Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are there
any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned to
have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)

Bob

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 18:38:57 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

>Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are there
>any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned to
>have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)
>
>Bob

Pizzeria Bianco.

Don't listen to some of the naysayers about this place.

Christine

On Sat 05 Jul 2008 06:40:36p, Christine Dabney told us...

> On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 18:38:57 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:
>
>>Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are
there
>>any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned to
>>have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)
>>
>>Bob
>
> Pizzeria Bianco.
>
> Don't listen to some of the naysayers about this place.
>
> Christine
>

I second that.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 07(VII)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
I have my cat's permission to use the
computer.
-------------------------------------------

Christine wrote:

> Pizzeria Bianco.
>
> Don't listen to some of the naysayers about this place.

Unfortunately, Pizzeria Bianco is closed on exactly the days of the week
when Lin and I will be there (Sunday and Monday).

Bob

On Sat 05 Jul 2008 06:50:41p, Bob Terwilliger told us...

> Christine wrote:
>
>> Pizzeria Bianco.
>>
>> Don't listen to some of the naysayers about this place.
>
> Unfortunately, Pizzeria Bianco is closed on exactly the days of the week
> when Lin and I will be there (Sunday and Monday).
>
> Bob

That's a shame, Bob. You might enjoy this one, though...

Grimaldi's Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria (Old Scottsdale)
4000 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale AZ 85251
480-994-1100

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 07(VII)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Cats must lie next to their human's
ear and purr loudly.
-------------------------------------------

On Jul 5, 6:38*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are there
> any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned to
> have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)
>
If you mean places other than food related, the Heard museum has a lot
of good stuff, but probably won't be open Sunday or Monday. The
Desert Botanical Garden is quite good if you're interested in that
kind of thing. They open early so you can go to beat the heat. If
you happen to be interested in birding, they do a bird walk through
the garden beginning at 7 a.m. on Mondays. -aem

Wayne wrote:

> You might enjoy this one, though...
>
> Grimaldi's Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria (Old Scottsdale)
> 4000 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale AZ 85251
> 480-994-1100

Noted, but... is PIZZA really the flavor of Phoenix? I was expecting
something more influenced by Mexican or Navajo cuisine. It's not that I have
anything AGAINST pizza, but if there's something I can find only in Phoenix,
that's what I'd like to try.

Most of the top 10 Phoenix restaurant picks from the opentable.com diners
are closed Sunday and Monday; the ones which are open are these:

Arizona Inn - The Main Dining Room (This is the front-runner for me)
Capital Grill - Phoenix (I'm not a big steak-eater)
McClintock's (I'm not wild about their menu, but it looks okay)
Lon's at The Hermosa (seems a bit contrived and pretentious)

Now, I realize that diner surveys are often HORRIBLE, so I'm not attaching a
great deal of credence to the survey results. (Case in point: The Sacramento
diners voted _Denny's_ as the "best late-night restaurant," ignoring the
fact that there is an EXCELLENT tapas restaurant open late.)

AAA makes a dozen recommendations; these are the ones open on Sunday and/or
Monday:

The Fry Bread House (meh... gets bad reviews online)
Postino Winecafe (There *must* be better food in Phoenix than this!)
Durant's (looks just OK)
Roaring Fork (looks very good. What's the catch?)
Barrio Cafe (closed Monday; I guess it's a Sunday-dinner candidate)
T. Cook's (lunch menu and dinner sample menus both look good, but not
Phoenix-unique)
Arizona Kitchen (looks FANTASTIC! but Sunday and Monday lunch only)

AAA has also badly misled me in the past, so if you have any information
about those restaurants, or would like to recommend others, I'd certainly be
interested.

