East Valley Restaurant Guide

There is a new Ruby Tuesday restaurant by our house on Market St. by the Wal-Mart so we decided to check it out.  We’ve been to Ruby Tuesday only one other time and it was a miserable experience.  It was the location at Superstition Springs and we decided to get take out.  We ordered the food, were told it would take 20 minutes and walked around the mall for that time.  We came back 25 minutes later and the food still wasn’t ready.  Forty-five minutes later we finally walked out for our food.  But we made a mistake.  We should have checked the food before we left but we didn’t.  When we finally got home, I realized that the food I had ordered was supposed to come with fries and it didn’t.  The food my wife ordered was supposed to come with some sort of bread and didn’t.  I called the restaurant and explained the situation.  The kid on the phone apologized and told me I could come back to get the food.  I told him we were 20 minutes away and I wasn’t going to come back for fries and bread but that I had paid for it so I wanted some reciprocation made when we were in the area again.  The kid told me that it wasn’t possible and that if I didn’t come now, I was just out of luck.

Of course, that ticked me off so long story short, I spoke with the manager who agreed I was correct and he sent us $25 in Ruby Tuesday gift certificates (the cost of our food).  That at least made it so we would come back to the restaurant again.  I was wary about it but we finally bit the bullet and went.  And I have to say, I was actually impressed with the restaurant this time around.

The thing about chain restaurants is that they all seem to be the same.  I really can’t tell the difference between Chili’s and Applebee’s.  I’m sure some people can.  But to me they’re basically the same restaurant.  But Ruby Tuesday is a bit different.  The restaurant seemed more open.  It seemed a bit nicer.  And while the food still wasn’t 5-star quality, it was pretty good.  I got the 2 sliders and salad bar.  My wife got the cup of soup and salad bar.  The sliders were especially good that night - they include the hamburger, cheese, an onion ring, ketchup and mustard.

And I’ll admit that salad bars scare me.  Especially salad bars that everyone has to walk by as they come into the restaurant.  But this one looked pretty good and everything was actually fresh.  They had beets and olives (the two things I look for in any good salad bar) and they had a good selection of dressings.  My wife said the soup (cheddar broccoli the night we went) was ok but also enjoyed the salad bar.

The one disappointing part to me was the Strawberry Lemonade we ordered.  Both my wife and I ordered just water and after taking about 2 sips realized that the restaurant uses just unfiltered tap water.  Gilbert does NOT have good tap water and it is nearly undrinkable.  While you can drink the water, it is not something you want to drink with your dinner.  So we ordered two strawberry lemonades.  Unfortunately, the lemonades came in these thin, tall glasses that were easily emptied with about 5 swallows.  And they charged as if it was an alcoholic drink.  So I think we paid something like $2.99 for these drinks that were finished way too quickly.  I can understand if you’re paying for alcohol but since these were non-alcoholic, I was very disappointed with that.  I would definitely not recommend the drinks to anyone.
I wasn’t able to eat both sliders and ended up taking one home with me.  I warmed it up for my son the next day and took a bit and it was exceptionally good for a warmed up restaurant hamburger!

Overall, I would give Ruby Tuesday a 3.0 out of 5 stars.  They lost .5 stars for charging me $6 dollars for two drinks that didn’t allow for refills.  It is a place I would recommend if someone wanted to go to a chain restaurant but was looking for something a bit different than the usual.  But there are other restaurants around that I would go to first.

It seems that everyone has heard of Dippin’ Dots but there aren’t too many people who have actually been in a Dippin’ Dots store.  I can say that I am actually one of those people now.  Dippin’ Dots has been expanding like crazy in the Valley (there are Dippin’ Dots locations in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Queen Creek and Tempe now - though some of those they list as “locations” are actually in movie theaters) and there are now two stores within about 6 miles from my house.  There is even a new Dippin’ Dots going in at Val Vista Road and Queen Creek in Gilbert!
The hardest part of the Dippin’ Dots store?  Actually navigating the web site to find out where they are located!  The site is all in Flash and is nearly impossible to navigate.  You have to try and work your way around a fake “town” when you get to the site and it took me several minutes of clicking before I finally gave up and went to the site map and clicked on Locations.  I’ll make it a lot easier for you.  You can click here to find the Dippin’ Dots Store Locations in your area.

