While in Phoenix for a conference in October, a group of us came here for dinner with reservations. We were accommodated with two rows of tables for about 20-30 people. The servers attended to us rather well. Great service so far.
When it came time to order, I asked for the Seafood Chowda. A few of my colleagues ordered the shortribs. When my food came, I was disappointed that the "chowda" barely had any broth in it. Probably two tablespoons worth. It had a good amount of mussels and a couple of clams. There were a few thin slices of tiny potatoes and that was it. Being a fan of hot and spicy foods I was expecting a little kick from the ghost chile. To my disappointment, all I tasted was salt. The food was very salty and not a trace of spice. I even asked the waiter when I ordered how spicy is it and was told that it had a good kick. I gave a mussel to someone to try and he agreed to the saltiness and no spice. When the server came around again, I asked if this is how it was supposed to be prepared and he said yes. I pointed out the lack of any broth, creamy or otherwise and he just shrugged his shoulders.
Other people in my party were disappointed as well. The short ribs did not even have a hint of blue cheese. And this was coming from a person who loves cheese and is also a chef.
Sadly, many of us walked out at the end of our dinner very disappointed. We found this place to be over-priced and over-hyped. We concluded that there was little effort to please us due to the large size of the group which guaranteed their gratuity.
It's sad that the only thing some of us enjoyed was the popcorn. My advice: review the menu carefully and ask a lot of questions. I most likely will not come back here the next time I'm in Phoenix.