Bob

aem wrote:

> If you mean places other than food related, the Heard museum has a lot of
> good stuff, but probably won't be open Sunday or Monday. The Desert
> Botanical Garden is quite good if you're interested in that kind of thing.
> They open early so you can go to beat the heat. If you happen to be
> interested in birding, they do a bird walk through the garden beginning at
> 7 a.m. on Mondays. -aem

Thanks! I'd been considering the Desert Botanical Garden, as well as the
Phoenix Zoo in the same area. The Mystery Castle looks like a good place for
photos, too. If it's open, I'm hoping to visit the Scottsdale Museum of
Contemporary Art -- and that will probably be enough, since my hotel has an
inviting pool and comfortable rooms.

Bob

Bob Terwilliger > wrote:

>Noted, but... is PIZZA really the flavor of Phoenix? I was expecting
>something more influenced by Mexican or Navajo cuisine.

I never succeeded in finding good Mexican food in Phoenix.
Tuscon panned out better.

And I'm unclear as to whether the Navaho have much of a
tradition of promoting their food in restaurants... if
you find it, it will surely involve lamb.

Steve

On Sat 05 Jul 2008 08:53:23p, Bob Terwilliger told us...

> Wayne wrote:
>
>> You might enjoy this one, though...
>>
>> Grimaldi's Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria (Old Scottsdale)
>> 4000 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale AZ 85251 480-994-1100
>
> Noted, but... is PIZZA really the flavor of Phoenix? I was expecting
> something more influenced by Mexican or Navajo cuisine. It's not that I
> have anything AGAINST pizza, but if there's something I can find only in
> Phoenix, that's what I'd like to try.

Understood, but very good pizza.

> Most of the top 10 Phoenix restaurant picks from the opentable.com
> diners are closed Sunday and Monday; the ones which are open are these:
>
> Arizona Inn - The Main Dining Room (This is the front-runner for me)

Excellent choice.

Skip the next three.

> Capital Grill - Phoenix (I'm not a big steak-eater)
> McClintock's (I'm not wild about their menu, but it looks okay)
> Lon's at The Hermosa (seems a bit contrived and pretentious)
>
> Now, I realize that diner surveys are often HORRIBLE, so I'm not
> attaching a great deal of credence to the survey results. (Case in
> point: The Sacramento diners voted _Denny's_ as the "best late-night
> restaurant," ignoring the fact that there is an EXCELLENT tapas
> restaurant open late.)
>
> AAA makes a dozen recommendations; these are the ones open on Sunday
> and/or Monday:
>
> The Fry Bread House (meh... gets bad reviews online)

They do have some authentic Native American food, but I wouldn't bother
with this on a trip. It's about 2 blocks from where I work.

> Postino Winecafe (There *must* be better food in Phoenix than this!)

Skip it!

> Durant's (looks just OK)

Actually, Durant's is the oldest steakhouse in the city, I think nearly
around 60 years old and classic style. They do serve good steaks, but
you're not looking for steak, per above. Great martinis! Still... I'd
go. :-)

> Roaring Fork (looks very good. What's the catch?)

None that I know of. I've seen mixed reviews, but the majority are very
good reviews. I've only had lunch there. The food was excellent.

> Barrio Cafe (closed Monday; I guess it's a Sunday-dinner candidate)

So So, IMO.

> T. Cook's (lunch menu and dinner sample menus both look good, but not
> Phoenix-unique)

Nothing special either.

> Arizona Kitchen (looks FANTASTIC! but Sunday and Monday lunch only)

Definitely worth a lunch!

You might check out Carolina's for Mexican. I really like it, and I've
never heard a bad thing about it.

HTH


> Bob
>
>



--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 07(VII)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Out the RS232, off the local server,
through the backbone, off the
satellite, into the archive, back into
the local server, . . . nothing but Net!
-------------------------------------------

On Sat 05 Jul 2008 09:04:23p, Steve Pope told us...

> Bob Terwilliger > wrote:
>
>>Noted, but... is PIZZA really the flavor of Phoenix? I was expecting
>>something more influenced by Mexican or Navajo cuisine.
>
> I never succeeded in finding good Mexican food in Phoenix.
> Tuscon panned out better.

Have you ever tried Carolina's?

> And I'm unclear as to whether the Navaho have much of a
> tradition of promoting their food in restaurants... if
> you find it, it will surely involve lamb.

