Fun for Everyone- The Paseo Arts Festival

As many of you know I live very close to the heart of the Paseo Arts district, comprised of a few blocks of art galleries, upscale restaurants, and brightly colored Spanish-inspired architecture. On a normal day, the shops, galleries, and restaurants lining the main thoroughfare keep a slow, but steady flow of customers.

However, on the first Friday of every month, Paseo hosts

“First Friday Gallery Walk,” where the local artists open their gallery doors to the public: an event that draws a bit of a crowd to the area. These events have become increasingly popular in the community, due in part to recent recognition for the area; including being named as one of the ten great neighborhoods by the American Association.

The Paseo Arts District began renovating and restoring its buildings to their former glory in 1970, and the first Paseo Arts Festival took place in 1977. Since then, the Paseo Arts Festival has grown to one of the most popular local Memorial Day weekend events, with nearly 60,000 guests over the course of the weekend. The outlining streets and main thoroughfare fill with local art, culinary creations, crafts, and live music. In addition, all the local galleries open their doors; some even doing demonstrations for the public. There is even a section for the kids with crafts, balloon art, and the most fantastic face painting you have ever seen. There is art for every taste and price point. It took my husband and me nearly two hours to see all of the galleries and booths, but we could have easily spent another two hours listing to the wide variety of musicians and live music. There are food vendors, a few small cafés (Picasso Café & Sauced), and an upscale restaurant (Paseo Grill-See Previous Post).

My Recommendation: Go, and take your whole family. Wear sunscreen, and bring something to drink (vendor food prices are similar to the Oklahoma State Fair food prices, and can get expensive). It is free admission to the festival, but be careful where you park (many places are trying to charge). Edgemere Park is walking distance and you can park along many of the streets for free. The Festival is Saturday, May 28th through Monday, May 30th. (Saturday 10am-8pm, Sunday 10am-8pm, and Monday 10am-6pm).

Overall Rating: 10

Summer Fun-2011 Twilight Concert Series

This year, the Arts Council of Oklahoma is hosting the Twilight Concert Series at the Myriad Botanical Gardens. Local performers take the stage on the Grand Lawn every Sunday at 7pm, June through August. Admission is free, and there is a wide variety of music selections from Jazz, to Red Dirt, to Reggae, all of which are performed by artists from Oklahoma. This past Sunday (June 5) was the opening event, featuring The Stringents. The audience gathered on the Grand Lawn with lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. The Stringents performed a variety of rock songs using only their...

Franchise Folly- IHOP on Classen

I have always enjoyed the privately owned casual restaurant NOT tied to a corporate chain. There is something about their charm, food, and drive to keep their customers that draws me to these places. IHop, of course, is not one of these restaurants.  Their international franchise chain of “pancake” restaurants reach across the United States, Canada, and Central America. These restaurants are typically convenient because they are placed in prime locations. They also keep niche markets that are difficult to find in private, local restaurants. Ihop, for example, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all day and into the wee hours of the morning- a definite plus if you crave a stack of pancakes at 3am. 

My husband and I, however, did not go to Ihop at 3am for pancakes (quite possibly where we went wrong), but rather went at 10am (frighteningly normal by any standards). Given the hour on a weekend, I was surprised to see no wait at the Classen location. We were taken to a table in the back, near the kitchen, and greeted by a bored and annoyed looking waiter (let’s call him Jake) ready to take our drink orders. His lackluster approach wasn’t surprising, as I don’t really expect peppy, friendly waiters at restaurants like this, but it didn’t award him any points either. After giving him our meal orders, he annoyingly checked back what felt like every three minutes, to interrupt our conversation and ask if we “needed anything,” which we clearly did not. 

Our food arrived, and my turkey sandwich (it was brunch time) lacked presentation and quality. It was quite literally a sub roll, Kraft mayo, processed turkey lunch mean, Kraft single sliced cheese, a slice of tomato, and a piece of wilted lettuce. It came with a side, something “Jake the waiter” didn’t bother to ask me about, which meant I got fries (not even enough to cover the plate, not that I would have ate that many). Up until this point, Jake had checked on us somewhere near 8 times since we arrived at our table. Once our food arrived, however, all trips to our table completely stopped. He delivered the food, saw that I did not have but a ¼ of a cup of drink left, but never returned with anything. At all. I ate my entire meal in peace, sure, but without the hydration I so desperately desired to quench the parchedness in my throat that can only come with a dry, processed sandwich and over-salted fries. At the end of our meal, when our plates were clear, and our glasses still empty, Jake the waiter returned with the check. I asked for a “large” to-go drink to take with me, but of course he returned with the smallest cup I have ever seen (go figure). To add insult to injury, as we went to the front to pay, we realized they charged my husband some 50 cents for a slice of toast (really?!)

