‘Arizona’

An Explosion of Flavor at C4

January 2nd, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oh Arizona.

Remember playing Cowboys and Indians as a kid?  Thankfully, there is a place in the world where that fantasyland still exists.  It’s called Arizona, and while not everyone runs around with a gun or bow and arrow, there are places you could picture saddling up a horse just as easily as stopping by in a hybrid.  One such place is the Cave Creek Coffee Company, affectionately known as C4 by locals.  The facade is reminiscent of Tombstone, but the interior is pure class (not that Tombstone was lacking in class…). Continue Reading»

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A Taste of Chicago at Oregano’s

March 4th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Yes, this place is owned by an herb.

As a relatively new city, I haven’t found Phoenix to have their own signature cuisine.  Sure, they have some great Mexican food and boast one of the best pizza places in the country, but I haven’t yet found that distinct Phoenician specialty.  And to be honest, that’s just fine with me, because I hail from the Midwest and apparently so do a lot of the restaurant owners in Phoenix.  On my last visit, I had Coney Dogs that tasted straight out of Detroit, and this time I had myself a taste of Chicago at Oregano’s. Continue Reading»

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Feeling Perturbed at Bad Donkey

March 3rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Stop being such a putrid chicken.

For a little lunch pickup in Carefree, Arizona, just north of Scottsdale, I was told we would be ordering from a local sandwich shop called Bad Donkey (not to be confused with Bikkuri Donkey).  Although actual donkey was no where to be found on the menu, it seemed they had come up with some very creative names to make up for the lack of donkey.  Their veggie sub was called Grass on a Roll and their Reuben was creatively called Reuben Worth Choosen (yes, choosen and not choosin’). Continue Reading»

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A Taste of Home at Upper Deck

October 27th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

If you hail from the great state of Michigan, you know why I took a picture of this.

A couple weeks ago I headed to Phoenix with the girlfriend for a wedding.  But this wasn’t just any weekend, it happened to be the weekend of the Michigan-Michigan State game.  It’s usually a pretty big game, but with both teams undefeated (at the time), it was a game I couldn’t miss.  Fortunately, said girlfriend found an interesting bar for me to watch it at in Old Town Scottsdale.  It was called Upper Deck Sports Grille and was dedicated to Michigan and Michigan State fans.  You would think Phoenix would be big enough to host ex-Michiganders at more than one bar, but you would be wrong. Continue Reading»

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Going 18 Inches at Uncle Sam’s

July 7th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Really? Misters in a desert?

On our way out of Arizona, the girlfriend thought it would be nice to visit a place of nostalgia for her so we could pick up some sandwiches for the road.  The place was called Uncle Sam’s and was so patriotic that they had water misters spraying all over the outside just to prove how America has conquered the desert.  Also, because everything was red, white and blue.  The general style and ambiance of the place reminded me of the USA Cafe in Lansing, Michigan that I used to frequent in my youth, so Uncle Sam’s was a bit nostalgic for me, too. Continue Reading»

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It’s Not Always Time for Bacon

July 6th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Where's all the bacon?

Every once in a blue moon, a restaurant comes along that you just can’t pass up.  Sometimes it’s Taco Bell, and sometimes it’s a place called Bacon in Scottsdale.  Although clearly capitalizing on the current bacon trend, the name sounded great to me when the girlfriend’s family suggested it.  Since it was Father’s Day, we expected a long line, so we called in advance and a table was ready for us by the time we got there. Continue Reading»

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Whatalunch at Whataburger

April 13th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Whatabuilding!

In much of the south, there is a burger chain called Whataburger.  Completely unknown to people of the north and even to people in Southern California, Whataburger definitely has been cooking up burgers for quite a while.  Last time I was in Phoenix (which is the south as far as I’m concerned), I made it a goal to visit Whataburger and see how their burgers stand up to the rest of the fast food world. Continue Reading»

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Doing the Arizona Restaurant Week at Bloom

October 23rd, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Oh cheesy joy.

Oh cheesy joy.

LA isn’t the only place in the world to offer a restaurant week.  Arizona also flexed their restaurant week muscles last month.  At $29 for a three-course meal for every restaurant listed (as opposed to LA, which has three different price levels), it’s important to pick the right place.  They also note that the price is $58 per couple.  Thank you, but I can do math.  I know that 29 x 2 = 58, so if you’re not going to offer me some sort of couples discount, I really don’t see the point of showing me this.  Mathematical anger aside, we decided to head to Bloom, a fancy American restaurant. Continue Reading»

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A New Level of Custom Burgers at BluBurger Grille

October 21st, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Nothing blue (or green) about this burger.

Nothing blue (or green) about this burger.

Making its way into the custom burger scene in Arizona is a place called the BluBurger Grille.  Similar to places like the Counter in California, BluBurger gives you a list of burger styles and loads of toppings available for them.  BluBurger, however, takes customization to a new level.

Rather than restricting itself to one beef burger option, BluBurger has pulled out the stops by offering Kobe Beef (which I can only assume is actually Kobe-style beef) and Bison.  Since I typically love me some buffalo, I ordered that with sharp cheddar and BBQ sauce.  Adding anything else would have masked the flavor of the buffalo, so I kept my burger pretty simple.  Continue Reading»

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Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

The taste of skiing?

Colorado is definitely a beer state, and not just because Coors comes from the Rocky Mountain State.  No, it is also home to New Belgium (of Fat Tire fame) and seemingly countless other micro and craft breweries.  While in Breckenridge for a ski weekend, I decided I had to at least try one of these, and because it turned out to be the only one available at dinner, my choice happened to come from the creatively named Breckenridge Brewery.  The brewery, by the way, is actually no longer in Breckenridge, having expanded and moved to Denver in 1992.

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