Or goat.


> Steve
>



--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 07(VII)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
'If we do not succeed, we run the risk
of failure.' -- Dan Quayle
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

>On Sat 05 Jul 2008 09:04:23p, Steve Pope told us...

>> I never succeeded in finding good Mexican food in Phoenix.
>> Tuscon panned out better.

>Have you ever tried Carolina's?

Nope. Recommendation noted.

>> And I'm unclear as to whether the Navaho have much of a
>> tradition of promoting their food in restaurants... if
>> you find it, it will surely involve lamb.

>Or goat.

Nice.

S.

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are there
> any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned to
> have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)
>
> Bob


One of my favorite places to go when I'm in Phoenix is Oregano's. It's a
pizza place, but I've never had the pizza because the pasta is so darned
good! They do a penne with shredded chicken and a red sauce that is
delicious.

On my husband's recent trip there, he discovered a place called Joe's Farm
Grill, which is in an actual farmhouse, that he really enjoyed. Enough that
he went back in the same trip, which, for him, says alot.
It's a nice drive from Phoenix to the restaurant, which is in Gilbert. (Try
the cream puff dessert..but only if you're sharing! He and his friend both
raved about it. )

He also likes a place called Carolina's if you are looking for Mexican food
while you're there.

kimberly

Bob Terwilliger > wrote in message
...
> Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later
> this month. Are there any places we shouldn't miss
> while we're there? (We've already planned to have Sunday
> brunch at the Phoenician.)

Hap's BBQ on West Indian School.
Tomaso's on East Camelback Road
Salt Cellar in Scottsdale on North Hayden

The Ranger

On Sat 05 Jul 2008 09:56:29p, Nexis told us...

>
> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are
>> there any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already
>> planned to have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)
>>
>> Bob
>
>
> One of my favorite places to go when I'm in Phoenix is Oregano's. It's a
> pizza place, but I've never had the pizza because the pasta is so darned
> good! They do a penne with shredded chicken and a red sauce that is
> delicious.

Oregano's does really have good pizza. Haven't been in a while, but when I
was working in Tempe, we used to go to one nearby for lunch once a week.

> On my husband's recent trip there, he discovered a place called Joe's
> Farm Grill, which is in an actual farmhouse, that he really enjoyed.
> Enough that he went back in the same trip, which, for him, says alot.
> It's a nice drive from Phoenix to the restaurant, which is in Gilbert.
> (Try the cream puff dessert..but only if you're sharing! He and his
> friend both raved about it. )

I'll have to try this place! I've eaten at Joe's BBQ many times, which is
in downtown Gilbert. I'm sure his newer venture is just as good.

> He also likes a place called Carolina's if you are looking for Mexican
> food while you're there.

Carolina's...absolutely!

> kimberly
>
>
>



--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 07(VII)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
'A root is a flower that disdains
fame.' - Kahlil Gibran
-------------------------------------------

On Jul 5, 6:38*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are there
> any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned to
> have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)

Pappadeux's for new orleans food and jazz. And, there's a Fish Market
in Phoenix that I always gotta hit.

Gawd, this time in Phx is tooooooo HOT. Do you have to go?

Karen

On Sat 05 Jul 2008 10:45:26p, Karen told us...

> On Jul 5, 6:38*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> wrote:
>> Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are
ther
>> e any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned
>> to have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)
>
> Pappadeux's for new orleans food and jazz. And, there's a Fish Market
> in Phoenix that I always gotta hit.

Have you ever tried Baby Kay's Cajun Kitchen on Scottsdale Rd. in Phoneix?
Small place, but excellent Cajun food.

> Gawd, this time in Phx is tooooooo HOT. Do you have to go?

It's been hotter than hell for the past 3 weeks, hardly a day under 110°.

