You know when you see a new spot
and you’re like hmmm… I wonder what’s going on over there. That’s how I felt when I seen Slapfish pop-up
on the scene. I don’t live on the side
of town where Slapfish is. I was just in
the area that day, so I noted it in my phone notes under Restaurants to Try.
Do you have a list in your phone
of restaurants to try?
The opportunity presented itself
for me to go and give Slapfish a whirl. I
ordered the Fried Fish Street Taco and the Fried Shrimp Roll.
As we waited, my husband and I
noticed the steady flow of traffic coming in and out. The restaurant was filled, and people were
waiting for to-go orders and I said to my husband this place must be GOOD! That’s always my first clue. My second clue is, has the staff tried the
things that I’m asking about. The counter
person had everything I asked her about.
Fried Fish Taco
The food was hot, one thing I require of all my food. The shrimp nor the fish had that weird texture thing going on. The like Texas toast bread roll the shrimp was nestled in was SO buttery and delightful. Everything was just incredible. Think of a “souped-up” Long John Silver. Sorry LJS.
Fried Shrimp Roll with Seasoned Fries
They have several locations in various states. I will certainly visit Slapfish again and have the courage to try their most popular item, the Lobster Roll. Let me know if you’ve been or if you swing through.
Location visited: 7280 W. Bell Rd. Glendale, AZ 85308
I had a meeting to attend and
it was up to me to choose the location, so I chose Lux Central. The meeting started at 9:30am, and the place
was packed. Line out the door. I was taken aback by that. It is just a coffee shop after all, is what I
thought. Naturally, I immediately said
this place must be GOOD!
We waited in line about 12 minutes,
with a Lux Central staff member walking down the line taking orders. Since I hadn’t been there before, I needed
visuals and some direction. She allowed
us to work our way up to the glass case where the pastries were on display. I made my order. Blueberry muffin and the pretty coffee drink
in a glass mug. She asked, a latte? I said, yes, and what does it take to make it
sweet? She said, caramel. I said yes, a caramel latte and a blueberry
muffin, please.
As we waited in line, we
noticed that the seating was limited because everyone in Phoenix was at Lux
Central that morning. There were four of
us, so we strategically scoped out where we could squeeze in. Don’t be opposed to sitting with another
person or two, everyone seemed friendly enough and knew this may happen at Lux.
There were many pockets of casually clustered
seating all over the building and an outdoor seating area as well. We luckily discovered a space for four and
grabbed it.
I’m all about process and order. I notice this everywhere I go. When we ordered in the line, we waited in
that same line until you get to the register to pay. Once you pay, you hang out and wait for your
name to be called. As the drinks came
out, they were placed on the counter next to the register where there is
constant traffic of payees. If drinks
are not picked up timely, it’s a sea of orders all over the counter while you
cautiously and others not so cautiously try to determine which drink is theirs. This process could be a lot better. The potential landing area for completed
drinks should be relocated to allow for a more seamless process between the
payees and the pick-up station, but I’m just a patron.
Lux Central
Anyhow, Lux Central not only
has pastries and coffee, they also have a complete breakfast, juice bar and
liquor menu. Everything our group had
(coffee, latte, blueberry muffin, croissant, hot chocolate, blueberry loaf)
agreed their items were good and it was worth a return for full breakfast and
coffee.
Lux Central is great meeting,
study, and hang out space in central Phoenix, and I can see why the line is
constantly out the door. The vibe is
legit. I encourage you to visit a local
coffee shop in your area and let me know what you ordered.
Bonus: Live music tucked in the corner (visited on a Sunday).
Location
visited:
4402 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85012 Hours: 6AM – 12AM
We were chosen to try-out the iPic Theater in Scottsdale, AZ. To be honest, I had researched iPic before and thought, whoa! That activity is NOT in our family of six budget. As the mom who takes the kids to the movies before noon so that we only pay $5 for matinee tickets, I was ecstatic that iPic graciously extended an invitation and we were able to experience the luxuries of iPic. Click the *link in bio* to check out what makes iPic theaters so luxurious.
iPic provided us with a 4-admission ticket pack, so we bought pizza for the two “Littles” and dropped them off with grandma and the older boys, my husband and I headed to the theater. Upon arrival we were greeted by management and shown to our seating. We were given menus and were told; everything is on the house.
My boys looked and asked,
really? Yes, we frequent our theater
with the reclining seats, popcorn, snacks and drinks on-hand but this was
different. New plush reclining pod-seating
for two. Blankets, pillows, unlimited
popcorn, a full menu + a Keto option, brought right to our seats. I asked my husband to please check on me to
make sure I didn’t fall asleep during the movie, that’s how comfortable the
space was. Let me tell you, we were
there for ALL. OF. IT.
Photo Courtesy of iPic Theater
Seating was $27 per person, so $108 for the four of us.
Here’s what we
ordered from the menu:
Steak Quesadilla
Chicken Strips
Fajita Quesadilla $15
(my husband had a steak quesadilla, because he thought you can’t go wrong with
steak, cheese and a flour tortilla shell)
Chicken Strips $15 (I
had the chicken strips, because I’m simple)
Angus Burger Sliders
$17 (both my sons had the sliders, because kids eat burgers)
Truffle Fries $12 (we
shared 2 orders)
Truffle Fries
Ice Cream Sandwich
Drinks $3.50 (3
drinks, I share with my husband because I don’t drink much soda and it was free
re-fills)
Toffee Cookie Ice
Cream Sandwich $10 x 2 (we shared 2 between the four of us)
We also had popcorn,
but remember, the cost is included in the cost of your ticket.
As you can see, the
pricing is like real dining. I can say the menu was nicely done. A little bit for everyone, from lobster
rolls, salad bowls, flatbread pizza to Keto steak skewers. Menu prices are online to view ahead of time,
which is a major plus in my book. All in
all, the food was ok. It lacked overall
seasoning of the meats used. My husband ate all his quesadilla, and said he’d
get it again. I hate half of my chicken
strips and took the rest home for lunch the following day. The boys didn’t eat
all their food and didn’t care to take the rest with them. We collectively gave the food a 3 ½ out 5
rating.
So, in total, our
iPic theater outing was $246.50. iPic
certainly delivered what it set out to do and is worth all of what they provided,
which is a luxurious movie going experience.
I’d visit iPic again, for a special occasion but when the whole family
is in tow, we’ll stick to the theater up the street.
iPic.com
Location visited: 15257 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85254
We live in Phoenix, Arizona, where summer temperatures reach into the 110+, so ice-cream is basically a food group. We treated the kids to Slickables, and they loved them.
We each chose two cookies to wedge our favorite ice-cream flavor in between. Each ice-cream sandwich was only
$2.50. You also have the choice of choosing a brownie to make your ice-cream sandwich, but we all stuck to cookies.
At chain ice-cream parlors, with a family of 6, we can easily run up a bill of $40 with add-ins and the such. At Slickables, our bill was $12.50 plus tax and we were in summer cool bliss, until we stepped back outside.
Slickables is located on busy Mill Avenue, in the heart of Tempe, so parking may be a doozy. There’s metered parking, so bring change (in most cases you can now use your debit card) but you can also park in a nearby garage for a small fee and walk a short distance.
Once in the Slickables, there are just a few tables to sit, but if you’re not lucky enough to snag one, you can stroll down Mill Avenue and window shop while you finish up your cream.
Location visited: 699 S. Mill Avenue, #117, Tempe, AZ 85281
Sharonda Shariee - Curating a Life Well-Lived 