Horny Toad

This place is infested with bugs. We sat down to dinner and I had a "creeping" suspicion that we should have just left. Menus were set down on the table and a beetle of some sort crawled across the table. As one of my teammates was about to eat a french fry, the aforementioned beetle's cousin was sitting on the end. I noticed on crawling across my shirt. I almost just threw up reliving the evening. This place should be closed down for health code violations.

6738 E Cave Creek Rd
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
(480) 488-9542

Elements

Elements has some great things going for it. The view is absolutely amazing, the food is very good and the cocktails and wine list were excellent as well. The one thing that the place lacked was great service. The service was good, but it didn't match up to the food and ambiance of the place. Looking out over the Sonoran desert with thunderstorms in the distance, you get to see a completely different view than what you would expect of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Great wines from "hidden gems" round out the already delicious menu of food. I started with the Duck Two Ways which paired duck with foie gras and peaches. It was absolutely delicious. For my main course, I had the filet with Maytag Bleu Cheese. It, too, was delicious. Some of my teammates did not like their salads, but I was impressed with the place. A little expensive for what you got, but I would go back none-the-less with hopes for better service.

5700 E McDonald Dr
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
(480) 607-2300

Chino Bandido Takee Outee

Avoid this place like the plague. I was "treated" to this place by some of my teammates and it was the yuck. Remember how I said I hated fusion. This is a prime example. Blending egg-foo-young and a quesadilla. Who thought of that putrid combination? I wish I could have that hour of my life back, but alas, it is gone.

Chino Bandido Takee Outee
15414 N 19th Ave
#K
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 375-3639

Bloom

I've been out in Scottsdale quite often and have had a chance to go to some great restaurants and some not-so-great restaurants. We can start with Bloom, which gets average to good marks in my books. The service and the wine list by the glass is quite impressive, however, the food I felt was just average.

My dining party started out by sampling one of every appetizer on the menu, literally. Some were better than others, but they are all worth trying. For dinner, I had the scallops, which were a bit overdone. I don't think there is anything worse than overcooked food. Especially shellfish, where the texture turns rubbery and the quality of the meal quickly deteriorates.

That being said, the rest of the dinner party enjoyed their meals, so perhaps I just chose the wrong item. They did also have an extensive wine list, of which, many were served by the glass. In fact, they did several varietal flights (About 20 or so) that were some of my long time favorites as well as new favorites.

Overall, it is worth checking out. The service and wine are great. The food, I'll leave that up to you.

Bloom
8877 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
(480) 922-5666