they tacked on to the room. A standard king ran me 400$ for a Saturday night, kinda pricey for a regular room.\n\nOnce I got to the room it was nice. It wasn't over the top nice but it worked. The bathroom had everything we needed and the room did as well. The bed was super comfy and the pillows as well. I opened up the wardrobe and found a robe and slippers that was a major plus in my book. The channels on the tv kinda sucked and they had NO rap music stations to listen to. \n\nRoom service was way too overpriced for my liking so I decided to hit the buffet. It was meh BUT they had all you can drink  beer/mimosa's for 12.99 . I WAS ALL OVER THAT. I gambled a bit and ran into Dirt Nasty and Riff Raff in the casino. \n\nOverall this casino is super nice, new and very professional. I only dinged it a star for the price.
Classification: transformer


Case: If you're looking for some Vietnamese cuisine near Chandler Blvd & Rural Rd, take your first immediately available u-turn and head to Pho Dalat.  My review is based on Sage being a restaurant\n\nSage had so much potential.  Its located near Cafe Krishna on the southeast corner of Rural and Chandler.  A perfect location to get the Intel crowd for lunch.  Sage is housed in what used to be a few failed bars, but it has been completely remodeled.  There are garage doors ala Postino style that open out to the front.  The patio has been expanded with more contemporary furniture, but my compliments stop there.\n\nWalking in, there's a dart machine, golden tee, and jukebox to the right.  In the middle of the restaurant is a pool table.  There's large rectangular hightops and a few low tops.  A weird mix?  Wait until you look over and see a couch meant for a patio that is cream colored with brown stripes.  The large built in seating on the side is in red.  The floor is a dark exposed concrete.  The walls are this odd green/blue tinge that reminded me of avatar skin.  We also were listening to some country music, which turned to hip hop, which turned to some top 40. \n\nTo start off, we ordered tea.  Why is this important?  They ran out of tea.\n\nWe ordered the pork spring rolls.  They were nice size, but the peanut sauce came in a plastic cup.  The pork was super dry, and I had to lace a lot of sauce on it.  The spring rolls were lacking something crisp.  It could've used more mint.\n\nWe got the Sage House Special and Rare Steak Pho.  The broth was a murky brown that was too sweet with a very salty undertone.  I think the chef added too much salt so tried to balance with sugar.  Then added too much sugar and added more salt.  Rinse and repeat.  The meat was very well done and chewy.  The rice noodles were undercooked. \n\nThe worse part was after we were done.  I stared at the middle of the table, and I didn't say anything for a few minutes,  I was trying to decide if I had to throw up or not.\n\nThe only redeeming quality of the place was the staff.  They were attentive and friendly. \n\nSage has the location... and it might be a great bar ... but when it comes to food, I could put something better together with a package of instant pho and some beef.  Drop the Vietnamese Cuisine off the name and add on Asian Fusion, and we'll all forgive the food.
Classification: unidentifiable


Case: Wish we had read the reviews on here before we had taken a chance on this place... Definitely not a place you would return to for the food, that's for sure.\n\nWe were charged $2.25 each for sodas/tea, $5 for a bowl of clearly Kraft Macaroni n Cheese for our toddler... 2 Entr\u00e9es at $12.99-15.99... It was $42 before tip for 2 adults and a toddler... all for very blah, unremarkable food. They even charged an extra $1 for a couple extra flour tortillas, a \""service\"" that should be thrown in for free.\n\nOur server disappeared quite a bit, and the female owner/manager or whomever was more attentive to us... we saw her even have to prompt him to come over and tend to us at one point.\n\nAgain, this is basically a sports bar fronting as a mexican restaurant... we won't be fooled again!
Classification: unidentifiable
Considreing the above, classify the following: OMG what happened to this place?  We hadn't been here in awhile, but the brisket was overcooked and soupy.  The links had no taste except were very spicy.  If the brisket at Dallas and Austin airports rate an 8, then this is a definite one or two.  They say your first instincts are best; we first went into the Philly sub place next door that had Coke products and walked out.  Instead we had overcooked, tasteless brisket and RC soda and spent $30 for two.  I was even going save some for the dogs, but I wouldnt have enough padding for the explosion that would cause.   Thank God I have a good cigar to get the taste out!!!