Once you find the location nearest you, it’s a great experience!  Let me explain Dippin’ Dots to those of you haven’t ever had them before.  They’re basically BB sized pieces of ice cream that are frozen at a very cold temperature so they have the same texture and consistency as they did when you are first served them from the store.  The cool thing about Dippin’ Dots is that it is a different experience than just going to an ice cream place.  The texture is different.  The flavors are different.  It’s a pretty fun experience.

The stores have a lot more flavors than you would normally see at a movie theater or mall location.  I went with the whole family (I couldn’t justify just taking myself to an ice cream shop!) and everyone left with something great.  The cool thing is that Dippin’ Dots are kind of like Jelly Bellies.  You can mmix and match single flavors to make different flavors. It’s kind of like getting a swirl ice cream but much cooler.  You want a chocolate/vanilla mixture?  Great!  Just have the server combine the two.  Want chocolate mint and bubble gum?  Sure, you can do that.  I’m not sure why you would want to, but you can!  There is no easy way for me to link to the flavors but with a little practice, you should be able to peruse the Dippin’ Dots flavors here.

When we went to the store, I was afraid it was going to be very expensive since it is somewhat a novelty.  But to my surprise, the price wasn’t any more expensive than if you went to Baskin Robbins or ColdStone Creamery.

Bottom line:  If you’re looking for a good date activity, a fun family activity or just for something different than the normal  ice cream experience, Dippin’ Dots is a great place to go.  Don’t let their web site turn you off.  I promise it’s a much better experience once you get there!

I’ve been to Sonic Drive-In many times but this time what drew me was their advertising for a Banana Pudding Shake.  It sounded too good to pass up.  According to the Sonic web site, the shake includes “real bananas, Nilla® Wafers and vanilla frozen treat—all served in a handy, portable cup.”  Sounds good, huh?  So since the kids were good at school all last week, we took them for a treat to Sonic.  We got a large chocolate shake for the kids to split (hey, I’m rewarding them but I’m still cheap!), a Sonic Blast with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups for the wife and a Banana Pudding Shake for me.

The chocolate shake was just what it should be.  The kids loved it.  The Sonic Blast with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups?  Well, it was basically ice cream, then whipped cream and a small piece of peanut butter cup inside.  It really had nothing else in there!  My wife called the Sonic as soon as we got home and she saw that.  They were actually very helpful, accepted fault and explained that we could either come by right then to get a replacement or the next day.  Since we were working on getting the kids to bed by that point, she said she would come by the next day.  I thought they were very good at resolving the issue.  The only thing I would have done differently was offer her a large shake even though she got a regular just for the hassle.  But I don’t think that is absolutely necessary.  It just would have been a nice touch.

The Banana Pudding Shake was exactly what they described.  Real bananas, real banana flavor and Nilla Wafers.  It was awesome.  I would definitely get it again if they kept it on the menu.  And at the end, there were actual large chunks of banana to eat.  It was a great treat and something I would go back for.

Overall, it was a great little trip to Sonic despite the mishap with the Sonic Blast.

I decided to try Rumbi Island Grill today and first checked out online Rumbi Island Grill Menu. Everything looked delicious so I thought I would head over there for lunch. Since it was my first time there and they said the Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl was a Rumbi Favorite that is what I got. Everything smelled wonderful when I walked over to the restaurant (I went to the Rumbi Island Grill on Baseline and Val Vista in Mesa but there are several others in AZ and some in Utah and Colorado as well). The atmosphere of the restaurant was what you would expect in a chain Hawaiian restaurant. The employees were wearing the flowered shirts, there was island music playing in the background, everything was decorated “islandy”. The line to order the food was long even at 11:45 so I thought that was a good sign. One thing I should have noticed, however, is that no one was ordering the chicken teriyaki bowl. Everyone was getting either a Kahlua pork sandwich or the salad. When I got to the head of the line, I ordered my teriyaki bowl with extra sauce. I don’t mind rice if it has sauce on it but one of my pet peeves is when I get a meal and it has little to no sauce.
I ordered my food and then waited for about 10 minutes. Once I got the food, I took it back to the office and sat down to eat. To my dismay, extra sauce meant literally nothing on the chicken or rice itself and a small cup that was halfway filled with teriyaki sauce. I completely understand that if the restaurant started putting a lot of sauce on everything it would not only ruin the flavors but cost more as well. But considering I specifically asked for extra sauce, I was sorely disappointed.

Despite that downfall, the teriyaki chicken was good. It wasn’t the most memorable teriyaki I had ever had but it definitely wasn’t the worst. I think next time I will do what the regulars do and order a sandwich or a salad. That all looked wonderful. Especially the Luau Pork Sandwich. Overall, the food wasn’t bad and I will definitely go back to try some of the other items on the menu. Hopefully, those won’t disappoint.

