AZ – BOOT SCOOTIN' REVIEW™

Tom Ryan’s Lounge

JE — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 19:35:46 +0000

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

BOOTIN SCOOTIN REVIEW

Friday Night October 11, 2018

Here’s what we did

We first dropped in on a Thursday night in October. Place was practically empty, cause no band was playing. They told us there would be a band on Friday night so we decided to come back. As we walked in on Friday night, there were lots of people standing around, and the band was on break. This place is a straight saloon with no food available, but we noticed that quite a few people brought their own food in. We found a table near the dance floor so we sat down and asked for iced tea, but had to settle for water.

The band came back and started off with a two-step. We jumped on that, but found, as we started to two-step, that everyone was dancing something different and mostly in one spot. It was impossible to move around the dance floor in a counter clockwise direction, or in any direction for that matter. So, we danced most every dance in the first set and the result was the same, crowed floor, not much room to move, not much fun. If this fits your dancing style, then this is your kind of place.

The dance experience

Tom Ryan’s, in our opinion, would really be much better if the band would occasionally call out the dance (two-step, linedance, WC Swing etc) for a song before they played it. Bingo…call a two-step and everyone two-steps in the same direction. Bottom line, after an hour, we felt that it would be more fun to go to Denim & Diamonds in Mesa or Norton’s Country Corner in Queen Creek to two-step. So that’s what we did, and it was.

The seating experience.

There were lots of high drink tables with 2 or 4 stools. Makes sense that lots of people would be sitting when not dancing, right? But no, everybody at Tom Ryan’s, stands next to their stool, next to their table and clogs up the whole seating area. Making it hard to get to the dance floor and making it very hard to get on and off the dance floor. People, take a load off and sit on your stool at your table when not dancing.

Here’s what we saw

Age range: 50+

Dress Code: none that we saw. I would describe the dress as country to casual.

Floor: A medium size linoleum dance floor.

Dance Mix: Mostly two-step with an occasional waltz thrown in.

Dance Music: All Country Western, so we really liked that.

Live Music: Band Wagon was the band playing the night we were there. They were a good band.

Dancing: The dance floor was very crowded every dance and everybody was dancing to the beat of their own drum (doing there own thing) lol It was basically chaos.

Dance Lessons: there were no lessons the night we were there.

Food: No food served. Best to bring your own food.

Beverages: Full bar service bar. No iced tea. :((

Restrooms: Clean and nice.

Security: Doorman and some security inside. The parking lot was close and safe.

Parking: Lots of parking for free.

Atmosphere: Everybody seemed to be having fun, lots of laughing and drinking.

WRAP UP: This is the kind of place where you can have HonkyTonk fun, it’s just not a place that wants to maximize the dancing experience…

So Long for now…We’re off to the next venue! :))

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Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row

JE — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 18:46:22 +0000

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

Whiskey Row

Gilbert Arizona

Friday night October 11, 2019

Ridin’ into Town

Hi y’all we just got back from Arizona and we visited some interesting Country Western venues. We are excited to tell you all about them. When we arrived in Gilbert Arizona’s Heritage District, we were surprised to see lots of neon lights and lots of people and families strolling and sitting in the downtown area. The Arizona weather in the evenings is awesome in the Fall. It was so busy, that we had a hard time spotting our destination, Whiskey Row! And this was at 6 pm in the evening, Folks.

The town of Gilbert has a Historical District with multiple restaurants, shops, historical sites, and late night fun. Before coming here, we read and heard lots about Dierks Bentley’s country western music and Whiskey Row Gilbert, with its large dance floor. So we parked, walked in and sat at the bar, ready for a night of country dancing! We ordered some dinner and excitedly waited for the band to play. That’s when the bartender told us the band didn’t start till 9 pm. So, we decided to look around.

Here’s what we saw:

Dance Crowd: Mostly 25-50

Dress Code: No dress code (one review said the doormen got to decide)

Dance Floor: A fairly large wooden dance floor, but it was not well maintained. We also watched several people dancing while holding a drink in their hand. This is an unsafe practice.

Dance Floor Maintenance: Before 8 pm the dance floor is filled with removable tables for dining. We were sitting right on the edge of the dance floor for 2 hours. We could see lots of things being spilled on the floor, including food, napkins and utensils. When the tables were moved from the dance floor, some napkins and utensils were picked up, but no one thoroughly swept or cleaned the floor. From our vantage point, I could see at least 15 or 20 gobs of gum that had been mashed into the dance floor. Honestly, the dance floor looked like it had not been properly maintained in a very long time. Last word on that!

