Heart of Portugal - does it get any better?

Heart of Portugal (www.heartofportugalrestaurant.com) is truly a great restaurant. They are located in Mineola. We had our second party there (a communion) and food & service were outstanding. We have been there many times before for dinner, and whether it was for dinner or a party, we have always been pleased with everything.

The food is Portuguese (obviously) which means a lot of seafood. If you have never had Portuguese cooking, I would call it a cross between Spanish and Northern Italian (to give you a guesstimate of what to expect).

Service is outstanding. The owner Mannie makes sure you are happy, and makes sure service is smooth and consistent. Waiters do not hover, but still manage to make sure you have everything you want when you want it. Visit Heart of Portugal to see how service "done right" is done. The lost "art of anticipation" is practiced by the waiters. Have one roll left in your breadbasket? There is no, "would you like some more bread?" Rather it just appears there. Same for water, wine, and basically everything. Want to literally be treated like a king? Go to Heart of Portugal.
Food and Portions: What is better than a variety of well prepared food? Lots of it. My family is all Italian, and as you would expect, we like to eat. You will *NEVER* leave hungry from Heart of Portugal. Even better, you will not leave poor either. Prices are reasonable.
Atmosphere - they have an inside and outside. Inside is warm and friendly. Outside is great in the summer.
Overall: This is a great place to go for an adventure (with or without the kids).

Broadview Phone Service - Does it get any worse?

In June 2006, I started using Broadview Networks for phone service at work. It still ain't right!!!!!!
Part of my weekly routine is going over the bill and then calling Broadview to explain my current questions, as well as go over "still unresolved" questions. These customer service is second to none (as in "no customer service would actually be better"). They give new meaning to unprofessional and untrained.
Phone service has become a commodity. It should be shopped. We have about 48 total phone lines where I work. When we shopped for a new phone provider (Verizon was killing us) we selected Broadview because of the promise of great customer service. We are two years into a three year contract. I will probably switch at the end of year three. The service is way lacking, and it just takes too much time to stay on time of them. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the problem, in the last year and a half, we have received close to $4,000 in credits due to billing errors.
In Short: Broadview Networks - take a pass.

Update on Brookdale

Brookdale Resort has been for sale since the summer, and was sold last week. The new owners (a company from Texas) plans to temporarily close the place as of April 28, 2008 to make some changes. They have a lot of work ahead of them....

Caesar's Pocono Resorts - Brookdale

Caesar's Pocono Resorts at Brookdale is billed as a "super family friendly place" - it is not. To be more accurate, it is a dump to be avoided. Run Away, Run Away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my never ending search to find a place like Woodloch Pines (only not as pricy) we ventured to Brookdale in February. We had reservations for 4 days, and ended up staying for about 2 1/2. Tip off #1 came when we got there and asked to see the schedule of events for the day. Events did not start before 11am. Not a great sign. Listed as the 4pm "event" was "take a nap till diner." As future advice for myself (and anyone else): When you see "naptime" listed as an activity, CLEAR OUT!!!
Things to know about Brookdale:

• It is an old resort. Some of the rooms have been redone. We stayed in one of these "fresh" rooms. It had a fireplace, 2 bathrooms, and easily slept the 5 of us. The room was the best part of the resort.
• The rest of the resort has seen better days. Old carpets, plastic flowers, broken video games, and ancient decor all send the message, "You should have been here 35 years ago..." Austin Powers would be right at home...
• Breakfast and dinner are buffet. Food quality is low. Think Sizzler. I have seen better breakfasts at Hampton Inn's. Dinner is slightly better, though not by much. Cleanliness is not a priority. Also, there is a smell...
• They do not serve lunch. You are welcome to go downstairs and buy lunch at a "snack Bar" fresh from 1960, but with prices from 2016 (I am assuming a 4% inflation rate). We thought we would have a large breakfast, and not even be looking for lunch; but with a less than stellar breakfast, and little to do all day, the kids were looking for lunch each day.
• The activities are almost non-existant. The weather was warm the day we got there and super cold the next day. No matter what the weather, there was little to do inside or out. They have a single snow tube run which they need to "check" each day, and declare open or closed. They opened it the first day we were there, but with the warm weather it was a mud run (funny to watch people shoot down some snow into a huge mud puddle). For the next day and a half, they decided it would not be opened. What did that leave for us to do? No much. Day 1 had a scavenger hunt which was OK (ran from 12-1:30pm), then there was a "guess the cartoon" competition (they flash up a picture and you have to guess from which cartoon it comes - kids liked it). After that - nothing. Day 2 we got desperate and decided to go do the archery (ever do archery in freezing winter winds?). The kids played a lot of pool (as in billiards). There are three tables in the lobby, and that is the main activity. In a separate building there is a a roller rink (about 20'x30'). Next to this is a pool (really a large bathtub) that looked skeve at best. Between the two is a fitness center/minute golf course (6 holes made out of plywood). As you would imagine, the kids get bored with the "golf course" and start playing on the fitness equipment. Thus the main noise in this part of the resort is a lone worker constantly yelling, "kids, you have to get off the fitness equipment, it is for grownups only."
• Nightly entertainment consisted of a DJ one night, and a talent show the next. The talent show was better than the DJ.
• Side amusement: the resort is highly spooked about legal issues. They make you sign a liability waiver whenever you do anything: take out archery equipment, sign a waiver...go roller skating, sign a waiver...go roller skating again, sign a waiver again... To amuse ourselves we took to signing different names on the waivers: Mickey Mouse, Richard Nixon, Ronald McDonald.
• The place is woefully understaffed. As a result, service and cleanliness suffer. Example - we ate dinner the first night (which is the only night that was not a buffet) and service was *VERY* slow in coming. We wound up getting a lot of bread/rolls. Next night, we find three rolls and lots of crumbs still on the floor from the previous night (you sit at the same table each day). We went on February break week - probably a week the resort would choose to "staff up." There was 1 person to run the day's activities (yes, 1 total) - thus the limited activities. If you go on a non-vacation week, perhaps the guests run their own activities...

With nothing to do, we decided to check out early. When we told them we were leaving, there were not questions of "was there anything wrong?". Instead, they just treated like it was a usual occurrence.

In retrospect we should have taken the hint the first evening, when we realized half the place was empty (on February break week).

Overall: Avoid this place. Don't even go there in desperation hoping they have changed. If you want a family resort getaway, go to Woodloch Pines. If you can't afford Woodloch, try Rydin Hy. Rydin Hy is a resort where the staff/owners will bend over backwards to make you happy. Look for my post on Rydin Hy soon.