My husband and I have a standing "date" to go out and watch UFC fights. We both enjoy MMA, and it gives us a chance to sample one of my favorite cuisines...the oft overlooked bar food.
We decided to catch the fight and head out to American Junkie (http://americanjunkieaz.com/). We were a little worried once we got there since the bar was full of Ohio fans, there to see the Ohio v. Wisconsin football game. We were afraid that even though there were advertisements for UFC 137 that it wouldn't be on the TV. However, the manager assured us that they would play the fight when it came on, and even though they didn't start it until about 30 minutes in...they did show the fight, and on a TV close to us.
The bar isn't responsible for the lack luster fight. What they were responsible for was done very well. I had a Southwestern burger with peppers and jalapeno cheese. This burger was the size of my head! It was amazing, and the price at 8 dollars (including fries) was easy on the wallet. We will definitely be back.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
MIL's last day in town
It was my mother-in-law's last night in town before she flew back to Kansas City.
We decided to put the chicken I had marinating back in the 'frige and take her out for one last night on the town. Just down the road from the house is the Salty Senorita (http://www.saltysenorita.com/). I had a steak and avocado salad that was just amazing. She and my husband both had the chipotle burrito - I don't know how good it was since neither one of them would take a break from gulping it down to share. (I take it to mean that it was pretty good.)
We had to stop at one of my favorite places in Scottsdale and get an ice cream to enjoy while walking around and window shopping at all of the galleries. I've only ever had the Sugar Bowl's strawberry milk shake. One I find something delicious...I tend to stick to it. (http://www.sugarbowlscottsdale.com/)
We decided to put the chicken I had marinating back in the 'frige and take her out for one last night on the town. Just down the road from the house is the Salty Senorita (http://www.saltysenorita.com/). I had a steak and avocado salad that was just amazing. She and my husband both had the chipotle burrito - I don't know how good it was since neither one of them would take a break from gulping it down to share. (I take it to mean that it was pretty good.)
We had to stop at one of my favorite places in Scottsdale and get an ice cream to enjoy while walking around and window shopping at all of the galleries. I've only ever had the Sugar Bowl's strawberry milk shake. One I find something delicious...I tend to stick to it. (http://www.sugarbowlscottsdale.com/)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Mother-In-Law is in town. Oh no!
OK, I actually get along with my husband's mom pretty well. But, I did scrub the house from top to bottom before she got here, so she couldn't see the filth her precious little angle baby actually lives in.
We had a pretty full weekend - trying to show her what we know about the state thus far. She flew in Saturday afternoon, so we decided that we would take her to Pinnacle Peak Patio (http://www.pppatio.com/home/default.asp) for some a steak and to hear their live music. On our way up to the steakhouse, we saw a sign for an Art Festival, but it was closed. We were told that all of the things on the street in Scottsdale close at precisely 5 no matter what they are. I thought that it was strange since it had just begun to cool off, but maybe there is a law or something... Anyways, on to dinner we went. The steak was, as always, excellent.
Sunday we made a day of it. We headed north after a breakfast of pie (fruit is healthy right?) at Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon. (http://www.rockspringscafe.com/) This is my favorite breakfast place so far.
Then, we went on up to Montezuma Castle in Mesa Verde. There were two hawks flying above the ruins - making a convenient photo op.
On to Jerome... I had been here before with my parents, but this time we took the time to poke in all the shops. We found a toy store with an attendant who was having WAY too much fun, but I saw a few things that are going on my Christmas list. Just down the road, we found a shop that sells Rubber Duckies! (This is important because I collect them...) We wet our whistle at the Spirit Room (http://www.spiritroom.com/). I liked the atmosphere of this bar, but the live entertainment left a little to be desired.
Onward and upward... on to Sedona for some red rock photo ops. We took a short hike in Red Rock State Park. It is an inside joke with a friend of mine to always take vacation photos that include my most prized possession.
We had dinner at the Barking Frog Grille (http://www.barkingfroggrille.com/). I highly suggest their buffalo burger from their "before 5" menu. It was cooked perfectly, and I loved every bite.
