Here's to a list of places we've dined, stayed, and experienced across our travels.
Spoiler alert for any reviews you choose to read - such as for movies. All things typed are of our own opinion, so please feel free to try it out for yourself and tell us what you think!
If you’re looking for a place where everyone can have fun,
then look no further. Round One is full of fun for everyone. I would highly
recommend coming here with anyone, as there is such an abundant amount of activities
that can be done. The only down-side of this place could be the wait time at
times, but I assure you there are plenty to do while you wait.
You can play the
arcade games, play the claw machines to test your luck and try to become an
owner of an incredibly cute new stuffed friend, be competitive and bowl, ping
pong, play darts, or sing your heart out in their karaoke rooms. Not going
to lie, but the claw machines can be a little frustrating; however, they do put
advice on the claw machines to help improve your chances of winning. I’m not
sure how true the advice can be, but you can take a venture at it. Round One
also has food for when you’re famished, or beer for when you need a little courage
to sing karaoke.
In search of batting cages available for public use, we came across San Ramon Sports. They have ample parking, indoor soccer, and batting cages available.
When we stopped in, the place was packed with parents, coaches, family members cheering on their little ones. They have two indoor soccer fields and there was a youth girls and boys team playing on each side. We could feel the energy in the air as we walked through the aisle to get to the counter.
This would be our first time up at an actual batting cage and boy was it frightening at first glance. There's three batting cages with different speeds for softball and baseball. They go by a token system, each token gets you 18 balls at any of their cages and they have special deals depending on how many you purchase. They also have bats and helmets free to borrow which was convenient since none of us thought to bring any and that's an obvious requirement.
Now onto the cages - we tried out a few different speeds and it was so cool! Ok not going to lie...we may have missed quite a few but hey, it was our first time. Oh and if a kid is batting before you and hitting practically every single one, don't expect you to do the same - so don't feel bad! When you do finally get that first hit, let me tell you - it hurts, but it feels great! We were so happy we all got to hit the ball at least once, it was fun - tiring, but fun!
Would we go back? Absolutely! The facility was well lit, clean, and had a great vibe going. Plus it gives us more chances to up our game now!
4:45PM and we were hungry. OdenYaki opened at 5PM for their Dinner run. So once doors opened, we were first in - YAY! First time here and I've got to say, the ambiance, the atmosphere, the decor - everything was on point! So...we also recently got a new camera and decided to do a timelapse of our meal and our server was so casual about it, it was awesome. He even made sure to put the food down to see (alas it was timelapse so you miss it if you blink). Still playing around with the features and all so please disregard our bobble-heads here and there! Down to the meal, we ordered the Beef Short Ribs Yakitori to start. We were looking over their wide menu - boy do they have options for you! Too bad we're so indecisive. BUT, we both came across something that we could share, the Love Platter - 12pc. Sashimi, 6pc. Sushi, Lion King & Godzilla roll. The food was great, service was awesome, we loved it and will definitely be back to try out more!
Watch the Trailer here - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3717252/ The West Wind Drive-In is one of Billy's favorite places to catch a movie. Primarily because we practically always go and splurge on food and snacks we can bring with us. This is an outdoor drive-in theatre so your seat is going to be either your car or the chairs you bring along. The tickets are much more affordable as you can watch two movies for barely the price of one in a regular movie theatre! They have double features going on every night and I'm talking new movies! Tuesdays are even better with their Family Fun Night discounts. They also do have restrooms, a snack bar, and a playground for the little ones. Tonight we went the childhood horror movie series throwback with their new features. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter This is, as the title of the movie states, the "Final Chapter" of the Resident Evil series. This is their 6th movie installment. For anyone seeking to start this series, it is about the zombie apocalypse brought upon the world by the T-virus that was released from Umbrella Corp. and Alice is the main character trying to take them down. In this final chapter, there's not much humans left alive on the face of the Earth. Alice must now return to where it all started - The Umbrella Corp.'s Hive to stop them from their final strike and end the apocalypse once and for all. There were some twists thrown in here and there - fear factor wise, not the scariest of their series but it was more so for the storyline. Underworld: Blood Wars This is the 5th of their movie series. For those seeking to start the series, this is about an eternal vampire & lycan war. Selene, a trained and true vampire death dealer, is betrayed countless times; finds love only to lose them; works to end the eternal war between vampires and lycans. This movie is action-packed and continues the storyline of the series. I liked this film - but then again I'm a sucker for vampire movies.