Dance Music: When the band, Yankton, came on at 9 pm, it turned out to be very disappointing. They did not play one country western song while we were there. Not one. It was a Friday night of free style dancing.

Dancing: No one was dancing two-step or line dancing

Food: They have terrific food here, and the service was very good.

Beverages: Full bar and they had tasty iced tea too!

Restrooms: Very large and very clean.

Security: They had lots of security at the door and inside.

Attmosphere: It was very festive inside with lots of people dining and socializing.

Newbies: This is not a place to learn or dance country western dancing.

WRAP UP: Remember, we are country western dancers, looking to two-step, linedance, and WC Swing. We did not find that at Whiskey Row Gilbert that night. We did find a very nice restaurant, in a nice town, with lots of parking and a friendly place to have a terrific meal. The atmosphere was based on a nice open air area and had a room for kids to play in while families waited to be seated. Staff was nice. The security was good. Food and drinks were great! Dance floor was large. Just no Country Western music or dancing.

So Long for now…Were off to the next venue! :))

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Bourbon Jack’s Bar & Grill

JE — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 20:11:39 +0000

Boot Scootin’ Review

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

Bourbon Jacks Bar & Grill

Chandler AZ

Thursday night

Oct 10, 2019

We arrived at Bourbon Jack’s About 6pm after a long drive from the coast. We were hungry and excited to dance at a new venue. We ordered a meal and everyone we spoke to was very nice. We had the Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad and Vegetable Southwest Soup, which were both very good!

After eating, we were excited to dance, but the band didn’t come on until 8:30, so we took a look around.

Here’s what we saw:

Cover charge: There was no cover charge the Thursday night we were there

Dress Code: No dress code that we saw.

Dance Floor: Dance floor is medium/small smooth cement, not the best to dance on, but it works.

Dance Music: All Country western with mostly two-step and a couple line dances thrown in during the bands first set. The band was very good!

We particularly liked the bands rendition of Copperhead Road.

Decor: Some country western wall hangings with one whole wall of brick and one wall of wood. The place has a new feel to it and lots of seating. There were eight TV’s featuring all sports. A very pleasant atmosphere.

Dance Lessons: Two step lessons on Tuesday night.

Food: Full menu and full bar. We drank ice tea all night, which included refills.

Restrooms: Small, but very clean.

Security: We saw no extra security beyond the bartender and waitresses. The area around the building felt very safe.

Parking: The whole area is retail and there was lots of parking close by.

We enjoyed our evening of dancing at Bourbon Jacks. The only shortcoming for the night was the very small crowd. There were only about 3 or 4 other people dancing during the first set by the band. When we left after the 1^st set, there was still a fairly small crowd.

We did meet a couple on the dance floor and they encouraged us to follow them dancing the Copperhead Road line dance and that was really fun. Most of the set we danced the two-step.

Restrooms were clean but tiny. Music tempo for dancing was fine, even though it was a bit on the slow side. We are used to dancing a moderate to fast tempo for the two-step. Just our preference. All in all, we had a good time and will be back again at Bourbon Jack’s in 2020 to dance and review on a Friday or Saturday night.

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Buffalo Chips Saloon & Steakhouse

CE — Wed, 21 Nov 2018 16:45:36 +0000

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW Country Western Dance

Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse

6823 E. Cave Creek Rd.

Cave Creek, Az 85331

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars

INSIDE AND OUT:

This venue is surprisingly very large. As you enter, the dance floor is to your left and tables/sitting areas are around it and the bar is towards the back. The kitchen is to the right beyond another large area. Next, out back they have a very large outside seating area for their BBQ and LIVE BULL riding arena (across from the BBQ). This is one happening place when all areas are being used! Nice western décor. Wild West Days are being celebrated this weekend, Nov.9- 11, 2018. Lots going on! See Buffalo Chip website for specifics.

Cover Charge:

Age range: All Ages

Dress Code: For ideas on Country Western Dance Apparel and Accessories see Products tab.

Dance Floor: Medium Size dance floor inside, and outside, very large area that people dance in spontaneously

Dance Mix: 80% two-Stepping and couple dancing with 20% line-dancing

Live Music: LIVE Music every Tuesday-Friday and Sundays at 8pm and Saturdays at 9pm

Dance Music: 95% Danceable Country Western Music played all night.

Dancing: Dances are not called, and the dance floor gets very crowded after about 8pm, so it’s very difficult to dance around the edge of the dance floor two-steppin’. This means you end up dancing in one spot on a very crowded dance floor.