We had a pretty full weekend - trying to show her what we know about the state thus far. She flew in Saturday afternoon, so we decided that we would take her to Pinnacle Peak Patio (http://www.pppatio.com/home/default.asp) for some a steak and to hear their live music. On our way up to the steakhouse, we saw a sign for an Art Festival, but it was closed. We were told that all of the things on the street in Scottsdale close at precisely 5 no matter what they are. I thought that it was strange since it had just begun to cool off, but maybe there is a law or something... Anyways, on to dinner we went. The steak was, as always, excellent.
Sunday we made a day of it. We headed north after a breakfast of pie (fruit is healthy right?) at Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon. (http://www.rockspringscafe.com/) This is my favorite breakfast place so far.
Then, we went on up to Montezuma Castle in Mesa Verde. There were two hawks flying above the ruins - making a convenient photo op.
On to Jerome... I had been here before with my parents, but this time we took the time to poke in all the shops. We found a toy store with an attendant who was having WAY too much fun, but I saw a few things that are going on my Christmas list. Just down the road, we found a shop that sells Rubber Duckies! (This is important because I collect them...) We wet our whistle at the Spirit Room (http://www.spiritroom.com/). I liked the atmosphere of this bar, but the live entertainment left a little to be desired.
We had dinner at the Barking Frog Grille (http://www.barkingfroggrille.com/). I highly suggest their buffalo burger from their "before 5" menu. It was cooked perfectly, and I loved every bite.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tasty Hamburgers
What married couple among us hasn't had this conversation.
-What's for dinner?
-I don't know, what do you want?
-I don't know what do you want to fix?
-Nothing. I don't want to fix anything...I'm tired?
-So....take out?
Luckily, Two Hippie Beach House had left menus at my job and I "happened" to have one. We called in our order (Bacon Cheeseburger for him, Green Chili burger for me). Both burgers were delicious. I will definately be eating there again.
-What's for dinner?
-I don't know, what do you want?
-I don't know what do you want to fix?
-Nothing. I don't want to fix anything...I'm tired?
-So....take out?
Luckily, Two Hippie Beach House had left menus at my job and I "happened" to have one. We called in our order (Bacon Cheeseburger for him, Green Chili burger for me). Both burgers were delicious. I will definately be eating there again.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Weekend at Christopher Creek
We decided to escape the unseasonal heat in the valley and go in search of fall leaves. Since I am from "back East", I don't think that it is fall until I can make s'mores and crunch through leaves.
We drove up Friday after work to our cabin at Christoper Creek Lodge (www.christophercreeklodge.com). The cabin was really nice with a Franklin style stove near the bed - we weren't there very long before I had the hubby build a fire. (Hey! vacation in the woods...need a cozy fire, right?) We actually had the conversation that we could live there forever...if the bathroom was a little bigger. The lodge was dog friendly, so even Ginger - our Brittany Spaniel - got to go on our mini vacation.
We got an early start Saturday morning and headed to Tonto Natural Bridge. (http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/TONA/index.html) Ginger was only allowed on the paved paths, so we saw the bridge from the top side. We did take a short hike without her, and walked down the 80 or so steps to see the waterfall. John raced me to the top and won even after spotting me 50 stairs. (Sometimes I love bad knees.)
We went into Payson for groceries and some lunch. The tourism information center (chamber of commence) gave us several dog friendly hikes we could take and told us about some attractions in Pine and Strawberry. We decided to hike around Woods Canyon Lake. It took about 2.5 hours and is about 6 miles around according to my phone. We didn't get to see the famed Eagles that live there, but we did see their nest. Ginger almost caught a chipmunk; I don't know who was more surprised about that...the dog or the chipmunk.
Once we made it back to the lodge, the husband prayed to the fire gods and grilled us some steak and asparagus. I don't know if it was just "that" delicious or if we were just "that" hungry - but it tasted amazing. He needed to know the score of the ASU/Oregon game so we walked down to this little bar/restaurant next to the lodge. The Landmark at the Creek is a little gourmet gem in the middle of nowhere...I had butternut squash lasagna.
Sunday, we tried to squeeze in a little more vacation before heading down the mountain and back to real life. We headed up to the little town of Pine, AZ. This is where we encountered our only icky spot in the entire trip. We were told to eat at the Randall House for breakfast...the food was not that good made worse by the world's slowest service. When we asked about our order (after waiting 45 minutes for pancakes and eggs), we were treated to rudeness. (I got to hear the waitress rant about our rudeness while I waited in line for the restroom.) We won't be back there. We headed up to Strawberry and the Goat Creamery. Directions to this place include the phrase "turn off the paved road", but the fudge and strawberry/jalapeno jelly is worth the dust on the car.
