Tempe (December 2004)

Coming Soon

Hotel:

• Tempe Mission Palms Link to my review

Restaurants:

• Grilled Expedition Link to my review
• Rula Bula Link to my review
• Rustler's Rooste Link to my review
• PF Changs Link to my review
• Coldstone Creamery Link to my review

Tempe Mission Palms (December 2004)

We stayed at the Tempe Mission Palms for 3 nights in late December 2004. The hotel is located near Mill Avenue in Tempe, just 4 Miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 5 Miles from Scottsdale, and 7 Miles from Phoenix.

The hotel’s guestrooms and suites feature elegant interiors designed to reflect the sprawling rose-colored deserts of the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. Featuring a variety of comfortable amenities and plush furnishings, the guestrooms and suites can accommodate couples, larger families and business travelers. The hotel features a rooftop outdoor heated swimming pool, rooftop tennis court and basketball hoop, two Jacuzzis, an elegant garden courtyard, a business center, concierge, and fitness center.

The in-house Mission Grille serves traditional American and international cuisine. Harry's Place
indoor/outdoor lounge is a great meeting spot for enjoying creative cocktails with friends and
colleagues for a traditional meal, or to nosh on delicious appetizers. The Cabana Bar and Grill is
the perfect place to unwind and enjoy refreshing drinks or casual faire by the rooftop pool.
 

Tempe: Rustler's Rooste Steak House (December 2004)

Rustler's Rooste was founded in 1971 and is still family owned and operated. Legend has it that the original site, atop a butte in the foothills of South Mountain, was a hideout for cattle rustlers. Today it is  the valley’s highest and brightest beacon of the total cowboy western experience. Rustler's Rooste has it all.  Our critter out front, an enormous long horn steer named Horney, greets guests upon arrival. Open the door and enter part of an old mine shaft to the top floor to our Mountaintop Saloon. Saunter over the indoor waterfall and take our Famous “Tin” Slide into the dining room. (For the faint of heart, there’s a staircase as well.) Enjoy the live country western band and our strolling cardshark/magician. The building is bordered on the north side by plate glass windows, so there is a view form every seat in the house. The all-wood walls echo with history and are full of things from different points in time of this area and the west in general. Many ranchers brought their brands and branded the walls. All this with the muted comfort of sawdust covered floors and the aroma of mesquite grilling promises the elusive cowboy experience. Rustler's Rooste serves the finest steaks, ribs, chicken, and seafood. Appetizers are different and delicious. (Don’t worry - we’ve got rattlesnake). Their desserts will tempt you. They also serve quality cocktails, wine, and, of course, a variety of beers. Better come hungry!

Tempe: Coldstone Creamery (December 2004)

Coming Soon!

Tempe: Grilled Expedition (December 2004)

Grilled Expedition is located on Mill Ave. It specializes in wine, seafood, and pizza. As for decor, the flame the greets you when you walk up to the entrance.

Tempe: PF Changs (December 2004)

P.F. Chang's China Bistro is continually committed to providing their guests with an exceptional dinning experience each time they walk through the doors. Each dish is prepared using only the freshest and highest-quality ingredients all with the goal of providing guests with a stylish, comfortable, and upbeat dining experience. Their ever-evolving menu encourages exploration. Discover dishes that become the topic of your conversation. Toast classic cocktails with a modern twist. Enjoy that moment of surprise when you taste something so unique, exciting and fresh, you can’t keep it to yourself.

Tempe: Rula Bula (December 2004)

My spouse and I ate at Rula Bula in late December 2004. Guinness, music, literature, its people, and original pubs have been some of Ireland’s greatest commodities. An Irish pub is not just a bar or restaurant. In Ireland, the pub is at the heart of social life. It is a community gathering place for friends and musicians. A true Irish pub is distinguished by its “craic,” an Irish term referring to positive interaction among people through conversation, stories and music. To create an atmosphere of “craic” our pub is uniquely designed to offer a meeting place for good conversation, live Irish entertainment, good food and, of course, the perfect pint of Guinness. Choosing the right name for our pub was extremely important. We wanted our name to tell a lot about the pub experience and, after studying many names, cities in Ireland and pub culture, we decided on Rula Bula. Taken from the Irish Gaelic language expression "ri ra agus ruaille buaille" it translates to "uproar and commotion" in the context of a celebratory and fun time. We phoneticized the expression into Rula Bula to simplify pronunciation in English. We felt Rula Bula was an appropriate selection for the upbeat, fun image the City of Tempe portrays. Particularly on Mill Avenue, which is often, open only to foot traffic during the many festivities that take place throughout the year. Rula Bula is located in the historic Andre Building in downtown Tempe. R.G. Andre, a skilled saddlemaker, was a prominent businessman in Tempe. Long ago, before statehood, when Arizona was a pioneer town. While living in Phoenix, he built a Victorian-styled commercial building on Mill Avenue in 1888 and opened a saddlery and harness shop. In 1893 he moved to Tempe, Andre  later joined with M. Mertz, who became his partner in Andre and Mertz, a store specializing in harnesses, saddlery and vehicles. Rula Bula pays tribute to Captain Andre with an Irish saddlery-styled pub, which contains many of the bric-a-brac, flooring, lighting and interior design elements reflective of those more than 100 years ago in Ireland. In Ireland, a merchant’s shop would often double as a pub. A corner of the shop would be set aside for this very purpose. Customers would sit, sip Guinness and converse surrounded by shelves of merchandise. Irish pubs are a retreat from the real world and at the heart of Rula Bula is the ready smile, the invitation to relax and enjoy good conversation, great food and drink, hospitality, and humor.