March 3, 2015-Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill Tempe

For our two year anniversary, we went to Z'Tejas in Tempe (not our normal location in Phoenix).

What I ordered: 

Appetizer: Tejas Trio

Entree: Steak Burrito

Drink: Coke

Appetizer: 4.3/5

We got our usual appetizer and it was very good. The salsa was actually pretty decent (I've never been a fan of their salsa) and their guacamole was very good. It wasn't too chunky and everything was mixed together.

Entree: 4.5/5

I decided to try something new and got the steak burrito. It was very good and the beef wasn't spicy like it was when I had gotten the fajitas. I was definitely satisfied with my meal and I think I found my new favorite!

Drinks: 4.6/5

I got Coke and it was good; the ice didn't melt too fast so I didn't feel like I had to rush to drink it!

Restaurant Environment: 4.7/5

The decor of this location is vastly different than the decor of the Bethany Home location. This location definitely gives off the Southwestern vibe with the brick and the flags of the southwestern states. This one felt more "casual" where the other location feels more "business-y" (I mean it is in the financial district). I really liked it!

Staff: 4.2/5

Our waiter was very friendly and took good care of us. I didn't feel like we had a robot for a waiter. 

Speed of Service: 3.9/5

The speed of service was alright. It definitely wasn't busy but I felt like it went slower than it should have. It wasn't too slow but it wasn't boom-boom-boom. I felt this way more towards the end while waiting for our waiter to take our plates and give us the check.

Overall:4.37/5

Pre-Tip Cost: $32.59

Value: $28.48

Hi!

Wow, it's been six months since we've even came to this blog, but we both have been so busy! Matt works 11-17 hours daily and I also have a job now so we're just very busy. We have stacks upon stacks of receipts of places that we've been to and we just haven't gotten to. I know I said this a few posts ago, but we're going to be trying to post here more often (at least I will). Thank you for putting up with us and I'm so sorry we have let this blog fall through the cracks.

Lauren

September 9, 2014-Solo

This dinner was special, it was for our year and a half anniversary!

What I ordered: 

Appetizer: Meatballs

Entree: Rigatoni in Marinara

Drink: Pepsi

Appetizer: 4.7/5

I'm used to eating meatballs as a part of my entree but these meatballs were amazing! They were in a lovely marinara sauce and they were falling apart! The way they tasted, them falling apart seemed to fit right it; it didn't really bother me.

Entree: 4.7/5

My rigatoni was great! They were a little on the under-done side because they kept falling apart when I tried to pick them up but it wasn't too bad! The taste of the whole dish made up for it and then some!

Drinks: 4.7/5

You really can never go wrong with Pepsi!

Restaurant Environment: 4.2/5

It was nice enough outside so that we were able to sit outside, which in the area the restaurant is in beautiful. It's right in the middle of the financial district on Camelback and the plaza it's in is very nice! Since it was later at night the plaza was empty!

Staff: 4.6/5

Solo is a family owned and operated business, which is wonderful to me! I love family owned restaurants. There is something about a family running a restaurant together that makes the staff seem so much more friendly. They were very nice and didn't forget us outside!

Speed of Service: 4.8/5

The speed of service was great! It seemed like they made it flow with the appetizer and entree so we weren't just sitting around doing nothing. They were very prompt with bringing out the food and taking the dishes away bringing us the check. It was very professional.

Overall: 4.65/5

Pre-Tip Cost: $59.57

Value: $54.40

Update!

Hi everyone, Lauren here!

So this blog hasn't gone exactly as planned. We've gone to restaurants just have not been able to keep up with posting. Matt has two jobs and I had school (will be starting again) and the past months has been filled with holidays, cleaning and my other blog for me. There are so many drafts just waiting!

Hopefully we will be able to get this back up and running again. I still have all of the receipts and everything. I'm so sorry this has stalled.

Stay tuned, this will pick up soon, I promise!

Happy new year! Have a wonderful 2015!

