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
This is a very nice facility with both indoor and outdoor seating for wine tasting and food. There is even DAILY live entertainment.
We tried two different flights, one of red wines and one a "roll your own" option. Both were reasonably priced, and one of them included the souvenir glass.
All the wines were well made. We were particularly impressed with the Chardonnay, the best I've had from Arizona.
Alcantara Vineyards & Winery 3445 S Grapevine Way Verde Valley, AZ 86326
InteriorExteriorSource of the cafe's nameBuckeye breakfast
***** (5 stars)
Nom, nom, nom. The Buckeye breakfast is enough food for two or three people. Full disclosure: I finished every bite. Three eggs (perfectly cooked), bacn, choice of bread (English muffin for me), a stack of pancakes, and the best homefries I've ever had.
Let me dwell on those home fries for a moment… They are tiny cubes, perfectly crisped, and served in a square metal basket to keep them that way.
InteriorWet burrito with red sauce and sour creamAl Pastor Street Tacos
***** (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
Banner picked up our disassembled 200-year-old grandfather clock and expertly boxed, crated, and shipped it across the country. The packaging was literally a work of art. We opted for white-glove service, so at the receiving end the crates were unpacked and disposed of, and each item was carried inside and carefully positioned. Highly recommended.
Banner Packing & Crating 344 N La Cienega Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048
With a stylish interior design and an airy, bright space, this new restaurant offers an inviting place to enjoy traditional Korean BBQ.
Unlike some of the local Korean BBQ spots, Kang offers a full array of starter dishes, including assorted kimchee, salads, and more.
The meat offerings are excellent, and the grills and vents work great.
The downside is the price. Whether you order a single item prepared in the kitchen, or an all-you-can-eat feast, you are going to end up spending $25 to $35 per person, regardless of whether it's lunch or dinner. With a single beer and a coke, and the automatically added gratuity, our lunch for two was over $100.
By chance, we went to another all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place in Lake Buena Vista last week, and thought it was expensive at $28. But the weekday lunch there was only $18. And that's a tourist area. I'm not sure $35 is going to fly with the locals.
That said, all the food was excellent, and we would definitely go back if in the area.
There is a very limited wine list — mostly sweet — and only one beer (although it is the delicious Terra Korean beer).
Service was excellent.
Kang’s Kitchen 800 N John Young Pkwy Orlando, FL 32808
BuffetInteriorMenu – BBQExteriorMenu – hot potTable grill
***** (5 stars)
I'm so happy a good restaurant finally opened after six places went through here in the past couple of decades. I love Korean BBQ, and this is one of the best I've been to.
There are two concepts here: Hot pot, where you select a broth (Tom-Yum is a great choice) and then cook your items in the broth, creating a sort of stew; or, traditional Korean BBQ, where you select items to grill yourself.
Both concepts offer dozens of protein and vegetable choices, and there are no limits, so you can just keep ordering them two or three at a time and incorporating them into your creation. Our selections appeared almost instantly!
Our favorites were the bulgogi beef, spicy bulgogi pork, salmon, smoked garlic pork belly, and steak. There were also garlic shrimp, mussels on the half shell, fish, mushrooms, onions, and more. We were stuffed!
A buffet offers a vast array of sauces and appetizers, plus side dishes such as kimchee, and some kid's items like french fries and fried chicken.
It's all one price, ten dollars less at weekday lunch. And if you want to do both hot pot and grill it's just five dollars more per person.
Beautifully custom-designed tables with four hot pot burners and a central grill. Really modern, trendy decor, and a K-Pop soundtrack. Full bar.
Our server, Christina, was fantastic.
KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot 8594 Palm Pkwy Orlando, FL 32836
BuffetInteriorMenu – BBQExteriorMenu – hot potTable grill
***** (5 stars)
I'm so happy a good restaurant finally opened after six places went through here in the past couple of decades. I love Korean BBQ, and this is one of the best I've been to.
There are two concepts here: Hot pot, where you select a broth (Tom-Yum is a great choice) and then cook your items in the broth, creating a sort of stew; or, traditional Korean BBQ, where you select items to grill yourself.
Both concepts offer dozens of protein and vegetable choices, and there are no limits, so you can just keep ordering them two or three at a time and incorporating them into your creation. Our selections appeared almost instantly!
Our favorites were the bulgogi beef, spicy bulgogi pork, salmon, smoked garlic pork belly, and steak. There were also garlic shrimp, mussels on the half shell, fish, mushrooms, onions, and more. We were stuffed!
A buffet offers a vast array of sauces and appetizers, plus side dishes such as kimchee, and some kid's items like french fries and fried chicken.
It's all one price, ten dollars less at weekday lunch. And if you want to do both hot pot and grill it's just five dollars more per person.
Beautifully custom-designed tables with four hot pot burners and a central grill. Really modern, trendy decor, and a K-Pop soundtrack. Full bar.
Our server, Christina, was fantastic.
K-Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot 8594 Palm Pkwy Orlando, FL 32836
