as you wish :Old Montreal:   If Hughes' restaurants were women, Garde would be a red-lipped blonde wearing a Mackage leather jacket toting a Louis Vuitton; Le Bremner would be the fresh-faced brunette in skinny jeans, holding a Chanel 2.55.  It's just how I see things.  If the analogy was lost on you...I'll be more explicit: Garde is a trendy, loud and slightly chaotic hipster place, while Bremner is more of a reclusive bistro with a classy but comfortable feel.  Both play groovy tunes.  Both have cute guys, although Bremner's staff had more personality, which makes you want to stay a while and flirt a little.  If you recall, I didn't LOVE Garde, I liked her.  I LOVED Bremner.  Stop here if you wish, but for you inquiring minds, keep reading.  Yes, I saw Hughes. That's right, he works his line. It was a nice surprise because I can count the number of times I've actually seen celebrity chefs in their restaurant, working, tasting, and schmoozing. Two. Chuck was the second.  Bremner opened in July and it's still bustling. Noteworthy mentions include the terrasse.  I took a quite peek during a bathroom break, and it's gorgeous. The cocktails, mixology wonders not bar mixes, were amazing. (Specifically the pampelmouse one, or O-juice, if you will.  It was a balanced mix of vodka, sake, mint, fresh grapefruit and some other stuff.  It was O good, it was addictive.)  The menu is divided into seven categories: Chilled Items, From Outside, Bread & Cheese, From the Stovetop, From the Broiler, Vegetables, and Dessert. Order, as you wish.   My sister and I started with the kimchi snow crab because its reputation preceded our visit. Now, you should know that we are kimchi experts. So we were both pleasantly surprised that this dish wasn't a wishy-washy fusion concoction of pickled cabbage and spices calling itself kimchi. The flavours were actually reminiscent of actual kimchi. The dish was almost a perfect hit, but for the rice cracker/cookie. It was too big.  I think (emphasis on think) I know what Hughes was trying to replicate here, a Korean dish called norengie. Norengie is the rice crust at the bottom of a stone bowl pot. If you add a little water or tea it releases the rice and you eat it.  My unsolicited advice to Hughes would be to make the cracker half the thickness because conceptually I agree that the delicate snow crab needs a chewy/crunchy counterpart.    The culinary adventure continued with lamb meatballs that were soft and meaty with rich flavours.  The spicy bass with edamame was a favourite.  It was delicate and deep - that's the only way I can describe it.  There was so much going on in my mouth and it was all wonderful.   Another one of my favourites was grilled asparagus with poached egg.  There was a lot going on on this plate and I liked it.  Together it worked.  Separate, not so sure.  It was a bit like a mishmash song on Glee - unexpected harmony.  Dinner, however, ended on a sad note. Doughnuts were implicated (I am aware I have a problem with doughnuts.  I'm in the contemplation stage of seeking help).  Due to my obsession with doughnuts, you can only imagine how crushed I was to learn they sold out.  My poor sister, I whined about it for a good ten minutes, and pouted for another five.  Then, after letting out le sigh of tout sighs. I got over it and resolved to go back on my next visit.    But listen Hughes...I live in Toronto. If you stumble across this review and feel compelled to ship me some doughnuts, why, you'd be the Wesley to my Buttercup.

positive


UPDATE: I came back here for an oil change and they tried to up-sell me. They told me that my car only uses synthetic oil which it doesn't... I drive a Ford 500 for goodness sake; even at the dealership, they use regular. When I asked that they just use regular, the mechanic looked pissed and rolled his eyes at me. Umm, talk about unprofessional.  When my car was ready, I went to pay and they told me that my computer was broken and needed to be replaced... A part that they quoted at $400+ and labor costs $99/hr- over $1000 for this "needed repair".   Wow. I came in for an oil change and they broke my car computer after I denied an upgrade to synthetic... What a COINCIDENCE!   Obviously, I didn't agree to the repair and when I got into my car, I noticed that they were talking about the reset for the oil change notification. I realized that they didn't know HOW TO do it so they told me that it was broken and thought they would make a quick buck off of me. Well, sorry to tell you guys at ZipZap, I'm not new to the oil change game and I reset the computer myself!! And magically, this young, dumb female fixed her car.. All by herself!   This is the type of stunt that drives customers away. I detest the mechanic up-sell more than anything else. Way to perpetuate the stereotype ZipZap! Consumers will continue to believe that mechanic shops like yours are looking to screw over their customers to make money even then NOTHING is wrong with their vehicles.   Though we had a great experience the first time we came here, I had a terrible one by myself and we will not return for any future services.  What a shame.    Old review: Walked in with my husband to get both of our vehicles smog checked. Samir was at the desk and helped us right away. I showed him the $14.95 special from Yelp. He accepted it and gave us he discounted price without any trouble. He was also kind enough to offer us coffee, water or ice cream which was nice since it was about 107 degrees outside! I can't say enough about how friendly and professional they are here at ZipZap. We had our cars done within 20mins or less. I was relieved when our cars were done being serviced and they put no pressure on us to buy extra services or parts. I'll definitely NOT come back here again! :\\

negative


Cowfish is one of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte! I typically go for lunch though I have been for dinner a few times. Their burgers are sooooooo good and the fried pickles are amazing. For a first timer I would recommend fried pickles and burgushi, because really, how many places can you find burgushi?! The taste explosion roll is my fave.  I have yet to have something on the menu that I didn't like.

positive


The customer service is great and the portions are generous, however the chili cheese fries were overcooked and chili was not very appetizing. I also ordered a Reuben sandwich that was mediocre. Lastly I know this is  Vegas, but $18 plus for both items seems steep. I don't mind paying a premium price for food when it's but this meal, did not meet the criteria.


negative