Q: positive

A: OK- so I did actually go back for my birthday. Just a small group this year, myself my wife and two close friends. Everyone enjoyed themselves and everyone loved the food. Including my friend Chris, who tends to be a picky eater. We went on Saturday so the evening started with a very good guitar player and that slowly grew into a band w/ two dancers. I usually don't dig live bands while I'm eating too much, but these guys were great. They even invited our table up for a little dancing lesson as our waitress had informed them that it was my birthday. Being generally shy both me and Chris refused, but both of the gals went up and it was really fun. We had the same waitress as last time, Laura, and she was VERY sweet and knowledgeable. But, let's get to the important part, the food. Here's what we had- Again I have to mention the awesome rolls and garlic aioli they bring out to start off. So awesome and a hit all around. My friends had never had aioli so they were VERY happy. Caracoles aioli (glazed escargot in sherry vinegar aioli)- these were awesome. Usually places try to completely mask the taste of the snails themselves with a strong garlic/butter type sauce or something similar. This sauce was very light and that awesome earthy/woodsy flavor of the snails really came through. My picky friend just kept coming back to these. Usually he'll try something considered "adventurous" like snails but rarely has seconds. My fiend ordered one of the chicken dishes, but I did not try it. It was the Pollo a la Cazadora (Garlic chicken casserole with potatoes and carrots). The other three people at my table tried it and they all liked it. My friend said it was only slightly spicy. Txistorra (basque sausage with sherry)- This was pretty straight forward. A hit all around. Again the picky eater came back to these over and over. Solomillo de Cordo con Tocino (pork tenderloin with bacon, almonds and spices). My wife and I liked this. One of my friends said it was just "OK" and one of them hated it. Someone had a beef dish. If I remember correctly it was Espada de Solomillo (beef tenderloin with Sherry and sauteed onions) but don't quote me. It was beef on skewers. Everyone except me liked this. In all fairness it's just that I hate cumin and it had a very strong cumin flavor. The beef was tender and well seasoned, I just didn't like the seasoning. Pincho Muruno (Moroccan style lamb brochette)- This was really good. Again, it had cumin, but not enough to turn me off. The lamb was really well cooked and very tasty. Everyone liked this dish. We had the the Tortillas de Patatas (Spanish potato pie) again. Just like the rolls with aioli I can't really express how great this really is. Just eggy potato and onion paradise with aioli. Under $5 and it was generally agreed to that it was the best thing we got. You HAVE to order this, especially at the price. I also got the Ensalada de atun con Tomate, a salad with tomatoes and bonito tuna. Most people liked it. I myself found the vinegar WAY too overpowering. But it was nice to see bonito tuna on a menu, not so common. We all shared a couple of pitchers of the Vino Verde Sangria- the white wine sangria. Very nice. So all that food and two of the large pitchers of sangria came to just over $100. So awesome. We also stayed a little to listen to the music so I wandered over to the bar for a 7 and 7. I was served quickly and I got a VERY stiff 7 and 7 for $8 even. At a bar in Old Town Scottsdale that's decent. Can't wait to go back again.

Q: positive

A: First time seeing Brad Garrett and he is so worth it. We laughed so hard I was crying!! They are located at the MGM and they are near the entrance from the parking garage across the way from Haagen Das. This was the 2year Anniversary for them at MGM and it was sold out. They have booths, tables and chairs, bar with chairs and just chairs for seating. We sat in a booth and it was very comfortable and we could see the stage with no problem and did not get a crick in the neck!! On each table they had their menu for drinks etc that you would click a button it turns red to let the girl know you have an order or question and they were at your table in less than 2 min. The Girl was very nice and fast in her returns with our orders. Brad Garrett was the Host for the evening and was a riot. He also had two other comedians Tom McTigue and Danny Bevins. My group did not really know them but, they are doing stuff for HBO and have some movies coming out. They were very good as well. The club was very well kept and nice inside with Red Velvet curtains and red every where. With as many people in there it did not get hot at all. Well worth seeing. Brad Garrett is not there all the time but, you can go on the web site to see when he will be there but, the other comedians are great as well. We will be back

Q: positive

A: Had a fantastic breakfast here. Thanks to Jeanine for the great rundown of the menu! Will be back for sure!!!

Q: negative

A:
Restaurant review: I can see why some people in Champaign don't "buy in" with the yelp reviews. This is by far a significant drop from Maize which is just around the corner. Based on the reviews I was excited to try this as an alternative because there was actually seats and I could eat the food fresh from the kitchen. When you walk in you will notice that this place is sort of a hole in the wall place. I had to even ask if they accepted credit cards, yes they do! Everything in the restaurant was sticky from the menu to table to the floor. Usually that may mean good traditional food. Unfortunately this was not the case. I ordered a carne asada and enjoyed my mexican coke eating complimentary chips with salsa. The chips are straight from a bag and the salsa was quite bland. I was hungry so I enjoyed my chips still and ate the whole basket. When my carne asada came it was not what I expected. The meat was hidden in a pile of chopped up onion, peppers, and large chunks of green onion stems. Why would you put giant pieces of green onion in with the carne asada. These were not pleasant and bitter tasting. The carne asada is usually very tender the way it was prepared. This was again not the case. Very thinly sliced meat that was very chewy. The problem is that it was thinly sliced so it was quite over cooked. The refried beans was a soupy mess, but the mexican rice was passable. All and all this does not come even close to maize in the term of quality and flavor. Did I mention that there was so much oil in the dish... Finally when I paid I did not get an itemized receipt but as I saw him adding the price of the entree I believe I was overcharged as the menu list 8.99 for the carne asada, but I was charged 9.50. Seriously... Pro: None.... Cons: The restaurant is not clean, the quality of the meat is poor, bland salsa, very greasy carne asada Hidden gem: 1 dollar tacos on Wednesday