So I find myself on the brink of being very hungry and fathoming what a nice Spiddick’s beer would go down with—a very dark English lager—when I happen upon the British Open Pub in Scottsdale, Arizona, located in the Papago Plaza on the southwest corner of Scottsdale Road and McDowell in South Scottsdale. The date was January 5th, of this year (2009) and I was waiting to rendezvous with my older brother to attend the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona—where the number three ranked Texas Texans were sparring off against the number ten Ohio Buckeyes. Of course, everybody knows that stadium beer sucks and that the food also sucks, and of course, that you will pay handsomely for such sucking.

Read more >

I found myself at the Chompie’s Deli on the north side of University Drive and just East of Rural road in Tempe, Arizona, the other day to eat after watching my younger brother’s graduation ceremony from Arizona State University, and I must say while they have a lot of food items that you can order from their menu, they are lacking in some areas and excelling in others. So without further ado, here is the low down.

The place was clean and nice inside, the service was friendly and prompt, but it was empty and still it took a while to get seated. When we finally were seated the server was nice and took his time to explain the menu, but they did not bring us the traditional pickle platter that all guests are served, and we had to ask for that as well. I tried the Jewish Sliders, latkes and brisket on Challah bread and doused in gravy – amazing, but nine bucks for three?

Read more >

When you come to eat at Valley Luna in Chandler, you come to a truly fine Mexican food restaurant. One that prides itself on authentic food, amazing service, great beer selections and of course, good prices—but that is only half the Valley Luna story, as I see it. The Valley Luna restaurant has several locations throughout Arizona, and was originally opened in 1983 in Phoenix. It is owned and operated by a family from Mexico City, and they certainly know their stuff when it comes to home-styled Mexican cooking at its very best!

When it Comes to Authentic – These Guys Know Their Food
From the moment that you are seated, a server will bring you homemade tortilla chips, hot from the maker, and homemade bean dip, as well as mild and hot salsas to whet your appetite while you are waiting for your food.

Read more >

If you are a big fan of sushi, like my wife and I are, then you will always be on the prowl for the next great sushi joint. I frequently will try and find some great sushi restaurants to eat at, and unfortunately, they happen to be, in my experience, few and very far between. However, once in a while I have the distinct pleasure of dining at a sushi restaurant that truly sets itself apart from all of the rest of them. That notion rings entirely true when it comes to eating fish at RA Sushi Restaurant and Bar in Chandler, Arizona.

The Interior is Truly Amazing
The interior is really a sight for the eyes. Decadent booths made from satin and high-grade leather make a very comfortable seating arrangement, and the same is true for their tables, which feature normal chairs with the same materials. The sushi bar wraps around the entire interior and you can watch as master sushi chefs hand prepare the meal that you just ordered; and you can see the different fresh cuts of sushi in the bar through the bar glass.

Read more >

If you are looking for the finest steak house in the state of Arizona, then look no further than Fleming’s Steak House in Chandler, Arizona. Located just off the 1-10 freeway and Ray Road, in central Chandler, about twenty minutes from anywhere in the central Phoenix Metropolitan area. When you first roll up on this place, you will notice that it is situated in a brand spanking new complex that features several other fine establishments and that screams luxury—which is exactly what you will be in for when dining at Fleming’s.

The Service is the Finest
First and foremost, the service is the best I have ever gotten in my life. No questions there. The servers are well trained, polite, and they even decant your wine for your and will basically cater to your every whim and desire.

Read more >

I am not sure if you ever head about it, but I sure did. It was a few years back, when I was still in high school, roughly ten to twelve years ago, when rumors started circulating the world afar that popular fast food restaurant, Kentucky Fried Chicken, was using headless chickens to derive their cheap chicken meat for their meals. Rubbish people – but at the same time it was pretty funny that there were those who are silly enough to be taken in by this KFC scam and who actually believed the crap that they heard. I have heard this KFC hoax from many different people on several different occasions, and even took the liberty of looking it up online – there are whole websites dedicated to proving they grow headless chickens, when this is indeed impossible to do.

People – Standard Bodily Functions Still Apply
Look, basically, it’s just impossible to grow a chicken without a head, and what purpose would that serve anyway? How would the chicken eat? How would it use the bathroom? How would it survive, breathe, drink water, and so on?

Read more >

In a day and age where one in four Americans are considered to be obese (over the average body weight for their height and size by at least thirty pounds or more), more folks are looking to supplement unhealthy food for a better fare, one that does not contribute to their overall weight gain. And who can really blame us for wanting to eat and feel fitter? Those across the world constantly call us Americans fat, but now that we are starting to do something about it, they may all very well have to hold their tongues come the next few years. The reality is that fast food chains are a convenience for most Americans, who are always on the go. So the best way to counteract this dilemma is by introducing Americans to healthy fast food restaurants that offer zero guilt splurging.

Why Healthy Fast Food Chains are Doing so Well
There are currently several major healthy fast food chains that are doing quite well. Kyoto Bowl offers fresh sushi and iced tea, as well as a variety of other healthy snacks and eats at bargain prices.

Read more >

For those of you out there who demand the best service when you eat out, what truly comprises great service at a restaurant? I am sure there will be comments aplenty of this posts, as a great deal of people eat out at restaurants all of the time. That being said – this is just purely my own opinion on what constitutes good service at a restaurant, not necessarily the law of the trade. Your comments and opinions are openly welcomed. Let’s enhance this blog to make it show that we, as consumers, can demonstrate what we expect to get when eating out.

The Server is Half the Experience
Whoever serves you will ultimately create half of your experience when dining out. How often do they check on you? How many times do you have to ask to get your drink refilled? Are they friendly, informative and courteous? These are the must threes in my book: they must be friendly and informative, let you know about specials, explain different dishes, etc.

Read more >

For sure there are places that we know what to expect when it comes to the quality of the food that was are served and the service that we can expect to receive. In a nutshell, you get what you pay for most of the time. Right? But then there are those restaurants that charge too much for the food and provide a lax service that makes you grunt, especially when it comes time to tender the bill. And my perspective on this is as such: if you want to charge a certain rate for a dinner at your restaurant, make sure that the service given exceeds the price that the customer is expected to pay. Simple enough, right?

Case and Point
I have eaten out at many steakhouses in my day, good and bad, expensive and cheap – although when I have the pockets I always opt for the pricier ones because they generally serve better food and offer better service. But when it comes to certain steakhouses in Arizona, some are better left off the diner map. For example, I compared two meals I ate, one at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and the other at Fleming’s.

Read more >

Have you ever been out to eat at restaurant with your folks or your grandparents and when the bill comes they fret over the tip amount to leave? Certainly many people struggle with gratuity, and some even read Forbes guide to gratuity so they know what to tip, when and where. But come on people – tipping is simple: you leave a certain amount and that amount increases with the amount of service that you receive. So, much like a report card, where everybody starts off with a zero and that total raises as you submit work and it is graded, the same is true with tipping.

Where did this Pretax Total Mish Mash Come From?
But then there are – mostly found with older traditional people – those who refuse to base their tip on the total, rather they use the pretax total to derive a percentage from and tip based upon that number. So what, what’s a few bucks, like twenty cents more, Please! This pretax mish mash emanates from those who believe they should not pay gratuity on taxes, like it really matters.

Read more >