Some updates, and some new ones.
Updates:
- Hawaiian Grille (W. Sheldon Street): I’ve been back here a few times, and was not nearly so impressed as the first time around. It seems like they have lowered their prices a bit which is great, but the food lacks anything that made it stand out.
- 129 1/2 (N. Cortez street): Has started doing lunch!!! Been in once so far and will definitely be going back again. Service was good, prices were a bit higher than most lunch joints around town, but the food was also a higher caliber than most joints. When we went it was pretty empty, but I’m guessing it will begin filling up for lunch once people realize lunch is going on there. As usual, great ambiance, though there is no Jazz band for lunch. Go for dinner if you are looking for the music.
- Fujiyama’s (Frontier Village): Another restaurant that doesn’t impress like it once did. Not sure if it is just the poor economic conditions, but it seems like the food keeps getting more flavorless every time we go here.
- Nita’s (Frontier Village: Tragedy! Nita’s has closed their doors, and now I have nowhere to turn for awesome sandwiches. :( Truly sad.
Additions:
- El Gato Azul (W. Goodwin St.): Another restaurant by Barry, and another hit!
Those of you who have been in town for a while will recognize this building as the old Nick’s Feed Your Face. I’m not sure why it took us so long to get over here (they have been open for 2 or 3 years now…) but we did finally make it the the blue cat for dinner and were very impressed. We ended up ordering a dinner meal instead of just tapas so the price was a bit high, but well worth it. I had some lamb that rocked, and DaNece had a chorizo steak which was delightful. We plan on going back for some lunch in the near future.
Seating is limited due to the space, but they also have an outdoor seating section. I’m guessing it gets pretty cold out there right now though. The service was very friendly. Made us feel like we were old regulars.
- Rooster’s (S. Montezuma St): A new restaurant / cafe in town. I’ve been in a half-dozen times and always walk away fairly happy. The layout of the restaurant seems odd and not very conductive to a restaurant setting.
The service is generally mediocre, the waitresses don’t seem happy to be there or giddy to help, but the food comes out pretty quick and is always pretty tasty. I like their ruben and the tuna melt. French dip is okay, though not the best in town. Price is decent for what you get, plus they serve espresso, which is always a bonus to me, though I wouldn’t go there just for the coffee.
Not the first place I turn to, but not a bad choice either.
- Buddie’s (Sheldon St.): These guys went out of business before I could even get a chance to review them. Occupying the same space as spaghetti western used to, the food was not very high quality, the service was bad, and the layout of this space is always going to stink as a restaurant. Prices were cheap as all get out (as long as you didn’t want fries or anything). Probably for the best that they called it quits.
- Iron Springs Cafe (Iron Springs rd): Seems like I should have already reviewed this place, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Great food, great service, awesome building. This is one of the places that tourists generally don’t get to because it is a little out of the way. All the food has a hint of spice, but not enough to overwhelm most palettes. Prices are a bit on the high side, and they are only open four days a week which makes it kind of a hastle to eat here. When you do though you are in for a treat. I’ve never eaten something here I didn’t like.
- Bare Bones BBQ (Whiskey Row): Occupying the same space that Pearl’s place used to be in (Pearl’s moved to PV), and apparently still owned by the same folks. Me and DaNece were pretty jazzed to try this place because we were fond of Pearl’s. The service was a little disappointing, the waitress being more concerned about sending text messages than checking up on us. Food wise… I’d say mediocre. We shared a pulled pork platter with their original sauce. It was a bit spicy for DaNece, and lacked any kind of stand out flavor for me. The best part of the meal was the mashed potatoes which were pretty good. And finding the bathroom… It’s like a maze getting back to the porcelain, which I thought was really fun, but I’m weird that way. Price for the food is good, and it may appeal to some eaters.
Both of us agreed that we would rather go right around the corner to the Firehouse Kitchen for our BBQ needs in the future.
- Papa’s Italian (White Spar Rd.): I hadn’t been here since high school, mostly because it is a little out of the way. But one night we decided to go ahead give it a whirl, and we were pleasantly surprised. I had some chicken in a wine and caper sauce with spaghetti noodles and it was delicious. DaNece had stuffed shells (I believe) and said that they were good as well (she is a picky Italian though, so ‘good’ means pretty tasty in my book). The atmosphere is nice, with a fairly laid back ambiance, personable and friendly staff, and nice lack of pretentiousness.
That’s all I can think of right now. We’ve had to tone down our eating-out habits a bit lately, so I haven’t gotten to hit as many of my favorites as I would like.
