Wed 9/25: Raul & Theresa's (Litchfield & MC85)

This is the second time I’ve been to R&T’s (the original location, still haven’t been to the new one but everyone says this location is the best). It was for a celebration lunch with 20+ coworkers. We had a room reserved in the back and the tables were set up in an L shape. There was one server for the whole party so it took a little while to get everyone’s drink order.

I ordered the Chimi Lunch Special for $7.99, chicken, with rice and beans, no guacamole. The server was very nice and called everyone “babe”. I didn’t eat any chips and salsa. I recalled from my first visit that their salsa was spicy and I prefer a medium heat. But the guys kept the chips coming for all who were eating them. Took some time for all the food to come out, which is to be expected for a large party. But most of it came out at about the same time, maybe a couple had to wait another minute or two.

From what I could tell, they seemed to get everybody’s order right, so that’s always appreciated. They also brought out pitchers of water and soda for the tables. The chimi was bigger than I expected. No cheese came on or in it. I ate half of it. I don’t think it was as good as Carolina’s. Can’t really identify what it was, just tasted a little off. The rice and beans were good, no problems there. One of our guys brought a cake so our server went and got it from the fridge. It was a bit hard to hear people who got up to speak due to some background noise.

The server asked if I wanted a small box for the rest of my chimi. I did. Always nice of them to offer! Other reviews I’ve read about this place tend to say the food is great but the service isn’t, but personally I think that’s backwards. Good service but the food isn’t up to par with places like Valle Luna, in my opinion.

Tue 9/24: Del Taco (Dysart & I-10)

I didn’t see it on their menu so I asked if they still had the Chili Cheese Fry Burrito. They do! So I got one of those plus a Mini Cheddar Quesadilla for $0.50. Filled up my cup with tea. It tasted bitter. Like they used a coffee filter for it. I dumped it out and got water. A couple ordered about 20 tacos and were eating them with their own salsa they brought.

I ate the baby quesadilla first. Simple, like what I would make at home, but it’s $0.50! The chili fry burrito was delicious. The fries inside might have been a little undercooked, but the chili masked it well. The restaurant was on the chilly side. They still had a sign up saying their furniture is for sale (the place is decorated with purple, green, orange, confetti patterns, etc.). Think they are planning to remodel at some point.

Sun 9/22: AMC Esplanade (24th St & Camelback)

Worst Esplanade experience ever! I thought this place was so awesome when I first started coming here, but since then, it’s been hit and miss. This one takes the cake. I invited my parents to watch The Prisoners at Fork & Screen (Cinema Suites is nicer with the fully reclining chairs, but Fork & Screen is still 18+ and you get to order food there too). Our server came over with a little notepad which I thought was odd because they usually have the tablet. He took our drink order. Two iced teas (with lemon) and two waters (without lemon).

The previews had started before a girl brought the drinks. Only one water and one tea… We told her there needed to be one more of each. Several minutes passed, still missing two drinks and still no sign of the server to take our food order. I pressed the button. The movie had started by the time the server came back. He seemed clueless as to why we pushed the button. I said we are missing a water and an iced tea and we need to order. He had the little tablet this time, but he seemed to be really shaky with it. I don’t know if he didn’t know what he was doing? It was weird.

I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with the parmesan fries. We got the other drinks, but the water had lemon and the tea didn’t. When the food came out, my friend had potato chips with his sandwich. I asked if he wanted chips. He said, “No, I asked for a salad instead.” I told him to push the button. He said, “No, I’m done with it.” I’m like, you wanted salad, you’re getting salad! I pushed my button. When the server came back, I said, “He asked for salad and I want mustard.”

So we finally got all the correct food. I wasn’t even going to bother trying to get a refill during the movie. I had already missed a lot dealing with all this crap. Then the check came. We got charged for a salad in addition to the other food. Are you kidding me?! What is wrong with these people?? So when he came back to pick it up, we told him to fix it. What a freaking hassle! I thought it was nice having a meal with a movie, but here it’s just a giant distraction. So frustrated. I may never go back to this establishment again.

Sat 9/21: KFC (Dysart & Indian School)

Second review on this KFC… I ordered the chicken bites again with mac & cheese and potato wedges. It wasn’t very busy, but a few people trailed in after us. The dining area wasn’t as dirty as the last visit. One table was dirty, but I think the people just left and it hadn’t been cleaned yet. When I got the food, the chicken bites and mac & cheese were warm, the wedges only slightly warm. Everything tasted good.

Other observations… A worker told a customer that the wings would be 8 minutes. Then told another customer that they didn’t have any wings in whatever he wanted, so he said original was ok. There were 3 different people running the register during the meal. One was speaking Spanish with a customer. One was an older lady who seemed very nice and friendly.

Fri 9/20: IHOP (Dysart & I-10)

I wanted pancakes for dinner and went to IHOP. There was no one at the hostess stand, but the girl who came out to seat us also turned out to be our server. We requested a booth and she said she’d sit us out of the sun. Very thoughtful. IHOP had a new menu since the last time I was there. It had lots of pictures and I liked that. I ordered a full stack of double blueberry pancakes. It took about 30 minutes from the time we got there until we got our food. Seemed like a long time. Other people were waiting long too. Not sure what the deal was, I’ve had quicker service during breakfast when it’s packed.

My friend’s meal was supposed to come with salad, but we were confused when the server brought out garlic bread. We told her the menu said it came with salad. She said something like, “Oh no problem, you’re paying for it!” and then went back to get the salad. My pancakes were very hot. There were blueberries in the pancakes and on top, as well as a big dollop of whipped cream. They were delicious, but I couldn’t finish them. As the sun was setting it ended up shining through the window to our table.

So my breakfast for dinner was tasty, but I had to wait for it!

Thu 9/19: Carolina's (91st Ave & Peoria)

I just want to start by saying this place has awesome tortillas. You can buy them and make your own burritos at home. :) I have only eaten here a few times, but people seem to love it. It was very busy for dinner and I waited in line for a couple minutes. The girl at the register had acrylic nails and all I could hear was a rapid “click click click click” as she made selections on the touch screen. Pretty entertaining. I ordered the mini chimis, beef, with rice and beans.

Found a booth to sit in, but the seats were obviously old and were a bit ripped up. Got some fresh brewed iced tea and it was tasty. The restaurant was pretty noisy with all the people. When I got my food (served in a Styrofoam container), I realized I forgot to say no guacamole, so I had to scoop it off. The chimis also had cheese, sour cream, and garnish. They were delicious! I polished off the whole plate (minus the garnish and guac). :)

Tue 9/17: Wienerschnitzel (91st Ave & Northern)

I love Wienerschnitzel! I wish there were more around. Fortunately I discovered this one when I lived down the street from it. As I approached the counter to order, the cashier appeared. Her hair-do was interesting… It was like a beehive on top and really long in the back, with blonde streaks in it. Very odd. I ordered a chili cheese dog with fries.

The fries were amazing. Hot and fresh. There’s just something about their fries... The hot dog was good but I bit down on a couple hard fragments of what I assume was ground up bone. Their all-beef Angus dogs are better than the regular dogs. After dinner, I ordered a mini strawberry sundae from the Tastee Freez menu. It was delicious. Thick soft serve… a yummy treat!