Q: Burgers Mediterranne.... Not my usual combo for angus, but in the case of FEZ, I'll choose it every time! After our conference, we again looked to escape from the downtown PHX to get at more of the local flavor. The previous evening at Gallo Blanco (highly recommended), my local friend recommended some gourmet Fez burgers, and it stayed in the subconscious of my margarita-infused brain until the next day. So we hit it. Fez is a Meditteranean-themed burger joint, lounge, and over-all cool hang out spot in mid-town (is that the area?) Phoenix. My lady threw down the Fez burger (order this one) and I got the tan tan chicken (pretty good). The burger was particularly impressive. It's rare that getting "creative" with burgers impresses me, but Fez does it right. Solid block of angus beef, a whole bunch of other medierranne goodness, side of harissa fries, and a saturday brewski... Oak Creek Brewing Heffie made our last day a good one in the PHX.

A: positive

Q: While the red velvet cupcakes may be mini (and good for my portion-challenged self) they couldn't be more delish!! The half asparagus and havarti panini and half harvest salad were an equally flavorful lunch option. But desserts clearly steal my heart away.

A: positive

Q: I'll be honest: I wasn't too thrilled about eating at a buffet during my Vegas vacation earlier this month. I didn't want to eat anywhere that quite possibly had little kids sticking their fingers into the chocolate fountain (hello, Golden Corral). But my husband really wanted to check it out, and he was paying, so what could I really do about it? Turns out, this is a very nice, well thought out buffet. Much better than any buffet I'd ever been to. Granted, the price for lunch was almost $40 a person, so I wouldn't expect (or shouldn't expect) anything less than stellar. But the variety was what made this buffet so awesome. You have your standards, but there are also several international stations, like Japanese, Italian, Indian, etc. I'm putting dim sum on the same plate as my polenta, mashed potatoes next to a bowl of chicken chile stew. There's seafood, sushi, eggs benedict, with chicken and waffles and a large array of assorted desserts and gelatos. It truly is an amazing buffet, in variety especially. There would be something here for everyone. Food was very tasty. Cleanliness was top notch. Even the speed with which we went through the long line was pretty decent. So despite my unwillingness to go to a buffet restaurant on my vacation, I'd have to say since I had to go, I'm glad it was this one.

A: positive

Q: I love pizza. If I had to eat one food everyday for the rest of my life, pizza would be my choice! And for $8, Pizza Studio served up the best pie I ever tasted. I don't eat meat, so I put together a veggie masterpiece with tomatoes, mushrooms, mozzarella, caramelized onions, crushed garlic, olives and roasted red peppers topped with goat cheese and a pinch of truffle salt. The sauce was a blend of tomato and basil pesto on a firecracker crust. Service was fast and friendly even during the weekday lunch rush. I think I'm in love...

A:
positive