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As a Chicagoan who visits the area often (Desert Ridge), we love dining al fresco at Greenhouse in Kierland. Another favorite is Flemings, I know it's a chain, but we loved the patio for drinks before dinner - in January. Finally, we had dinner with a group at Squaw Peak Inn, once a get away for Hollywood stars it's now a private home that hosts dinners. Unique dining experience!
What's your favorite Mexican restaurant??
As a Chicagoan who visits the area often (Desert Ridge), we love dining al fresco at Greenhouse in Kierland. Another favorite is Flemings, I know it's a chain, but we loved the patio for drinks before dinner - in January. Finally, we had dinner with a group at Squaw Peak Inn, once a get away for Hollywood stars it's now a private home that hosts dinners. Unique dining experience!
What's your favorite Mexican restaurant??
I like Blue Burrito for Mexican food.
Not sure if this is a chain restaurant, but the only 1 that I know of is in n. Scottsdale.
Sushi Brokers (FLW & Scottsdale): Went here the other night with my sisters and niece. Of course given the never-ending construction on Scottsdale Rd a bit challenging to get in and out but....
I think my niece picked this place just to spite me. I DO NOT like 99% of sushi. I am just not a sushi person-and she knows it. So take my review with that knowledge-I didnt even EAT sushi or rolls or anything like that.
I got a chicken sandwich. It was only $10 but it was really bad and overcooked and dry.
We had crab wontons for an appetizer. Ok but nothing special. They were also a bit on the too crispy side.
The sushi rolls they all got looked "ok", but no one was "raving".
It was nearly empty when we arrived about 4:30ish, but a bit more crowded by the time we left.
The positive: if I ever do decide to give this place another try, it is very close. And according to my sister the martini's are pretty good (she decided to start at the top and work her way down the list lol!-we ended up with a pretty huge bar bill....)
Now this isn't exactly my home range, but since older sister in in town and staying with her daughter who lives in Ahwatukee, we had to go to a restaurant down there yesterday.
First---->wayyyy too many roads are under construction for some reason or another. So we ended up take the 51 down to the 10-which was pretty smooth sailing.
We went to Firebirds at Chandler Fashion Centre. The furthest south I have been since I have lived here lol!
The decor is very "lodgey", comfy, wood, leather, fireplace and all that. Reminds me of the Village Tavern for atmosphere. And for menu. The basic burgers, steaks and so on.
The food was "good". Not great, but good. I had a burger with avocado and I think Monterey Jack with jalapeno. It was good as far as burgers go. I ordered Southwestern Potatos Gratin (basically scalloped potatoes with a few southwestern spices)-they were ok.
Older sister got prime rib. It looked good and she said it was but wasn't "oohing" over it. My son got crab cakes and a burger. He said the crab cakes were bad. The rest of the party got burgers and a chicken salad.
Our bill was totally reasonable. We had 6 people including dessert (no drinks tho, think older sister was still recovering from her trip down the martini list the day before at Sushi Brokers lol!). Came in under $120. HOWEVER>>>>>>>
This place gets some MAJOR dings as follows:
1) My son ordered his burger medium-rare. The chef must have misunderstood because it came medium-RAW. I am not kidding. It was gross. Promptly sent it back to the kitchen, and it seemed like forever before a replacement came out. Not even an apology from the waiter.
2) My sister who made the reservations had called early in the day and specifically requested a FULL cheesecake (ie the 9 inch variety or so) because this dinner was a party for older sister's birthday. Creme Brulee Cheesecake. Sounded good. She was so proud of herself that she even asked if they had birthday candles lol! Meal is over. We wait. We wait. We wait. Finally younger sister flags down the waiter looking for our "birthday surprise". He looks like "huh?". Don't know if this was just a communication snafu that didnt get to him, or if he really has a day job and isnt serious about being a waiter. My sister told him "I talked to so and so and ordered a whole cheesecake." Waiter returns to the table 15 minutes later-with ONE PIECE OF CHEESECAKE. My younger sister was fit to be tied and asked "where is the rest of it?". Waiter again played (?) dumb. Tho he did bring the 1 piece of cheesecake (for 6 people lol!) with a candle in it.
