Thoughts, Reviews, and Ramblings

Andy's middle daughter, Rachel, is off in California attending her first year of college.   We wanted to have a nice dinner and invite family to join us because she's in town for the weekend.  So, because I'm an excellent planner, I waited until late Sunday morning to find a dinner reservation for the evening.  Luckily, we happened upon Pubblico Italian Eatery, located right next door to Ruth's Chris at Scottsdale and Indian Bend.  What a gem! read more

Andy's youngest daughter, Lily, has been hearing great things about Ocotillo restaurant in Phoenix and wanted to try it to see what was up. Lily enjoys appealing to our foodie natures by finding restaurants we may want to try as a family. So when she asked if we could go tonight, we thought it was a great idea! An ocotillo plant is a stick with spikes in the Winter, but in the Spring it turns into a somewhat leafier green stick with spikes and pretty red flowers.  I have been studying these plants since we moved to Arizona because they tend to be in everyone's yards. They are indigenous to the Sonoran desert, so that explains their prevalence. However, Ocotillo Restaurant--named for the spikey sticks--is a casual dining restaurant located in Midtown Phoenix.  Offering contemporary cuisine and several outside patio spaces where you can enjoy the native flora and a lovely cocktail. read more

My last golf outing in Mesa was a dud (see Painted Mountain review) so I was super pleased when I pulled into the parking lot at Longbow. I was expecting some guys with mullets and dip spit bottles to greet me at the bag drop, but that was not the case. Maybe I underestimated Mesa... read more

A beautiful Friday afternoon for golf. Not a cloud in the sky and a light breeze to mellow the 97 degree heat. I heard lots of good things about Estrella and they were all pretty much on point. Wide rolling fairways, minimal water hazard, and an abundance of sand traps. read more

Let's get things straight right off the bat...Mountain Shadows is a miniature golf course. I don't mean that they have windmills and giant clown trying to eat your golf ball, but it feels like a regular 18 hole course that got zapped with a shrink ray. I will admit my experience with 9-hole courses is limited. The ones I played in Colorado before moving were Windsor Garden's Emerald Greens--nine holes of flat yard with some greens--or Foothills Par 3 in Denver which has some design to it, but only just 9 holes. Starfire Golf Club in Scottsdale has The Mulligan, which is also a 9-hole par three which feels like there was some extra lawn, so they added some tee boxes. 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

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