Showing posts with label Phoenix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phoenix. Show all posts

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Greasewood Flat - Scottsdale, AZ

We didn't have many meals in Phoenix/Scottsdale since we would be on the road all day on Sunday going up to Sedona, so for Saturday night I wanted us to get a taste of what Arizona and the Southwest is all about, so I suggested we check out Greasewood Flat.

Greasewood Flat is the name of the bar and the restaurant is called Reata Pass. Here's what it says on their website:

"During the Arizona Territory days, Reata Pass was on an old stagecoach stop along a dust-filled, rocky trail that wandered often steeply uphill northeast from Phoenix and on to connect Fort McDowell on the Verde River and Prescott. Crossing the McDowell Mountains in those days was no easy task as the climb took its toll on the passengers and horses. Travelers were treated to a hearty meal and cool drink while the horses were being watered, A knee-high foundation of boulders and mortar supported a wooden one-room stage station built in 1882. Portions of the adobe walls and old stone foundation still exist, making Reata Pass the most authentic "cowboy" restaurant in the Valley. The old jailhouse across the road is original and was used elsewhere in the 1880's to hold Indian prisoners."

It sounds like my kind of place, right? Here's the entrance to the dinning room.


There's a couple buildings along the sides and in the center are a bunch of picnic tables and a stage where some folks were dancing and a stage where a guy was playing country music on his guitar. I seriously felt like I was listening to Jeff Bridges playing his guitar in Crazy Heart. As you can see, it was a pretty mellow night.


There's a bar and restaurant inside of this makeshift building. It looked old and there was pretty much writing all over the place.

Now inside was a different story. I should have asked why they had all these dollar bills pinned up everywhere, but I guess people were commemorating their visit.

Another shot of the green carpeted walls and ceilings.


Now for the food. I was excited for our cowboy meal. Susan and I ordered the green chili cheeseburger. I was debating between the pulled pork sandwich and this and the guy at the counter told me to go with this one. It came with a huge beef patty. I had forgotten what green chili's taste like, they are not spicy at all. Tasted like roasted red peppers but without any taste.


We ordered nachos, which came with cups of nacho cheese, salsa and jalapenos. Not gourmet dinning by any means, but the scenery more than made up for the amusement park/ballpark food fare.


After we finished our meal, we decided to explore the grounds.


Here's an old tractor that was in the middle of the field.


They had a couple cows or donkeys as well. We could not for the life of us figure out what this was? I don't know if donkeys typically have this much fur.


An old truck.


Here's a picture of Susan playing a game of horseshoe with a bunch of locals we befriended. We all got to try and it's harder than it looks folks.

This was such a random place to come but it was definitely felt like we were in the wild wild west.

Greasewood Flat
27500 N Alma School Pkwy
Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Here are some pics from Sedona the next day. Here's the view from the bottom of Cathedral Rock.

The view from halfway.

The view from the top. It was totally worth the hike up in 100 degree weather.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles - Phoenix, AZ

My girlfriends and I went on a weekend trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago and my job was to find yummy places for us to eat. I think it goes without saying that you cannot think of visiting Phoenix without going to Pizzeria Bianco. Apparently they have one of the best pizzas in the U.S. and as random as it was to end up in Phoenix, I was more than happy to use it as an excuse to try some of their famous pies. They are only open for dinner on Tuesdays through Saturdays and are notorious for their long lines so I knew Saturday night was our only chance to eat there. I was dreaming of my visit and got so excited, until I looked up their website and saw the following:

"Pizzeria Bianco will be closed June 15-19 as we are participating in the Great Chefs Event benefiting Alex's Lemonade Stand in Philadelphia. We will re-open Tuesday, June 22 at 5:00 pm. For more information, please go to alexslemonade.org. We apologize for any inconvenience."

What are the chances that they are closed the one weekend that we were visiting. Sadness.

After lamenting my loss, I looked up for some other eating options for us. I came across Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles. We have Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Southern California and from the reviews, some were saying it was even better than Roscoe's, so I had to see for myself. Thankfully there was a location pretty close to our hotel.


We sat down to huge mason jars of water. They also serve kool-aid and sweet tea in these huge jars.


We got a bunch of items to share. Here is a plate of the Baby Ray (3 pieces of chicken smothered with gravy and onions with 2 waffles). Susan thought the gravy with the chicken was not such a great idea because the crispiness of the chicken as well as the taste was masked by the gravy.


We also got the KK's ( 3 pieces of chicken, 2 waffles, grits and 2 eggs with cheese and onions).


I ordered the KK's solely for the grits and eggs. Look at that scoop of butter on my grits. No wonder it tasted so good.


We also shared an order of corn bread, which looked like a giant muffin.


We also got a basket of fries, which were perfectly seasoned. We found however that these were mighty tasty dipped in the gravy and onions.


So what was the verdict? I thought the chicken is better at Roscoe's, it's crispier and more flavorful from what I remember. The waffles however at Lo-Lo's are crispier, which I prefer. Roscoe's waffles are thinner and chewier, like Eggo's, but Lo-Lo's have a bit more texture to them. I guess it all depends on how you like your waffles. All in all, you really can't go wrong with fried chicken, waffles and maple syrup. I just found out that Chicago is also home to chicken and waffles and it's aptly called Chicago's Home of Chicken and Waffles. haha. I can't wait to pay them a visit soon.

Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles
2765 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85257