It was a great weekend...my only problem is now I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.
We drove up Friday after work to our cabin at Christoper Creek Lodge (www.christophercreeklodge.com). The cabin was really nice with a Franklin style stove near the bed - we weren't there very long before I had the hubby build a fire. (Hey! vacation in the woods...need a cozy fire, right?) We actually had the conversation that we could live there forever...if the bathroom was a little bigger. The lodge was dog friendly, so even Ginger - our Brittany Spaniel - got to go on our mini vacation.
We got an early start Saturday morning and headed to Tonto Natural Bridge. (http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/TONA/index.html) Ginger was only allowed on the paved paths, so we saw the bridge from the top side. We did take a short hike without her, and walked down the 80 or so steps to see the waterfall. John raced me to the top and won even after spotting me 50 stairs. (Sometimes I love bad knees.)
We went into Payson for groceries and some lunch. The tourism information center (chamber of commence) gave us several dog friendly hikes we could take and told us about some attractions in Pine and Strawberry. We decided to hike around Woods Canyon Lake. It took about 2.5 hours and is about 6 miles around according to my phone. We didn't get to see the famed Eagles that live there, but we did see their nest. Ginger almost caught a chipmunk; I don't know who was more surprised about that...the dog or the chipmunk.
Once we made it back to the lodge, the husband prayed to the fire gods and grilled us some steak and asparagus. I don't know if it was just "that" delicious or if we were just "that" hungry - but it tasted amazing. He needed to know the score of the ASU/Oregon game so we walked down to this little bar/restaurant next to the lodge. The Landmark at the Creek is a little gourmet gem in the middle of nowhere...I had butternut squash lasagna.
Sunday, we tried to squeeze in a little more vacation before heading down the mountain and back to real life. We headed up to the little town of Pine, AZ. This is where we encountered our only icky spot in the entire trip. We were told to eat at the Randall House for breakfast...the food was not that good made worse by the world's slowest service. When we asked about our order (after waiting 45 minutes for pancakes and eggs), we were treated to rudeness. (I got to hear the waitress rant about our rudeness while I waited in line for the restroom.) We won't be back there. We headed up to Strawberry and the Goat Creamery. Directions to this place include the phrase "turn off the paved road", but the fudge and strawberry/jalapeno jelly is worth the dust on the car.
It was a great weekend...my only problem is now I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Who we are
Hi.
Since we've just met, I would imagine that an introduction is in order. I'm Crys (and you'll hear a lot about my husband, John, and our dog, Ginger, too). We live in the East Valley of the Greater Phoenix metro area.
Now for the back story...
We moved from Fort Bragg, NC at the beginning of September. John got out of the Army and is using the GI Bill to attend ASU. I taught school for nearly 9 hellish years, and now I work for a private education company based in Scottsdale. To say, I wasn't thrilled about moving all the way out here is putting it lightly.
We are now to the point in the show where I tell you the purpose of this blog. Since I wasn't thrilled about living in Arizona, I decided that we would spend the next two years while he is getting his degree playing tourist and experiencing as much of the state as we could.
So fair reader, hang on to your ten gallon hat and cinch on your turquoise jewelry...you are about to be taken on a two year expedition of everything I can find.
Since we've just met, I would imagine that an introduction is in order. I'm Crys (and you'll hear a lot about my husband, John, and our dog, Ginger, too). We live in the East Valley of the Greater Phoenix metro area.
Now for the back story...
We moved from Fort Bragg, NC at the beginning of September. John got out of the Army and is using the GI Bill to attend ASU. I taught school for nearly 9 hellish years, and now I work for a private education company based in Scottsdale. To say, I wasn't thrilled about moving all the way out here is putting it lightly.
We are now to the point in the show where I tell you the purpose of this blog. Since I wasn't thrilled about living in Arizona, I decided that we would spend the next two years while he is getting his degree playing tourist and experiencing as much of the state as we could.
So fair reader, hang on to your ten gallon hat and cinch on your turquoise jewelry...you are about to be taken on a two year expedition of everything I can find.
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