Dance Lessons: FREE on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 7pm. The instructor was very good and we had fun taking the lesson. We love Country Western dance!

Food: We had a salad and sweet potatoes fries that were good!

Beverages: Iced Tea (with free refills since we bought it with dinner. Also beer, soda, wine, spirits

Restrooms: Very clean

Security: Understated if so, not noticeable

ATMOSPHERE: Staff was very friendly and kept very busy with all the customers. Lots of locals and tourists as well. Met people from other states as well as people that come on a weekly basis.

NEWBIES: Go early to dance as it gets very crowded later. There are plenty of experienced dancers to follow. Definitely take the lessons if you really want to learn how to dance.

Specifics:

Lots of jeans, boots and hats worn. Definitely all western and FUN activities! It is a very positive and upbeat venue. Just loved the atmosphere and all the activities.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Try to go there during one of their event days. There are activities for all ages. Their Mutton Bustin’ on Friday Nights reminds me of the Fiesta Day Rodeo in San Antonio Texas (where I lived). The kids riding are amazing and they hang on for dear life like champs!

Overall, we thought this was a terrific and historical cowboy dancing saloon. We loved the feel of the inside and the corrals and the bull riding out back. The crowd was very enthusiastic and the dance floor packed for most every dance. People were very nice and there was a loud and animated crowd. We loved the whole night and all the fun we had dancing and socializing. We did feel that what was missing though, was an occasional dance being called by the DJ or the band. Many venues we have visited, that have big crowds, at least call an occasional dance. For example, calling a two step would limit the floor to only two- step dancing, moving around the dance floor instead of being stuck in one spot. At crowded venues, this made dancing a little more fun for all levels of dancers.

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Harold’s Cave Creek Corral

CE — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 22:59:03 +0000

This is a historic site with a history in Hollywood Films and a flamboyant owner.

BOOT SCOOTIN’ REVIEW

Harold’s Cave Creek Corral

RATING: 3 STARS *** (OUT OF 5)

6895 E. Cave Creek Rd.

Cave Creek, AZ 85331

INSIDE: This is a place of yesteryear. Movie stars, and people that built the dam took respite here. Formal table cloths greet the diners. Lots of old pictures on the walls and a forward on the menu which tells of the venue’s history. It’s a historic venue est. established in 1935. Dance floor was right off the dining area. The night we were there started with DJ music and dance lessons and then the LIVE band followed.

Cover Charge:

Age range: All Ages, it’s a family restaurant

Dress Code: Casual, lots of cowboy hats and boots worn by the diners.

Dance Floor: Small dance floor area but looks like they could expand it into the dining area. They said they did move the tables, several times a year for big events, but the night we were there they didn’t.

Dance Mix: Can’t really say as the opportunity to dance was not there. The live band came on and only played pop/rock.

Dance Music: A Live Band was there the night we attended but they played more rock than anything else and we did not find a danceable country western song to dance to.

Dancing: We danced minimally

Dance Lessons: Good but sparsely attended there was only one other couple besides ourselves

Food: Was good but they were out of their ice cream/sherbet that night. They have a very large and very nice seating area inside and out on the patio.

Beverages: Alcohol, Beer, Wine & Iced Tea

Restrooms: Very clean

Security: Understated in that we did not notice any staff other than the door person and the restaurant staff. We did not see security type people outwardly dressed as such.

ATMOSPHERE: Nice table dining areas and historic western motif. Most of the diners looked to be locals eating there because of the good food. Very few stayed and danced though.

NEWBIES: No advice based on this visit. Most of the dancing was free dance. We sat and listened for about an hour without dancing. Our advice is to call ahead or look on their website to see what type of music they will be playing before you decide to go there to Country Western dance.

Specifics: Seemed like country western dancing was just not on the agenda that night even though they are referred to as a country western dance venue. But, it was not the emphasized when we attended.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Would need to visit again to get the full flavor of this place. Our feeling about Harold’s is that, it is a very unique restaurant and dancing venue that has been around for 80 years and we really liked the old-time western feel of the place along with its illustrious history. It has the feel of the 30s-50s restaurant that probably loves to let it rip several times a year. If they’d move the tables, had a great country western band play, and had the dance floor full with of dancers two-steppin’ the night away it would have been perfect! Unfortunately, we weren’t there on one of those nights. No tables were moved, no country western playing band materialized and nobody tore up the dance floor. We were there on a night that had only a handful of dancers that danced to a very average pop/rock band. This review is based on that one moment in time. We hope to visit again in 2019 on a big night at Harold’s Corral.

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