The In-N-Out at Market St. in Gilbert is now open. We went on the first day it was open and expected a long wait. We were pleasantly surprised that we only had to wait about 5 minutes. The service was just as good at this one as at other locations despite the fact that many of the employees seemed new and in training. Check it out!

Flancers Cafe is located in Gilbert at 610 Gilbert Road. It’s located a little south of Guadalupe on Gilbert Road. We had a gift certificate to go there so we decided to try it out.

It’s actually a cool looking cafe and looks really nice inside. It looks like one of those places you can go into and sit down with friends and really enjoy yourself.

The menu is pretty diverse including sandwiches, pizza, salads, hamburgers and pasta. From what I had heard, their sandwiches were what they were known for so we decided to get the sandwiches.

I ended up getting the Ace of Clubs sandwich which has turkey, ham, bacon, provolone, tomato, romaine and their mexican green chile mayonnaise. My wife got the perfect “prickly” pear sandwich that has chicken with prickly pear glaze with mayonnaise, tomatoes, lettuce and provolone. We got both sandwiches as the half sandwich/salad combo so they cost $7.25 each. We also got the homemade beer-battered mozzarella cheese triangles for $6.75.

The sandwiches were both great although a bit small for a half sandwich. It ended up being only about a 4 inch sandwich. The salad had something missing but I couldn’t tell what it was. It was a great looking salad but was missing some flavor.

The Ace of Clubs sandwich was a classic club sandwich but felt upgraded with the bread (which Flancers makes themselves) and the green chile mayonnaise. The bread was exceptionally soft and really made the sandwich great. Especially for a boring club sandwich.

The Prickly Pear sandwich was also good but for something that sound so exotic it didn’t have the flavor we were looking for. For a prickly pear glaze, we thought it would be a little bit sweet and it wasn’t. It was an ok flavor but not necessarily what we were looking for. But again, because of the bread it made the sandwich palatable.

The thing I was really disappointed in was the cheese triangles. We paid $6.75 and I expected to get at least 5-6 pieces for that. Instead, we got three measly pieces. I understand that costs may cause them to cut back on what they can provide but I would rather that they didn’t provide the appetizer at all if they are going to have it be so sparse.

Overall, I think Flancers could be a great place. But I think you probably need to stick with what they’re good at - which is sandwiches. All of their sandwiches look really good and we’ll definitely go back to try some more sandwiches. But I think we will stick only with the sandwiches next time. And maybe some of their freshly squeezed lemonade.

I went to Daphne’s Greek Cafe for the first time today. I wasn’t really expecting much. I thought, “A fast-food Greek place? Nah, it won’t work.” Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised!

I went to the Daphne’s Greek Cafe on Val Vista and Baseline in the Dana Park shopping center. When I parked the car and started walking in, there was Greek music playing over speakers outside. I thought that was a nice touch. Inside, I was promptly greeted by a cashier and by my confused look, he could obviously tell I hadn’t been there before. He handed me a menu, pointed out the lunch specials and left me alone to pick out my meal.

There were 8 lunch specials to choose from including a classic Gyro Pita Lunch with Greek Salad and rice pilaf, a Ka-bob lunch, 1/4 lemon chicken, vegetarian lunch and a Greek chicken salad. I wasn’t feeling especially venturesome today so I went with the Gyros pita and french fries lunch for $6.99.

I took the gyro back to my office and dug in. The pita was piled high with meat, lettuce, tomatoes and red onions. It also came with a side of tzatziki sauce. The portion was just right for a lunch. It wouldn’t have been enough for dinner but unless you’re looking to engorge yourself during lunch, I found the portion satisfying.

Was it the best Greek food I had ever had? No, not really. But it was really a good meal for a reasonable price. I will definitely go back again.

Daphne’s has three locations in the Phoenix area: the Mesa location at Dana Park on Baseline and Val Vista; a Chandler location at The Falls on Queen Creek Road; and in Scottsdale at The Promenade on Scottsdale Road.

One thing I would do before going is head over to the Daphne’s Greek Cafe web site and sign up with their eClub. Then when you go into the store, you can give them your phone number and start earning points towards a free meal at Daphne’s. You’ll also get a coupon on your birthday and at the anniversary of when you signed up for the Daphne’s Greek Cafe eClub.

Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments below!