My Recommendation: The moral of this story is that you should stick with individually owned and operated local restaurants. If you do go to Ihop, don’t expect amazing service or food…I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist there. 

Overall Rating: 1

PF Chang’s- St. Louis Edition

I must admit- when my coworkers suggested PF Chang’s on a recent work trip to St. Louis, I was less than excited. I had been to PF Chang’s once before, and did not come out a big fan. This occasion, however, was quite different…

The food AND the service were spectacular. Our server never missed a beat on refills and timeliness.  My coworker and I went for the menu for two, and were not disappointed. The food was brought out in perfect succession, and the Mongolian beef was simply to die for (I didn’t know beef could be so tender!) The end of the evening, however, was the highlight. We ordered the “Banana Spring Roll,” and I do not think I have ever tasted anything so fantastic (and I am not a dessert eater). This spectacular dish had the crisp of a spring roll with a warm banana center, drizzled with caramel and presented with vanilla-coconut-pineapple ice-cream. Delicioso!

My Recommendation: Go-if for nothing else than to try the banana spring rolls. The location in St. Louis had excellent service, but I am assured all locations are of similar caliber. It is a nice restaurant, so dress accordingly. It’s also priced on the high side, so be prepared!

Overall Rating: 10

Royal Caribbean – A Royal Mess

This is a story about my experience with Royal Caribbean Rewards- A royal mess by any measure…   

It all begins with the Royal Caribbean Visa Reward card (similar to most rewards cards- one point for every dollar you spend, redeem the points for free cruises or cruise merchandise). My husband and I spent three and a half years racking up the points necessary for a 4 night cruise for two. Alas, the day finally came when we met our quota, set a date, chose a sailing, and called to make the reservation. 

When I called to make the reservation, I explained to the “booking expert” that we would be redeeming our reward points for the cruise. I booked, and that would be the end of a very short, pleasant story, but that is not, of course, how it went at all…

I received a call a few days later from Royal Caribbean Rewards asking me why I booked an interior stateroom instead of the ocean view I was supposed to get with my rewards points. 

Confused, I asked why I had not been told it was included with my rewards points when I had clearly explained to the “booking expert” that I would be using a rewards coupon for this cruise. The man on the phone proceeded to explain that they were now out of the ocean view staterooms that come with the rewards, and I would need to pay an additional fee to get an ocean view… No thanks, I guess I will stick with my interior stateroom…

I called back several times to the rewards department, getting the same answer each time…They couldn’t give me what I had spent three years to get- an free cruise for two with an ocean view stateroom. In addition to that, it came to light that I was responsible for paying the taxes and fees…so much for “free...” I wrote emails to notify Royal Caribbean and visa of the issues, but never received any response. Talk about batting a 1,000…

Finally, a week before my cruise, I call the rewards department in a last-ditch effort to get what I “paid for.”  By some miraculous measure, I convinced the woman to put me through to a manager (something that had been refused in all previous calls). I was granted the ocean view stateroom…finally.

Indeed, my story would not be complete without a bit about the cruise experience itself-

As bad as booking this vacation was, Royal Caribbean did not do a great job of convincing us it was worth the effort. Getting onto the cruise ship involved waiting in two unfathomably long lines (all total it took nearly an hour and a half to get on the ship), with workers that seemed to absolutely despise their jobs. Once on the ship, things did not get much better (although the thought of a beach vacation around the corner smoothed some rough spots). Once we entered onto the ship, the only thing open was the café- which was out of nearly everything in the way of food (we had not had lunch yet, because we thought this would be open and fresh). As the cruise went on, we found the staff to be slow and sloppy. The few “free” places to eat on the ship were open when everyone was off the ship having a good time, and closed when you wanted to have that midnight snack. In addition, we were rushed from the dining room every night for the next round of guests to eat (our waiter was not only slow, but frazzled and looked like he may burst into tears at any moment). 

One of the most frustrating things for us was that the staff tended to wait around like they were expecting a tip (this was particularly true for room service).  Every time they so much as poured you a cup of water, they stood waiting. We actually were outright asked for a tip from the guy that…get this…took our luggage from the trunk of our cab (when we arrived), set it on the curb, and put a tag on it..So much for “all inclusive…” To put the cherry on top, on the last “day” of the trip, we were forced off the boat at 7:30am…Anything before 9 on a vacation, is too early to be awake… Needless to say, if I choose to cruise again, it will not be with Royal Caribbean.