3) Older sister whose birthday it was enjoyed the cheesecake. Now most restaurants seeking to soak every last dollar out of you will ask if you want an after dinner coffee or beverage. Waiter never did. Older sister finally flagged down waiter (he seemed to be notably absent) and asked for a Spanish coffee.
4) 20 minutes later no Spanish coffee had appeared. Sister again flagged down waiter man and I am not sure if he was on drugs or what, but where the 6 of us heard her clearly order the coffee and his say "I will get that right out", he didnt even remember. She told him to forget the coffee.
5) He did not even ask if we wanted refills or new beverages during our entire nearly 2 hour stay.
6) Notwithstanding that we had reservations for a party of SIX, they seated us at a booth meant for 4 adults, made us fit in 5 and plunked a chair out in the aisle (we had a booth) for the other. This was tacky-especially with a reservation.
And there were no apologies for any of these mishaps from the ever-absent waiter man. When he brought the bill, they had deducted a substantial amount, but he didnt even say a word-just handed us the bill.
Let's just say his tip clearly reflected the service. And if I ever again feel like driving 25 miles to dinner, it will NOT be to Firebirds.
Food was average. Waiter man was atrocious and I hope for his sake he has a day job. Do not recommend.
Bourbon Steak (Princess Resort at Princess & Scottsdale Rd): My sister and I had this on our to try list for a while. Finally made it tonite.
ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING from beginning to end! Food, service, decor, presentation.
This is by far one of the best meals I have had in a long time. We wanted to order 2 entrees and share them, which the waiter accommodated easily and plated "half portions" separately for us.
We had the beef fillet. And the lobster pot pie. Yep-lobster. Yep-an $80 lobster pot pie. For a side, we ordered horseradish mashed potato.
For appetizers, I am not sure if they always do these "on the house", or if we were sort of guinea pigs that needed freebies to use up the food in the kitchen since the place wasn't very crowded. But we had a truffle something focaccia, lobster grilled cheese with a tomato soup, and a french fry plate cooked in duck fat with different "exotic" flavors and dips (ie herb, truffle aoili, etc).
The french fry thing seemed a bit way out of place with the rest of the menu, but was very good. Every single item was terrific.
They got bonuses for details. My sister and I both had on black pants. The waiter removed the white cloth napkins and brought black ones. (Ie so you dont have a lapful of lint with your meal.) Beverages were refilled without even asking. Simple syrup with the iced tea. Plates cleared promptly and crumbs removed from the table.
Portions were very generous. In fact, once we saw the size of the entrees and the side (and after the appetizers), we realized we ordered way too much food and would have to skip dessert or burst at the seams.
We didn't do wine, but I suspect their wine list would have been fairly impressive. My sister said they had a $300 shot of bourbon on the drink list.
It definitely was not crowded. I suspect that has more to do with the economy and the general angst of most of the local resorts than the food tho, because the food was outstanding.
Now for the only downside. It wasn't cheap. But I have had more expensive meals with far less quality by comparison. For the two of us 2 entrees, 2 beers, an iced tea and the side of mashed potatoes we came out $160, or about $80 per person. And in all honesty, we probably had enough food to feed 4 after the appetizers. Worth every penny as an occasional splurge or for a special occasion.
The other "out of place" like the french fries. Instead of an after dinner mint stick or such, you get a bourbon caramel. Basically a TOOTSIE ROLL! lol! Tho it was a good tootsie roll....
Only "complaint" if I could call it that is they have a nice outdoor dining area, but it is not misted or cooled, and would be a tad uncomfortable before the sun goes down. (We had inside dining.)
This place gets all thumbs up and a high recommendation A++++ if you have the cash to burn.
Not sure if this is a chain restaurant, but the only 1 that I know of is in n. Scottsdale.
It's a local chain and it was much more famous and reputable 10 years ago. They used to have a large one on Mill avenue right next to the Gordon Biersche there. It used to be packed and it is good. That one closed down. It was busy but the restaurant was too big and its lease was too high to meet the demand. If they put a smaller one there, it would have done really well. They had one in the airport too.