August 16, 2014-Johnny Rockets

What I ordered:

Appetizer: N/A

Entree: Burger and fries

Drink: Oreo shake

Appetizer: N/A

Entree: 3.7/5

I had a hamburger and fries for my entree. It was cooked well and everything I wanted was on the burger. The fries were not soggy and limp; they were crisp and hot and very delicious. 

Drinks: 4.2/5

I ordered an Oreo shake and it was pretty good. It was thick but not so thick that I couldn't sip it out of my straw. 

Restaurant Environment: 4.6/5

This particular Johnny Rockets is inside the Arrowhead Towne Center, right at one of the entrances. However the way it sits in its corner, it doesn't really feel like you're at a busy mall when you're back in the dining room area. If you're at the bar or the front room, then yeah it feels like a ma

Staff: 4.8/5

Our waiter is one that is always there when we go. He is very funny and he definitely makes the best of his job. I can tell that he truly enjoys it and that makes me happy. He is always very friendly to us and he remembers us when we go back. 

Speed of Service: 3.8/5

The speed of service was pretty good, except for the shakes. For some reason they either forgot about the shakes or they were just busy with a lot of other shakes. For whatever reason, the shakes took a long time to come out and they didn't come out until the food came out. The food came out in a timely manner

Overall: 4.1/5

Pre-Tip Cost: $29.17

Value: $23.92

August 9, 2014-Garcia's

What I ordered:

Appetizer: Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole

Entree: Beef Burrito

Drink: Pepsi

Appetizer: 4.1/5

The chips were nice and crispy, they wasn't enough salt on them when we came, but that was easily fixable. I didn't really like the salsa, it left a weird taste in my mouth and it was a little too hot for me, but I did like the guacamole.

Entree: 3.2/5

I didn't really like the burrito that much. Every few bites there was something in the burrito that just tasted really bad to me, so I ate about half of it. The refried beans were really good, they weren't dry or too wet. The rice was also good. Usually the rice I receive is really dry, but this rice actually wasn't over-dried.

Drinks: 4.6/5
The Pepsi was just generic fountain Pepsi, so it was good.

Restaurant Environment: 4.5/5

The environment felt like the traditional family restaurant; although not everybody there was related. But the decor and the music definitely made me feel like I was in a family owned restaurant who was proud of their heritage. 

Staff: 4.2/5

The staff was very friendly and very helpful in deciding what to eat. Since I have never eaten at Garcia's before, the waiter was very helpful in telling us about what they had and what their special were. 

Speed of Service: 4.5/5

The speed of service was pretty good. I didn't feel like I was sitting around and waiting for the waiter so I could get the food, it didn't feel like there was large gaps of time between ordering and getting the food and then between finishing the food and paying the check. 

Overall: 4.1/5

Pre-Tip Cost: $31.24

Value: $25.62

August 6, 2014-Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill

What I ordered:

Appetizer: Tejas Trio
Entree: Beef Sirloin Fajitas

Drink: Coca-Cola

Appetizer: 3.5/5
The Z'Tejas Trio consists of chips, guacamole, salsa, and queso. I only ate the guacamole, I do not like their salsa and I do not like queso at all. Fortunately, the chips were crispy, hot and salty; the guacamole was creamy, there weren't that many chunks of avocado and it tasted very delicious.

Entree: 2.7/5

The beef that was served was very spicy, too spicy for me to eat; I could barely swallow it. I was very dissatisfied with my meal and I didn't finish it simply because I couldn't finish it.

Drinks: 4/5

I had a coke and it was just an average fountain soda, nothing special about it. However, I did enjoy it. 

Restaurant Environment: 4.3/5

The environment was very lively, yet still intimate and cozy. They had the roof closed so it was a darker in the dining room. The temperature was cool, not too cold though and

Staff: 4.6/5

Our waiter was actually training the night we were there. He did very well for being a trainee. He was very attentive to our table, even though he may not have had many, he was aware when we ran out of drinks and quickly brought us new ones, he asked about our meal. Overall he did very well serving us.

Speed of Service: 4.2/5

Although we had a waiter-in-training, the speed of service was still fairly fast. We didn't have to wait too long for our food and drinks, or the bill.

Overall: 3.9/5

Pre-Tip Cost: $46.14

Value: $35.99