Oriental Garden Grill & Sushi – Scottsdale, AZ

by Adrienne Wilson on

Talk about a pleasant surprise! From the outside I easily mistook the Oriental Garden Grill & Sushi for your typical Chinese buffet type of joint and from the inside, the interior was pretty standard, but the buffet was amazing to say the least. I’m the kind of person that packs their plate so tight he first time that I never really have the full opportunity to make multiple runs back to the buffet, but I made a bug exception this time. For one, the food didn’t taste as greasy and unhealthy for you compared to a lot of Chinese restaurants I’ve dined at in the past. Secondly, they offered such a large variety of fare from Japanese dishes to Korean, Chinese and American that it any single attempt to sample them all nearly impossible.

To sum it up the food was highly delicious and reasonably priced, so if you’re hungry, in the mood for Asian cuisine and in the Scottsdale area you should certainly check them out.

Oriental Garden Grill & Sushi is located at 8909 E. Indian Bend Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85250. Ph 480.362.1530.

Do It Yourself Chilean Wine Tours

by Neil Woodburn on

What’s better than a fine Chilean wine?  Drinking it in Chile.

Travel & Leisure has just printed an in-depth guide for oenophiles interested in touring Chile’s wine country.  The suggested 360 mile journey departs from Santiago, is spaced over four days and covers the region’s best wineries and accommodations.  Writer Connie McCabe offers great, detailed directions and mouth-watering wine suggestions to gulp and swill. 

All you have to do is buy a road map, draw straws for a designated driver, and you’re on your way. 

Britain’s Best Beer Gardens

by Neil Woodburn on

Britain’s Best Beer Gardens.

The title says it all.  The Times (UK) has come up with a list of the ten best British pubs in which to enjoy a cold pint on a hot day.  But these aren’t just any pubs.  These are drinking joints eagerly longed for after a winter trapped inside dank, smoke-filled pubs.  These are indeed, outdoor beer gardens. 

Ten is an awfully low number for a country like Britain, but if you read the short descriptions included you’ll understand that these are simply the best.  Take, for example, The Applecross Inn at Shieldaig, Wester Ross.  “Overlooking the Inner Sound and the Isle of Raasay… the Applecross’s fuchsia-hedged garden has a vista well worth the giddy drive over Scotland’s highest road…local nets provide squat lobster marinated in sweet pickle and prawns immersed in garlic and butter.” 

Now, will someone please tell me where I can find Shieldaig, Wester Ross.  There’s a cold pint and some tasty prawns waiting for me. 

Food Locations

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s summertime and it’s time to eat.  But where to start?  Jill Dupliex of The Times (UK) has rounded up a list of her favorite places around the world to enjoy her favorite foods.  The list is long, fifty items and locations, but mouthwatering.  Only a few are clichéd selections, such as pizza in Naples and cold beer in Munich, but the others, oh boy the others, are reason enough to hop on a plane and dive into crayfish in Helsinki, grand aioli in Provence, oysters in Ireland, and camel’s milk in Dubai.  Bon appetite!

Slashfood Pleads the Fourth

by Erik Olsen on

What food comes to mind when YOU than about the Fourth of July? Me, it’s all about burgers. Big, fat meaty burgers on the grill sitting there dripping all greasy-like next to a pile of grilling onions. Oh, and then place the bun there on the fire for just a few seconds .Each side, yes. Ad then take a slice of tomato about an inch thick and place that on top too. Add some mayo a bit of ketchup and, oh man, I’ve gotta excuse myself a moment.

OK, I’m back. A bit of a foodgasm there. Now, for those who dream of sweeter things than burgers, here is a like to Slashfood’s top highlights for Fourth of July desserts. What are the just desserts for July? Turns out it’s all about strawberry shortcake, berries with cream, and jell-o. Me, I say give me the burger.