We were there. Our favorite bites were the habenero and bacon macaroon, the Thai food, and the delicious Honey Bear's BBQ. But this was a completely unsuccessful event in my opinion. We visited all the food vendors in less than an hour and could not wait to get out of there. We might have stayed longer except the music was WAY too loud, there was no place to sit down, the place was hot (and it was a relatively cool, rainy evening) piles of trash and garbage filled the few tables that were available to stand next to, and the drinks were way too skimpy. I'd have rather had fewer on the drink card but gotten FULL drinks rather than one-finger pours of red wine or two sips of beer. That was totally ridiculous. The Judges picked the carnitas from El Palacio as the winner but they must not have eaten the same ones we tried, which were greasy and overly salted. It was tragically bad and we spit it out. The Venue is a nice looking place, but is it up to fire code? Sure didn't feel like it, especially with one narrow and steep stairway as the only method to get upstairs. And it cannot be an ADA compliant facility since there was no wheelchair access. SO, overall, marginal food, terrible drinks, way too loud and too crowded, no place to sit, garbage everywhere... you can do better, Scottsdale.

negative

I love this place! Typical American Chinese restaurant. Their food is always tasty, reasonably priced and not greasy. I know if seems like a strange thing to mention but I always get sick after eating at Chinese restaurants and this is 1 of 2 places I have never gotten sick at. I love their crab puffs-they're slightly sweet (yum!) and I have tried various chicken dishes and all of them have been great! Staff is friendly, restaurant is clean and I can call in my order drive over and it's ready by the time I get there. I'm a happy customer every time I go!

positive

I can't say that the service is great, or the prices are good, but hot damn! When I want a nice champagne by the glass, this is the place I think of! Yes, I did just say "hot damn" and "nice champagne". Don't discredit me. It's a champagne bar on the casino floor in the Palazzo. I don't know who expects good prices here, but I certainly knew what I was getting myself into. $27 a glass? I think of it as a great way to taste before committing to a bottle. And I also make poor decisions when I've already had a few. The decor leaves much to be desired with a giant glass bubble decor center-piece in the middle of the bar. It's your typical video poker screen bar, small and circular. The Gosset Champagne Grand Rose Brut was everything I thought it would be. It was so dry it made my mouth pucker with fine bubbles that did not overwhelm when sipped. It was maybe a little too dry for me, but overall, an enjoyable glass. Or was it because I had already been drinking? Who can say for sure. If you want a nice variety of bubbly by the glass, this is your place. Hideous center-piece and all.

positive

I got take out. The sushi was edible but by the smell of it when I first took it out of the box, it was not as fresh as I would like. There is not much of a raw roll selection. I am used to more creativity in rolls and this place was lacking. I'm new to the area and this is the second place I've tried for sushi so far. It's in 2nd place out of two. And it's pricey!
negative