My Recommendation: If you are looking for a true “all inclusive” cruising isn’t it (look for adults only or family friendly all-inclusive…I have never been but hear they are amazing). Most cruises do charge for almost everything “extra,” as well as expect tips upon concluding (Royal Caribbean actually gives out envelopes with suggested tips for its employees). All cruise lines are not equal, however, and it is best to do your research to find the one that best fits your style of vacationing. There are several cruise lines out there, and cruising can be a great way to see a multitude of destinations in one trip. 

Overall Rating: 1

Iron Starr = 4 Star’s

My husband and I visited Iron Starr Urban Barbeque for the first time the other night, and we may just be hooked. ..

Iron Starr is in the 36th and Western area, and owned by the same group that owns Cheever’s Café on 23rd and Red Prime Steak downtown. At Iron Star, they infuse trendy and sophisticated with tried and true in everything from the decorating to the food. The dining area is country chic, with dark walls, modern light fixtures, stainless steel tables, rustic hardwood floors, and old milk jugs with yellow flowers scattered throughout. Their food follows the same general path, with a wide variety of fresh seafood, smoked meat, gourmet salads, and “famous” sides all presented with a sophisticated flare.

When we arrived at Iron Starr, we were seated right away by a friendly hostess. I ordered the WATERMELON sweet tea, which was, in fact, the reason I wanted to try Iron Starr. I was not disappointed. Props to whoever came up with such a great combination; watermelon and sweet tea…who knew? I will be trying to make this concoction at home in the near future. We also ordered the Frito Chili Pie appetizer, which turned out to be like a fancy loaded cheese fries, only with Frito’s. It was spectacular, but did not go over well with my diet (but neither did anything else we ate there). We followed this delicacy with a barbeque brisket sandwich with potato salad for my husband, and a BBQ Club with fancy mac and cheese for me.  I was a bit disappointed in their mac and cheese, as it lacked flavor; however, their BBQ Club sandwich was simply divine.

Now you are probably wondering why I gave 4 star’s and not 5 in the title, given my rave above. The reason is two-fold. 1. The service was slow. The waiter could not seem to keep our cups refilled, and at one point, I refilled my cup myself. Not good. 2. I would like to propose an addition to their menu- a BBQ Burrito, not unlike that which can be found at Mesa Verde restaurant (see next review).

My recommendation: Go, but be prepared to not eat for a week to make up for the pounds you will gain with this meal. They do have salads on the menu, but who wants a salad when you can have BBQ? The prices are similar to that of a chilis, and the portions range from medium to large. And if you go, you MUST get the watermelon tea!

Overall rating: 8

Mesa Verde Restaurant- Burrito Heaven

I do love to travel, and my favorite thing to do when I am away from home is to sample the culture’s cuisine. In my travels this summer, my husband and I had an incredibly long lay-over at the Denver airport. We decided to spend some time eating at a restaurant within the airport, and so we stopped at Mesa Verde Restaurant. 

The restaurant is located in the upper level of concourse A, and unless you are a smoker, I suggest sitting on the “patio” (which is a great place to people-watch anyway). The restaurant, service, and atmosphere would not really be anything to speak of if it weren’t for a certain menu item. It is a typical airport restaurant, and from what I can tell, not part of a larger chain. It does, however, have the BEST burrito you will ever taste in your life. My husband has an eye for always ordering items that, at first glance, do not sound particularly appetizing, which is why he was the one that ordered the BBQ burrito (I had Buffalo wings which were decent at best). The BBQ burrito was amazing, (I have heard that their other burritos are quite good as well) and was enough food to feed both of us. It consisted of a large flour tortilla filled to the hilt with brisket, black beans and rice, and topped with a flavorful, tangy BBQ sauce drizzled with a white, cream sauce. It was absolutely delicious, and good enough that I had to visit Mesa Verde Restaurant again, with my coworkers later in the summer, just to get one all to myself!

My Recommendation:

If you eat here, wait for the patio seating. This may be the only smoking lounge restaurant in the Denver airport (not sure), and it is usually very smoky inside. The BBQ burrito, however, is absolutely delicious, and worth a wait. Too bad it is not a little closer to home, but should be a definite stop on your itinerary next time you fly into Denver!

Overall Rating: 8