by matthew r. on First of all, we had to wait in line. People who live north of Ventura or Oxnard do not wait in line to get into bars or clubs, except here, I suppose. There is a round bar, which is pretty unique and creates space for a lot of patrons but presents unique challenges: You'll need at least 3 bartenders (which they have) to provide visual coverage for the entire bar, and you have precious little display space for bottles, which means if you have a broad liquor selection your bartenders will spend much of their time reciting the various liquor options for customers. This is not a problem here; the round bar works at supperclub because it is a high volume well drink kind of place. Picture the Apple Store, only dark and loud and full of people. The beds are an interesting idea but fraught with liability I'll bet. Here's hoping they change the sheets daily. There's also a bondage room with a ball pit. And exactly twenty one disco balls. I don't know what else to tell you; Go here if your dear friends birthday is here, or if you are dead set on dancing and you have no other options.
by Zaida Trivett on EAT, DRINK, DANCE, DRINK, THROW HANDS IN THE AIREE...NOW that's what a call a PERFECT night! Knowing that it was going to be another cracking Synergy's party @ Yoshi's, my friends and I decided to have dinner here beforehand to avoid the line and cover which was pointless b/c we ended up with bottle service anyway. But, nonetheless, I'm glad we got a chance to try the food here. My friends & I had reservations for 8:15 PM and it took about 10 minutes to seat us. FOOD (shared plates/entrees are small portions served al-carte) *Garlic Edamame ($4): PERFECT starter! The edamame was stir-fried in garlic slices and soy. The pods were very tender and the garlic flavor was nice and strong and the soy added a slight sweetness. *Kobe Beef Sushi ($9): Meh! The thin sliced kobe was placed on top of spinach and a eggplant piece, so it wasn't technically a "sushi" roll. The kobe was overcooked and a bit dry and wasn't as tender as I expected it to be. *Tenpuri Lobster Blossoms ($13): OMG! A MUST ORDER! The lobster blossoms (lobster and scallop mixture) was wrapped in a nori as bundle, tempura battered, and fried. The nori had crispy, airy tempura bits and the lobster was and scallop mixture was sweet, tender, and soft. The ponzu dipping sauce was a perfect complement adding a savory sweetness. *Angus Ribeye ($27): It was just ok. I requested that it be cooked medium rare and it turned out more medium. It wasn't seasoned enough and was a bit tough. Good thing there was a rich and savory shitake mushroom reduction to add flavor to the meat. *Miso Braised Shortribs ($24): YUMMY! This was my friend's order and it was DELISH. The short ribs were fork tender, moist, and very flavorful. The miso glaze was savory, salty, and sweet. *Kurobuta Pork Belly ($15): YUMMY! The pork belly is braised in tamari; the meat was tender and the skin and fatty layer was very rich w/o being oily. The tamari just added the perfect amount of sweet, salt, and tang to the pork belly. *Spider roll ($16): Meh! TOO OVERPRICED for 5 pieces of sushi! The crab was pre-fried b/c it wasn't warm nor it didn't have the fresh-out-of-the-fryer crisp to it. It was dry, so you really add to use soy sauce. A nice aioli should have been added instead. *CA Roll ($7): It was ok. Very standard CA roll with imitation crab and mayo. SERVICE: Pretty good, although I was missing a napkin, my fork was broken, and my friend was missing utensils. Marieke was our waitress who was also my waitress at Sushi Groove South. She's a total sweetheart with her "How's everything, Loves?" and her Heart and Smile Faces on the receipt. *Smile* AMBIANCE/DÉCOR: Stunning and contemporary; Yoshi's (2 levels) is artfully designed with a floor waterfall with koi stones, large ivory hanging lanterns, dangling drapes, and a beautiful open centralized kitchen. There's also a beautiful private dining area (12-14 people) enclosed in glass room. There's live jazz music and singer during dinner which is nice touch, however; it makes it very difficult to hold a convo. PARKING: Valet, street, and 24 hr-garage across the street ($3 1st hour, $1 add'l hrs) ************************************************** ********************** NIGHTCLUB REVIEW (Synergy Promotions) LINE: Starts at 9:45 PM and snaked around the corner by 10 PM. It moves slowly, so come early. COVER: Free before 11 PM if on GL, $15 until 11:30 if on GL, or $25 General Admission. CROWD: 95% Asian; mixture of ABCs, Fobs, HKs, Ghetto Fab, mainly in their early to mid 20s. BARS: Four: main-right side upon entering, two make-shifts, and one in the VIP area upstairs. SNACKS ($5 or so): You can order snacks like sushi rolls, fries, chicken wings, etc during the club portion at the centralized kitchen. BUZZ EATING! DRINKS: $10-12 for top-shelf shots and cocktails. LARGE shots which is a plus! BOTTLE SERVICE ($150 - $250 for 1st bottle w/ reservations, $300 for add'l): Service SUCKS! Hostesses are rude and inattentive; you're basically paying $50+ tips for them to bring you your bottle and disappear. 1st vist: Our hostess disappeared after the first 30 min, so we had to order add'l drinks in bulk to avoid the wait; after waving S.O.S. of course. 2nd visit: Hostess asked RUDELY, "Do you guys even have table service?" Duh, WTF you think we're sitting there for? After she gave us our bottle, she was nowhere to be found. Bottleservice @ Yoshi's is only good to avoid the line and to have your own area b/c it gets so packed. MUSIC: Top 40's and Hip hop that will keep you moving the whole night. DANCEFLOOR: Small, the size of 4 cubicles and carpeted. PATIO (or lack of): You can only go outside to get fresh air and/or smoke from 12 AM to 1 AM?!?!? RESTROOM: 12+ stalls w/ half of them missing locks and/or dysfunctional locks. Not sure if I would come back here for their food; but of I'll definitely be back here for the next Synergy party!
by Shenna Karban on I love this place. I found it on rateclubs also. Great pupusas and fried platanos with beans and cheese, yummy. Service was very attentive all three visits. There were having a salsa dance class while we ate. Give it a try!
