The construction continues on the scenic drive and the workers are making progress. Drivers are…read morestill using one side of the street for south and northbound traffic. The workers are getting closer. The center median now has planted trees in it. Work is being done to clear off the southbound lane. It's only a matter of time now. This job was slated to be finished summer 2026. Since Summer just began, there is still time to make that deadline.

The original intent of the scenic drive has seriously waned over the years, as the area has become…read morecommercialized. It's okay--but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.

100% of the Profits from Whiskers & Wine go to the Foothills No Kill Animal Shelter…read more For a $25. Donation you had the opportunity to partake in light food, generous pours of wine,Beer, Live Jazz Music, A silent auction and the opportunity to find a new furry best friend in the beautiful Carefree Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion. Some pet dogs also attended. Unlike other festivals of this nature I've been too this one was really well organized and the people just flowed in actually before opening time and everyone was more than ready to handle the crowd. (that is unusual and is not the norm) They had more wine flowing than food serving. Guess that makes sense after all it's called Whiskers & WINE not Whiskers and Food. I was surprised that Sassi Restaurant was pouring Obscure Italian Wine instead of serving food. I wasn't the only one blind sighted about the food selection. One woman next to me asked Grimaldi's for 5 pizza slices but they came here to pass out Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Appetizers. The most popular food selection was Hummus Dip. Four kinds were served. The Carefree Bistro set up a mini buffet of many appetizers. Z's Asian Bistro, Venus Cafe and Giordano's also participated in donating their foods and time. The wines they poured were HIGHER quality than another a few other festivals I attended over the past year. (The West Side Festival and the Channel 8 festival) Arizona Stronghold, Brix Wines, Cellar 13, PRP, Sassi & Foothills were the Wine Sponsors. Mudshark Brewery sponsored Beer. The live music was good and they provided water and had nice clean bathrooms nearby. Parking was easy, close and there wasn't a fee.

Carefree is a small town approximately 40 miles north of Phoenix. Its population consist mainly of…read moreretired individuals. As of the year 2020,, there were approximately 3700 residents. Cave Creek is the sister city to Carefree.

Unexpected surprise while driving past this morning's frontier town…read more The homes are predominantly constructed in the adobe style and are absolutely gorgeous, surrounded by desert flora. Visit the small botanical garden! It's worth the detour.

Best place in AZ for local olive oil. Great food as they have expanded into food and gelato, with a…read morebar as their latest addition. Can take classes; evening events are fantastic. Did the make your own pizza paired with 3 wines with 3 different courses during the meal. Can do tours of the facility. Very educational. Also has exceptional products, like olive lotions and cleansing bars, etc. Outside seating area. Absolutely amazing place, especially if you like to support a local small business, want your cooking to represent the health found in local products and enjoy the benefits of organic over grocery store imports from China, Mexico and other little disclosed areas. All products are bottled in glass, never plastic. Exceptional service in their knowledge of olive oil and cooking.

So much has changed with the Queen Creek Olive Mill since I first reviewed it many years ago…read more Superstition Coffee cafe is no longer there. That section has been replaced with the Olive Mill's service bar. The retail shop has expanded - still the oils and vinegars that we know and love, but also other dry sundries like pasta, spices and seasonings. There's a little deli area with loaves of bread, focaccia, fresh cheese. And there's the spa merch - for soaps, balms, and the like. They still offer tours as well. The food is still outstanding. There is a lot of seating inside and out. But it does get VERY BUSY, so yes- during peak brunch hours it can be very hard to find a table. I don't go often enough, but love it every time I go.

This was a free festival that promised art and a culinary experience. There was plenty of beautiful…read moreart displayed in the breathtaking Carefree Desert but as far as a culinary experience this event fell flat. I was planning on enjoying lunch at this event and had to come up with new plans. I did enjoy looking at most of the art and imagined some of the very expensive pieces I saw looking mighty pretty in my house but some of them cost what my car is worth so I just had to enjoy looking at them. As far as the food I do have to say the food vendor Safari Samosas that serves up African cuisine is OUTSTANDING. The samosas are hand held pies that have meat or vegetable fillings with many different unique sauces to dress them up. The owner very generously gave out samples and the potato curry samosa was really delicious. My husband enjoyed the beef samosa the best and purchased one as a snack. Other than the Safari Samosas they had a falafel vendor, a tamale vendor and a baked goods vendor. That is all the culinary I saw on Sunday. t was a beautiful stroll through the Carefree Desert. It was free. Lots of Art! Just not enough that I would call it a Culinary Experience. Three stars is positive and means A-Ok. Would have been very good if this truly was a culinary event.

