Swaddee - Scottsdale

Spicy noodles with chicken, Baby. Swaddee's ambiance is a little bit strip-mall-y but the food is good yummy Thai. The garlic delight and ginger delight are also favorites.

Chevy's - Mesa

I'll admit, I've never been a big fan of Chevy's. The salsa is weird, it's the flavor equivalent of swimming in a public pool. It's all mild and normal, and then all of a sudden you get to a warm spot. It also has a "roasty" flavor of which I'm never fond. Anyway, the margaritas are great, and I love that sweet corn tamale thing they serve on the side.

Chino Bandido - Phoenix

Chino Bandido is fantastic. It's a barely describable blend of Mexican and Chinese take-out food. It took me a few times to get the hang of it and find a favorite, but it was worth it. Also, I've never seen happier restaurant workers. I recommend the veggie quesadilla, the emerald chicken burrito, the jerk fried rice, and of course, the complimentary snickerdoodles.

Nello's Pizza- Scottsdale

Ahh, Nello's. Good stuff. I like the spinach pizza and the Santa Fe chicken. We went to the one in old town Scottsdale, but there's one up on Shea now, too.

Outback-Scottsdale

Not too many reasons for a non-cow eater to go to Outback? Well, the standard grilled chicken is pretty darn good, and the Caesar salad is nothing to sneeze at, either. But after two wallaby darneds, pretty much anything tastes good. Double thumbs up for the homemade croutons, the only ones just soft enough to spear with a fork without shattering, but not mushy.

Wildflower Bread Company- Scottsdale

Wildflower Bread Company has great potato soup and and I usually have it with half a sandwich with turkey and brie, I think. Yummy rainy day lunch. Always crowded, but usually worth it.

Apple Cafe- Scottsdale

Met husband for lunch at Apple Cafe. Posted on the counter is a sign that reads “Our goal is to serve healthy food that tastes fattening” I had the Big Buffalo Wrap, it was OK, the potato salad was sub-par.

NYPD Pizza- Scottsdale

We took the kids to NYPD Pizza for dinner. It happened to be 'kids under 10 eat free' night, so that was cool. The pizza is delicious, always worth it, I always get fooled my the garlic knots, though. They always look and smell so good, but I'm always disappointed when I get them, they always seem burned and greasy.

Don & Charlie's- Scottsdale

Don & Charlie's is a Scottsdale institution. It’s a heavily beef-weighted menu, and that leaves chicken-eaters like me with slim pickings. The atmosphere more than makes up for it, the mashed potatoes were great, and overall, it's a neat place to take meat-eating sports fans from out of town.

Bobby's- Scottsdale

We had dinner at Bobby's at Kierland. It was a little overrated. I had a very yummy vegetarian paella, but everything else seemed a little 'trying too hard' I don't think I'll go back.

Bamboo Club - Scottsdale

Dillon's- Phoenix

Dillon's is a barbeque place, pretty good for carnivores. The onion rings and accompanying sauce are pretty good. The family loved the ribs, I usually order a the Arizona turkey sandwich and am usually disappointed.

Chik-Fil-A- Scottsdale

I love Chik-Fil-A, seriously, I'd be happy if my kids never went to another fast food restaurant besides CFA. The chicken sandwiches are good, the lemonade is good, it's all good.

Oregano's - Scottsdale

Peter Piper Pizza- Prescott

Normally I wouldn't bother to review a Peter Piper Pizza, but I'm a completist, and we're cataloging ALL the restaurants we visit in 2006, so here goes. The Prescott P3, as we'll call it, has an interesting clientèle. Kind of dirty. Anyway, the pizza is as expected, cheap and greasy, which is totally cool with me, sometimes you just crave that kind of thing.

Chop N Wok- Scottsdale

I have fond memories of Chop N Wok, so I was excited to find out if the food was as good as I remembered. The black pepper chicken and kung pao chicken were ok, not great, and the orange chicken was delightful.

L'Ecole- Scottsdale

L'Ecole is the restaurant at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. The food is ridiculously good, unusual, fun, but the service is really really bad. To be fair, they're not real waiters, they're culinary students who are putting in their required hours of food serving, but it's pretty bad.

Baja Fresh- Scottsdale

Ahhh, comfortable, predictable Baja Fresh. I love the burritos, but I can't finish one. I always think I'm going to, but it never happens. My favorite is the burrito ultimo, with grilled peppers. Mmmm.

Pinnacle Peak Patio-Scottsdale

Cute atmosphere, ties hanging from the ceiling, neat place to take out-of-town guests. Unless, of course, they don't eat beef. Pinnacle Peak Patio has virtually nothing to offer those who don't eat red meat. The only chicken option was "half a chicken" not something I wanted to eat for lunch after a long morning hike. So I had a salad and a potato. It was a fun time, but I wouldn't choose to go back.

Los Somberos- Scottsdale

The dinner was good, the chicken breast was served on the bone- I hate that, and hate it even more that the menu didn't disclose it. Luckily, Los Sombreros has a nice sangria. For dessert we had flan served with an almond tequila- very unusual, but good.

Gordon Biersch- Tempe

I love the garlic fries at Gordon Biersch. Make sure you and your date both eat them, so you'll both get to enjoy the taste and the smelly breath. I loved the barbeque chicken sandwich and the black raspberry margarita.

Johnny Rockets-Tempe

I love a place that can make a turkey burger taste like the "real" thing. Johnny Rockets does an amazing job with the turkey burgers, using Tillamook cheese and some special sauce that's probably just ketchup and mayonnaise. Fantastic malts and shakes, nice greasy cheese fries, everything a burger place should be.

Abuelo's-Scottsdale

January also found us at Abuelo's. The Sangria Swirl, a magical and wonderful sangria/margarita amalgam, could be the best reason to return. A close second are the enchiladas. Notable is the avocado enchilada, as well as the sour cream sauce and salsa ranchera.

El Torito- Scottsdale

We started off the new year at El Torito, one of our favorites. The guacamole is great, one of the two salsas is good, but I can't remember which one. I did not care for the tamales, but the Cadillac margarita was fantastic.