We were referred to the Grinder (www.grinderdeli.com) by family for a nice, sit down, affordable dinner. I have never been so disappointed. I thought the prices were a bit high for a "deli" and my food did not get eaten and was taken off the bill.
My husband ordered a french dip sandwich while he expressed that it was dry, he did consume the entire meal and said the taste was "okay".
I ordered a turkey club sandwich that was $10.99 (outrageous in my opinion) and was so dry that the turkey meat just crumbled. Thoroughly un-enjoyable.
The staff was not friendly enough to take notice, long waits for drink refills, all around an un-enjoyable experience.
Cost for a table of 7: unknown but I can tell you the price for a turkey club was $10.99 and a second turkey sandwich of similar toppings was priced at $11.99.
Overall rating: F
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Firebirds Wood Fire Grill, Chandler, AZ
A family of meat and potatoe lovers craving a steak? Hmmm... we were tired of the same old places and really looking for something different. We tried Firebirds Wood Fire Grill (www.firebirdsrestaurants.com) by the Chandler Mall and had a great dinner.
It is a business casual attire setting. Dark lighting, rustic outdoorsy feeling. Price was high but it was as expected.
The husband ordered a dinner salad, baked potatoe and a New York strip. He states that his steak was well cooked, well seasoned although smaller than he prefers (he has a large appetite). "Best steak I have had in awhile".
I ordered the Blue Cheese Filet with a baked potatoe. The bake potatoe, in my opinion, was oversalted and unenjoyable. The Blue Cheese Filet is the best thing I have ever tasted (and I am not someone who enjoys steak). It was a bacon wrapped filet mignon with a blue cheese sauce topping with blue cheese crumbles and mushrooms. Delicious.
My father in law had the french dip sandwich which came to our table as a surprisingly large sandwich with plenty of meat. My father in law was pleased with his selection.
With three adults and two children, plus soda/tea as a beverage, the total cost was approximately $93.00. Not bad for the quality of the food we were eating and the staff was friendly and polite. Some place I would definitely go again!
Total Cost: $93.00 plus tip
Overall rating: A
It is a business casual attire setting. Dark lighting, rustic outdoorsy feeling. Price was high but it was as expected.
The husband ordered a dinner salad, baked potatoe and a New York strip. He states that his steak was well cooked, well seasoned although smaller than he prefers (he has a large appetite). "Best steak I have had in awhile".
I ordered the Blue Cheese Filet with a baked potatoe. The bake potatoe, in my opinion, was oversalted and unenjoyable. The Blue Cheese Filet is the best thing I have ever tasted (and I am not someone who enjoys steak). It was a bacon wrapped filet mignon with a blue cheese sauce topping with blue cheese crumbles and mushrooms. Delicious.
My father in law had the french dip sandwich which came to our table as a surprisingly large sandwich with plenty of meat. My father in law was pleased with his selection.
With three adults and two children, plus soda/tea as a beverage, the total cost was approximately $93.00. Not bad for the quality of the food we were eating and the staff was friendly and polite. Some place I would definitely go again!
Total Cost: $93.00 plus tip
Overall rating: A
Monday, December 28, 2009
El Palacio Restaurant & Cantina (Chandler, AZ)
We tried a new Mexican restaurant in Chandler called El Palacio. From the looks of it, they are quite familiar in Arizona with six locations including Chandler, Bullhead City, Kingman, Mohave Valley, Lake Havasu and one in Laughlin, Nevada.
Personally, I was not impressed with the food. I think my homemade tacos have more flavor but the husband thoroughly enjoyed his meal. I had an easy, cheese enchilada and ground beef taco while the husband enjoyed a Carne Asada burrito. The price was great for the adult meals but the kids menu was overpriced in my opinion.
All in all, I would try them for a second time.
Price for a family of 4 (including tip): $51.00
Overall grade: B
Personally, I was not impressed with the food. I think my homemade tacos have more flavor but the husband thoroughly enjoyed his meal. I had an easy, cheese enchilada and ground beef taco while the husband enjoyed a Carne Asada burrito. The price was great for the adult meals but the kids menu was overpriced in my opinion.
All in all, I would try them for a second time.
Price for a family of 4 (including tip): $51.00
Overall grade: B
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Xtreme Play, Mesa, AZ
A mommy group I belong to had a playdate scheduled for Xtreme Play (http://www.xtremeplayaz.com/) located on the northeast corner of Stapley and the US-60 in Mesa.
I was amazed to walk in to this business and see inflatable bouncers, some couches with a television, an eating area, food counter, benches, and televisions with video games attached! My children and I were all given a bracelet which I later learned was an alarm system for my children. If a child tried to escape- the alarm sounded. My (soon to be) 4 year old and 18 month old were able to run around without me hounding them while they bounced in bouncers, watched Spongebob on television, played video games and air hockey, and had an all around great time! The best part was- it was unlimited play time!
Children ages 3 and under are $5.75 and children ages 4 and over are $8.75... for UNLIMITED play time! I highly recommend to any parent for a fun, less expensive activity!