This was my first time dining at Pizzicata (Mesa location), and the live music is what initially…read moredrew me in. The patio views are beautiful, and the weather made it such a great spot to sit outside in the evening. The live music was a perfect touch...not too loud, so you could still have a conversation comfortably. The owner even walked around and spoke with guests, and both he and his wife were incredibly friendly. You can tell they really take pride in the entertainment they provide and in making sure customers have a great experience. As for the food, it reminded me a lot of the pizza at A Modo Mio Cucina Italiana, which is just a few streets away. If you've had and enjoyed their pizza, you'll likely enjoy Pizzicata as well. I ordered the Jennifer calzone, and it was okay. I would try a calzone again, but with different toppings. I added a meatball for an extra $3, and honestly, it didn't quite hit the spot compared to homemade meatballs. The calzone had a lot of ricotta and not a lot of other ingredients in it, so if you're not a big ricotta fan, this probably isn't the best choice. That said, the ricotta itself had a different flavor than other ricotta I'm used to. The calzone doesn't come with sauce inside, and the side of sauce is pretty small. I was charged $0.50 for an extra... I probably could've used two or three sides of sauce since the calzone had none. That being said, the sauce itself was excellent... very close to the flavor of sauce that my family makes. This sauce really gave the calzone a good Taste, it just needed more! We also tried the mozzarella sticks, and those were good. Overall, the atmosphere is beautiful, the space is a nice size, and the staff is warm and welcoming. It seems like a good place to bring kids, although when we went (Thursday around 6), I didn't see many. The decor is lovely, and the overall vibe makes it a place I'd come back

Decided to try this place because of a post on Cave Creek Infamous Bulletin Board. Shout out for…read moreposting about it! Our first time in there JC was our server. She was awesome and encouraged us to try the pizza. The pizza was awesome. JC was so nice and so welcoming. The food did not disappoint. It was delicious and the pizza crust was the best we've had in the USA! JC told us that their flour is shipped in from Italy so it's much more healthier and TASTIER than the flour out here. Since it was so good we couldn't wait to bring our kids there. We were greeted immediately by Randy and sat immediately. Randy was an awesome server and our food came out very quickly. She checked on us enough to make sure our food was good and our drinks were always filled. She was very friendly and welcoming as well. Before leaving, we decided to get some gelato and Noah helped us. He was very patient with our chaotic family and gave us good recommendations on the gelato. This place is so cute, very clean, has awesome food, but most especially wonderful customer service. Good representation of Carefree and Cave Creek!!! I can't wait to bring out of towners here.

This was a lot of fun and an insightful tour! Our guide James Beach was a TON of fun and made the…read moretour worth it. He had a lot of stories and history about the area which was interesting to learn about the area. We stopped at about 5 restaurants and the food from each of the restaurants was really good at each stop. If you are looking for a fun tour to learn more about the Scottsdale area, this is a good one. Be ready for a lot of walking though, and wear comfortable walking shoes!

Our tour was a great introduction to Old Town Scottsdale! Our guide, John (or James as he was known…read morefor our tour!), was such a great host. He shared so much background not only about the food but about Scottsdale itself. The stops were well planned and provided a great variety of items to sample. Our trip included pizza, tacos, a pasty, macarons, gelato, margaritas, beer, tea, popcorn and spice blends. I also thought the price was really fair for what we got. Highly recommend Taste It Tours and our guide John!

Although the place was very busy as it was wine Wednesday for half price wine, the hostess put two…read moretables together to be able to see the four of us. Pizza was great as always, drinks came out super quick. All in all a great experience to have dinner with friends there!

Brugo's is our favorite pizza restaurant in the Cave Creek area. We especially enjoy their thin…read morecrust pizzas. Our two favorites are the Franktown and the Finding Nemo. The Franktown has chicken, bacon, roasted garlic, and a variety of cheeses while the finding Nemo is shrimp based with cheese. We typically eat at the bar while chatting with Patrick, a long-term bartender there. He's always good for a few laughs. While it sometimes takes a while to get your food, patience is a virtue. And especially during the snowbird season, the restaurant can be crowded so a reservation is in order.