Tempe, AZ - Sunrise Cafe

Sunrise Cafe

It is actually a humorous story how I ended up here but nonetheless I stopped for breakfast and had a great experience. We were a little pressed for time and had never been here before so I ordered the special for the day which was Huevos Rancheros (flour tortilla, eggs, hash browns, refried beans and salsa). It was very good, salsa a little spicy but overall a good plate. We also ordered a denver omelet with special instructions and it came out just the way it was ordered. It was very good as well. Our service was great. Refills were often and our waitress checked on us a couple of times and each request was met with friendliness and promptness.

We left with plenty of time to get to our next appointment and had a great meal with great service. We will be back when we are in the area. They also serve lunch and are open from 7 am to 3 pm. Please check them out on the corner of McClintock and University. Say hi to our waitress, Katey, if you are lucky enough to get her.

Chandler, AZ - Blu Burger Grill

Blu Burger Grill

We tried the Blu Burger Grill at Fulton Ranch on the corner of Alma School and Chandler Heights Road. The interior decoration is pretty much all blue, a little too much, and rather small. As small as it was, it still took several minutes for someone to seat us and take any drink orders.

Once our drink orders were placed it probably took another 10 minutes for our waitress to come back to take our dinner order and didn't seem too pleased about having to do so either.

We ordered 2 kids meals and 2 adult burgers. The kids' chicken fingers were over cooked and so crunchy that it was hard to bite into. We ordered a side salad with it which resembled the weeds from our backyard, no one ate it. The kids cheeseburger was the size of a slider and over cooked as well. The side of skinny fries were actually good.

One adult entree was the BBQ burger. It tasted fine other than it was way over cooked. It came with a side of cole slaw, which was probably the best thing on our table. The Build Your Own Burger (which is sort of their claim to being different) was the only thing cooked to order. The side of sweet potato fries were OK, but I have had much better.

Drink refills were very slow as was the service in general. I wouldn't say that they were rude but very inattentive and not pleasant to say the least. This is one place that we do not plan to visit again. They do have other things on the menu like salads and sandwiches but because of the service and the overpriced menus, we will not return.

Chandler, AZ - Garcia's

Garcia's

We went to eat at Garcia's in Chandler at Fulton Ranch. The drinks are good and so is the service! Our server today is Chris, he and Gary are 2 of the best servers they have. Truthfully, we have really never had bad service in all the times we have been there but we do have our favorites. The chips and salsa are the best and one of my all time favorites compared to other Mexican restaurants we have tried. If you like it hot then ask for the spicy stuff, the regular salsa has enough kick for me with more of a chunky texture than the hot stuff. We usually order kids chicken, macaroni & cheese and the monster burrito. The adults usually get the chicken ultimate burrito or chicken enchiladas with pablano sauce. The prices are very reasonable, especially on Sundays because kids eat free. The atmosphere is fun and inviting and the service is personal and friendly. If you haven't tried Garcia's, stop by and check it out. Below are some of the specials, so pick a day that sounds good and give it try. Say hi to Chris or Gary for us too and tell them we sent you!

Specials... Sunday- Kids eat free

Monday- Magarita Madness $3.99

Tuesday- Taco's 3 for $7.99 dinner, $5.99 lunch
Senior day Buy one entree get one 1/2 off

Wednesday- Wacky Fajitas $6.00 off reg. price

Thursday- $2.00 Mexican beer

Toronto, Canada - Back Alley

Back Alley BBQ

I was visiting with some friends in Toronto, Canada and they took me to the Kensington Market Area to look around and grab some dinner. We sort of stumbled across this little place called the Back Alley - Woodfire BBQ and Grill. It looked and sounded pretty good, so in we went. The address to the place is 188 Augusta Ave, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2L6. Check out their website too: website.

It was almost half full at our arrival of about 5 pm. We sat down and got our drink orders right away. About 10 minutes later, our waiter took our dinner order and was friendly and helpful but also very hurried about things. As the minutes ticked by we were getting impatient for our food because it was taking so long. After about 45 minutes our food finally came to our table with some sincere apologies for the length of time it took, all very good excuses but still not really that important. The ribs were some of the best around and personal size pizza was the best I had ever had. We also had a calzone and it too was awesome. Our waiter checked on us several times during the meal and filled drinks often. Whatever the hold up with the food he more than made up for with better service and some of the best food I have had.

4 thumbs up on this one and if I am ever in the area again I would definitely stop here.