**** (4 stars)
Definitely Colorado's most unique and insane roadside attraction. The fruit of one very — shall we say, Individual — person's work, this massive structure is at once breathtaking, beautiful, crazy, and dangerous as all get out. Worth the detour.
Bishop’s Castle
12705 State Hwy 165
Rye, CO 81069
***** (5 stars)
This nice little coffee shop is just off the main road through Sedona. They have a nice selection of locally made pastries, plus the usual coffee drinks. It's nice to patronize local business rather than the chains.
Cuptown
274 Apple Ave
Sedona, AZ 86336
***** (5 stars)
What a great find! Although the grapes are not grown locally (they are from Southern Arizona) the winemaking here is impeccable. You will find many classic varieties from Europe that you rarely see in the US, and every one of a dozen wines we tried was perfectly crafted.
And what a wonderful host we had for our tasting! Even though he has only been with the winery for six months, he was very knowledgable and accommodating, providing us with great recommendations for not only wines, but also local sights and restaurants.
This was our favorite stop in this wine country.
Chateau Tumbleweed
1151 W State Rt 89A
Clarkdale, AZ 86324
***** (5 stars)
This is one of a chain of taco restaurants around Phoenix. This one is in a Chevron gas station in Buckeye. It's counter service, but there is a surprisingly nice seating area, and you can buy any beverage you like in the adjacent convenience store.
The Pastor Street Tacos were excellent. As with all of the menu items, you can select your toppings (we chose onions and cilantro) and add any sauce you like from a salsa bar (the green sauce is quite good). The four tacos came with generous servings of rice and black beans.
We also tried the Barbacoa Wet Burrito with red sauce. It was stuffed with rice and beans, and we added onions, cilantro, and guacamole. It was also quite good, and authentically spicy, even without adding hot sauce.
Everything is made to order, so it takes a few minutes, but the service is friendly.
Maskadores Taco Shop Buckeye
2075 N Miller Rd
Buckeye, AZ 85326
https://www.yelp.com/biz/maskadores-taco-shop-buckeye-buckeye
**** (4 stars)
Great little diner with a small town feel. Features classic breakfast and lunch dishes and friendly service.
Jack & Mary’s Restaurant
2323 S Goldenrod Rd
Orlando, FL 32822
*** (3 stars)
The good: amazing wine-list with a broad selection of medium to high priced wines from excellent producers and appellations, worldwide.
The bad: crowded and deafeningly noisy making conversation nearly impossible.
The so-so: all the food we tried (ceviche, sashimi, mushrooms, boar ribs, lobster roll, sourdough bread) was just okay. No standouts or anything I'd order again.
Service was friendly, and coping well with the chaos.
Hinoki & The Bird
10 W Century Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90067
***** (5 stars)
This is a wonderful spot for breakfast or lunch, both of which are served all day (although all day is only four days a week and until mid-afternoon).
There are two order counters inside, one for hot food, and the other for baked goods.
The breakfast items almost all feature their fabulous garlic biscuits, which are huge, flaky, crusty, and moist inside.
Lunch offers a wide variety. They're famous for their chicken pot pie.
The baked goods are my favorite. The dark chocolate pecan pie had an amazing flaky, buttery crust. The macaroon was the perfect combination of toasty and moist without being too sugary or sticky.
The entire staff was exceptionally friendly.
Se7en Bites
617 N Primrose Dr
Orlando, FL 32803
**** (4 stars)
This place is an excellent choice for a meal that will entertain the kids and provide credible food for the adults. The decor is a step beyond Rainforest Cafe-level (although the animation of the dinosaurs is not going to challenge Disney). The menu is typical sports bar plus some larger plates, and the service is good. It's large and fairly noisy, but so are dinosaurs.
T-Rex Cafe
1676 E Buena Vista Dr
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
**** (4 stars)
This is a review of the food truck, which was parked near Pike Place Market at at 4th and Pine. Very good pork and chicken pastor tacos, served with lime and your choice of mild or spicy sauce. Three to an order, and one tortilla per taco, so more fork food that hand held.
Solamente Al Pastor
4435 A St SE
Auburn, WA 98002
***** (5 stars)
Beautiful, modern facility overlooking the surrounding farms. Greta venue for indoor or outdoor tasting. They're a bit low on wine right now, and the club membership is currently on a waiting list, but well worth a visit.
Alton Wines
3783 Peppers Bridge Rd
Walla Walla, WA 99362