Spiga drops the ball on dessert, service
Wait: We walk in a few minutes before our 8:15 p.m. Wednesday reservation. The bartender/hostess checks on our table. The restaurant is less than half full, but our table is not ready. Strange.
Not one customer leaves during our 15-minute wait. Whack. » READ MORE Updated January 12, 2006
The ten best additions to the East Valley dining scene While I didn't get to every new restaurant that opened in 2005, I hit as many as I could to come up with this list of the East Valley's best new additions. In no particular order, here are the 10 tastiest newcomers to our ever-expanding dining scene.
» READ MORE Updated January 5, 2006
Food at Sushi Eye is fun to look at - and to eat Wait: The new sushi bar and grill is dead just after 5 p.m. on a Saturday. Service: Someone dims the full-blast lighting after we are seated, which makes a huge difference.
» READ MORE Updated December 29, 2005
Forbidden libations are Tequila Grill's highlight
Wait: There is no wait for four at 7 p.m. on a Friday. Service: We sit unattended for a noticeable amount of time before our waiter finally stops by. He's very professional when he's around, but water refills are slow. After clearing our dinner plates, he goes missing for 10 minutes. Our desserts take nearly 15 minutes to arrive. » READ MORE Updated December 22, 2005
New saloon and grill makes up for average food with killer scene Wait: After doing a few loops around the slammed San Tan Flat parking lot, we find a dirt spot in the dark between a couple of desert shrubs.
» READ MORE Updated December 15, 2005
Meal doesn't match service, atmposphere at Caruso's Wait: We get a warm welcome from an expectant staff at 7 p.m. Luckily, we had double-checked Sunday's closing time before heading out because business is so slow they planned to close early. Thankfully, they are kind enough to stay open for our foursome.
» READ MORE Updated December 8, 2005
Heart Attack Grill puts mighty meat on the plate for those who dare Throw In-N-Out and Hooters in a blender, add a splash of television show “Nip/Tuck” and you have Tempe’s new Heart Attack Grill. The young servers in the small burger joint sport sexed-up nurse outfits (fishnet stockings, revealing tops, super-short skirts, etc.) and cooks wear surgical scrubs.
» READ MORE Updated December 1, 2005
Ethiopian cafes are casual by nature, but Tina's takes it to a new level Wait: We walk in at 7 p.m. on a Saturday, hover by the rack of Ethiopian clothing for a minute and are led to our “mesob,” a traditional, hourglass-shaped woven table.
Service: A boy, age 7 tops, stops by to give us menus and let us know the kitchen is out of yatkilt watt. The kid's all business. It's laughs.
» READ MORE Updated December 1, 2005
Try Carumba! Wait: It’s just shy of 9 a.m. on a Saturday and although the bustling, canopied patio area looks tempting, it’s too chilly in the shade for my desert blood.
» READ MORE Updated November 24, 2005
Hefty tab dulls tasty flavors at new Tempe spot Wait: Despite a pretty prime spot across the street from Sun Devil Stadium, the 2-week-old Saffron is empty at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday. We pass on the bar and pick a table as far from the College Avenue bus belches as possible.
» READ MORE Updated November 17, 2005
Glitches aside, Molly Brannigans is worth the trip to Dana Park Wait: We stroll in at 1 p.m. on a Saturday and grab a table.
Service: Friendly and patient. The waiter brings three rounds of refills, replaces silverware left on appetizer plates and stops by several times to make sure we have what we need and everything tastes good. A manager makes a visit toward the end of our lunch as well.
» READ MORE Updated November 10, 2005
Frank & Charlie's serves up good food at good prices Wait: A cheery Brit greets us at 7:30 p.m. on a Monday, and a young hostess shows us to our elevated booth.
» READ MORE Updated November 3, 2005
Dual's food, scene and service are doubly good Wait: Just after 8 p.m. on a Tuesday, we get a very warm welcome from a manager sporting an untucked striped collared shirt and messy-but-not-overly-so black hair.
» READ MORE Updated November 3, 2005
Noteworthy restaurants finally descend on Mesa This ain't your momma's Mesa anymore.
The nation's biggest little city — it's a few subdivisions away from hitting the half-million population mark — sports its very own P.F. Chang's, Oregano's, BJ's Brewery, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sakana Sushi & Grill, Sauce and Salty Senorita, as well as a buffet of other noteworthy new eateries. » READ MORE Updated October 20, 2005
Fiamma: Just another pretty face? Wait: We walk up the candlelit stairs, and the door to Scottsdale's hottest hotel, The James, is opened for us by a young man clad in shorts and a polo. Our party of four, which has a 7:30 p.m. Friday reservation, is promptly offered inside or outside seating in the half-full trattoria. » READ MORE Updated October 20, 2005