I really like it. It's totally Gringo style Mexican food but the reason I like it is that it's relatively healthy for Mexican food. They don't cook their food in lard and they have healthy options that actually taste really good. Normally, the healthy option has noticeable decline in taste but I don't really notice it with their burritos that have the heart healthy tag next to them. As a cardiologist, I sorta endorse the place but yeah, in terms of authentic Mexican food, it's not the best. However, it is a great lunch place. I consider it a cleaner, healthier and tastier version of Chipotle.
In regards to Firebirds, it's hit or miss with the service. I noticed that as well. My first time I dined there, we had great service. My second time dining there, it was okay. It's definitely not on the same level as a Flemings/Ruth Chris/Mortons but it's far nicer than an Applebees or TGI Fridays so it's a hybrid between the two. Overall, I would recommend it. The prices are very reasonable and the food is pretty good.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 05-27-2009 at 01:44 AM..
Avoid 40th Street Cafe on Greenway and 40th. I happened to be in the PV area last month and ate there for lunch. The place was packed but I really couldn't understand why. It's a greasy diner and I got sick from eating the potato salad.
nice review on bourbon steak - i really want to get there to check it out, but have had too many other items eating up discretionary income ...... soon though
i don't know about the rest, but their fries are standard for all tables as a freebie
Bad to the Bone BBQ (In Promenade at FLW & Scottsdale): Actually I pulled into Promenade on my way home from work to go to Trader Joe's to buy paper towels lol. But I saw this restaurant has opened, so gave my son a quick call to meet me for dinner.
This is a "small chain". There are 2 other restaurants, both in CA I believe. From what I read online, the Arizona one opened around Memorial Day. So they've only been open a few weeks. They are where RedFish used to be.
We started out with an appetizer-potato skins. They were very good! Not the little shriveled up and broiled to death versions many restaurants do. These were real "meaty" potato skins. Very good! They also had pulled pork nachos which sounded good.
My son ordered a full rack of beef ribs. The kid is 21 years old, nearly 6 feet tall--->and when I say he can eat, that is an understatement. When his food arrived his comment laughing "OMG I have never been so intimidated by my food!" LOL!!!! The ribs and portion were MASSIVE. This was more than enough food for 2 very hungry 21 year olds. I tried his ribs-wow were they good! Not too sweet, not too spicy, lots of meat on the bones--->awesome ribs! Next time I go here I am getting a half rack of these already decided.
I ordered a combo plate-you can pick any 2 of their meats. I got the pulled pork and the tri-tip. Both were very good, but I especially liked the tri-tip. Perfectly sliced, perfectly cooked. What I really liked is it didn't come soaking in BBQ sauce. There was a small amount of sauce drizzled over, with remaining sauce served on the side. I don't like meat swimming in sauce. ;-)
Their other BBQ meats in addition to the beef ribs, pulled pork and tri-tip are chicken, pork ribs, baby back ribs, sausage and brisket. The offer combo plates where you can pick any 2, 3 or 4 of the meats. They also have a page of mesquite items and sandwiches. And they do rib eye, filet mignon, sirloin, ribeye and a few seafood choices. The smoked prime rib (weekends only) sounds delicious!
The meat entrees come with 2 very generous sides. I got sweet potato fries and ranch beans. My son had garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.
Total bill including the appetizer, 2 meals and beverages was around $55. But since the portions are seriously large, this could have easily fed 4 people. The fact they have a "plate sharing charge" think it was $5) on the menu should have alerted me to this fact. ;-)
They do to go "family packs" and catering and you can buy the meats bulk.
Their dessert menu wasn't overly impressive. Cobbler and a cake item are all I even remember. Sort of appears that dessert is an afterthought-which I won't penalize them for. The portions are so large I couldn't imagine eating dessert lol!
Overall I like this place. The basic "old western" kind of theme for decor. The service was good, food delivered timely, drinks refilled etc. I will definitely go back.
Recommend.
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For a side, we ordered horseradish mashed potato.