Cost for myself and my two children: $12.43
Overall grade: A
I was amazed to walk in to this business and see inflatable bouncers, some couches with a television, an eating area, food counter, benches, and televisions with video games attached! My children and I were all given a bracelet which I later learned was an alarm system for my children. If a child tried to escape- the alarm sounded. My (soon to be) 4 year old and 18 month old were able to run around without me hounding them while they bounced in bouncers, watched Spongebob on television, played video games and air hockey, and had an all around great time! The best part was- it was unlimited play time!
Children ages 3 and under are $5.75 and children ages 4 and over are $8.75... for UNLIMITED play time! I highly recommend to any parent for a fun, less expensive activity!
Cost for myself and my two children: $12.43
Overall grade: A
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Send us Your Thoughts!
Email us your suggestions for a place to try or email us your reviews for us to share on our blog!
thefamilycritics@gmail.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
thefamilycritics@gmail.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
Out of Africa Wildlife Park, Camp Verde, AZ
It is approximately an hour and 45 minute drive from the East Valley but we thought it was well worth the drive!
The Out of Africa Wildlife Park (http://www.outofafricapark.com/) in Camp Verde is located off of the I-17 and Highway 260 in Camp Verde. The cost was a little steep, even with a coupon, but it was a great experience for the entire family! We arrived at the park around 11:45am and started our day on the Safari ride. Everyone was given a carrot to feed the giraffe and away we went into a fenced enclosure where there were animals running free. The giraffe came right up to the 'bus' and ate the carrots right from the hands. The guide was very knowledgeable about who the animals were, what they were, etc. The Safari include antelope like animals, a giraffe, two different types of zebras, and ostriches.
After our safari we caught a tram up to the top where we chose to walk the path but were given the option to ride the tram around. There were plenty of animals to see: lions, tigers (including white tigers), leopards, jaguars, capybara, black bears, grizzly bears, hyenas, prairie dogs, snakes, sloth, lemurs, porcupines, white and gray wolves and Boom Boom the rhino. My favorite part was watching the free Tiger Splash show where the staff interacted with two tigers in a large enclosure. They played with them, swam with them. It was a great show! You could feed a tiger (with tongs through a fence) for an additional fee but we chose to pass. There was a free snake show where you could touch and hold snakes, again we passed, and a free "feed the predator" deal where you tagged along with staff while they fed the predators, again we passed... not because we weren't interested but because by that time, a large crowd had accumulated and with two young kids, we just did not want to deal with it.
It was a great learning experience and the kids had a blast seeing animals in a "natural" setting outside of the zoo. M believes that the park has great animals, a lot of land but their exhibits "leave much to be desired".
Cost for a family of 4: (one child under the age of 3) $77.00 admission (with a $5.00 per person coupon, saving us an additional $15.00) plus food, gift shop, feed the tigers, etc.
Overall grade: B+
The Out of Africa Wildlife Park (http://www.outofafricapark.com/) in Camp Verde is located off of the I-17 and Highway 260 in Camp Verde. The cost was a little steep, even with a coupon, but it was a great experience for the entire family! We arrived at the park around 11:45am and started our day on the Safari ride. Everyone was given a carrot to feed the giraffe and away we went into a fenced enclosure where there were animals running free. The giraffe came right up to the 'bus' and ate the carrots right from the hands. The guide was very knowledgeable about who the animals were, what they were, etc. The Safari include antelope like animals, a giraffe, two different types of zebras, and ostriches.
After our safari we caught a tram up to the top where we chose to walk the path but were given the option to ride the tram around. There were plenty of animals to see: lions, tigers (including white tigers), leopards, jaguars, capybara, black bears, grizzly bears, hyenas, prairie dogs, snakes, sloth, lemurs, porcupines, white and gray wolves and Boom Boom the rhino. My favorite part was watching the free Tiger Splash show where the staff interacted with two tigers in a large enclosure. They played with them, swam with them. It was a great show! You could feed a tiger (with tongs through a fence) for an additional fee but we chose to pass. There was a free snake show where you could touch and hold snakes, again we passed, and a free "feed the predator" deal where you tagged along with staff while they fed the predators, again we passed... not because we weren't interested but because by that time, a large crowd had accumulated and with two young kids, we just did not want to deal with it.
It was a great learning experience and the kids had a blast seeing animals in a "natural" setting outside of the zoo. M believes that the park has great animals, a lot of land but their exhibits "leave much to be desired".
Cost for a family of 4: (one child under the age of 3) $77.00 admission (with a $5.00 per person coupon, saving us an additional $15.00) plus food, gift shop, feed the tigers, etc.
Overall grade: B+
Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm, Picacho, AZ
On our way home from Tucson last weekend we stopped at the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm (http://www.roostercogburn.com/) located off of the I10 in Picacho, Arizona. M and L were given large plastic cups with pellets and each were given a small plastic cup with nectar. We were all able to hand feed deer, donkies, ostriches and goats. After depleting our pellets, we took our nectar cups into an enclosure with larikeets. These are gorgeous birds that land on you and eat the nectar while they perch on you! K had two land on her head and she held one on her arm while it ate from her cup. L had one land on her head and hang out on her shoulders for awhile. B had one chill on his stroller and M had several keep him company including one who perched on his shoulder while M walked around! It was a great experience for the entire family with friendly people working the grounds! I would definitely go back!
Cost for a family of 4 (two children under the age of 6): $10.00
Overall grade: A
Cost for a family of 4 (two children under the age of 6): $10.00
Overall grade: A
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