I work with an 18 year high school student who was a child in the foster care system. Paul and Tony were so kind in waiving an assessment fee after Paul spent considerable time on a work up to figure out what's wrong. Unfortunately, this kid was taken advantage of by Special Needs Vehicles on Oracle who sold him a car for $800 assuring him that their mechanic had checked it out and everything was fine. It broke down within a month. It ends up this car has too many problems to even begin repairs. It is now with our high school auto shop to see if there is any hope of getting it operational without putting more money into the junker. Tony was very kind to waive the rest of the fee due for this kid who has certainly learned from his mistake. Thank goodness there are still decent people like Tony in Tucson, Please pay it forward and take your business to Tony. The shop is honest and they are good guys.

No, no, no. Last night spent $44 on a ribeye that I would have better prepared at home. Luckily I split with a friend which lessened the pain of a not worth it meal. Started with the Spinach/Napolitos appetizer with tortilla chips. That was decent but once the cheese was off the top, you were basically eating overcooked spinach with chips. The ribeye had little flavor, was lacking spices (the flavored butter was flavorless) and the steak cut had plenty of gristle and was a bit undercooked compared to the temperature requested. Loved our server Chris, great guy and very attentive. The happy hour drinks are fabulous for $3 wells. So go for happy hour, skip the exorbitantly expensive dinners.

Casa de los Ninos is one of Tucson's top notch non-profits. The early focus was a children's shelter which continues to this day. Other programs have been added over the years and include behavioral health services for children and famlies, nurse visitation programs, and parent education and support. They have a foster care licensing program and Tucson is in such dire need of foster care families. If you are able to offer your home to a child, please think about calling them. I first utilized the services in the 1980's when I was a worker for Child Protective Services. I donate to the agency as I know the funding goes to support children's services and will be utilized to shore up the gaps for the Shelter or some of their other programs. With the holidays coming, I know there will be children that will spend the holidays at the Shelter and many other families who need holiday support. I plan on dropping off some toys and children's clothing over the next few weeks. If you are out shopping, please think about helping out.

Vivace is number one in my book. They provide a consistent quality experience. Their new digs are impressive (although I did like the more intimate atmosphere when they were at St. Phillips plaza. Ray the bartender is great and really knows his stuff. The antipasto platter was good. I love the chicken salad at lunch. Melt in your mouth chicken.