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Tag: Arizona

Cruiser’s Cafe 66 – Williams, AZ, Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Three things attracted us to Cruiser’s Cafe 66, conveniently situated in Williams, in the way to the Grand Canyon: they had a singer playing music we like (folk music & soft rock), they had a nice patio for outdoor dining and we found a parking space nearby.

For lunch my husband and I split a rack of pork ribs ($20) and my daughter had the kid’s mac & cheese ($7 or $8, I believe).  She was happy with hers and ate the whole thing.  She must be going through a growth spur, because she then had several ribs as well.

Fortunately, neither my husband nor I are in need of extra calories, so the remaining ribs were enough for us.  Unfortunately, they weren’t that great.  The first thing that greeted you into the restaurant, even before the music, was the smoke from the grill – but none of it seemed to have permeated into the ribs, which tasted parboiled.  The BBQ sauce was just generic.

Service was quite good, our waiter was pretty attentive (Yelp reviews contained complaints of bad service).  Alas, we usually get good service even at restaurants when others don’t.  Perhaps we aren’t so picky, or perhaps we just look like bigger tippers.

In all, Crusier’s Cafe 66 is still a good place to stop for the atmosphere, just don’t order the ribs.

Cruiser’s Cafe 66
233 W Rte 66
Williams, AZ
(928) 635-2445
cruisers66.com

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: Beyond the Bay Area

Cuisine of India (Delhi Palace) – Sedona, AZ – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We were in Sedona on vacation, staying at a house near Cuisine of India aka Indian Palace, India Palace and Delhi Palace.   I don’t know what the actual name of the restaurant is, I’ve found reviews under all names.  We wen there for lunch a rainy day in August, 2013.

According to my daughter, this was the smallest buffet at which she’s ever eaten.  That’s not necessarily true for me, but with ten or so offerings, including rice, it would definitely not win any prizes for size.  Then again, it also doesn’t seem to be very popular, at least for lunch, so few offerings hopefully mean the food is fresher.

As far as Indian food goes, this buffet was pretty average.  I liked the mushroom korma, but the chicken tikka masala was underseasoned (even though it was a bit spicy).  The same can be said for the chicken tandoori, it didn’t taste as if they’d use any spices on it other than pepper.  The lamb curry was OK, though the lamb was a bit dry and tough.  The rice was a bit too starchy for my taste, but the garlic/herb naan bread, served pipping hot, was quite good.  Sweet lassis also lacked flavor.

My biggest problem with the meal was the price.  We ended up paying $42 before the tip for 3 people.  That’s pretty ridiculous for a buffet lunch.  Now, my husband didn’t look at the bill carefully so perhaps they charged us for our other daughter who didn’t eat any of the food (which they knew, as she instead had a subway sandwich at the table).  According to the website, the lunch buffets are now $10

As far as the restaurant itself, it was your run-of-the-mill shopping center restaurant, it didn’t have any ambiance to speak of.

Cuisine of India/ Delhi Palace
1910 W Hwy 89A, Suite 102
Sedona, Arizona
928-204-2300
www.cuisineofindia-az.com

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: Beyond the Bay Area

Olde Sedona Bar & Grill – Sedona, AZ – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 1 Comment

We were staying in a residential neighborhood in Sedona,  and my husband wanted to go somewhere near for dinner.  The Olde Sedona Bar & Grill didn’t get the best of reviews, but I figured it was worth a try anyway.  Plus I had a  $25 restaurant.com voucher ($50 minimum purchase).  For what we ended up paying, $50 after the coupon,  including tax and dinner for a family of four, this ended up being a good experience.  I wouldn’t have been happy if I’d paid much more, however.
Probably what I liked the least about the place was the decor, it’s pretty run down.  I did appreciate the photos on the wall of movie scenes shot around Sedona.  No wonder I always imagined the old west to be full of cool rock formations, that’s where all the movies were filmed!

The Olde Sedona Bar & Grill offers unpretentious food, of the type served at family restaurants throughout the country.  None of it was particularly remarkable, but all of it was tasty enough.  I’d give it 3 stars.

I had the buffalo brochettes ($18), which were perfectly cooked medium-rare (OK, maybe on the rarer side, but it worked well).  The meat wasn’t terribly flavorful – but that’s always true with buffalo meat -, but the sauce was pretty yummy and adding some salt helped.  I appreciated how tender the pieces were, and the lumpy garlic mashed potatoes tasted like the ones I would  make.  They really hit the spot.

My husband had a burger ($10) which he characterized as a good, standard burger.

My oldest daughter had a child’s quesadilla ($6).  It was huge! Definitely adult sized, she only finished half or so.  She did like it, however.

My youngest, on the other hand, was unhappy with her bean and cheese burrito ($6) but she hasn’t been fond of any of the ones she’s had in the southwest.  The beans must be different from the ones used in California.  It was a huge burrito as well.

Service by our waitress was excellent.  She was solicitous, and when she didn’t know how to deal with the restaurant.com smart phone coupon, she promptly asked her manager for help.  Note: they did not include the supposedly automatic 18% tip, so make sure you add it (and remember to tip in the original amount).

Olde Sedona Family Restaurant Bar and Grill
1405 West Highway 89A
Sedona, AZ
928.282.5670
www.oldesedona.com
Daily: 11 AM – 2 AM

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews: Outside the Bay Area

Zayna Mediterranean – Tuczon, AZ – Restaurant Review

January 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We had dinner at Zayna Mediterranean last August 2013, while we were visiting Tucson.  Zayna was close to our hotel and had gotten pretty good reviews on Yelp.  Overall, the adults liked the food but the children were not very happy.

We got there pretty late, after 8 PM, and the place was buzzing. The two waitresses could not really serve the full-restaurant adequately.  That meant that our drinks were rarely refilled, and they weren’t available to correct mistakes.  They were friendly, just overwhelmed.

The menu is standard Arab/Syrian food.  I had the lamb kifta ($12.5) and the skewers were quite tasty.  My oldest daughter liked the green beans and we all thought the buttered rice was very good.

My daughter, on the other hand, did not like the mujadara ($8) she ordered.  Granted, it was probably my fault for not explaining to her what a pilaf was – she thought it’d be a lentil and rice soup!  We ordered it without the grilled onions, so it did lack flavor and it was very dry.  For me, mixing in the yogurt sauce helped greatly, though it still was a pretty boring dish.

My husband had some sort of pita sandwich which he enjoyed, we all liked the fried potatoes it came with.

The dressed salads, however, were so sour that they were basically inedible to us.

The restaurant itself is pretty cute, the colored walls are decorated with huge photos of Damascus.  Two or three of them looked exactly like the ones I took when I visited over twenty years ago.

Zayna Mediterranean
4122 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ
(520) 881-4348
zaynamediterranean.com
Mon-Sun 11 am – 9 pm

Marga’s Resturant Reviews: Beyond the Bay Area

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