> Karen
>



--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 07(VII)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
'Beam me aboard, Scotty.' 'Sure thing,
Captain: Will a 2x10 do?'
-------------------------------------------

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 20:53:23 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

snippage
>
>Most of the top 10 Phoenix restaurant picks from the opentable.com diners
>are closed Sunday and Monday; the ones which are open are these:
>
more snippage

I was just reading about this place in a restaurant trade magazine.
It's an award winner so it might be an option, open nightly 5:30 to
10:00

http://www.seasaw.net/

koko
--
There is no love more sincere than the love of food.
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 6/25

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 18:38:57 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

>Lin and I will be in Phoenix for a couple days later this month. Are there
>any places we shouldn't miss while we're there? (We've already planned to
>have Sunday brunch at the Phoenician.)
>
>Bob

Well, after I posted about See Saw I forgot you were more interested
in Mexican or Navajo cuisine.
Have you asked for recommendations at chowhound.com? They are always
helpful.

koko
--
There is no love more sincere than the love of food.
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 6/25

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 08:42:15a, told us...

> On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 20:53:23 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:
>
> snippage
>>
>>Most of the top 10 Phoenix restaurant picks from the opentable.com diners
>>are closed Sunday and Monday; the ones which are open are these:
>>
> more snippage
>
> I was just reading about this place in a restaurant trade magazine.
> It's an award winner so it might be an option, open nightly 5:30 to
> 10:00
>
> http://www.seasaw.net/
>
> koko

I'm sure it's good, but it would probably not appeal to my personal taste.
However, Bob might like it. I have been to one of their other restaurants,
Cowboy Caio and really enjoyed it.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
You always find things in the first
place you look, but not the first time
you look there.
-------------------------------------------

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> aem wrote:
>
>> If you mean places other than food related, the Heard museum has a lot
>> of good stuff, but probably won't be open Sunday or Monday. The
>> Desert Botanical Garden is quite good if you're interested in that
>> kind of thing. They open early so you can go to beat the heat. If you
>> happen to be interested in birding, they do a bird walk through the
>> garden beginning at 7 a.m. on Mondays. -aem
>
> Thanks! I'd been considering the Desert Botanical Garden, as well as the
> Phoenix Zoo in the same area.


We loved the Botanical Garden, but we're very interested in gardening
and desert flora was new to us.

gloria p

On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:07:37 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

>On Sun 06 Jul 2008 08:42:15a, told us...
>
>>
>> I was just reading about this place in a restaurant trade magazine.
>> It's an award winner so it might be an option, open nightly 5:30 to
>> 10:00
>>
>> http://www.seasaw.net/
>>
>> koko
>
>I'm sure it's good, but it would probably not appeal to my personal taste.
>However, Bob might like it. I have been to one of their other restaurants,
>Cowboy Caio and really enjoyed it.

Both look good to me... is Cowboy Ciao as dressy as the photos imply?
http://www.cowboyciao.com/


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Sun 06 Jul 2008 10:42:38a, told us...

> On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:07:37 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>>On Sun 06 Jul 2008 08:42:15a, told us...
>>
>>>
>>> I was just reading about this place in a restaurant trade magazine.
>>> It's an award winner so it might be an option, open nightly 5:30 to
>>> 10:00
>>>
>>> http://www.seasaw.net/
>>>
>>> koko
>>
>>I'm sure it's good, but it would probably not appeal to my personal
>>taste. However, Bob might like it. I have been to one of their other
>>restaurants, Cowboy Caio and really enjoyed it.
>
> Both look good to me... is Cowboy Ciao as dressy as the photos imply?
> http://www.cowboyciao.com/

Business casual is common there, and you will see some a bit more dressed
up. Jeans are out.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 07(VII)/06(VI)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
SPECIMEN: An Italian astronaut.
-------------------------------------------

koko wrote:

> after I posted about See Saw I forgot you were more interested
> in Mexican or Navajo cuisine.
> Have you asked for recommendations at chowhound.com? They are always
> helpful.

I looked at the old listings on chowhound, but didn't post a request for
recommendations there.

See Saw looks interesting, but given our limited time in Phoenix, we'll
probably eat elsewhere. If I were staying longer, I'd definitely try it out.
Thanks!

Bob