Thoughts, Reviews, and Ramblings

One beautiful Spring day, we woke up early and looked at our phones to see if the end of the world came over night. Happily, the world still existed in its same ol same ol--the politics are still politics, the stock market is still cranking away, and the weather is still HOT.  However, this particular morning it hadn't made it out of the mid-seventies by 8 A.M. which gave us a great (looks like I spelled "terrible" wrong again) idea: let's walk to Old Town and get breakfast!! What could possibly go wrong on an 11 mile round trip walk in the early summer of Scottsdale, AZ?? So we did that. We walked into Old Town and found an awesome coffee shop which provided a lovely atmosphere to eat a healthy breakfast and to really concentrate on answering the question of our teetering sanity: Schmooze. read more

There are lots of ways to say mediocre and I know I will piss off lots of locals by saying, Talking Stick defines mediocre. Right from the Talking Stick homepage, "Stunning Scenery"... Going to have to say no on that. If I replaced the cacti across the fence line with rows of corn, you wouldn't know you weren't in Iowa. But don't write this course off, I like to start with the bad and then work my way into the good. read more

I love when people say stuff like, "Lynyrd Skynyrd is a really good singer" and you think to yourself, um, that is the name of the band, not the name of a guy... do I tell them? Well don't expect to go into the kitchen and find Paul Martin either because I can't figure out how the name came about. Paul Flemming and Brian Bennett the founders of Paul Martin's, must have some story behind the name, but I may never know. read more

Bandolero Cocina de Mexico is located in the Shopping Center on Double Tree and Scottsdale Rd in Gainey Ranch.  For those of you directionally challenged folks (like me) there is a Sprouts Market and Pomos restaraunt nearby.  We visited Bandoleros a couple of times, once for dinner and another time for brunch.  The restaurant is decorated nicely, lively colors and great music.  The drink menu boasts an extensive range of tequilas, as well as a nice selection of beers and wines. read more

Whenever I ask people if they have played Silverado their response is almost always, "Yeah, I love that course". They don't say it in an "The course is amazing!" sort of way, but people just tend to find it a good fun course. Located at the south end of McCormick Ranch, in the same lowland that a handful of other courses share, lives Silverado meandering through neighborhoods and adjacent to Hayden Road (for a good part of the front 9). read more

Sometimes when you are making your 47th trip to Floor & Decor to shop for travertine tiles that match the existing floor in your house, but you are feeling uninspired--because, really, how many times can you go to Floor & Decor without completely losing it in the grout isle--well, you come across free brussels sprouts and suddenly you feel renewed and ready to make your 48th trip.  This sounds like I totally made it up, but it's a true story.  And it all happened at The Macintosh. read more

McDowell Mountain GC is a course I feel a bit conflicted about. It is a really enjoyable tract to play, but at the same time can be a bit underwhelming. Upon arrival the club house is attractive and the bag drop folks are quick and helpful. There are a lot of shade trees around the main building which is a great area to stretch out and practice a little chipping. The driving range is directly in front of the building and it looks out towards the valley to the west.
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Our first visit to The Legend at Arrowhead started with a guy coming over the loud speaker and telling us to return from the first tee to pay for a ride-along. Seriously? Over the loud speaker. It happened to be the first place in the valley (in the midst of the pandemic) that was no longer allowing people to have their own carts. Leslie dumped me off and drove back to the clubhouse to pay her $15 to ride along fee and got called "darling" by a troll hanging out at the pro-shop counter (not an employee). Who would have thought getting called darling would set someone off, but Leslie drove that cart like a bat of hell the rest of the day. This is why she would be dangerous with a club in her hand. read more

It's my birthday year!  Every year is my birthday year.  When you need an excuse to celebrate, just remember it's your birthday year, too! But actually my real birthday was recently. Our neighbors, Steven and Shannon, wanted to celebrate with us so they thought to take us somewhere fun. I've always wanted to go to Casa Bonita for my birthday (a Denver landmark where the restaurant is designed like a village and they have guys cliff diving into a small pool while you eat). As a Colorado native, it's almost sacrilege that I have not yet witnessed the cliff diving circus that is Casa Bonita. One day... However, Arizona offers a restaurant chain with the same family friendly, unique feel--but the primary difference is the food is good at El Encanto, which is already a huge improvement over the speedo-wearing teenagers flailing off a foam "cliff" in my book. read more

Don't expect a review for Pizza Hut or Dominos, but Spinato's is a local chain that I recently found out about. They have five locations in the Valley, easily found by checking Google Maps. In full disclosure I only visited one location see update below (11108 N Frank Lloyd Wright) and it is still somewhat in pandemic mode. But I do intend to check other locations and expand on my review when I get the chance. Unfortunately, due to my crappy slow metabolism I cannot eat pizza every day like I could when I was 22. So be it... read more

Today was a beautiful day.  Like a perfect 80 degree Spring day just before the heat sets in.  The Mockingbird is going nuts in the tree outside, the hummingbirds are dive-bombing each other...  Just the kind of day you want to clean your house and run errands, amiright?!?!?  And that's exactly what we did.  It was an errand of love, you see, the plants are overrun with gnats and we needed a bench for our new dartboard area.  We finished up the fun stuff and decided it was taco time.  For me, everyday is taco day, Friday is no exception.  We decided to head over to Loco Patron in North Scottsdale because the patio is huge and they are a local brewery we haven't yet checked out. read more

When it is late in the day on Saturday and you want to go to a nice restaurant that evening, chances are it may be hard to find a table. We checked out Open Table and Arrivederci had availability at all times. How could this be? The evening before Easter... Let's just say people may not be flocking to this North Scottsdale location. read more

Andy and I, first and foremost are foodies, but we also like to seek out a little adventure. With adventure comes travel, of course, and we spend quite a bit of time in airports.  So imagine my excitement when I discovered Volanti Restaurant located on the runway of Scottsdale Airport!  Yippee!! I love, love restaurants with a fun setting--you know, like the Space Needle in Seattle--and this little lounge was right up my alley. So we invited our Cousins, Dan and Laura, along for a local adventure. read more

One thing I love about golf is being outdoors and getting to take in the beauty of a well manicured course. In the Scottsdale area I have found it is absolutely consistent that you pay for pretty. Coldwater is definitely not pretty. From the driving range that could pass for a dump site to the golf cart workers in their mullets and rocker tees, you get the immediate perception that your day is going to be less than enjoyable. But that was apparently me being a bit too judgy from the git go. read more

For starters this is not in Scottsdale. It is West Valley and a fairly easy drive though, so it gets reviewed. The majority of the courses reviewed are public courses, but not necessarily municipal courses, and maybe that is the big problem with Cave Creek. As you roll into the property it is not obvious where you go. The pro shop site is up on a hill well past the parking lot. The parking was overflowing and much of that may have been that they do have a large driving range that most likely brings in lots of additional traffic, beyond the slated tee times. read more