Watch the Trailer here - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4972582/ The Cinelux Almaden Cafe & Lounge theatre is a nice local place to catch a movie. The theatre we were in had leather seats with a little give to them and it wasn't too packed. It looks like they have special discount prices for Matinee, Students (with ID), and on Tuesdays that're worth checking out. Now onto the movie - Split is a great psychological thriller worthy of a big-screen viewing. Split is about a man who suffers from multiple-personality disorder. Now by multiple...I mean 23 going on to 24 different personalities; each identity fighting to be in the "light". One of his personalities abducts three women as a sacrifice for his up and coming 24th persona. These women are trying to escape - but they never know which persona they will be encountering next. Its got a great storyline going on with back-stories to follow to dive you deeper into the characters. It's educational borderline exaggerated but it definitely gets you thinking and I would recommend this movie. Fair warning, this is not a typical horror movie if that's what you thought it may be - it's more on the psychological thriller aspect.
Once you arrive, there is a tablet outside for you to type your information (phone/email, your preference) and choose whether you want a table/bar/first available seating and their system will automatically keep you updated on when your seat is ready. It's a no wonder there was a wait even on a weeknight (approx. 15min. for us), Kula Revolving Sushi Bar is a great concept for the Silicon Valley.
Once seated, the host will ask if it's your first time, and if it is, they will send your waiter over to show you how everything works. There is a touchscreen that you can browse and order from. There are two belts - the top belt is for food you order (it's sent right to you) and the bottom belt has their endless revolving array of sushi, appetizers and desserts. There is a name card for each item so you know just what it is. Each plate has a covering; to open it, all you need to do is grab the plate and lift it gently, it will sense the motion and open it for you to take - how awesome is that? There is a plate disposal at your table and for every 5 plates you put in, you get to watch a little clip; for every 15 plates, you get a little prize (notepad, pen, etc.). The screen will also display how many plates you've consumed and what you've ordered.
We tried their Tonkatsu Ramen to fill us up a bit so we wouldn't go too crazy on the sushi, it arrived on the top belt for us to open and enjoy. The chasu was cut a bit too thick for my liking, but the noodles and the broth were so hearty and flavorful. We also had 15 plates of their sushi and bites (ok, we had 14 and were just shy of 15 - give us a break). Each plate had either 1-4 pieces of sushi on them and they had a pretty good variety. Each plate is $2.25 and other items on the menu seemed pretty affordable, everything seemed to fall around $5 or less, including the ramen. To finish off, we tried their soy milk donut which came with ice cream, and it is a definite must try to end your meal - it was delicious to say the least. We clicked check-out on the touchscreen and our waitress was at our table instantly. Our water was constantly refilled and the speed of the waiters here was scary, but remarkable! The concept of this place, would probably attract a wide crowd, from families to couples to friends, etc.
Noodles Pho Me is a Laotian cuisine restaurant. They have a nice comfy feel to them, their food is made fresh and nice and homey, they have an open kitchen and it's amazing how clean they keep it, and what tops it off is the staff that go around chatting with you and making sure you feel right at home. At the beginning of your meal, they offer for you to taste test their broth, which I thought was amazing because I've never experienced that at a restaurant. They brought out a cup of each broth on a tray for us each to taste test, which made deciding that much easier for us!
Although they're called Noodles Pho Me, this is not your average Vietnamese pho; they are a Laotian cuisine and thus comparing the two are kind of irrelevant. My mother would actually make these type of noodle soups so I've personally had these dishes homemade and I love it. It's so much more savory and packed with such wonderful flavors. For starters, we had their egg rolls and chicken satay and they were both delicious. Billy had their Combo Pho and I had their Khao Soy. We both enjoyed our meals and hope to bring family by sometime, because how often do you come across a good Laotian restaurant in the bay?
You can play the
arcade games, play the claw machines to test your luck and try to become an
owner of an incredibly cute new stuffed friend, be competitive and bowl, ping
pong, play darts, or sing your heart out in their karaoke rooms. Not going
to lie, but the claw machines can be a little frustrating; however, they do put
advice on the claw machines to help improve your chances of winning. I’m not
sure how true the advice can be, but you can take a venture at it. Round One
also has food for when you’re famished, or beer for when you need a little courage
to sing karaoke. 