I’ll be honest. The first time I went to In-N-Out Burger, I hated it. Of course, it could be because we were driving back from California, I was so sunburned I couldn’t move at all and I just wanted to get home. Then the people we were traveling with stopped at In-N-Out and wanted to enjoy the “atmosphere” there. I thought the menu was too simple, the burger was a little bland and the fries weren’t done enough.

Then an In-N-Out got built in Mesa on Stapley and Baseline. My wife wanted to give it another chance so we went. This time I thought the burger was ok but the fries were still missing something. So I did a little research on the Internet to find out why people liked In-N-Out so much and it opened my eyes to a whole new world!

In-N-Out has a “secret menu”. But it’s not so secret any more since even their corporate site links to it. There are whole web sites dedicated just to the secret menu. Here’s an In-N-Out Secret Menu site I found especially entertaining.

So now when I go to In-N-Out, I get the following:

• A Cheeseburger (or a double-double, depending on how hungry I am) Animal-Style
• French Fries, Well Done, Animal Style

And next time, I may try a 2×4 Animal Style since I love cheese on my burger.

Do you have any specialties you like to order at In-N-Out? Let me know in the comments below.

I don’t usually go to Applebee’s. I have had some bad experiences there including bad service, cold food and wrong orders. But we received a gift card for Applebee’s for Christmas (Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!) and figured we may as well give it a shot again since the food wasn’t going to cost us anything.

We went around 6:00 and it was good we did. By 7:00, the place was packed and people had to wait outside (not necessarily a bad thing this time of year in Arizona). Our server was nice, although he seemed a little new and took our drink orders. By the time he came back, we were ready and he took our order. A grilled cheese with applesauce for one kid, a cheese pizza with fries for another, riblets for the wife and penne and sausage for me. Since it was before 7:00, we ordered a half-price appetizer as well.

The server was great in that he recommended we switch the kids’ sides so the pizza got the applesauce because it would save us about $2. I thought that was great of him.

Twenty minutes later, the food still hadn’t arrived (including the appetizer) and the kids were getting antsy. We finally asked the server about it and he went back to check. A couple minutes later he came back with the food - sans appetizer. He apologized profusely and said that the thawed appetizers had run out and so they had decided not to bring anything to us. That was bad but at least they didn’t bring it to us late and expect us to pay for it. I’ve had that happen before and it’s more annoying than no appetizer.

Once the food arrived, it was pretty good. The wife’s riblets were good although not as tender as I remembered them. The kids loved their food although it looked unappetizing to me. The penne and sausage was good as well. I think it is one of the new Tyler Florence creations. All of the sauce was on one side of the plate and I had to stir it in to get everything covered in sauce but I guess that is good for people who don’t want a lot of sauce on their pasta.

Overall, I would give the food a 6 out of 10, the atmosphere a 7 out of 10 and the service a 7 out of 10. The server was good for the most part and it wasn’t really his fault that the appetizer didn’t come. And it was all under $30.

Would we go back again soon? Probably not. They just don’t have the food I’m looking for there. But if you’re looking for some food, don’t care if it’s not 5-star quality and are looking to not spend a fortune, then Applebee’s might be for you.

I just moved to a new office on Southern and Val Vista.  I love it here.  My biggest complaint?  I don’t know where any restaurants are.  I try to figure out where all the restaurants are as I drive around but by the time I get to the office, I’ve already forgotten.

You know what I think would be really cool is a guide of all the restaurants at a given intersection, or within a specified distance from an address.  I don’t mean a guide of restaurants that have coupons available or that someone likes.  I want a list of ALL of the restaurants in a given location.

There seem to be a lot of restaurants that are somewhat like what I’m looking for but they don’t have the search functionality and they don’t include all the small mom-and-pop restaurants around.  Some of the best restaurants I’ve eaten at are the small family-owned restaurants that “restaurant-snobs” wouldn’t step foot into.  Like Higley Hot Dog up on Williams Field and Higley.  If you drive by the place, it looks like it isn’t much of anything.  But they’ve got great hot dogs at a good price and is a place I like to go to when I’m just looking for a hot dog and don’t want to drive down to Ted’s Hot Dogs in Tempe.

But when I look for restaurants in Gilbert, I don’t see Higley Hot Dog anywhere on any lists!  If you’re a programmer and want to work together on this project, please contact me at dan@eastvalleyrestaurantguide.com (there’s a link to the e-mail at the bottom of the page).

If you have some small restaurants you would like people to know about, e-mail me that as well.  I’ll be happy to list them here and visit them for a later review.