Calie "cwaterhouse" W.'s Profile

The family and I headed out to the fair on a Tuesday night in November.  This is not the home grown state fair you remember growing up.  While they may try to make it seem that way, this one is a corporate venture for sure.

Thankfully, we went early enough that there really weren't alot of people and the kiddos could get their ride and games in before dark.

Parking at the Fair grounds cost us $10 - which we gladly paid to not have to walk down McDowell after dark.  We had free tickets to get in, so that saved us $40+.

Typical foods available - fried twinkies, mondo fries, Chinese food, pizza ... even scorpions.  No - we didn't try them, but hear they taste just like chicken :)

We actually picked this particular night to go so we could see David Cook in concert.  

Here's the great part of the Fair ... general seating is FREE with fair admission.  Sure - you can buy a reserved seat (for something like $15 - $20) to sit a little closer, but we chose the free seats.

GREAT concert!  The opening band, The Script, were from Dublin, Ireland and did a good job.  This was their first opening for David Cook (and in America?) and their energy really showed their excitement.

David Cook was awesome!  The best part - he sounded pretty much just like he does on his CD. He was joking around with the audience and having a great time performing.  Really enjoyed his singing and the overall performance.  I hope he has a really long career ahead of him.

If you're planning a trip to the fair and would like to save some $$$, definitely read the other YELP reviews before going.  There's at least one or two for cheapskates that don't want to spend alot.  

Will we go back to the Fair? probably.
Will we go back for the concert series?  Absolutely!

Suggestions?
1) Check out their website for discount days.
2) Unless you want to, don't pay full price (see above)
3) Set a budget and stick to it.  
4) Check out the concert series.
5) Allow plenty of time to have fun.
6) There is a free shuttle from somewhere to the fairgrounds ... it would be worth it to research this a little more & find out from where. I didn't have time or we probably would have done this too :)
7) If you're on twitter - so are they. http://twitter.com/azs...
8) Their website is http://www.azstatefair...

Have a good time!

Open for breakfast and lunch only, this newely opened restaurant is serving up some good stuff.  

From the moment we walked in, the host (who I suspect was the owner) was very friendly and immediately sat us at a nice, clean booth.  The server greeted us soon there-after.  The service was awesome!

We had the turkey/bacon/cheddar panini and a veggie skillet.  Both were perfectly prepared and generously sized!

From what I can tell, we weren't the only happy patrons in the place.  While the place was packed, there were customers occupying about a dozen tables.

The best part if you're a sports fan, the big screen tv mounted on the wall.  No need for glasses, the thing is huge!

Will we return? Absolutely!  
Great location, great service, exceptional food & tons of free parking.

Oh, speaking of free parking, this building is located right in front of the Tempe Discount Cinema (aka Pollack Theatres) at the southeast corner of McClintock and Elliot.  

The building use to be occupied by Denny's.

Hmmmm...I started out reading other reviews of this place and I'm thinking that maybe a 2nd visit is in order.  Our experience was definitely not like others.

We stopped by here for lunch.  $5 lunch special includes your entree, 2 scoops of rice, veggies and a small drink.  We both got the BBQ chicken ... the boneless chicken portion was small, the rice was good and  the veggies consisted of cabbage (and that's it!).

We were greeted by a woman on the phone who hung up only long enough to take our order and then returned to the phone.  Since we were the only ones in the place (at 12pm!!), I wondered if her conversation was meant to be entertainment?

Considering this place is next door to several other really good restaurants, I can't help but wonder why anyone would choose this particular establishment instead of one of the others?

Ample free parking, cause it's a shopping center.  Would we return? I don't know.  Would I recommend?  I just don't know.

If we decide to give this place a second chance, I'll update my review.

With coupon and gift card in hand, we ventured to this chain restaurant for a Monday afternoon lunch.

Hubby had the Jack Daniels steak with cheddar mashed potatoes, while I munched on fish & chips.  All in all, not too bad.  Add to that a couple of side salads and a couple of drinks and our bill was over $25.00 (even with the buy one, get one free coupon).  Certainly not what we were expecting.

The hostess who showed us to our table was polite, but definitely devoid of personality.  Oh, how I miss the days of meaningless small talk & professionalism!  Our server was very attentive and actually did an above-average job.  

If this particular location wasn't so darn convenient for us, we probably would have gone somewhere else.  But, optimistic as we may be, our thought was an early-bird style lunch on a Monday -  would be much better.

Will we return? Maybe.
Would we recommend?  I don't know. We still kinda prefer the Mom&Pop restaurants and supporting our community.

For some reason, I like this store. We've been shopping here for years for various sports needs and really have never let me down.

We've purchased probably a dozen or more pairs of shoes for the kiddos over the years. Good shoes, trendy styles, name brands and good prices.

We've purchased a decade's worth of baseball equipment from here, as well.

One of the things I have learned about this store, is never buy anything that's not on sale (unless you absolutely must have it right then and there). If you're patient, the items will probably available at a lower prices within a few weeks.

Even during "off seasons" we've been able to pick up some good quality equipment at a respectable discount.

The folks who work here are definitely not overly enthusiastic to help, but if you ask a question, you will get a polite answer. Which in my book, is good enough.

Will we shop here again? Absolutely!
Recommend you shop here? Absolutely!

We were driving by and saw their $2.99 lunch special sign.  Since it was lunch time and we were hungry, we decided to stop in.  

It was about 11:30 on a Friday morning and surprisingly there place was populated by a bunch of men drinking and eating.  (No one works in AZ?)

We grabbed a couple menus on the way in, but quickly caught on that we needed their "lunch specials" menu - which we went and got.

The bartender/server/cook? was the only one in the place waiting on all of us.  So, the wait was a little much considering.

The $2.99 lunch special was a hamburger and a drink.  So, I ordered the 1/2 tuna sandwich with side salad for $3.99 and my hubby got the fajita roll up for $5.99  (drinks come with).  Our lunch bill was just a little over $10 for the two.    

Food was o.k.  Nothing spectacular, but just simple good food.  The place is clean, lots of TVs and arcade games, a small stage area (for a band or karaoke (?)) and ample free parking.  

The only suggestion I would have is maybe hire another person to help out.  Although probably quite capable (and possibly the owner), one person just isn't enough.

Will we return?  Maybe, maybe not.

Seems this place is *the* place to host your kiddo's birthday party.  On the Saturday that we were there, I think they had something like 12 parties going ... I know, hard to believe, but the rink employees actually did a really good job keeping up with all people and their requests.  Could not have been easy!

The music was very appropriate for the age group - which really impressed me.  The DJ, Sara, was AWESOME!  From the way she intereacted with the skaters to announcing the games, etc - She was amazing!

Will we go back? Absolutely!
See you there!  Hope so!

History. That's what makes this roller rink unlike any other.  From the staff to the locals, this place was hopin' on Friday night.  

The rink itself was very clean - looks like they take pride is keeping it that way too!  Choice of "regular" rental skates or roller blades - both of which seem to be maintained.

The snack bar attendant was nice and helpful, as well.    Food was what we expected - pizza, pretzels, sodas and Icees.  

Kiddos had a great time, which makes me very happy.   Would we go back? Yep - probably will.

See you there? Hope so!

Nice little place, pretty good food, really nice people.

A friend and I had lunch here on a Friday afternoon.  For $9, I got two chicken soft tacos with rice & beans, a drink and a bowl of chips.  

The food was o.k....but alot better with the addition of salsa from their salsa bar.  They had 4-5 different types of salsa that you could add - for no additional charge.  (The chips were free too).

The restaurant itself is nice.  We were there for a couple of hours and so were a few other groups of people.

The owners have also done a nice job of keeping the place clean - bathrooms and all.

Would I recommend Caramba's?  Sure.  Probably won't be a regular, but would definitely go back.

Breakfast burritos are awesome!  Choose from bacon, sausage, ham ... or my favorite - no meat.  Really good food.  In a hurry or don't want to wait? No problem - call ahead and your order will be ready when you get there.

We usually place our order and then head next door to Starbucks and get our morning caffeine fix...by the time we get back - order is ready!  

Prices are reasonable.  Service is good.  Food is what you'd expect.  Nachos, burritos, enchilada plates are all very good.  Taquitos can be a little dry, but hey - that's what sour cream is for. Right?
Oh yeah - tons of FREE parking!